What is Vivian Balakrishnan talking?

Dr Vivian said there are only two kinds of people who would work without incentives – those who are wealthy, and those who are corrupt.

“Don’t be seduced,” he was quoted by the TODAY newspaper as having said. “The danger with elections is it’s an auction. Everybody would promise you the moon. Everybody would say they don’t need pay on the assumption either they don’t need to deliver, or things will go wrong.”

I quoted the above from an article in TOC. Vivian was replying to a question on the $16,000 MP allowance and multimillion dollar minister’s pay.  Two kinds of people would work without incentive, the wealthy or the corrupt. KNN, does it mean that when one is not wealthy one is likely to be corrupt? Oh, he is talking about politicians. So lucky, I thought I will be in the bandwagon of the corrupt since I am not wealthy. So people no need to get angry. He is talking about politicians only. Oops, politicians may want to get angry.

Now who are the politicians that are promising the people the moon? If there are, please don’t trust them. They are like the snake oil sellers. Watch out people, listen to the politicians especially those promising you the moon. Don’t trust them. This is Vivian’s advice.

And this is new. Got politician say they don’t need pay meh? Who, which politician is saying he or she does not need pay?  Lily Neo? I think she doesn’t need pay. Heard that she gave away her MP allowance to the people. So what does it mean? Is she saying she does not need pay?

But I like the assumption part, either they don’t need to deliver or things will go wrong. I will like to promise the people things will be well in 50 years time. Vote for me and see the result in 50 years. Ssssshhh, in 50 years time I will not be around. Heheh, like no need to deliver leh, tiok boh?  Or is it that in 50 year’s time many things that I promised would not happen but I still got paid in the millions? I may promise good things in 50 years time, but not for free hor. I would not say I don’t need pay because I don’t need to deliver in 50 years time. I want my millions now. 50 years time, who cares, I also dunno where I would be.

Oh, if I am paid in the millions, I don’t need anymore incentives. Dunno about you.

Now what was Vivian trying to say? Got corrupt politicians? For the rich and wealthy, safe, would not be corrupt. For the poor ones, very likely, especially when they promised you the more and say no need to be paid. But if they asked to be paid in the millions, also very safe, would not be corrupt.

When our super talent and super wise statesmen dispense their words of wisdom, you must copy it down for your own good. You will get a bit wiser.

GE2015 – Latest surprise!!! 3 Champions in the Reform AMK team

Just heard that Reform Party has confirmed 3 candidates for Ang Mo Kio GRC. They include Roy Ngerng, M Ravi and Gilbert Goh. The names of the other 3 candidates to make up for the 6 member GRC have yet to be announced.

Who are these 3 gladiators in the dragon lair?

Roy Ngerng is the famous champion of CPF money. And for digging too much detail on the flow of the CPF money, he strayed into some sensitive areas and was sued by Hsien Loong for libel. Roy went to the public for financial support and within days nearly $200k was raised from total strangers to pay for his defence.

M Ravi was a human rights lawyer and had fought many high profile cases like the appeal to spare the life of a drug addict, the controversial by election in Punggol East and many other cases that other lawyers shunned. For his high profile work, Ravi had been dragged to court and also had tussles with the Law Society, got his name struck off from his law practice under charges of suffering from bipolar sickness.

The third champion is Gilbert Goh, the owner of Transitioning Org for fighting for the cause of PMETs losing their jobs to foreigners. Singaporeans who lost their jobs or could not find reemployment would go to Gilbert to seek advice and counselling.

It is a strange coincidence to have 3 champions of social issues to come together to contest in Hsien Loong’s GRC. They call this a confluence of events. Now everyone would be eager to know who would be the other 3 candidates to partner the 3 champions in a battle royale in Ang Mo Kio.

Would the 3 champions be able to slay the dragon in the dragon lair? Would Leong Sze Hian and Kenneth Jeyaratnam be in the team? That would be a something to watch.

PS. I did a quick calculation with my abacus. The possible votes going to this team, just on the merits of the 3 champions: 30% of CPF members will support Roy. Ravi will get 10% support from the human rights group and another 20 % from all his relatives in Ang Mo Kio. Gilbert will get 20% from all the PMETs and their families and relatives and friends. After flipping the abacus counters, these added together will be about 25% of the votes in Ang Mo Kio. And add this to the 30% hard core anti PAP voters, wow, 55% in favour of the Reform Party team. What about swing voters?

PS. The other members of the Reform team announced last night are entrepreneur Osman Sualaiman, former banker Jesse Loo and ex NTUC club media producer Siva Chandran.







    

Nicole Seah – I am back

The darling of Marine Parade, Nicole Seah, is back from Thailand to help out in the GE. It is a pleasant surprise for everyone who loves this girl with a heart. Her presence and her positive comments on WP’s candidate He Ting Ru  have already caused a stir and are very encouraging signs that she could be in the WP’s team. Nicole was quick to dismiss the suggestion that she could be a WP candidate citing WP’s stringent criteria on not parachuting superheroes in an election. She also said she would not be running in the GE.

I hope the WP would not be so regimental and to rule out completely the opportunity to put up this hot favourite of the last GE in Marine Parade. Nicole singlehandedly lifted up the NSP team of minnows to give Chok Tong a fright of his life. And surprise of all surprises, Chok Tong would never thought of a return of Nicole Seah and to give Nicole a second chance to take him down in Marine Parade.

The popularity and draw factor of Nicole cannot be underestimated and Low Thia Khiang must be thinking seriously to use this trump card if he wants to win Marine Parade and Nicole is crucial to the WP team contesting there.

The Nicole factor may be the deciding factor in Marine Parade and I believe the voters of Marine Parade would warm up to her and show their support for this girl with a heart of gold. There is a new buzz and a new optimism in Marine Parade and the WP camp.

There you go girl. I really hope Low Thia Khiang would make a rare exception in this case. This is the eastern wind he must be waiting for. With He Ting Ru and Nicole Seah in the bag, WP is getting to look very exciting.

Vote for candidates with good credentials

This seems to be on the minds of many thinking Singaporeans. They want good candidates to serve them in Parliament, no matter which party. How to fault such thinking?  So many candidates, including those of the opposition will be credibility tested, maybe even mentally tested if they could run a town council as a prerequisite to run a govt. This type of things only happen in Uniquely Singapore. Running a town council means can run a country. George Bush ran a football club and was good enough to be Presidente USA. Ronald Reagan was an actor.

Apologies, I got carried away. Where was I? Oh, good candidates. What is a good candidate? A medical degree, a lawyer, a general or a police commissioner or a civil servant or a corporate executive or someone early million dollar salary? Where is the relevance, where is the skill set? Would an animal lover make a good politician to run a govt?

What if a team has all the right qualifications, the good looks, the desired qualities that would make them good enough to run a govt? Ok right?

What if they come from a party with a manifesto that is bad for the country or people? What if, hypothetically, the party boss is a mafia boss or a loan shark or a drug lord incognito, would the credentials and qualifications of the individual candidates be important?

What should the voters be looking for? Should they not also be looking at what the party stands for, what kind of leadership is behind the party and then the individual candidate’s character and qualifications?

A good candidate, a highly qualified candidate, is not the only thing that the voters be looking for. Look at the whole picture before deciding. Do not vote for an angel hired by the devil to show that he has a team of angels when the devil is calling the shot.

The voters must be savvy and street wise, to know what they really want. A very good example is the by election of Punggol  East or for that matter Aljunied GRC. In both instances, there is a bigger objective to determine who they should vote for.

What is the bigger objective in this GE? It is not individual candidates, it is not about municipal matters or about town councils. It is about Singapore and Singaporeans and their well beings. It is not about a 50 year dream and a promise of mansions in the sky. It is about the real things, about the livelihood of the people, now when they are living and trying to survive and make a good life for themselves and their families.

Who cares about 50 years time when one is struggling to live today and putting food on the table tomorrow?  Look at the whole picture and understand what this GE is all about. The voters of Punggol, Hougang and Aljunied GRC were very clear on what they want. 

Do you know what you want and what would you be voting for? A highly qualified candidate with a strong heart? Or a candidate with a good heart in the right place?

Chok Tong is shaping up very well as the new Oracle

After the original Oracle left the scene the last thing people could think of is another Oracle to take his place. That is a very big shoe to fit and fortunately Chok Tong also a very big man, physically, and wears a pair of very big shoes. Just as everyone has given the idea a slip and this great city is going to move on without the Oracle, a new Oracle is easing himself into the chair.

Actually the sign was there just before the announcement of the GE. Chok Tong divulged that some of his friends had been encouraging him to retire while another group was telling him he had many more good years to stay in politics and wanted him to continue to serve the people of Marine Parade. This kind of information is vintage material and often associated with great leaders like the Oracle and Mahathir. There is subtle hint of indispensability and popularity, a leader that the people have grown dear to.

And Chok Tong’s reply was that he would decide if he would stay on or to retire. Another vintage reply like the Oracle and Mahathir. True leaders in charge would decide when to stay or quit in their own terms. Who would dare to tell the Oracle or Mahathir to retire? No big no small. And soon after Chok Tong shared his two hour meeting with Hsien Loong and revealed that Hsien Loong had asked him to stay to stay, maybe to give a bit more ballast to the Marine Parade team. In other words he is indispensable or at least still useful. He decided to stay.

Having secured his position as a candidate for the next GE, Chok Tong is now the most senior statesman in the PAP team, and the most experience. Now is his turn to carry the party along, to share his wisdom and his weight in wherever he is needed. And Chok Tong is finding it a piece of cake to fit into the vacuum left by the Oracle.

In a way he is looking and acting every inch like the Oracle, strutting around like the Oracle. His first piece of advice to his Marine Parade residents is not to be seduced by the WP’s offer to be the checks and balance on the govt. And if the voters are seduced, they would pay a price for it.

Reflect on this for a moment, to the pre GE time in Aljunied GRC. What did the Oracle told the voters there? If I remember it correctly, it was something like the people of Aljunied would repent for the next 5 years if they voted out the PAP team.  Does Chok Tong’s advice to the Marine Parade voters sound similar, instead of repent, he used the word ‘pay a price’? Very Oracle like.

As the senior statesman and party elder, this must be his role as the new Oracle, to give advice, warnings, and maybe a subtle threat to in favour of the party if needed. Yes the PAP has a new Oracle, one that is walking around and throwing his weight around to support the party.