general election : fight on 4 issues

the wp comes out with a 52 page manifesto. the pap chooses 4 as time bombs and cornered the wp to fight on these 4 issues. for the moment the pap is taking the initiative to launch an assault at wp, especially at the two leaders low thia khiang and sylvia lim. would the wp be cornered and let the pap set the agenda for the fight? eng hen challenged the wp, lets fight on these 4 issues. very neat. surely the wp is not going to confine itself with just 4 issues. there are hundreds of issues to be debated. how wide will the battlefield be? given the resources of the pap and so many ministers still in the background, waves of attack can be expected to follow suit. there will be increasing pressure with more coordinated atacks as the election approaches. the campaign trail has started, sooner than the announcement of an election. is it a good thing to start the fight so early? would the issues be talked to death and people be bored by the time the election actually started? sometimes harping on issues too early and too often may lose its novelty and impact. would it be better to throw them out hot in the midst of the election instead of discussing now when the election could even be delayed to god knows when. the date has yet to be fixed. lets hope the contestants will fight fairly and not hit under the belt. lets hope the issue will boil and be properly fried during the actual election campaign.

general election : factors favouring the opposition

below are my initial take on what may favour the oppositions? 1. need for change. too many things have been taken for granted by the ruling party that they no longer appreciate their significance. these include the intangibles that are not talked about but kept within the hearts. 2. high salary. the recent increase to the president's salary will send more votes to the opposition. this is a clear sign of how insensitive the ruling party has become. 3. cpf retention. no one knows how strong is the feeling of dissent over money retained in the cpf. 4. nkf. it is generally seen as a govt's problem and failure. and the associated events have many unfavourable implications against the ruling party. 5. foreign talent. another issue that digs deep inside the electorate but not well articulated to appear as a serious problem. but it is a serious problem that cannot be swept under the carpet. 6. hdb. the pricing of hdb and the declining value of ownership is gaining importance as a source of grievance. 7. transport fares. this issue seems to be underestimated by the govt and may cost a lot of votes to land on the opposition's lap. 8. unemployment. includes those who are displaced from well paying jobs and ended in low paying jobs. 9. erosion of moral authority. the casino will lose votes from the diehard moralists. and the exposure of several flawed personalities among the elite have shaken the faith of many strong believers.

general election : factors favouring pap

with the approaching general elections, it is time to kopitiam talk about the fight for power and the who and the what of the election. lets start with a preliminary take of the position of the ruling party and the opposition. i will like to touch first on what favours pap in the general election? 1. track record. some people are happy with what pap has done and think this is good enough. 2. opposition weakness. if the opposition cannot present good and decent candidates in the eyes of the electorate. 3. organisation strength. grassroot and party organisations and membership. 4. finances. pap has superior finances to run the election campaign and to finance the candidates, including deposits. 5. grcs. the opposition will have problem fielding enough candidates to contest in grcs. 6. promise of goodies and handouts. 7. the candidates are mostly known. the party is known. all its goodness and warts. more predictable for those who fear to thread on uncertainties. 8. intangibles. favourable things that are difficult to describe or quantify. this is possibly the strongest unaccountable factor that the opposition will have to contend with but with no replies.

education: fuzzy logic or delusion

i read with some concern at the views being promoted recently and the changing mindset of administrators and students and the public. what they want is for a students to do everything, be a sportsman, be a businessman, entrepreneur, social worker, inventor and also do well in their studies. for a student to be able to do all these, they are either geniuses or little gods. a little experience and exposure here and there other than the main task of building a strong academic foundation are good and welcome. but to over emphasise the secondary and good to know things at the expense of the core knowledge acquistion function is very dangerous. a student must be firstly a student and must do well in his studies. for those who are able to and can afford the time, go and do whatever they want. but do not compromise on your basic role as a student. do not compromise on your first class honours. in a free environment, a few geniuses will shine. but many pseudo geniuses will waste away, fooling themselves. a real genius will thrive in any situation, in any environment. the dismissal of our inability to produce world beaters is all bull. very shallow thinking. our lack of world beaters is a result of our small critical mass and the short time span of our existence. and also, the brightest were channelled to adminstrative functions and the govt. what is really needed is the allocation of talents to where it is needed. if we want scientists and inventors, put the best brains there. what A star is doing is the right thing. there is a chinese saying, 'nian chuan bu nian gong, hou lai yi zhang kong.' what it means is that if one is training in martial arts, learning the moves without training the basic physical strength, eventually is worthless. education is the same. the acquisition of knowledge, technical knowledge, cannot be abandoned for foolish things like trying to be fun, to be a businessman, to excel in sports, all at the same time. know one's own limitation and endowment. if one is so talented or gifted to do all things, thank your parents for the good genes. if one is gifted to be an einstein, don't try to be a tiger woods. likewise tiger woods would not try to pretend that he can be an einstein or vice versa. lets not confuse fuzzy logic with delusion.

temasek not selling singapore assets - dhana

for a while i was nervous. natsteel was sold. so was raffles hotel, cias. then dbs building. then what? the istana? it is good that dhana confirmed that temasek is not going to sell local assets for overseas investments. it reminds me of how aw cheng chye sold his father's bank to wee cho yaw. selling inheritance by a prodigal son is a sure sign of things going wrong. let's hope we don't see anymore selling of our national inheritance and national heritage. it is like selling our souls. the chinese saying, selling 'peh kong giap,' or the created wealth of fathers and grandfathers.