GE 2015 – A rude awakening for opposition parties

The pathetic performance of the opposition parties in the GE 2015 is a rude awakening of their standings in the eyes of the voters. It is a wake up call for them to relook at themselves, to reflect on what they could have done better or should be doing. Low Thia Khiang must know that he cannot rest on his past laurel that the WP was the opposition party to note. Not a single opposition party in the current political demography stands a chance against the PAP.

Whither the opposition parties? Chee Soon Juan was the first to accept the new reality and to recognise the steps needed to go forward. He has extended his hand to the WP to come together and review what is best for the opposition. Low Thia Khiang and Sylvia Lim must have seen the same picture and must know that going on alone, building on the success of WP, with WP as the anchor party without the rest, will lead to nowhere.

The opposition parties have 4 short years to reflect on what they should do for the next GE. Whatever differences there are, they must not be in the way to commit themselves to become a more united and bigger force to take on the PAP. After this GE fiasco, practically every opposition party is left in the dust with the WP licking its wound and with very little hope of doing better in the future. The prospect of being wiped out is there going forward.

The fiasco also showed up the more credible parties that could stand a chance of moving forward but definitely not alone like in GE2015.  WP and SDP stood up from the rest, and to be generous, SingFirst could also be counted, being a new party, they did just as bad as the rest but a little better. Perhaps these three parties should hold a pow wow session to build a bigger base for a new coalition to fight the next battle. In the process, they could round up the better potentials in the remnant parties and invite them to the coalition or new party.

There is an urgent need to get the act together, to get all the good candidates together to mean business. To put up an opposition party is a very serious business and there is nothing better than to join forces to stand united. No more loose cannons and mavericks standing alone shouting in the wilderness. It would not do. A real, credible and substantial force is needed to win the confidence of the voters if they want to stand a chance in the next GE.

What are you guys waiting for?

What is so bizarre in court?

The case of Han Hui Hui and his friends being accused of being a public nuisance to a ‘YMCA’s annual carnival Proms @ the Park when some performers who have Down’s syndrome were on stage’ is now in session. According to a Reginald Ang as reported in the Today paper, ‘People with Down’s syndrome are most sensitive to noise…Every segment of our dance is synchronised, but now everyone is doing their own dance, some stuck in their first pose, because they cannot hear the music.’ One also commented that the presence of the protestors was like bringing a coffin to a wedding.

The prosecution is pointing the finger at Han Hui Hui and her protestors for being inconsiderate and disrupted the event of children with Down’s syndrome and causing them great distress. How could the protestors be so unkind and inhuman to do such a thing in the presence of such children? This is one part of the bizarre happenings in Hong Lim.

The other bizarre thing is that why would parents or organizers, with such sensitive children in their care, host the event in the midst of a public protest and think everything will be peaceful? Do they really believe that a public protest and demonstration is a tea party of politeness?

The big question, are the parents and organizers being insensitive and irresponsible to put the children’s safety to unnecessary risk? Did they know that such a protest was taking place? Could they hold their event at another location so that it would not clash with a public protest that would definitely affect their sensitive children? They were very lucky that the protest was not big enough and did not turn violent. What would happen to the safety of their children should the protestors turned into a rioting mob? Does it require any exception foresight or hindsight to think that it was a wrong thing to do? Should they be taking steps to avoid such a confrontation or should it be the duty of the protestors to avoid the sensitive children?

Which is more bizarre, the protestors protesting and disturbing the sensitive children or holding an event for sensitive children beside a public protest? Who was more irresponsible and should shoulder the blame?

What do you think?

Big Fuss over Singapore GE2015 – One Month After

“A Great Victory for Singapore and Democracy”

By MIKOspace

To insiders who know the people, activists and workings inside the PAP, its organisation, values, activities, unshakeable grass-roots network and governance performance record, the outcome of Singapore General Elections or GE2015 was never in the slightest doubt. Pre-GE2015 pundits had probably created the Big Fuss of uncertainties and predicting disaster for PAP in order to encourage bets to profit themselves. 

    

Many explanations and analysis have been offered for the landslide victory on 11 September 2015 by Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) as if it was like finding water on Mars or discovering how to make gold out of lead.  Never mind that the PAP has always been repeatedly returned to power to form the government with comfortable majorities in Parliament for the past 50 years of Singapore’s existence.   

On an ordinary General Elections day on 11 September 2015, the PAP secured an exceptional 69.9% popular vote share to return to power again. It secured 83 out of 89 parliamentary seats in 29 constituencies, where 15 constituencies gave the PAP more than 70% of their votes. Overall, Singaporeans decisively awarded the PAP with widespread popular vote-swings from the 2011 GE with many from more than 10% to 15%.  Bottom-line, the PAP won almost 10% more votes, from a larger electorate base, from just 60.1% in GE2011. 

Many have pointed to generous SG50 “goodies” distributed by the Government to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of Singapore as a major reason for PAP votes.  These may have a little positive effect but could not have been even a decisive factor in GE2015.  After all, the people are accustomed to regular “goodies” by the Government annually even during non-Elections years.   

Some cited the failed strategy by Opposition parties to contest every constituency, and thereby created a “fear” in the minds of the electorate of a “freakish (?)” elections outcome whereby the PAP may not win enough seats to form the next government. This argument is bizarre and absurd because the Opposition parties have adopted similar strategies to contest more than 50% of seats, and repeatedly failed, in previous elections. And if the PAP had indeed been performing sub-par to deserve being replaced, then this “100% contests” strategy would be best for the eventual Opposition alternative government. Unless of course, either the PAP performance was never an electoral issue (why change the government then?) or/and the electorate did not have any confidence in an Opposition alternative government (why vote for the Opposition?).    

Were there no issues worthy of General Elections showdown?  In fact, there were many and plentiful issues to anyone following the web-sites, Blogs and Speakers Corner speeches of the various Opposition parties as well as many armchair-bound commentators over the previous 18+ months.  The issues ranged from emotional CPF withdrawals, high medical costs, immigrant workers, Town Council mis-management, national service, university places and public transport inefficiencies.  These issues were actively argued and engaged in public conversations, public-square, Blog-sites as well as vigorously debated in Parliament.  Alternative solutions were also suggested in the various Manifestos of the Opposition Parties and formed the content of election rally speeches which were also widely published in the local newspapers.  Yet, judging from the final votes on GE Day, the PAP had won over the hearts and minds of the electorates with its narratives, conversations and proposed solutions on all the issues.  And then some.

Perhaps, the respective quality of the Opposition candidates as compared with PAP candidates, were found deficient and sorely wanting in experience and educational qualifications. Actually, the slate of Opposition candidates is about the best ever mustered in any Singapore General Elections. To be fair, just comparing them to the new PAP candidates is sufficient to conclude that they are probably quite evenly matched in their relative lack of political and grassroots experience.  Yet, the new PAP candidates fared generally much better than Opposition candidates from their respective final vote-count.  Individual candidate’s family backgrounds, educational qualifications and their political experience (or lack thereof) did not appear to matter to the electorates.  Sitting PAP candidates did well; the PAP’s overall distributed vote counts attest to and confirm the PAP as indeed and still “THE Party of the People”.

The most obvious and true explanation for the landslide GE2015 outcome is the PAP itself.

The untimely demise in March 2015 of Singapore’s Founding Father and First Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) brought forth such over-flowing and out-pouring of national grief and gratitude to the one who led the nation from a Third World island state to First World metropolis as he had promised.    

Throughout the National Mourning Week at the end of March 2015, PAP activists discarded their customary “white” attires as they joined common cause with the “People-in-Black” united in the common painful sorrow of the death of the People’s Champion.  The PAP’s Men-in-White (“MIW”) were indistinguishable. Then dressed in common black, the MIW and people entwined in painful grief as they comfort one another to make the transition easier to bear.  The pain grew deep and unbearable as to be intolerable at times during the funeral procession.  Together, they – the Party and the People - were one; united in loss, side-by-side as one people, facing tomorrow as one nation and reaching beyond our grasp towards realizing the fuller vision of the remarkably extraordinary man who took us on the road of no return arriving at the Metropolis as he promised.

That week in March 2015, almost 6 months earlier, was the defining moment for GE2015.  A grateful nation would demonstrate its eternal loyalty to her Founder by re-affirming his Party’s rightful and well-deserving place as the continuing Government by a landslide mandate later the year.  

As a political party founded in 1955 to fight for independence from British colonial rule, the PAP has been in power since self-government in 1959.  Over these 60 years, the PAP has seen the rise and fall of many political parties from Europe, US, Americas, Africa and neighbouring South-East Asian countries.  Far too many political parties who had fought for independence have become victims to its own greed for power and money corruption; and with many others have also suppressed and repressed their own people in order to remain in power undemocratically.  Very few corrupt political leaders actually want to remember that the purpose of forming democratic governments is to create wealth and prosperity for its people with opportunities leading to the greatest benefits for the largest number.     

The landslide victory of GE2015 for the PAP augurs well for Singapore into the future towards SG100, our 100^th anniversary in 2065, as we continue to build on what we have been entrusted and bequeathed by LKY – to be One People and One Nation forever.

For the PAP, its transparency and anti-corruption values have created a tremendous social capital deserving of unshakeable public trust, which translated repeatedly into decisive electoral votes in General Elections like GE2015.  

By MIKOspace

Related:

Future of Democracy in Singapore

Two ego maniacs with a common misplaced mission

An article by a Philip Stephens titled ‘China spurs Modi’s pivot to Washington’ appeared in the Today paper on 12 Oct 15. It had a subtitle, ‘US is vital guarantor of Indian effort to check Chinese power’ to emphasise what is important to Obama and Modi. The article reviewed the big power ambition of two countries, one a fading empire and another an aspiring one, and in both fearing the rise of China as a superpower.

In the case of the Americans, it is a case of I am the number One super power and China must not be allowed to usurp or challenge that position. In the case of the Indians, China is getting too power and would swallow up India or over shadow India, so must lean on the Americans as a counter force. While both countries are obsessed in their paranoia of grandeur and power, does China bother?

While China has been boosting its defence capability, it is in no position to challenge the Americans militarily for the next generation or two. As long as China is strong enough to prevent the Americans from behaving madly, thinking that they can strike at China at will with impunity, China is safe and has no intent to compete with the Americans to build all the aircraft carriers and a nuclear arsenal to match. It would be wasteful spending of money and resources that can be put to better use. China would be happy to let the Americans spent its way to bankruptcy on weapons of war. That is the safest and most economical way to challenge American supremacy, in the economic front.

While the Indians are having nightmares and self delusion of a China marching across the Himalayas, and scurrying to buy and built more military hardware, building military alliances, China is oblivious to the Indian hallucination. China does not bother and will not be bothered by this ambitious upstart and its tantrums. China will continue to expand trade and economic developments around the world, building infrastructures in every corner of the earth and gain influence and economic power. Why would China waste any time and resources with an India trapped in its own imaginations of greatness and big power ambition?

India and the USA can continue to pursue their military objectives and feel good about their military alliance and acquiring more military hardware. China would not have anything to do with them as economic growth is China’s top priority.

The big gangster and the regional gangster can share their dreams and nightmares and spend time and resources worrying themselves sick. It does not matter a wee bit to China. The raising of tension in the South China Sea by the Americans’ intent to sail close to Chinese islands is the most serious threat and a flare up is highly possible. China would not take the American provocation at its doorstep meekly and a robust response is expected. China has a big range of actions it could take, including flying fighter aircraft over the American ships, radar tracking and locking on the targets, aiming anti ship missiles at the Americans and ramming American ships with fishing boats.

Basically with such hostile provocations by the Americans, China must react to protect its territorial rights. On the other hand it is about time China tells the Hongkong government to send the Pinoys working in the island bak ot the Philippines and stop buying Pinoy bananas and other agricultural products.

Retaliatory measures would only escalate in the South China Sea and the best hope China can bet on is the rising tension in Syria, Middle East and Afghanistan to keep the Americans busy. And to add to the icing, more protests from the Okinawans against American military presence in Okinawa and risking the island as the top priority target in a war, to be nucleared.

‘Move you Asian *****’

Briton Joshua Powell Koke, 24, a pilot with Jetstar, was fined $5000 for punching a 18 year old student, Dxxxx Oxxxxxx Mxxxxx. The incident happened in the wee hours of the morning at Raffles Place Building. Koke had finished a quarter bottle of Vodka at 1 Altitdue Bar. The victim and his friends, several ladies in high heels, were blocking the path of Koke in the stairway.

The group moved slowly as the girls were wearing heels and Koke shouted, ‘move you Asian *****’ and that started a verbal dispute between the two groups. Koke than punched and hit the student.

ST reoorted that ‘DPP Yong did not press for a jail term but noted Kpke had consumed alcohol and was physically and verbally aggressive towards the victim.’

It is right that such valuable foreign talent must not be ill treated even if they misbehaved and are fond to spout ‘Asian *****’. Not sure what that ‘*****’ meant but must be complimentary. He is unlikely to be sacked though his lawyer said ‘Koke has suffered mental distress as the case could mean termination by his airline’.  Let’s be kind to these talents. Spouting words like ‘Asian *****’ is second nature and nothing to it. Asians, especially the ‘*****’ are used to it and love to be seen in their company.

We must not be too harsh to them or they would not come here to grow our economy. For the sake of growth, let’s welcome them and integrate more with them.

Case closed.