PAP Rally at Boat Quay on 3 May 11

Imagine...87-0 in favour of PAP

I will like the people to imagine what life will be like on 8 May when PAP walks into Parliament with a 87-0 victory. Just imagine. What a beautiful world it would be.

The Growth Formula of PAP

We have seen exponential economic growth over the last decade, in GDP numbers. In real terms, what do these numbers translate into? Very high cost of living, high property prices, high medical fees, high cost to run business, high education fees, high transportation fees, high cost of buying a car. There is also the problem of high influx of foreigners to compete for good jobs as well. These are now the major concerns of the people and are now the main issues in the GE. Would these problems be tackled by the PAP govt after the GE? Yes, the PAP candidates now understand that these are genuine concerns of the people, including high ministerial salary which the PAP still did not think is an issue. So can the people expect any change in these policies? No way. These problems are expected in a high growth economy. They are intrinsic in a high growth formula based on adding more people into this piece of rock. And the govt knew all the while but did not see them as problems. In fact they are seen as necessary to growth, to raise the GDP numbers that leads to high growth bonuses. If these are not problems and are good to have, can we expect them to be removed? Why should they be when they are good? What would happen, and is already happening, is that the govt will keep on justifying and explaining why they are good and necessary. We need more foreign workers, high property prices are good, high ministerial salaries are good to prevent corruption and to bring in super talents into politics, world class education and hospitals need world class fees naturally. The congestion in public transportation can’t be helped as we need more foreigners to increase the demand for goods and services, the workers to do jobs Singaporeans did not want, and the middle executives to provide jobs for Singaporeans. The people cannot expect these problems to go away when they are not problems in the first place. A PAP govt will not change this high growth formula. If the people want to modify or moderate this high growth formula, they can only depend on the opposition MPs to speak for them, to change this high growth policy. It is necessary to have opposition MPs to rein back this mindless pursuit for growth numbers. That is why opposition MPs are badly needed in Parliament. Don’t get me wrong. High growth is good for the economy. But if high growth is generated only through higher population growth, it is a deadly formula. It is suffocating and unsustainable. High consumption is against conservation and saving mother earth.

3 oldies

3 oldies on a hiking trip.More pics at Art of RAR Gallery on top right of page.

So much anger

Only a few days into the GE campaign and we have witnessed so much anger among the people. Is the anger real, and how widespread is it? We have seen posters being vandalized, minister being chased away by hostile citizen. And there are privately drawn posters of unhappiness hanging in market places. In the internet, there is a spontaneous uprising with netizens coming together to fight for the same cause. They are not paid or organized groups, simply netizens speaking out. They gathered evidence like letters or videos to support the cause of the opposition. And people are turning to the net to get a glimpse of news that will never be told or make it to the main media. The crowd and mood at opposition rallies that resonated with the speakers’ calls for an alternative voice in Parliament are loud and clear. Again, are they really the voice of the aggrieved, the voice that will turn into votes against the ruling party? Are the people really so fed up with the ruling party and are ready to make a change, to vote for more opposition representatives or even for a coalition govt? Have we reached such a stage? The temperament has changed drastically over the last few days. If the anger is deep enough, and widespread enough, we could see an awakening of the people. The PAP must be caught by surprise for not seeing this and still thinks that they could carry the people with them. And threatening the people in a last ditch effort may prove to be their fatal wrong doing.