Promises PAP should not keep

The PAP boasts about its record of keeping to its promises. What ever they say or toss out to sound the public, it will become a reality. Good or bad, popular or unpopular, righ or wrong, it has been decided and they will go ahead with it. Transport fare increases, school fees, medical fees etc these are as sure as the sun will rise. Now there are two things which they are saying and I wish that they don't keep to their promises. The first is means testing for hospitalisation. This is an outrageous intrusion into people's private life, their finances and difficulties, all to be exposed to some strangers in the name of means testing. Means testing is simply MEAN. Means testing, with an objective to make sure that people cannot stay in C wards if they have some money, is in conflict with the principles of prudence and thrift. People must not be forced by means testing to spend more than they want. And not to forget the fact that the govt is not going to reduce medical fees but to restructure in the payment only, either from insurance or medisave in the cpf, or by instalments. So no one will know when his savings will be depleted either by one or two or triple hospitalisations. How could forcing people to spend more be in line with Boon Wan's call for the people to be prudent in their spending, in protecting their CPF to last their life time? The next promise that came over the air last night is the intent to merge Hougang to Aljunied GRC. And maybe all single wards that were won by the PAP will also go that way. This will ultimately destroy all single wards and turn the whole islands into big GRCs. This is no good as it deprives independent candidates or small political parties to stand. What ever the propositions or promises, what is lacking is choice, freedom of choice. Once decided, all must follow, and only one choice. And do policy makers really believe that a one rule or one option can fit all, meet the needs of a diverse population? Singaporeans need more choices, more freedom of choice. Private hospital can offer the world best medical care by the world best professionals and charge a couple of million bucks to the willing customer. Let market forces determine how willing the customer is prepared to pay. There is no issue about that. If someone like Wee Cho Yaw wants to pay half a million for an appendicitis ops, if he is happy and the private hospital happy, let it be. But govt hospitals cannot operate on market principles. Exceptions may be allowed say for the A wards to compete aggressively and charge exhorbitantly. That is also fine. But the people must have a choice for managed medical fee based on reasonable cost of medicine, equipment and a salary that is not running away with the market. Produce all the doctors that the market needs and let them go to private practice and make their millions. But their earlier years, maybe 5 to 10 years be in public service and be paid a reasonable and not out of this world salary. Many people's lives depend on them, and many people cannot afford crazy medical fees. The govt must not allow govt hospitals to operate freely like commercial hospitals and allow them to hold at ransom the lives of ordinary people. This is irresponsible. Please don't keep to your promises on these.

pap candidates are sincere in wanting to serve

With the hustings heating up, both sides are trying to tell the voters how good and deserving they are. Everyone is there telling the voters that they are there to serve them, the voters are the boss. Some of the PAP candidates are taking the line that the opposition candidates are like terrorists, appear once in 5 years and disappear after that. That oppposition candidates lack sincerity to want to serve the people, are opportunists. The PAP candidates also present themselves as sincere politicians who have been there in the last 5 years serving the people. That it is in their blood to want to serve the people. Presumably even those who have retired from politics would still be there to serve the people after their terms end and would not disappear like opposition candidates. And PAP candidates will also come out voluntarily to stand for election even if they have not been invited for tea. They are always there with the people's welfare at heart. Tea or no tea, they will come forward unlike opposition candidates who invited themselves into the fray and scurrily run away if not elected. So we have sincere PAP candidates versus not so sincere opposition candidates. Candidates who came out to serve after being invited for tea and candidates voluntarily stepping forward wanting to serve without being invited for tea. Another issue that's quite puzzling to me is that Sitoh was very confident that if elected he will upgrade the lifts in Potong Pasir. According to him the estate is too old and he will apply to HDB for lift upgrading fund. Chiam must be sleeping and did not know that his estate is very old and that he could apply to the HDB for lift upgrading fund. And worst, according to Chok Tong, Chiam has no fund to do upgrading for his estate. I would believe that HDB will allocate upgrading fund to whoever is the MP of the estate and running the town council. I may be wrong.

scoring political points

After the relentless attack on Gomez, he came out and apologised. But that was not to be the end of the episode. In Low Thia Khiang's view it was an honest mistake. In the eyes of the PAP, it is not only a Gomez issue. It is about the credibility of WP, about transparency, about the quality of all WP candidates. This is the same kind of reasoning that people will use in politiking. Once a mistake is made, when there is doubt on one of its members, then the whole organisation will be questioned. It is lucky that Durai is not a PAP member or candidate. Or he and PAP will be grilled like how Gomez and WP are being grilled. Scoring political points!

7 May, a new political landscape

On the wee hours of 7 May 06 half of the Singaporeans were soundly asleep. Another half was griped by a state of shock that swept through the island. The youth of Singapore have spoken. And their disillusioned parents have joined forces with them to deliver a crippling blow to the ruling PAP govt. A totally unexpected result was frozen on the tv screen. PAP lost 3 GRCs, East Coast, Aljunied and Ang Mo Kio. Lee Hsien Loong was voted out by a team of young upstarts, all still wet behind their ears, inexperienced and with school text books still left around their tables. Jayakumar, the deputy Prime Minister, lost his stronghold in East Coast. And together with Aljunied, two of the most promising young ministers, George Yeo and Raymond Lim were also sent packing. And all the single ward seats were won by the opposition candidates! It was a crisis beyond imagination and of a scale that shook the whole nation. What now? The worst nightmare had started. It is a bad dream on a Sunday morning. No it can't happen. The election now in its third day is only a formality, a cake walk to another 5 years of PAP rule. Time for breakfast.

an alternative opposition strategy

What I would consider a better strategy to win one GRC is for WP to borrow Abdul Rahman Mohamad from SDA to join Sylvia Lim's team instead of Gomez. And Mohammed Rahizan Yaacob be replaced by either Chia Ti Lik or Perry Tong. Then field the team in Hong Kah or West Coast. The second WP team can take on one of these two PAP team. In this way, the likelihood of scoring a goal is much better than the current strategy of diluting their strength and competing fairly strong PAP teams. I am still puzzled why they think Aljunied and East Coast are easier to take. The slate of opposition teams indicate very clearly that they were unable to attract good professional candidates from the minority communities. Until they are able to bring in a few good minority candidates, theirs is an uphill task.