Post-election reflection #GE2020

The mood in the ruling PAP has changed somewhat. The PAP government's PM, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, has now recognised an official Leader of the Opposition and offered the position to Mr Pritam Singh, the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party (WP). This is as it should be. By so doing, it is giving due recognition to the electorates' sentiment that they want a more participative government, not one ruled by a few whose decisions are not to be questioned. This has been the pattern of behaviour among the 4G leadership. I have seen the bullying tactics of the PAP government in and out of Parliament, apparently without realising that the WP MPs' were in Parliament because they were invited to sit there by real voters, real people who live among us. I remember some of these:

1. Presidential "Election"

2. PAP Govt bullied WP over Aljunied-Hougang Town Council matters

3. MRT rail problems

4. Explosion of Public Housing (esp. in Sengkang and Punggol)

5. Population/Crowdedness

6. Mismanagement of COVID-19 (Dorms)

Hopefully, Parliament will be a more civil place where serious issues are discussed and the views of all Singaporeans taken into account. Matters not effectively dealt with in Parliament will spill over into the ballot box. We don't need a bulldozer which act as if its decisions cannot be questioned, and the Opposition's every view is ridiculed. I think this may be one of the reasons for the PAP government's reduced vote-share. That said, the PAP government has had a resounding show of support from the majority of Singaporeans by any global standard, and rightly so because it has always delivered "the goods". The only issue is whether these are the only goods that people want delivered and the manner in which they were delivered. 

I hope I am right that Singapore has just seen a generational change into a new normal, where we have a strong government and an effective Opposition in Parliament from now on. This will make for a more mature decision-making process which will work to the benefit of all Singaporeans.

Majulah Singapura! 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ge2020-pm-lee-congratulates-wp-for-strong-performance-12923594

Cockles what? #GE2020

In a victory speech on securing the electoral ward of Sengkang GRC in the 2020 General Election, Dr Jamus Lim used the phrase "warm the cockles of our heart..." For a moment there I thought he was being vulgar, but no. The origin of the phrase, according to John Frith, is

"The cockles of the heart are its ventricles, named by some in Latin as "cochleae cordis", from "cochlea" (snail), alluding to their shape. The saying means to warm and gratify one's deepest feelings" (What are the "cockles of your heart")

With due respect, many in the PAP will not have been able to come up with this phrase. Goes to show that we need more divergent voices.

Truly a passionate man. Well, at least half of the residents in Sengkang GRC feel the same. Congratulations!

Proof of the pudding #GE2020

They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. After all is said, it is the next 5 years that matters. And one way of thinking about this is to look back 5, 10 years. Here is just such an article.

https://mothership.sg/2020/07/residents-aljunied-grc/

Vote wisely tomorrow.

Intent and plans for the future of Singapore #GE2020

In the age of rampant falsehoods appearing on social media, especially on Facebook, it made sense to have a POFMA law. It is widely believed that the last US elections in 2016 was "rigged" by the Russians that led to the surprise victory of Donald J. Trump. Granted that there was a lot of animosity against Hillary Clinton, it was still an eyebrow-raising result. After 4 years, the US is a former shadow of itself in terms of leadership in Science and Technology, and perhaps more importantly, moral leadership in a world that is increasing a dangerous place to live in, and I am not just referring to COVD-19.

When Singapore pushed through its POFMA, many were concerned that it could be mis-used. And this appears to have happened. In GE2020, there does not appear to be any undue influence outside of the country, nor on social media from foreign sources that anyone, much less the PAP government, can point to that would make POFMA relevant. Some what do we do? We train the laws at our own people. I don't think there is any doubt in ANYBODY's mind that every candidate standing for GE2020 loves Singapore and want the best for the country they truly call their home.

So this selective use, or more precisely, mis-used, of POFMA laws proves the fears of detractors to be well-founded. It is not wrong of anybody to oppose the intent or plans that the PAP government may have raised but not subsequently implemented. It is a fair warning to people that a party that has a tendency to think a particular way may not have given up entirely on the idea, and to forewarn people that while these plans have not been realised, it will not be raised again some time in the future, when Elections are well out of the way. Then what?

This is why we must have good people like Dr Tambyah, Chee Soon Juan, Pritam Singh, Tan Cheng Bock and Jamus Lim in Parliament. The GRC is just an irritant, though eventually, probably, decisive. The dice is loaded.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ge2020-sdp-paul-tambyah-pofma-distraction-covid-19-dormitories-12904928

Explosive news #SG2020

News media just went to town with a report that the Singapore Police Force (SPF) is investigating allegations that a WP candidate in the Sengkang GRC team had written racist and religious materials on social media. These views were expressed as recently as May 2020 and another in 2018. 

If true, then WP's campaign is in real jeopardy. On the other hand, the PAP may have sensed that the ground in Sengkang GRC is not sweet at all, given the popularity of the WP's A/Prof Jamus Lim. This can be viewed as a desperate move by the PAP to sink the WP's bid. If one of those remarks were made two years ago, and it is a serious breach of Singapore's strict laws on race and religion, why bring it up only now? Well, of course it is a timely tactic by the PAP to caste doubt on the WP candidate, and with it, the WP team contesting the Sengkang GRC.

But who knows? Let's see how the matter develops over the next couple of days.

Update:

Raeesh Khan apologises.

Mid-point view #GE2020

Even as GE2020 heads towards its last week of campaigning, the electorate needs to make up its mind soon. I suppose many would already have made up theirs. The rest is just theatre. You can go to for the entertainment or ignore it totally. The PAP claims that the WP's platform is PAP-lite - essentially no different from the PAP, implying that the WP is superfluous. Choosing the WP will make not an iorta of difference in the larger scheme of things. The SDP claims that it has made a difference already by forcing the PAP government to state unequivocally the non-existence of the 10 million population target, and even the 6.9 million target has also been disavowed. I remember 7 years ago, this 6.9 million figure was vigorously opposed by many Singaporeans. It appears to be settled, for now.

The PAP has introduced a whole slate of new candidates. It is using the GRC system, with its slate of veterans, to get these people elected into Parliament - people who have yet to prove themselves. Nothing new, you say. Well, Singapore, why can't that apply to the other Parties too? There are a few good men and women which are worthy of serious consideration. People like A/Prof Jamus Lim who is standing in the newly formed (reconstituted) ward of Sengkang GRC. Yee Jenn Jong and Nicole Seah are standing in the East Coast GRC. Both are earnest and intelligent individuals who I think can contribute to Singapore's future government. Of course, that GRC, suddenly, overnight, had a mini-earthquake and grew a mountain possibly named Heng Swee Keat Peak. Frankly, HSK parachuted himself into that constituency because it was one of the more risky GRC that could fall to the WP. The last time, the PAP won with a low margin of 55%. Low because there were relatively heavy-weight PAP government Ministers standing there then. With all due respect, people must understand that HSK is the PAP's chosen leader. Yes, he opened the country's foreign reserves and doled out billions of dollars. Do Singaporeans think that this couldn't be done by someone else? 

Unless Singapore identifies with the PAP unequivocally and completely, HSK becoming Singapore's future PM is not a foregone conclusion. The PAP would like you to think their thoughts and do its bidding. Are we slaves to a single narrative? I believe the PAP has the depth of leadership to easily throw up an alternative, like Mr Ong Yee Kang, who takes after Lee Kuan Yew more than most in the PAP.

Dr Chee Soon Juan has "matured" over the years and I think he will be a valuable addition to Parliament. He came out to defend his opponent when social media dug into the incumbent MP's family life. Yes, we can expect a lot more debate, which actually gives taxpayers their money's worth. Why settle for less? With his involvement in international fora, Dr Paul Tambyah can also enrich Parliamentary discussions and contribute more to Singapore than most of the new PAP candidates.

Singaporeans have been known for its bargain hunting ways. Why settle for less? Like what the WP said, with a non-PAP MP, you can be serviced by the PAP as well. It won't abandon you! Two for the price of one! Buy-one-get-one free. That's a language that many Singaporeans identify with.

Worth wisely, Singapore. 

Music to the ears

Minister Tan Chuan Jin justified legalising online gambling, saying that it is a growing activity and anyway, cannot be stopped entirely. Thus it would make sense to bring a part of this dark activity into the light so that it provides people with a guilt-free and legal avenue to engage in this erstwhile illegal activity. This decriminalising of online gambling in Singapore, with certain controls and conditions, will wipe out a criminal activity in one fell swoop. That's the main argument anyway, not to mention that it will increase government revenue from this once illicit activity. Minister Tan went into quite pedantic detail in an interview regarding this matter with Channel NewsAsia. I will not repeat the points, for by Minister Tan, and against by the Worker's Party and the National Council of Churches.

I would just like to add that the government, by the same argument and logic, should legalise the consumption of marijuana (cannabis) in Singapore. It is underground right now, and attracts draconian penalties when caught. In spite of all efforts to eliminate the trafficking of this drug and its use (if no one uses it, no one will traffic it, right?) remains unabated - the same as online gambling. After all, some countries have decriminalise the possession of the drug, including Australia, Austria and the US (in some States) as have some countries online gambling. But I suspect that the Singapore government will not do so anytime soon (or ever), never mind that the logic behind the easing of restriction on online gambling is exactly the same for consumption of marijuana.

I would suggest that the logic and argument that has been brought to bear on justifying the legalisation of online gambling has been quite selective and convinces no one except those for which it is music to the ears.

Times and Seasons

Election fever is in the air in Singapore, as Defence Minister, Mr Ng Eng Hen announced. What better time to light up the fire of the election machinery of the PAP than in this Jubilee year? And what better year to hold a General Election? There is speculation that polling day will be 12 September 2015, the last day of the Ghost month. Some have even spoken about this date with certainty, as if they have the inside track on the PM's thoughts. But I'd say it isn't a bad bet.

As the days and weeks progress towards that date, the PAP has been revealing its slate of candidates, with many MPs either retiring or moving from their wards. On the other hand, the WP, being the only opposition party, has stated that its sitting MPs are staying put. The PAP can afford to play musical chairs because its proposition, its selling point, has never been about the MP, the candidate. It is about the Party. So it doesn't matter if the incumbent moves away. (Well, I am wrong here. It matters because if the incumbent stayed on to fight, he/she will lose, for sure). But the PAP's spin is that the replacement will be just as good - its a tag team, bro. That's why you sometime never knew that that person is an MP. Let me qualify that - a PAP MP.

While the WP seem to be holding together, and the other pretenders too. However the NSP imagines that it has invested too much into the constituency of Macpherson to back out now and are therefore reneging on its earlier promise. No wonder that its Sec-General resigned! How to gain the trust of the people when a party behaves so dishonourably even before elections are called? Better balek kampong lah.