SINGAPORE POLITICS - Grasping At Past Straws?

Politics – Fearing The Future

By MIKOspace

The fear of the future is the most frightening and paralyzing.  The future is full of uncertainties, ambiguities and the unknown.  The unknown future is however not unfamiliar to Singapore.  We were there in 1965, again in 1973 and 1979 through the recurring global recessions of 1985, 1997, 2001, 2008, 2012 in addition to the 2002-2004 SARS medical crisis, Islamic extremist terrorist activities of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in 2002 and their continuous threats into 2017 when another JI plot was discovered and crushed.  We have prevailed in every encounter beyond survival against seemingly insurmountable odds. In 2019, we will celebrate our 54^th National Birthday come August. 

For Singaporeans, the unknown future is not our friend.  It is also not our enemy.  Most importantly to Singaporeans, the future is not unknown.  We in Singapore know our future very well, and regard the future as full of opportunities for our benefits and prosperity growth. We understand its natural constant threats, challenges and prospects.  We have repeatedly engaged it, subdued it, transformed its threats, overcome and prospered from our numerous repeated victories over the “dark” future.     

It is therefore interesting to note that the newest Singapore political party, Progress Singapore Party (PSP), was formed (pending official registration) with the intention to “build a compassionate and truly democratic Singapore where good values and people matter; (and that) freedom of choice and free speech without fear must be defended”.  Hopefully, the new Party could soon unveil and elaborate on its “alternate” Singapore with non-existent compassion and (fake?) democracy, and yet has the freedom of choice and free speech. No Singaporean can recognise the PSP’s Singapore. Even 78-year old PSP Founder Dr Tan Cheng Bock seems to have forgotten that he himself participated successfully in more than 6 free and fair democratic elections; as well as a highly competitive Presidential election which he also decisively but fairly lost.

The PSP is founded and led by 78-year old Dr Tan Cheng Bock, a past MP (Member of Parliament) of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). The veteran Singaporean politician (1980-2006) had actually retired from politics in 2006, but emerged briefly to be defeated in the 2011 Singapore Presidential Elections by Dr Tony Tan who served as a most popular President from 2011-2017. Since 2006, Dr Tan Cheng Bock has not in fact been politically active and unlikely therefore currently to possess “star appeal” or any significant or material political clout or influence.  

Older Singaporeans would remember Dr Tan Cheng Bock as a medical practitioner with no experience in shipping or logistics when, as an MP in 1991, he also became the non-executive Chairman of Chuan Hup Holdings (CHH) Ltd, a logistic transport company, which was unusual at that time as MPs did not normally hold such positions, let alone one which is totally unrelated to his expertise or professional experience. Then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had also cautioned Cheng Bock to avoid speaking on behalf of his company/industry as an MP or to lobby any public officer in the course of his business.  PM Goh subsequently issued binding Guidelines on MPs’ Involvement in Business which is regularly revised and updated.

The emergence of the PSP in fact celebrates the fact that real and true democracy is alive and well in Singapore, quite contrary to its debut Facebook declaration. Many, many political parties have been formed over the years when political participation deepens as expected in a maturing Singapore democracy. There are a total of 30 registered political parties today, of which only eight have never contested in an election.  In the 2015 General Elections (GE2015), 179 candidates (representing 9 political parties) and two independents contested all 29 constituencies and the 89 parliamentary seats without any uncontested walkovers. Only 2 political parties emerged from GE2015 successfully – the ruling PAP won 83 of 89 seats with an increased 69.9% of the popular vote and the Workers’ Party had 6 seats with much lesser popular votes than before.

The PSP declared its aspiration to be “an alternative voice in Parliament”.  Of course, its MP candidates must first get elected.  And it vows that “as the Party and Candidates mature, we intend to be ready to govern the nation”.  If not soon, when?  

According to Cheng Bock, he has formed PSP with 11 other unnamed "like-minded” Singaporeans, among whom are former members or cadres of the PAP.  It is truly unusual for newbie political leaders to be so shy as to remain anonymous! That’s surely a novel way to introduce your leaders, hahaha!  So humorous and comical indeed!  

And if the PSP wished to be taken seriously, stop being a joke and introduce your leadership openly.  We do want to know their experiences, qualifications, accolades, service record and motivations; as well as whether any have personal grudges, self-esteem problems, spousal issues, daddy issues, mommy issues or sibling issues.

It is therefore strangely bizarre that at least 5 opposition political parties have already openly declared that they are open to an alliance with Cheng Bock’s PSP.  But the PSP has not even announced its leadership, vision, mission and policy positions!  And no one truly has any clue as to what the PSP actually stands for? For continual employability and prosperity, or disastrous freebies and free benefits?  What does PSB see as core bread-and-butter and gut issues faced by Singaporeans?  Cheng Bock has alluded to the “fears and pain” of some people whom they spoke to?  Are these psychological? Or medical? Real or imaginary? Irritations or routine discomforts?  What are these, please elaborate? 

Without any documentation of PSP’s proposed solutions to resolve the purported “fears and pain” of the people, as well as the global issues facing Singapore, how did the 5 opposition parties know whether these PSP solutions would align with and are not contradictory to their own albeit unpopular policy solutions?  Is this how they would make decisions when in government?  That’s worrying! 

Even as nearly 40 years have passed since the first non-PAP MP (from the Workers’ Party) was elected into Parliament, followed by a few more in subsequent elections, no opposition political party has ever aspired nor ready to take over the government mantle.  No opposition political party appeared to have mustered, groomed or attracted enough suitable talent to field and contest sufficient seats to form the government should they be elected.  Some opposition parties had combined to form an “alliance” hoping to contest every seat so as to win more than 50% to form the next government; and they had repeatedly failed in this strategy in past general elections.  Perhaps, such an alliance is what 7 opposition political parties hope to create with the “unknown” PSP with Dr Tan as its “Great Leader” after a meeting in July 2018.   

Indeed, if the PAP had been performing sub-par to deserve being replaced, then this “100% contests” strategy (which failed in GE2015) would be best for the eventual opposition alternative government. Unless of course, either the PAP performance was never an electoral issue (why change the government then?) or/and the electorate did not have any confidence in an Opposition alternative government (so why vote for the Opposition?). 

As I watched the excitements unfolding from the unprecedented exhilaration and elation over the birth of Singapore’s latest newbie political party, reality check quickly emerged that the PSP could very well be just a recycled copy of an old PAP clone, albeit vintage, instead of the modern future-ready PAP with the full potential and measure of newbie zest and youthful exuberance!   

Cheng Bock and most of his merry ex-PAP band of “unknown” 11 co-founders of the PSP are likely to belong to a PAP’s past which no longer even exists in the PAP!  The PAP has been continually evolving by replacing 20% of its MPs at every General Election in order to maintain relevance and promote smooth succession by injecting fresh talent regularly.     

The future is not to be feared.  The future must be grasped and engaged in order to overcome and survive it.  For some, survival is optional. And for yet others, survival is not even compulsory.  We need to guard against the promises of easy solutions offered by straw-men or straw-women, especially if they belonged to the vintage past.  While age does not matter when what mattered has not aged, those who want to lead Singaporeans into the victorious future should not encourage the natural fear of the unknown future, but to provide Singaporeans the confidence and assurance of living a sustainable, victorious and prosperous life with loved ones in a better future Singaporean society.