Branding to win an election

Associate Professor Ang Swee Hoon wrote a piece in the Today paper on 12 Aug 15 titled ‘Of branding and relationship building’ with a subheading, ‘What marketing can teach political parties about winning votes’. Branding is important, and rightly PAP is the brand, the most recognizable and highest rated brand for the last few decades. WP is coming up and looking very good and credible.

PAP has been priming the brand to win votes for as many GE as there is to be counted in the island’s history. They had done well. The question today is whether the brand can continue to shine and to attract the votes it used to do or has it started to jade?

The other big question is that a brand is just a brand. If there is no substance, a brand can only hold on for that long. Nokia was the brand but no more. IBM and HP used to be the brand but no more. The PAP was the brand and delivered in the past. The barrage of yesterday’s news on TV is testament to the power and glory of PAP’s past achievements. Could the past glories of PAP be a factor to persuade the voters of today that PAP is a party for today and for the future?

In its heydays, putting a PAP badge on a dog would also get the dog elected. Has this changed?  In cyberspace, it is looking the other extreme. If that is true, the PAP brand is in for a beating in this GE.

What is the standing of the PAP brand today?  Has it lived up to its past records of uplifting the lives of the people and as Hsien Loong said, everyone is better off today under the PAP?  If PAP is still the brand, it will have no problem returning to power after the next GE. Or is it a brand on the wane, a brand of yesterday?

Foreigners can to the same jobs cheaper

‘Tan Chuan Jin: Manila graduates can do Singaporeans’ jobs for a quarter of their pay

In an interview with Rappler Talk, Minister of Social and Family Development Tan Chuan Jin said that because of globalization, graduates in Manila could do a Singaporean’s job for a fraction of the pay:

“But the competition today is so real. We have companies, jobs, departments being outsourced and completely relocating to Manila because graduates in Manila could do their job for a fraction of the pay.

That’s globalization. And that has resulted in the pulling out of jobs in many developed countries, those jobs are not going back.”’

The above is quoted from an article in the statestimesreview.com. Technically this is true. But to take this as a justification to run down on Singaporeans for wanting to do the same job for more is not very clever.  Look at the full picture and compares apple with apple. How much does it cost for a Singaporean to get his degree and how much does it cost a Pinoy to get his degree, presumably both degrees are of equivalent standard. If this is the case, our universities are underproductive, producing the same standard of graduates but at a much higher cost.

The other point, how much does it cost for a graduate to survive here and a graduate to survive in the Philippines? What is the comparative cost of living?  Just on these two points alone you know that the comparison is out of context, spurious. And to use it freely is, ok I won’t say it is stupid, but bizarre!

How can anyone use these two examples to make a logical and sensible case for comparison? Why don’t we say the govt of USA and UK or for that matter in all the developed countries are able to do their jobs at a much cheaper cost, a fraction of what Singapore pays to its politicians? Should we then farm out our political offices to the Americans or Europeans or to China? Xi Jinping’s annual salary is less than one day of Hsien Loong’s pay. You think Xi Jinping or Obama or Cameroon is doing a lousy job?  We can save a lot of money by outsourcing our whole cabinet right? Before that we should outsource all our PMETs and CEO jobs to the cheaper countries. We should even move our banks and airlines and whatever to operate in Manila or Mumbai or Jakarta.

Can I have a more sensible argument please.

A mismatch between honesty and reality

“We have proven that together, we are greater than the sum of our parts,” he said. “Most of all let us celebrate how we journeyed from Third World to First, as one united people, leaving no one behind.”

Mr Lee reminded all that every Singaporean has benefited from Singapore’s progress.

“We are a nation of home owners,” he said. “Everyone has opportunities to improve themselves. Everyone can look forward to a brighter future.”

The above is the gist of Hsien Loong’s National Day Message to the people. I would expect many Singaporeans would be very pleased and grateful to him and his govt for taking the country so far and bringing wealth and well being to the people of Singapore. 

A post in TRE under the title ‘PM: We will always have a bright future ahead of us’ drew many flakes and many negative responses. Let me just quote a few comments here.

• PWP architect:

August 8, 2015 at 9:21 pm  PWP architect(Quote)

There is no future for the people if you continue to wield absolute power !

Unlike your father who while harsh, will never think of subjecting our lives and livelihoods to the mercies of millions of 3rd world migrants.

You cannot be trusted to have the blank cheque anymore.

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Rating: +225 (from 237 votes)

• Pui pui pui:

August 8, 2015 at 9:28 pm  Pui pui pui(Quote)

You have become public enemy number 1 the day we knew of your PWP.

Instead of protecting our lives and livelihoods, your PWP has, and is exposing us to dangers and unacceptable risks.

Do you realize what you are doing to this once beautiful country your father and his patriotic founding members have worked so hard to achieve?

Do you realize that the people are not that daft to know that your PWP is a policy to fix the people – to fix them for giving you lesser and lesser votes?

Do you know why you are being despised by almost half the population, if not more?

You have destroyed our motherland … sad that you chose to treat us with contempt.

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Rating: +144 (from 146 votes)

• Traitor lee get lost:

August 8, 2015 at 11:23 pm  Traitor lee get lost(Quote)

The old guards and the pioneers build this nation.
You betray the people and sold the country to feed yr ego and greed.
You are the main cause of the declining population with overpriced public housing, crumbling crowding transport, insufficient public housing, insufficient child care and support, insufficient healthcare and support.
What is your solution?
Pea brain import and replace your own countrymen.
You are a bloody traitor. Get lost before the people kick you out.

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Rating: +41 (from 41 votes)

The above are just 3 of 128 comments posted with very strong words against Hsien Loong and his policies. How could these people be so negative about what is happening in Singapore? The recent National Day Parade to celebrate SG50 was all pomp and pageantry, something that made Singaporeans proud for what we have achieved over the last 50 years. Or could the commentators in TRE be just a very small minority who did not benefit from the success and growth of the country? Were they biased or simply blind and not able to see the great happenings and goodness in the country arising from all the good policies of the govt? Why so negative? Why couldn’t they see the bright future going forward painted by Hsien Loong and his team? Don’t they believe anything Hsien Loong said?

Is there any element of truth in these negativities expressed by the commentators? They did not seem to be nuts or ignorant people. They did not seem to be from IMH. Why is there such a mismatch in the perception of the future of Singapore?

What is the truth? Or is this a case of the big divide, where some are getting richer and richer while some are getting poorer and poorer? Maybe the answer will come from the result of the GE. If the majority of the people are benefiting from Hsien Loong’s govt and policies, he should go on to win this GE with a comfortable majority. Otherwise his majority will be reduced and he may find himself with a bigger opposition in Parliament, or worse.

We have perhaps a month to find out the truth.

Another National Day Celebration

One day after National Day the people were greeted by the news that NSP had withdrawn from Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson SMC to pave the way for a straight fight between PAP and the WP. NSP would now concentrate its fire power in Tampines and Sembawang GRC and Pioneer SMC. The most dreaded 3 corner fights in MP and MacPherson have been avoided by this announcement. SingFirst had also announced that it would pull out of Ang Mo Kio to let Reform Party take on the PAP in a straight fight. Reform Party must put up a good and strong team to stand in Ang Mo Kio and not to disappoint the voters with this privilege. Any half past six team would be unforgiveable given that SingFirst is likely to put up a serious team.

The dark clouds have disappeared and the sky is brightening up in the political horizon. The battle ground has more or less defined and all parties are ready to go for D Day.

The most heart warming development in the pre GE tussle is the sense of urgency and purpose, unity and the generosity shown by all the opposition parties. There is now a higher level of maturity, sensibility and cooperation to give confidence to the people that they are not there to contest for the sake of contesting and to be spoilers in multi corner fights. There is reason to hope that they would cooperate more closely and improve their respective chances of making inroads into Parliament.

The flutter of a butterfly set in motion a series of event that could lead to a storm. SDP made the first move by withdrawing from Sembawang. This allowed NSP to secure a firm GRC to contest and made it easier to withdraw from Marine Parade without sacrificing too much ground. If SDP would to stand firm in Sembawang, NSP would have to wrestle with two uncertainties. It is now a case of one bird in hand better than two in the bush. SingFirst must have seen light in generosity to give way to Reform Party in Ang Mo Kio and the goodwill that follows NSP’s move.

With this latest development, all the opposition parties could now concentrate on how to fight their biggest opponent in the PAP instead of fighting among themselves. And it is good that their differences could be settled so quickly and early and with magnanimity. There is a sense of déjà vu in cyberspace with critics closing ranks to support all the opposition parties and praising them for their sensibilities. Kind words were spoken for Hazel’s leadership in NSP as well as Chee Soon Juan and Jee Say.

There is a discreet understanding and common mission to do battle in a way never seen or felt before. Opposition unity is found at last and most likely none will have to lose their deposits except for a few wild horses in the SMCs. Sylvia Lim has thanked NSP for its generosity. There is so much goodwill going around in the opposition camp and among opposition supporters.

This is indeed something to celebrate for in this National Day. The days of bungling and naïve opposition parties running in circus fighting a losing battle before the start of a GE is over. They are appearing more credible just by virtue of this ability to agree and to reach a consensus in a common united front that they were never able to do so before. And with several parties showing promises of rolling out good men and women to pose a serious contest, this is a GE worth watching and waiting for.

A confluence of factors is taking shape.

Lui Tuck Yew resigned

Latest news, Transport Minister LuiTuck Yew has resigned and would not stand for election in the GE. He has served two terms and in the hot seat of public transport with frequent failures and stoppages of the MRT. Though not entirely his fault, he was the minister in charge and cannot escape from being blamed for it.

His resignation was not due to his performance as the Transport Minister and Hsien Loong has revealed that they tried to ask him to stay on. He resigned for personal reasons.