Punggol East – The big disconnect

The biggest statement of the result of this by election is the big disconnect PAP is experiencing without knowing. PAP claimed that it is doing everything for the people and is with the people. And all the policies are carefully thought out and implemented for the good of the people. Obviously the people in Punggol East did not buy it. And if this is what the people across the island are thinking, the days of PAP in power will be over very soon. How could PAP and all its pro people policies that are good for the people ended up in losing this by election? The PAP must believe that everything it did is for the good of the people, and it still believes so. But does the PAP know that the people do not believe so?

And the PAP is still believing that it lost because it was a by election and by election is always unfavourable to the ruling party. How wrong can it be and when is the PAP going to face the truth and see the ground as what it really is? The ground has changed, the people are unhappy with the policies and therefore the govt. Get it?

On the WP side, it has read the ground well and actually is connecting with the people, the citizens who wanted change. There is a big connect between the WP and the people in Hougang, Aljunied and now Punggol East. Where has the PAP been all these years to lose touch with the ground? What a statement! How could the PAP lose touch with the ground when it has so many grassroot leaders and institutions on the ground?

But surely something has gone wrong, something badly wrong. I try to figure out but couldn’t. I also cannot see anything wrong. So I rather believe that nothing is wrong. It is only a by election and in such election, the ruling party is always at a disadvantage. In the next GE the people will definitely vote the PAP back to power to ensure their own prosperity. Nothing to worry about.

As for Koh Poh Koon, he is likely to continue to serve the voters in Punggol East, and likely to be appointed as the grassroot advisor, to walk the ground, to connect with the people. He is still new and would want to hang around unlike some who quit politics immediately after losing an election.

Workers Party wins Punggol East

I dare not believe this will happen earlier in the week though I secretly hoped this would happen. My position then was a close fight, a 50:50 chance going either way. A two horse run by election. The strength of the ruling party was still too dominant for the opposition. And this by election was about a little girl facing a top notch elite supported by the ruling party, and in a 4 corner fight. It was too much to ask for.

Now it happens. At 2 am, I am still awake to the excitement of this game changing event. How could the PAP lose this by election, losing a very safe seat previously won by Michael Palmer with a clear margin in a 3 corner fight? This time the result, WP 54% and PAP 43%. The other two in the four corner fight were completely whitewashed. No need to mention about them. It is a good lesson to note that the voters today are very well informed and would do what is best for their own interests. Going forward, three or multi corner fight to disrupt a proper contest between two main parties will no longer be material.

The voters of Punggol East has rejected the PAP outright with a convincing victory that speaks more than just a by election. The repercussion is serious and the foundation of the PAP is rattling. The support of the voters can no longer be taken for granted. The claim that the party is for the people is rejected outright by the people. It also implies that the voters are rejecting most of the policies that the ruling party claimed to be good for them.

This victory in Punggol East is no joking matter. As I had posted earlier, this is a by election that the PAP cannot afford to lose. Losing Punggol East is the harbinger of more losses if the govt still thinks it can do whatever it wants and shafts the policies down the people's throats. It is as good as game over. The PAP's sure win formula is no longer working.

All the opposition will be gearing themselves up for the GE in about 3 years time. Punggol East has shown the way and they can see it coming now. The netizens were reading the ground very clearly. Unfortunately the PAP was not. It was a two horse race as the netizens have predicted correctly.

PAP is on the side of Singaporeans

This is the position of the Govt and spoken by Hsien Loong on Thursday to wrap up the by election campaign. Many Sinkies are startled into disbelief. But I tell you the truth, it is true. Look at all the living examples around you and you will agree.

First, the foreigner influx is a good thing. Wait for 7m population, it will be even better. Don’t believe me? Look at your property prices! Every Sinkie is now so rich, sitting on multi million dollar properties. This must be really good, extremely good.

Another example, crowded public transport especially the trains. Some are complaining. But only rich and fast growing countries would have such jams in public transport. Look at Japan, we are not even near there. The jams and the foreigners in the trains are signs of progress and they make the SMRT make very good profits too, and good for all kinds of businesses.

Some were complaining about giving university places and scholarships to foreigners while our own children were deprived of places and have to go overseas on PM’s scholarship, ie Papa and Mama Scholarship. But we need these foreign talents to boost our dying and degenerating gene pool. Think about it, these foreigners will enrich our lives and the quality of our future children. We will have a lot of kopi susu and tea with milk children growing up soon. And the foreign talents contributed to our economic growth too, when they stayed to work. And our boys can do NS happily while the foreign talents oil the economy.

No need to add more examples, the more foreigners here the more vibrant is our economy, and the value of things all go up to help our economic growth. And the Sinkies will benefit directly with all their properties going up in prices. No need to work, just sit on your properties and see them appreciate in values, and at the same time can collect rentals.

The prosperity of Sinkies can be seen by the amount of money they are willing to pay for a piece of paper, COE, to be allowed to buy a car. You think poor Sinkies can afford this?

Sinkies must see the good side of having all the foreigners here. They make us very rich or at least feel very rich. See, understand or not? All the policies are for the good of Sinkies. As for the money in the CPF, the minimum sums, it is all for Sinkies. All the Sinkies will be able to afford the world best medicare and world best prices. No sweat. And many will die very, very rich. There will be poor Sinkies alive. But all dead Sinkies will be very rich with the minimum sums they left behind.

I am sure you are now all convinced by my clear and simple logic. It makes cents right? Er, I mean sense.

SPH employee arrested for threatening Kenneth Jeyaretnam

This is the latest news on ST online that a 23 year old employee of SPH has been arrested for threatening Kenneth Jeyaretnam’s wife and son in London using emails. The administrative assistant with ST classified ad has since resigned and is out on bail.

The brave or provocative Philippines

Depending on how you look at it, some may think the Philippines are very brave to want to stage a fight with China. Some will think it is a very provocative thing to do. Anyway, the Philippines are taking the disputed island claims in the South China Sea to the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas(ITLS) unilaterally as if it is a very brave act against China. And everyone knows that the ITLS has no jurisdiction over such claims if the interested parties could simply ignore its findings or recommendations.

So what are the Pinoys trying to prove? Or who is really behind this silly move, of a little mouse trying to pull the whiskers of the dragon? They have not forgotten how they threatened to arrest Chinese fishing boats only to flee when the Chinese wanted to sink their biggest antique called a warship. Or maybe they are still angry of that sheepish incident and wanted to prove that they are made of stronger stuff?

By making this provocative affront, it has forced Singapore which has always tried to be diplomatic, to take a stance to distance itself from the Philippines. Singapore has made an official statement that this is strictly a Pinoy initiative, nothing to do with Asean. And it added that such territorial claim can only be settled by the claimants and Singapore is not a claimant.

Singapore’s position would have undercut the Philippines if it ever thinks of using Asean to fight this spurious claim with China. And maybe the only country in Asean that would support such callous and silly move will be Vietnam. The rest of Asean would rather choose either to be neutral or to discuss with China through dialogue.

The Philippines have opened its cards, that it wants a confrontation with China, to provoke China, to raise tension, which is the last thing Asean wants with China being the biggest trading partners with several of the Asean states.