the sign of 666

Everytime on a Sunday morning I just feel so good to talk craps. I felt the earth moved under my feet last week. But it wasn't enough. Maybe my feet moved instead. 8.7% down in popular vote. Is this a strong mandate or a strong dip. It all depends on what kind of kopitiam head one has. It also depends on what kind of yardstick one uses. It also depends on the motive behind the person calling the it. For those kopitiam heads who expect 85% win, this is a big failure. It must be. It is less than 75% or 70%, not enough to get an A grade. For those who think 65% is a strong mandate, 66.6% is a strong mandate. And for those who just want to call it a strong mandate, any figure will still be called a strong mandate, even if it is 55%. But I don't like the sign. Last week someone told me that the sign of Satan were flashed all over the place. Now 666 is in the front page of the newspaper. Ooooohh me God! What is really important is that the people have spoken. And the victors are thanking the people profusedly, humbling themselves by saying that it is the people's vote. Now after the election, will the people be forgotten? We can expect a few more days of thanking the people, humouring the people that they are the masters of the land. But will the real masters now take over and tell the people to behave? Will the new masters again adopt the attitude that they know what is best for the people and continue to shaft down the throat of the people what they want? For the next five years, the people must watch carefully and make their assessments of the real masters and their actions. Would they listen to the plight and wishes of the people? Would they reverse their thinking that efficiency, big profits of big organisations takes priority over jobs for the people? Will they continue with another round of restructuring to make sure that the big organisations continue to spread their activities and encroaches into every other little businesses to make more profits, and in the process destroying more jobs? Is economics priority, or profit priority more important than political considerations, the welfare of the people? Will the people be allowed to make a decent living by restraining the giant corporations from elbowing everyone out of business? This is a watershed election. It registers the beginning of a shift. Small it may be. But if not arrested, the difference will be seen in the next election. It could be a big shift, not so much of Gomez, but the $10 bil package, with a few thousand dollars in everyone's pocket that makes the difference. It is a very expensive election and could have turned the other way without the heroin jab. Everyone is still feeling a little high. But the effect cannot last long.

kopitiam talk on the election

By now probably 90% of the votes are in and nothing can change the outcome of the election. It is also a good time to talk a bit of nonsense and enjoy the freedom of kopitiam talk. I personally like George Yeo, Lim Hwee Hua and Zainul abidin. In fact many of the PAP candidates are very good people. I also like Sylvia Lim and many of the opposition candidates too. But when contesting a GRC, one team has to go. That is what GRC is all about. It is all in or all out. Choktong has warned the people of the consequences of losing a good minister like George Yeo. All ministers are highly valued and cannot afford to lose in an election. Given such a logic and the importance of a minister, opposition should not even contest a GRC. And he even suggested to cut a deal with the people, offering them even 10 NCMPs if they vote for the ministers. Actually he should have offerred the deal earlier. Then maybe the opposition can trade the deal by contesting only single wards so that no minister need to lose. Opposition candidates walkover in single wards and PAP ministers walkover in GRCs. That would be a good deal, I think. Now that the people are dumped with this GRC dilemma, it would be a waste if George Yeo and his colleagues were defeated. But all is not lost. They could easily land a job that pays them more than what they are getting now. Reminds me of Lim Chee Onn. Happily staying away from politics and making his millions. The next election will be a more interesting one when political parties start to trade deals with one another. And probably there will be no voting. Once the deal is struck, each party will go back with the number of constituencies in their pockets. General election Singapore style.

A final assessment

One week of campaigning is finally over and voters are marching to the polling stations to decide their own fate. I am just wondering whether they know what they are in for? Are they casting their votes for their own good or for their own doom? Whoever they vote for, they will have to live with their choices for the next 5 years. Will they be voting for a party to look after them or to boss over them? The democratic process is a funny thing. It gives you a choice to choose. To choose what? To choose someone to look after your interest or someone to carry a cane to whip you. So far it has been like that. The people are there to choose their master, and happily doing so. In this election it is not to vote for a new govt. The key issue is whether to have more voices to restrain the govt or to confirm that there is no need to restrain the govt. For the former, it is an indication that the people wanted some change, that they are not totally happy with what had happened over the last few years. In the later case, the people will be saying yes, we like what the govt has been doing and the govt can continue to do what it thinks best for the people. The bread and butter issues, a better tomorrow where jobs are aplenty, people can make a living easier, lower cost of living etc will thus be the key decider on who to vote for. Both the opposition parties and ruling parties have addressed these issues to some extent. The rest of the issues raised like quality of candidates, their commitments, upgradings etc were side issues. Then the Gomez incident however, has taken centre stage and could really become the key factor that really tips the scale. PAP has rightly saw an opportunity to discredit the WP's team in Aljunied by creating a big doubt in Gomez. Initially they scored big. But after opening a big wound they got carried away and made themselves into a wolf pack devouring the carcass. The sight turned ugly and nauseating to many people. It shows the ugly side of the PAP at its worst. Even the NKF and Chee Soon Juan saga faded to the background. Chee was silenced and the NKF issue sidelined. In a way this turned out to favour the opposition as they distanced away from Chee and appeared very reasonable. It was a personal vendetta or family feud between the Chees and Lees. Nobody wants to get involved. And without Chee making fiery and reckless speeches, the rally was what it should be with the opposition parties saying what they should be saying and PAP trying to sell their plans for the people. Then things took a plunge for the PAP on the last two days of campaigning. The word 'fix' took on a new meaning. Earlier it was Gomez trying to fix the Elections Dept and the whole government. Now it has a different angle. Gomez made his slip. Now PAP has its slip as well. And this may prove very costly. Though the PMO quickly came out with an apology that it was a slip, the negative thought has already been planted in people's mind. My gut feel of the outcome. Aljunied will go to WP. The WP put up a credible team but got derailed by Gomez. I thought that was the end of WP in Aljunied. But the subsequent barrage of persistent attacks against his blunder levelled the ground again. Then came the PAP slip at Raffles Place and this could be what the WP needs. On the single constituency, Steve Chia has come out quite strongly, very flamboyant and charming in his own ways. His little flirtation with the law seems to be totally forgiven and forgotten. And compare to a goody and clean but dull Gan Kim Yong, Steve Chia comes out a more popular guy. Ho Peng Kee tried his very best but there seems to be a gap. It was quite obvious that he could not bridge and connect with the people in his rally speeches. His attempt to speak the voters lingo was a big effort that did not seem to get through. Ong Ah Heng, the veteran, may lose out to the youthfulness of Lian Chin Way. This is a refreshing face of a young professional, a serious young man who is equal to the PAP's slate of candidates. The voters will have no problem voting for him. Seng Han Thong may find Yip Weng Kee too good a match for him despite his advantage as a current MP. Yip could match him in every area and that should be good enough to carry him to Parliament. Tan Bin Seng would be a close call for Chan Soo Sen. Not that Tan Bin Seng is more superior. But if the people are looking for a decent and credible candidate, they might just give their votes to Bin Seng. As for Hougang and Potong Pasir, it was a gallant attempt by the PAP. But the truth will be repeated and the PAP would have to try harder another time. The PAP's waving of millions of dollars of upgrading programmes did not really draw the right responses they want from the people. Everyone knows that it is the taxpayers' money they are throwing back at the people. Nothing to crow about. In fact Steve Chia's challenge of using his own money, though not much, created more positive impact than the millions being promised by the PAP. The above is just my take. I could be totally wrong.

The forgotten and unappreciated group of people

What can the opposition candidates do? Can they negotiate FTAs, can they invest our huge reserves, work out master plans, bring in investments etc etc etc. Sure they can't. But do they need to? Who are the ones that do all the donkey work? Many may curse and swear at them, faceless policy makers who only know how to play by the books. But they are the real people who do all the thinking and hard work in planning and making sure that the country works like clockwork everyday. You guess it. They are the faceless and thankless civil servants. Politicians mainly set directions and build dreams. The civil servants are the one that get things done. Politicians may say I want medical fees to be reduced. And the civil servants will find ways to get it done. And if the objective is to make more money in transportation, the civil servants in LTA will get to work. Make SIA and PSA the number airport and seaport, and the civil servants will start cracking. Politicians need to have vision, to know what is good for the country, set the goals like Malaysia's 2020 and not winning the world cup in 2010. And politicians must also know that they must look after the people and not be obsessed with profit making per se. What is the point of SIA or DBS making billions when people are retrenched and become jobless? We need political leaders who think and care for the people and their welfare. Not political leaders who care about which organisation is making the most money while the people's welfare is neglected. The political leaders lead and the civil servants do the work. Political leaders must be caring men, decent men. Not necessary clever men who only think of their own pockets.

spreading rumours and inciting anger and insecurity

Chua Chin Hon's article in the ST starts like this: The WP has offered no concrete plans ofr Singapore's future, and has instead been spreading rumours about the rising cost of living, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday. He also criticised the opposition for dwelling on lift upgrading and means testing for hospital stays, with the aim to 'incite' feelings of insecurity and anger among Singaporeans so they would vote for their candidates.' Did Hsien Loong really said these? If people complain or talk about rising cost of living are guilty of spreading rumours, I think all of us are equally guilty. If people question or raise issues about upgrading and means testing, they are inciting feelings of insecurity and anger, I think we all better stop talking about them. Don't want to be accused of spreading rumours and inciting the people. This is dangerous stuff.