I enjoy watching CSI. The original CSI.
You know the part where they present incriminating evidence to suspects in the interrogation room?
Yes that's where most suspects start to "lawyer up".
The ancient city of Homs is one of Syria's biggest industrial cities. There is significant Opposition presence and Bashar Assad's has opted to mercilessly lay seige upon anyone and everyone who lives there in a bid to quell political dissidents and maintain grip on power. This at the expense of thousands of innocent lives and the ire of most of the international community.
China has allegedly unleashed violence on dissenting Tibet. There are unconfirmed reports that civlians and even religious have been beaten and imprisoned. The want-away Xinjaing province is apparently also subject to similar actions.
Adolf Hitler consolidated power by absolutely crushing political dissent. Those who were against party ideology were sent to concentration camps or executed. The rest is history. Nazi Germany was totally devastated in a gruelling six year war that left many dead.
But the PAP has refined the art of suppressing alternative voices without resorting to violence. And it's called "lawyering up"!
At the first sighting of one of the founders of the increasingly popular political website TR Emeritus, who up until then (much to PAP's chagrin) were annonymous, PM Lee Hsien Loong immediately served a lawyer letter demanding the removal of a certain posting. The letter "alleged that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong secured or was instrumental in securing the appointment of his wife, Mdm Ho Ching, as the chief executive officer of Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited...."
In the days following local media (or government mouth piece) field day with Yaw Shin Leong's fall from grace, there was online buzz that some of PAP's own were also involved in marital indiscretions. This prompted Law Minister K. Shanmugam to immediately threaten legal action.
When Chee Soon Juan was taken to court by MM Lee, yes lawyering up indeed, for allegedly defaming the latter, it was reported (actually not reported by Mainstream media) that even the incomparable statesman had to rely on his counsel to defend cross examination from Dr. Chee. And we all know how the verdict went.
The late Opposition icon JB Jeyaretnam shocked the then impenetrable PAP by winning a seat in the Anson ward and then subsequently getting re-elected. But he was subject to so much legal pressure by PAP leaders that he was eventually bankrupted and expelled from Parliament.
I guess the point is if there is nothing to hide, why the need to stand behind legal representatives?
What happened to good old fashioned debates and then letting citizens decide for themselves?
In the case of Yaw Shin Leong, the right thing to do is to hold the by-election immediately. Let the people of Hougang judge the Workers' Party, not PAP. If anything, WP did the right (and accountable) thing to expel Yaw. Would PAP have done the same to an office holder in similar circumstances?
It is the PAP who would have let voters down if a by-election is not called asap.
Or maybe they are waiting to "find" more dirt and unleash the ultimate weapon... lawyers!
Showing posts with label PAP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PAP. Show all posts
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Friday, 10 February 2012
Singapore- From First World to Third
1) The deterioration of SMRT and transportation in general.
When SMRT trains started running in 1987, I remember the buzz and excitement it generated. There was alot to be proud of. Metro train travels became part of our daily lives and travelling time was reduced. Happy days.
But ever since its listing in 2000, company execs (and technically PAP since Temasek Holdings own a majority stake in the entity) indiscriminately focused on cost cutting, revenue generation and keeping shareholders happy.
Today, train breakdowns are as commonplace as tissue paper packets used to "reserve" seats in eateries all across our business district. SMRT has become a national shame.
Whilst performance have gone down, fares have headed the other way. The regulatory body Public Transport Council has sanctioned nearly every adjustment request from buses, trains and taxi operators. These companies are majority-owned by the Singapore government.
The roads are no better. Toll gantries known as ERP are erected all over the island, expanding from town and business districts to heartland areas, in the name of traffic flow management. Yet the expressways and even in-roads are still jammed. Once I overhead an Australian remarking that if they did this ERP thing down under, the public would have the mayor lynched.
COE or the piece of paper that allows you to purchase a car now costs as much as a brand new Mercedes C Class in Australia!
2) The unspoken wage decline.
The real earnings, the most accurate measure of wage growth as it takes into account inflation, have been on a steady decline for as long as one can remember. UBS's latest prices and earnings studies reaffirms this. Singaporean's wage levels are in the league of Brazil, Slovakia and Malaysia. Nowhere near Swiss standards for sure. That's shocking considering how highly paid our leaders are.
When SMRT trains started running in 1987, I remember the buzz and excitement it generated. There was alot to be proud of. Metro train travels became part of our daily lives and travelling time was reduced. Happy days.
But ever since its listing in 2000, company execs (and technically PAP since Temasek Holdings own a majority stake in the entity) indiscriminately focused on cost cutting, revenue generation and keeping shareholders happy.
Today, train breakdowns are as commonplace as tissue paper packets used to "reserve" seats in eateries all across our business district. SMRT has become a national shame.
Whilst performance have gone down, fares have headed the other way. The regulatory body Public Transport Council has sanctioned nearly every adjustment request from buses, trains and taxi operators. These companies are majority-owned by the Singapore government.
The roads are no better. Toll gantries known as ERP are erected all over the island, expanding from town and business districts to heartland areas, in the name of traffic flow management. Yet the expressways and even in-roads are still jammed. Once I overhead an Australian remarking that if they did this ERP thing down under, the public would have the mayor lynched.
COE or the piece of paper that allows you to purchase a car now costs as much as a brand new Mercedes C Class in Australia!
2) The unspoken wage decline.
An International Labour Organisation report also documents that Singaporeans put in the longest work hours globally!
3) Corruption in public service
-Golden tap, first class travels, undeclared directorships and a "peanut" salary package of just $550,000 per year. The man TT Durai was the head of the National Kidney Foundation. Instead of focusing efforts to help dialysis patients, his corporate extravagance and misdeeds were just small symptoms of the wider elitist network that the government has created.
-A senior civil servant at the Singapore Land Authority defrauded the government and bought luxury cars with the dirty money.
-Most recently, the former heads of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Central Narcotics Bureau were arrested for alleged misconduct. Both were high flying government scholars chosen by the PAP establishment. Looks like there's going to be alot more fire fighting for PM Lee's party if the regime's foot soldiers can't start kicking the bad habits.
Corruption exists in nearly every country but Singapore's sycophantic media has always been quick to point out how the nation is one of the least corrupt in the world.
Unfortunately for them, the irksome social media has all but erased decades of cover up for ruling party.
Watch this space for more revelations of breaches of trust.
4) Ballooning public debt
President Tony Tan claimed in his recent Lunar New Year speech that owing to PAP's fiscal prudence, Singapore does not have high sovereign debt. But that's not true.
CIA and Eurostat estimate that Singapore's public debt is 105% of GDP or ninth highest in the world!
Most of the obligation is probably to the Central Provident Fund (CPF). When the PAP liberalised CPF for housing, they had the opportunity to "borrow" money cheap (the interest rate that CPF pays account holders) to fund their activities. Over the years, misguided policies and investments (mostly kept from Singaporeans) created losses that the government increasingly can't keep up with. See Temasek Holdings, GIC and other stat boards and GLCs.
This is why the PAP keeps raising the minimum sum and withdrawal age because they just can't afford to return the money to retiring Singaporeans.
More puzzling, none of the extraordinarily high debt is due to citizen welfare schemes for the state provides almost none, which is the case for most developed state with significant government obligations.
Singaporeans have a right to know where and how government borrowing is really spent all these years.
5) Love affair with foreign talent (or trash)
60% of registered doctors in 2010 are foreigners.
50% of expats earned more than 200k a year.
38% of the population are foreigners/PRs attracted by pro foreign employment policies, lax banking rules and good physical infrastructure.
30% of our private homes were bought by foreigners in 2011.
20% of A&E patients in our hospitals are foreigners... and enjoying subsidies.
Singaporeans aren't xenophobic. Many of us have grown suspicious of foreigners who are perceived to take away many PMET jobs that Singaporeans want to do. Most of these foreigners are here for the quick buck and simply use the country as a stepping stone (and Visa-less travel) to their dreams elsewhere.
Further, you just have to question the true ability and qualifications of some foreigners. There are reports of foreigners paying for fake certs to get into Singapore.
A prestigious club in Singapore had to sack its CEO for not producing a Masters cert which he claimed to have obtained.
The country's football association removed its French deputy CEO for not disclosing his bankruptcy before taking up the job.
We're not exactly sure how foreign CEOs like Jackson Tai, John Olds and Philip Paillart (combined total tenure of 4 years), added value to Singapore's biggest bank DBS before departing with very golden handshakes.
We're not sure how three expats who started a brawl and two of them subsequently fled the country before facing court, got jobs with leading banks here. It's outrageous how they let foreign trespassers post bail and retain their passports when they refused to allow bankrupt Opposition leader Chee Soon Juan permission to travel to attend an innocuous award ceremony.
Monday, 9 January 2012
Anwar Ibrahim acquitted
Our Minister Mentor Emeritus Lee Kuan Yew crossed path with Malaysia on numerous occasions.
In 2010, he alluded that Malaysia was a "failed state".
He also incurred the wrath of Malaysian Muslims for criticising Islam openly in his book.
Little does he realise (nor care) that Singapore pales in comparison in terms of democratic and civil freedom.
Who would have thought Malaysia had an independent judiciary?
Anwar Ibrahim acquitted!!!
In Singapore, our judges send three Singaporeans wearing kangaroo T-shirts to jail.
And you apparently can't voice an opinion on the death penalty.
I wonder if Singapore's political immaturity will affect the nation's ability to compete both economically and socially.
In 2010, he alluded that Malaysia was a "failed state".
He also incurred the wrath of Malaysian Muslims for criticising Islam openly in his book.
Little does he realise (nor care) that Singapore pales in comparison in terms of democratic and civil freedom.
Who would have thought Malaysia had an independent judiciary?
Anwar Ibrahim acquitted!!!
In Singapore, our judges send three Singaporeans wearing kangaroo T-shirts to jail.
And you apparently can't voice an opinion on the death penalty.
I wonder if Singapore's political immaturity will affect the nation's ability to compete both economically and socially.
Friday, 6 January 2012
Minister pay cut justified?
Yes, it's trending on twitter and carried in newspapers all over the world, from Guardian to Bloomberg.
Everybody's talking about the seemingly massive 36% pay cut that Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has "agreed" to take.
While it's a long overdue step in the right direction, he remains, and by some orbital mile, the highest paid elected official on this planet. Still 4 times more than Barack Obama and 45 times that of Manmohan Singh.
But the root of the problem remains that many within the regime's ranks still think that high salaries are needed to attract the "best" talents to political office.
Such as one Grace Fu, who probably summed up what many of her colleagues feel:
"If the balance is tilted further in the future, it will make it harder for any one considering political office."
Unfortunately, money cannot be the main motivation for joining politics. You are simply attracting candidates that will put the moolah before servitude. Such as this MP with 64 other jobs.
Personally, I think the pay cut is totally justified and there should be more to come.
GDP growth, the indicator that PAP swears by, is looking extremely weak going into 2012. Singapore could again be the first Asian country to go into a technical recession defined by two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
The party state has failed to diversify from the volatile and highly competitive electronics sector which makes up a massive 35% of non-oil domestic exports.
Worryingly, the Purchasing Managers' Index or PMI, which measures future business activity, has been declining for 6 straight months.
Granted that if US and Eurozone growth tank in 2012, and if there were a hard landing in China, most economies of the world will be adversely affected.
Difference is that other leaders don't have million dollar salaries nor tell the US to put its fiscal house in order.
I can't help but notice the inverted commas around the word Mentor in this WSJ article.
Additionally, the SMRT debacles, Orchard floods, taxi fare hikes and persistent rise in cost of living speak volumes of the extremely disappointing performance by our Ministers.
This move may have swayed some citizens over to their side.
But please ask yourselves this: Imagine that you were all shareholders of this company called Singapore Inc. Would you continue to agree to pay directors (Ministers) the highest salary among their global counterparts millions of dollars for repeated sub par performance?
I agree with some Opposition parties' suggestion that in addition to top earners, the average salaries of bottom and average earners should also be incorporated into the salary calculation.
After all, the greatest leaders (arguably) didn't have seven figure pay packages: Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Tony Blair, Franklin D Roosevelt.....
Finally, an honourable mention to our dear President who apparently volunteered a 51% pay cut. Bravo!
Everybody's talking about the seemingly massive 36% pay cut that Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has "agreed" to take.
While it's a long overdue step in the right direction, he remains, and by some orbital mile, the highest paid elected official on this planet. Still 4 times more than Barack Obama and 45 times that of Manmohan Singh.
But the root of the problem remains that many within the regime's ranks still think that high salaries are needed to attract the "best" talents to political office.
Such as one Grace Fu, who probably summed up what many of her colleagues feel:
"If the balance is tilted further in the future, it will make it harder for any one considering political office."
Unfortunately, money cannot be the main motivation for joining politics. You are simply attracting candidates that will put the moolah before servitude. Such as this MP with 64 other jobs.
Personally, I think the pay cut is totally justified and there should be more to come.
GDP growth, the indicator that PAP swears by, is looking extremely weak going into 2012. Singapore could again be the first Asian country to go into a technical recession defined by two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
The party state has failed to diversify from the volatile and highly competitive electronics sector which makes up a massive 35% of non-oil domestic exports.
Worryingly, the Purchasing Managers' Index or PMI, which measures future business activity, has been declining for 6 straight months.
Granted that if US and Eurozone growth tank in 2012, and if there were a hard landing in China, most economies of the world will be adversely affected.
Difference is that other leaders don't have million dollar salaries nor tell the US to put its fiscal house in order.
I can't help but notice the inverted commas around the word Mentor in this WSJ article.
Additionally, the SMRT debacles, Orchard floods, taxi fare hikes and persistent rise in cost of living speak volumes of the extremely disappointing performance by our Ministers.
This move may have swayed some citizens over to their side.
But please ask yourselves this: Imagine that you were all shareholders of this company called Singapore Inc. Would you continue to agree to pay directors (Ministers) the highest salary among their global counterparts millions of dollars for repeated sub par performance?
I agree with some Opposition parties' suggestion that in addition to top earners, the average salaries of bottom and average earners should also be incorporated into the salary calculation.
After all, the greatest leaders (arguably) didn't have seven figure pay packages: Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Tony Blair, Franklin D Roosevelt.....
Finally, an honourable mention to our dear President who apparently volunteered a 51% pay cut. Bravo!
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Uniquely Singapore- Photo of the day
Singapore is just a very unique place to live in. We pay $70,000 for a chance to own a car for 10 years. We give away fully-paid scholarships to foreigners and deny local citizens that opportunity. And although 40% of citizens voted against the PAP, they still have a 81 to 87 majority in Parliament.
So I'm starting a segment to feature things that make our nation Uniquely Singapore.
Starting with this: A shuttered police post.
Who would have thought crimes won't be committed in the mornings.
So I'm starting a segment to feature things that make our nation Uniquely Singapore.
Starting with this: A shuttered police post.
Who would have thought crimes won't be committed in the mornings.
Saturday, 24 December 2011
SMRT see-Sawing
I must apologise for not updating the blog for several weeks. But I'm back now.
Kicking off with the most talked about story on PerezHilton.com, the Mass Rapid Transit.
After the 2010 World Cup, Brazilian coach Dunga offered to step down after the country's failure to get past Netherlands in the quarter finals. Reaching the last 4 of arguably the world's most prestigious and competitive tournament is no easy feat.
But in a nation which is football crazy and that once was the global leader in the sport, this is failure.
In any case, Dunga was promptly fired by the CBF.
The UK faced one of its worst winters in recent times last Christmas, leading to the resignation of Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson for failure to tackle the travel chaos.
In the words of Scottish Labour leader, "Scotland had lost confidence in the transport minister and it was only right that he should resign..."
If you recall, state-owned monopoly SMRT picked up the "Best Passenger Experience" award in an annual conference in 2008. The win was debatable even then, more so if you've ever taken the trains in Seoul, Taipei or Hong Kong.
Since then, SMRT has come a very long way. A long way down.
I documented in September about the less than stellar track record of the rail operator.
Two months later, SMRT's CEO Ms. Saw Phaik Hwa was given an extra 176, 600 shares as a reward for "performance". This is equivalent to S$332,008 at Nov 11 closing price of the stock.
Much has been said on and offline about the recent spate of SMRT malfunctions. I will not list the details since the Singapore Democrats have already done so here.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that a leader should always step down when things go wrong. Everyone should be given a second chance to redeem themselves.
What is clear here is that Ms. Saw oversaw, no pun intended, and presided over a spate of breakdowns over the last two years, in addition to two hugely embarrassing graffiti incidents.
As CEO, she obviously had ample opportunities to put things right but no.
As of today, SMRT trains are running at increased intervals. Waiting times have shot up and queues have gotten longer. And they are going just about as fast as Cinderella's pumpkin carriage.
Retailers are reportedly hit, people are late for work and some couples even cancel their dates. In short, SMRT has adversely affected the lives of many Singaporeans.
But our transportation woes lies deep within the system...the same regime that took quite a few brazen gambles over the last decade. Not just the casinos but the irresponsible immigration policy to prop up its "GDP growth at all costs" model.
You see, when the first SMRT trains started running in 1987, I don't think the urban planners then envisioned over 5 million people squeezing into this island in such a short period of time. Singapore's resident population then was just 2.7 million.
To make matters worse, our current generation of Ministers keep getting caught off guard, using stop gap measure like ERP, COE etc to "regulate" the system.
Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew's comments summed his party's inaptitude perfectly:
"There have been a number of train disruptions in recent days. I do not know if these are isolated incidents or whether there are systemic and more serious underlying issues causing these breakdowns."
Ms. Saw's position is totally safe for now. This is because Ong Ye Kung, who also happens to be a PAP MP, is on the Board of SMRT. And out of sheer coincidence, he's also tasked to carry out this on-going independent investigation into the breakdowns.
So with salary that is higher than any former SMRT CEO and a position with zero accountability, this lady is here to stay.
Kicking off with the most talked about story on PerezHilton.com, the Mass Rapid Transit.
After the 2010 World Cup, Brazilian coach Dunga offered to step down after the country's failure to get past Netherlands in the quarter finals. Reaching the last 4 of arguably the world's most prestigious and competitive tournament is no easy feat.
But in a nation which is football crazy and that once was the global leader in the sport, this is failure.
In any case, Dunga was promptly fired by the CBF.
The UK faced one of its worst winters in recent times last Christmas, leading to the resignation of Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson for failure to tackle the travel chaos.
In the words of Scottish Labour leader, "Scotland had lost confidence in the transport minister and it was only right that he should resign..."
If you recall, state-owned monopoly SMRT picked up the "Best Passenger Experience" award in an annual conference in 2008. The win was debatable even then, more so if you've ever taken the trains in Seoul, Taipei or Hong Kong.
Since then, SMRT has come a very long way. A long way down.
I documented in September about the less than stellar track record of the rail operator.
Two months later, SMRT's CEO Ms. Saw Phaik Hwa was given an extra 176, 600 shares as a reward for "performance". This is equivalent to S$332,008 at Nov 11 closing price of the stock.
Much has been said on and offline about the recent spate of SMRT malfunctions. I will not list the details since the Singapore Democrats have already done so here.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that a leader should always step down when things go wrong. Everyone should be given a second chance to redeem themselves.
What is clear here is that Ms. Saw oversaw, no pun intended, and presided over a spate of breakdowns over the last two years, in addition to two hugely embarrassing graffiti incidents.
As CEO, she obviously had ample opportunities to put things right but no.
As of today, SMRT trains are running at increased intervals. Waiting times have shot up and queues have gotten longer. And they are going just about as fast as Cinderella's pumpkin carriage.
Retailers are reportedly hit, people are late for work and some couples even cancel their dates. In short, SMRT has adversely affected the lives of many Singaporeans.
But our transportation woes lies deep within the system...the same regime that took quite a few brazen gambles over the last decade. Not just the casinos but the irresponsible immigration policy to prop up its "GDP growth at all costs" model.
You see, when the first SMRT trains started running in 1987, I don't think the urban planners then envisioned over 5 million people squeezing into this island in such a short period of time. Singapore's resident population then was just 2.7 million.
To make matters worse, our current generation of Ministers keep getting caught off guard, using stop gap measure like ERP, COE etc to "regulate" the system.
Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew's comments summed his party's inaptitude perfectly:
"There have been a number of train disruptions in recent days. I do not know if these are isolated incidents or whether there are systemic and more serious underlying issues causing these breakdowns."
Ms. Saw's position is totally safe for now. This is because Ong Ye Kung, who also happens to be a PAP MP, is on the Board of SMRT. And out of sheer coincidence, he's also tasked to carry out this on-going independent investigation into the breakdowns.
So with salary that is higher than any former SMRT CEO and a position with zero accountability, this lady is here to stay.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
MP sitting on the floor
Many PAP Ministers like to sit.
None more so than Ang Mo Kio GRC's Yeo Guat Kwang, who in addition to his cushy MP seat, sits on the board, panel, council of 64 other organisations!
Even Superman can't be in 65 places at the same time! So he's either short-changing these 64 organisations or the Singaporeans that elected him into Parliament. Go figure.
Some others like to sit on piles of cash. Despite his hearty monthly MP allowance and fat pay cheque from NOL, Pioneer SMC's Cedric Foo gives out $4 ang paos!
Nothing wrong with that except that the dude's filthy rich.
Then there are those that like to sit on pressing issues. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong is apparently dragging his feet to reform nursing homes after the well publicised shocking abuse of an elderly patient by foreign nurses at a home, claiming that "these are long-term issues that will require very careful analysis and understanding of the impact".
Careful analysis? Some poor old woman got abused... I don't know how much more straightforward it gets.
In contrast, a certain other nobody, well actually a member of the Worker's Party's Aljunied GRC team, sits unassumingly on the floor in effort to mingle with residents. So much so that the politicised People's Association decided it was better to kick this MP and his fellow colleagues out of most public spaces so they have nowhere to sit.
Now with one of their own sitting on the President's throne, it remains to be seen if the 81 PAP MPs can descend their ivory towers and sit among ordinary Singaporeans.
Oh by the way, the nobody MP is a chap called Chen Show Mao.
None more so than Ang Mo Kio GRC's Yeo Guat Kwang, who in addition to his cushy MP seat, sits on the board, panel, council of 64 other organisations!
Even Superman can't be in 65 places at the same time! So he's either short-changing these 64 organisations or the Singaporeans that elected him into Parliament. Go figure.
Some others like to sit on piles of cash. Despite his hearty monthly MP allowance and fat pay cheque from NOL, Pioneer SMC's Cedric Foo gives out $4 ang paos!
Nothing wrong with that except that the dude's filthy rich.
Then there are those that like to sit on pressing issues. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong is apparently dragging his feet to reform nursing homes after the well publicised shocking abuse of an elderly patient by foreign nurses at a home, claiming that "these are long-term issues that will require very careful analysis and understanding of the impact".
Careful analysis? Some poor old woman got abused... I don't know how much more straightforward it gets.
In contrast, a certain other nobody, well actually a member of the Worker's Party's Aljunied GRC team, sits unassumingly on the floor in effort to mingle with residents. So much so that the politicised People's Association decided it was better to kick this MP and his fellow colleagues out of most public spaces so they have nowhere to sit.
Now with one of their own sitting on the President's throne, it remains to be seen if the 81 PAP MPs can descend their ivory towers and sit among ordinary Singaporeans.
Oh by the way, the nobody MP is a chap called Chen Show Mao.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Reinvention
As the PAP's soul searching continues 4 months after the party's most disastrous poll performance, PM Lee Hsien Loong is urging his careers first, country second, politicians to "reinvent" themselves.
The word "reinvention" normally has a positive spin to it. The Internet reinvented the way people connected and. Apple reinvented the cell-phone into a lifestyle accessory. Lady Gaga reinvented fashion...just kidding.
Then he continues "to anticipate and counter attempts to score political points by those who do not want us to succeed; and to gain recognition for the good work of the Government."
Two things can be inferred here
1) That people voted opposition because they don't want PAP to succeed
2) PM Lee still feels this current government has done good work
Firstly, people voted opposition because they want Singapore to succeed. This is another example of how PAP politics puts party above country. Remember numerous party members chanting "Majullah PAP" during elections?
Secondly, as long as the current generation of leaders continue to live in fantasy world and believe they have been performing well, there will be no reinvention.
There will only be repetition. Repetition of the same old party serving policies.
Case in point, the PAP is now using research carried out by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) to justify the need for this relentless influx of foreigners. The paper made Nobel prize-worthy discovery that our population will decline without migration. It somehow also generated a mind-boggling 48 different population scenarios, far more elaborate than Paris Hilton's social life.
Oh by the way, the IPS is chaired by the venerable Lee Kuan Yew himself.
Falling birth rates is common in many developed nations. Western European countries are no different.
Nordic countries like Sweden and Norway have managed to raise their birth rates close to 2. (2.1 is the universally accepted rate for a population to replace itself). Some of the common features of their success include:
Contrast with PAP run Singapore:
Like a gambler going for broke, the government then imports inordinate amounts of foreigners to boost population growth. This turns the rat race into a sprint so most Singaporean couples just don't want the burden of raising kids.
Further, who does rising population growth really benefit?
Singaporeans?
Unless you call these benefits:
1) Stagnant wages
2) No job security
3) Rip off housing prices
4) Expensive healthcare
5) Elusive CPF savings
6) Overcrowded public transport and spaces
7) etc
Population growth benefits the PAP.
Let's take a look at the commonly used equation for GDP.
GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports − imports)
GDP is the holy grail for our ministers. It not only determines their bonuses, it also masks the real story behind the country's standard of living so long as GDP keeps growing.
As you can see, the more people there are on this island, the more private consumption increases.
When the Indian national eats at a food court, that contributes to private consumption.
When the PRC masseuse buys a bar of soap, that contributes to private consumption.
So you can see why the government will never accept falling demographics.
Still, there is one reinvention that is more powerful than the rest.
The reinvention of our political landscape is the key to how Singapore survives the next 50 years.
40% of the populace have reinvented themselves and given us these.
Reinvention is cool.
The word "reinvention" normally has a positive spin to it. The Internet reinvented the way people connected and. Apple reinvented the cell-phone into a lifestyle accessory. Lady Gaga reinvented fashion...just kidding.
Then he continues "to anticipate and counter attempts to score political points by those who do not want us to succeed; and to gain recognition for the good work of the Government."
Two things can be inferred here
1) That people voted opposition because they don't want PAP to succeed
2) PM Lee still feels this current government has done good work
Firstly, people voted opposition because they want Singapore to succeed. This is another example of how PAP politics puts party above country. Remember numerous party members chanting "Majullah PAP" during elections?
Secondly, as long as the current generation of leaders continue to live in fantasy world and believe they have been performing well, there will be no reinvention.
There will only be repetition. Repetition of the same old party serving policies.
Case in point, the PAP is now using research carried out by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) to justify the need for this relentless influx of foreigners. The paper made Nobel prize-worthy discovery that our population will decline without migration. It somehow also generated a mind-boggling 48 different population scenarios, far more elaborate than Paris Hilton's social life.
Oh by the way, the IPS is chaired by the venerable Lee Kuan Yew himself.
Falling birth rates is common in many developed nations. Western European countries are no different.
Nordic countries like Sweden and Norway have managed to raise their birth rates close to 2. (2.1 is the universally accepted rate for a population to replace itself). Some of the common features of their success include:
- About 12 months of paid leave for working mothers
- Weeks or months of paternity leave, in some cases mandatory
- Generous if not full subsidies for state run child care
- Flexible work schedules
Contrast with PAP run Singapore:
- Mothers get max 4 months paid leave
- Fathers get a total of 6 days childcare leave, subject to time spent at current employment
- Average subsidies in place but mothers must work for at least 56 hours per month. Close to none for non-working mothers
- Flexi hours exist in Singapore???
Like a gambler going for broke, the government then imports inordinate amounts of foreigners to boost population growth. This turns the rat race into a sprint so most Singaporean couples just don't want the burden of raising kids.
Further, who does rising population growth really benefit?
Singaporeans?
Unless you call these benefits:
1) Stagnant wages
2) No job security
3) Rip off housing prices
4) Expensive healthcare
5) Elusive CPF savings
6) Overcrowded public transport and spaces
7) etc
Population growth benefits the PAP.
Let's take a look at the commonly used equation for GDP.
GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports − imports)
GDP is the holy grail for our ministers. It not only determines their bonuses, it also masks the real story behind the country's standard of living so long as GDP keeps growing.
As you can see, the more people there are on this island, the more private consumption increases.
When the Indian national eats at a food court, that contributes to private consumption.
When the PRC masseuse buys a bar of soap, that contributes to private consumption.
So you can see why the government will never accept falling demographics.
Still, there is one reinvention that is more powerful than the rest.
The reinvention of our political landscape is the key to how Singapore survives the next 50 years.
40% of the populace have reinvented themselves and given us these.
Reinvention is cool.
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
No confidence for the future
Congratulations to the 35.2% who voted for five more years of mediocrity. The lot of you have demonstrated that "fools seldom differ" by choosing a President to extend the incapacity that is the elected Presidency.
Dr. Tony Tan certainly has big shoes to fill.
Can he actually shape a Presidency even more redundant than the last twelve years? His predecessor has set the standard for what it means to be a pure ceremonial head.
Still, unless you are like Dr. Ibrahim living in self-denial, the fact is 64.8% voted against Dr. Tan and the PAP.
Many opposition voters went with Dr. Tan Cheng Bok whom they saw as someone from the old guard, those who helped build Singapore with true servitude, unlike the elitist career politicians that Tony Tan exemplifies.
In addition, more than half a million Singaporeans cast their votes for Tan Jee Say, a newcomer to politics with no political base.
The PE clearly shows that more and more Singaporeans are losing patience with the PAP.
The Men in White may have won the battle, but it remains to be seen if they can win the war with democracy in 2016.
Further, Tony Tan barely scraped past the finish line despite having glowing public endorsements from unions, clans and pandering business federations. When many Singaporeans fret over job security in an environment where foreigners can be hired at a whim, it is not surprising that these workers wouldn't dare go against the union line. Together, they would have ensured Dr. Tan 200,000 or so votes.
Yet these pitifully naive Singaporeans didn't stop for a moment to ask what their unions have done for them.
Have the unions protected them from excessive foreign competition? Have the unions fought for restoration of employers' CPF to what it was at 20%?
The Tony Tan-PAP ticket also campaigned on the climate of fear in the global economy. While the global economy is a concern for Singapore, it remains to be see how Tony Tan has "sound understanding of the global economy and challenges facing business" as he claims.
Remember this is the man who oversaw GIC's staggering S$60 billion loss in the 2008 global crisis and sanctioned billions (from our reserves?) to shore up greedy western banks instead of investing in Singaporeans.
But what is done is done. 1.5 million Singaporeans will just have to put up with five more years of hegemony and group think. We came so close to voting in some semblance of moral authority but far too many daft Singaporeans remain daft.
Our only hope is six brave souls from the Workers' Party. How they perform against 81 overbearing PAP MPs is anybody's guess.
For now, we're left to lament what might have been...
Dr. Tony Tan certainly has big shoes to fill.
Can he actually shape a Presidency even more redundant than the last twelve years? His predecessor has set the standard for what it means to be a pure ceremonial head.
Still, unless you are like Dr. Ibrahim living in self-denial, the fact is 64.8% voted against Dr. Tan and the PAP.
Many opposition voters went with Dr. Tan Cheng Bok whom they saw as someone from the old guard, those who helped build Singapore with true servitude, unlike the elitist career politicians that Tony Tan exemplifies.
In addition, more than half a million Singaporeans cast their votes for Tan Jee Say, a newcomer to politics with no political base.
The PE clearly shows that more and more Singaporeans are losing patience with the PAP.
The Men in White may have won the battle, but it remains to be seen if they can win the war with democracy in 2016.
Further, Tony Tan barely scraped past the finish line despite having glowing public endorsements from unions, clans and pandering business federations. When many Singaporeans fret over job security in an environment where foreigners can be hired at a whim, it is not surprising that these workers wouldn't dare go against the union line. Together, they would have ensured Dr. Tan 200,000 or so votes.
Yet these pitifully naive Singaporeans didn't stop for a moment to ask what their unions have done for them.
Have the unions protected them from excessive foreign competition? Have the unions fought for restoration of employers' CPF to what it was at 20%?
The Tony Tan-PAP ticket also campaigned on the climate of fear in the global economy. While the global economy is a concern for Singapore, it remains to be see how Tony Tan has "sound understanding of the global economy and challenges facing business" as he claims.
Remember this is the man who oversaw GIC's staggering S$60 billion loss in the 2008 global crisis and sanctioned billions (from our reserves?) to shore up greedy western banks instead of investing in Singaporeans.
But what is done is done. 1.5 million Singaporeans will just have to put up with five more years of hegemony and group think. We came so close to voting in some semblance of moral authority but far too many daft Singaporeans remain daft.
Our only hope is six brave souls from the Workers' Party. How they perform against 81 overbearing PAP MPs is anybody's guess.
For now, we're left to lament what might have been...
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Happy belated National Day Singapore
The Singapore economy continued its recent anaemic performance registering a quarter on quarter fall of 6.5% in Q2.
While the PAP has been vigilant in heaping self praises when the economy does well, its highly paid ministers go mysteriously quiet when the opposite occurs.
We do however get the customary incoherent rumblings such as the televised segment by Lim Swee Say.
Although the politicking in US Congress borders on silly, we should never disregard the need for a well-balanced government. If the Republicans and Democrats existed without opposition, then the US will be raising debt ceiling at a whim or following through a one-sided tax policy. This is potentially even worse for the global economy.
Incidentally, the US$2.1 trn increase in the debt ceiling is equivalent to giving US$295 to every man, woman and child on earth!
It's precisely the one-sided, unopposed policies of the PAP regime that has made Singapore ever so vulnerable to the global economy. Of course, no open economy is immune to what happens in US or Eurozone but the continued reliance on labour-intensive electronics and pharma manufacturing is worrisome.
For land scarce economies, services is the way to go. While the PAP has taken steps to increase services share of the economy to about 60%, it pales in comparison to Hong Kong's 90%.
And most of the increase came from the two casinos.
Our financial services sector lags far behind Hong Kong. IPOs in Singapore have slowed to a crawl in a time when big MNCs like Samsonite and Prada raised billions on HKSE. Despite the recent return to risk aversion, more massive offerings are still expected.
Our aspirations to be an education hub has suffered numerous setbacks. The number of private schools have fallen drastically caused in part by prior lack of proper monitoring from authorities.
In 2007, top Australian university UNSW unceremoniously pulled out of Singapore before the first students walked through its doors.
Don't let the high level of foreign enrollment in local universities fool you. According to a study by the British Council, Singapore does not feature within the top 10 countries favoured by foreign students. The "foreign talents" we are taking may not be the cream of the crop.
DPM Teo Chee Hean said there could be serious economic problems if what happened in the US were to happen to a smaller country and that the Singapore government has been undertaking many measures to deal with issues - such as building more HBD flats.
I may be missing his point but how does buidling more HDB flats alleviate economic woes? Maybe permanently barring private developers from building HDB flats would. How about imposing more restrictions on foreigner/PR ownership of public flats? In retrospect, if Mah Bow Tan had been relieved of his post sooner, that could have helped.
Party supporters will claim that most economies around the world are reeling right now and it isn't fair to judge their leaders' performance.
But wait, they do know we do have the highest paid ministers in the world. Our PM is paid 4-5 times more than President Obama.
This means that we have the right to expect superhuman performance from our government. Singaporeans must demand more ingenuity from Lee Hsien Loong ruling a tiny island than Obama watching over 50 American states.
Which is why the Elected Presidency, whether custodial or not, is so important. Law Minister K Shanmugan and a few others have been busy de-emphasising the Presidential powers. Outgoing President S R Nathan went as far as to say that the President is constitutionally obliged to act on advice of Cabinet. In other words, a puppet.
Then why elect a President? The PAP might as well promote one of its own all the time.
The President should have some power to check the decisions of each incumbent government.
The least he could do is to censure MPs who play with their mobile phones during the singing of the national athem on "live" TV...such as Pasir Ris Punggol GRC MP Penny Low.
While the PAP has been vigilant in heaping self praises when the economy does well, its highly paid ministers go mysteriously quiet when the opposite occurs.
We do however get the customary incoherent rumblings such as the televised segment by Lim Swee Say.
Although the politicking in US Congress borders on silly, we should never disregard the need for a well-balanced government. If the Republicans and Democrats existed without opposition, then the US will be raising debt ceiling at a whim or following through a one-sided tax policy. This is potentially even worse for the global economy.
Incidentally, the US$2.1 trn increase in the debt ceiling is equivalent to giving US$295 to every man, woman and child on earth!
It's precisely the one-sided, unopposed policies of the PAP regime that has made Singapore ever so vulnerable to the global economy. Of course, no open economy is immune to what happens in US or Eurozone but the continued reliance on labour-intensive electronics and pharma manufacturing is worrisome.
For land scarce economies, services is the way to go. While the PAP has taken steps to increase services share of the economy to about 60%, it pales in comparison to Hong Kong's 90%.
And most of the increase came from the two casinos.
Our financial services sector lags far behind Hong Kong. IPOs in Singapore have slowed to a crawl in a time when big MNCs like Samsonite and Prada raised billions on HKSE. Despite the recent return to risk aversion, more massive offerings are still expected.
Our aspirations to be an education hub has suffered numerous setbacks. The number of private schools have fallen drastically caused in part by prior lack of proper monitoring from authorities.
In 2007, top Australian university UNSW unceremoniously pulled out of Singapore before the first students walked through its doors.
Don't let the high level of foreign enrollment in local universities fool you. According to a study by the British Council, Singapore does not feature within the top 10 countries favoured by foreign students. The "foreign talents" we are taking may not be the cream of the crop.
DPM Teo Chee Hean said there could be serious economic problems if what happened in the US were to happen to a smaller country and that the Singapore government has been undertaking many measures to deal with issues - such as building more HBD flats.
I may be missing his point but how does buidling more HDB flats alleviate economic woes? Maybe permanently barring private developers from building HDB flats would. How about imposing more restrictions on foreigner/PR ownership of public flats? In retrospect, if Mah Bow Tan had been relieved of his post sooner, that could have helped.
Party supporters will claim that most economies around the world are reeling right now and it isn't fair to judge their leaders' performance.
But wait, they do know we do have the highest paid ministers in the world. Our PM is paid 4-5 times more than President Obama.
This means that we have the right to expect superhuman performance from our government. Singaporeans must demand more ingenuity from Lee Hsien Loong ruling a tiny island than Obama watching over 50 American states.
Which is why the Elected Presidency, whether custodial or not, is so important. Law Minister K Shanmugan and a few others have been busy de-emphasising the Presidential powers. Outgoing President S R Nathan went as far as to say that the President is constitutionally obliged to act on advice of Cabinet. In other words, a puppet.
Then why elect a President? The PAP might as well promote one of its own all the time.
The President should have some power to check the decisions of each incumbent government.
The least he could do is to censure MPs who play with their mobile phones during the singing of the national athem on "live" TV...such as Pasir Ris Punggol GRC MP Penny Low.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
General Elections 2016- battle plan?
I was just studying the 2011 electoral boundaries.
While we know that boundaries are redrawn every election, one thing I could conclude is that the PAP has everything to worry about.
Also, if the Opposition can fully get their act together, work the ground alot harder, better strategise where to send their teams etc, the gains could be significant.
If you look at the map below, the red areas are Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC.
I've pinked out those constituencies where the Opposition came close to winning.
My advice to the Opposition is band together and form a bastion in the East. Send your A teams to take down these wards and we could have a solid Opposition base in eastern Singapore.
It's often cited that the Opposition lacks the funds and economies of scale to wage a successful fight. With this scenario, they can consolidate resources by banding these constituencies, which are all adjacent to each other, together.
Now we all know how staunchly PAP is in the West- Jurong, Choa Chu Kang, West Coast (biggest GRC by land area) and to some extent Holland-Bukit Timah.
So if the Opposition can consolidate power in the East, they can use that as a springboard to tackle these more stubborn areas.
For the PAP, they have to seriously consider:
PS: Notice how tiny Tampines GRC is. Looks like the PAP had little faith in MBT.
While we know that boundaries are redrawn every election, one thing I could conclude is that the PAP has everything to worry about.
Also, if the Opposition can fully get their act together, work the ground alot harder, better strategise where to send their teams etc, the gains could be significant.
If you look at the map below, the red areas are Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC.
I've pinked out those constituencies where the Opposition came close to winning.
My advice to the Opposition is band together and form a bastion in the East. Send your A teams to take down these wards and we could have a solid Opposition base in eastern Singapore.
It's often cited that the Opposition lacks the funds and economies of scale to wage a successful fight. With this scenario, they can consolidate resources by banding these constituencies, which are all adjacent to each other, together.
Now we all know how staunchly PAP is in the West- Jurong, Choa Chu Kang, West Coast (biggest GRC by land area) and to some extent Holland-Bukit Timah.
So if the Opposition can consolidate power in the East, they can use that as a springboard to tackle these more stubborn areas.
For the PAP, they have to seriously consider:
- Who will repalce SM Goh in Marine Parade
- If Lim Swee Say can improve the performance in East Coast, considering that he faced off with what was essentially, no disrespect, WP's 'B' team
- If they can they stretch Pasir-Ris Punggol boundaries even more to take advantage of Teo Chee Hean's safe status
- If MBT should continue in Tampines
PS: Notice how tiny Tampines GRC is. Looks like the PAP had little faith in MBT.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Another foreigner with a big mouth
Nothing irks me more than when some foreigner runs his mouth off about how lucky Singaporeans are yada yada yada without knowing our history.
Nothing irks me even more when our local media publish every pro-PAP comment no matter how ridiculous they are.
How about more coverage on Aljunied GRC's transition? That's national news worthy of precious ink.
A dude from somewhere nearby, obviously across the Causeway, sees fit to give us a lecture on "gratitude".
Newsflash! Efficiency does not always equate to happiness.
Cuba and N.Korea are pretty efficient regimes, at least to their supporters but that doesn't mean that ordinary citizens wouldn't jump at the chance to migrate to US or S.Korea?
Sure Malaysia isn't as efficient and safe as Singapore but alot of middle class Malaysians seem a whole lot happier, can afford a proper house and a car with average salaries.
Indeed, a survey by Gallup World Poll on happiest countries in the world places Singapore in an unflattering 81st position. Even inefficient Pakistan and Botswana are ranked above us.
Nothing irks me even more when our local media publish every pro-PAP comment no matter how ridiculous they are.
How about more coverage on Aljunied GRC's transition? That's national news worthy of precious ink.
A dude from somewhere nearby, obviously across the Causeway, sees fit to give us a lecture on "gratitude".
Newsflash! Efficiency does not always equate to happiness.
Cuba and N.Korea are pretty efficient regimes, at least to their supporters but that doesn't mean that ordinary citizens wouldn't jump at the chance to migrate to US or S.Korea?
Sure Malaysia isn't as efficient and safe as Singapore but alot of middle class Malaysians seem a whole lot happier, can afford a proper house and a car with average salaries.
Indeed, a survey by Gallup World Poll on happiest countries in the world places Singapore in an unflattering 81st position. Even inefficient Pakistan and Botswana are ranked above us.
Mr. Yeo, be thankful you are in the enviable position of having choices. You always have Malaysia to fall back on while Singaporeans don't. You earn in S$ and spend in Ringgit when you decide to go home.
We know that Chinese Malaysians may suffer some form of discrimination but Singaporeans are increasingly being treated like second class citizens too---only difference is it's happening in our own backyard!
Having choices is a liberating and assuring feeling.
So to answer your little teaser, yes I would like to exchange places with you.
And make no mistake there is absolutely zero tolerance when government policies contribute to the marginalisation of our poor and less fortunate in society and the relentless squeezing of the middle class. By the way, it's not karma that got them there.
Therefore, please continue to refrain from making any comments to Singaporeans even after the elections.
Unhappy? Swap places with me
Updated 11:36 AM May 12, 2011
I refer to the statement made by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in your report on May 9. I am a professional working in Singapore on an Employment Pass and I come from a nearby country. I have refrained from making any comments to my Singaporean friends in the run-up to the General Election because being a non-voter, I believe I should be neutral. But I am aware of all the issues being thrown about: High cost of living, overcrowding, entry of many foreigners, the hot property market, etc.
My personal view is that the present government, although not perfect, has done very well in comparison to other neighbouring countries, and indeed globally. We see a society here that is relatively safe, stable, has a good standard of living, that prepares its younger generation for the future by having a world-class education system and a thriving economy.
Singaporeans must come out of this complaining, molly-coddled mindset, and I think part of this syndrome is because the efficiency of this society has spoiled them so that they are less tolerant. Please compare this country to where I come from: There is rampant corruption, social injustice, religious and racial bigotry, indecisiveness and opaque governance, to name a few things. The list goes on.
To the unhappy and discontented Singaporeans, exchange places with me. I would only be too happy to make this my permanent home.
My personal view is that the present government, although not perfect, has done very well in comparison to other neighbouring countries, and indeed globally. We see a society here that is relatively safe, stable, has a good standard of living, that prepares its younger generation for the future by having a world-class education system and a thriving economy.
Singaporeans must come out of this complaining, molly-coddled mindset, and I think part of this syndrome is because the efficiency of this society has spoiled them so that they are less tolerant. Please compare this country to where I come from: There is rampant corruption, social injustice, religious and racial bigotry, indecisiveness and opaque governance, to name a few things. The list goes on.
To the unhappy and discontented Singaporeans, exchange places with me. I would only be too happy to make this my permanent home.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
An attempt to figure out the PAP voter base
I struck up a conversation with a taxi uncle today. No prizes for guessing that we spoke about the elections. He told me that he has three children, one of which is a Major in the SAF and the other an executive with DSTA. According to him, all of them, including the two public servants, voted for the opposition. He too voted against the PAP because he felt the overall standard of living was decreasing.
It's not surprising to see more public servants voting against the regime. Then how is it that the PAP still managed to cling onto 60% of the electorate? Where are the votes coming from?
Let me attempt to break it down. Please note that these are pure estimates. I apologise in advance if there are any gross inaccuracies. So here goes.
Public Service
This government website says there are about 124,000 officers working around various ministries. While it isn't clear, let's assume they are 2009 or 2010 figures.
Grassroots
According to TODAY, there are about 30,000 grassroots leaders Using the average household size of 3, there would roughly be 100,000 or so grassroots leaders and their families voting for PAP.
New Citizens
The PAP claims to need 20,000 new citizens each year. So you can deduce there would be about 100,000 new citizens from 2006-2010.
Older Voters
Referencing official stats, there are about 1.6 million citizens above 50 years. MM Lee claims that those 50 and above will remember the PAP contributions so I thought this would be a good gauge of PAP's staunchest demographic.
So the math is:
Further assuming that all New Citizens will vote PAP and applying 60% to the rest (based on popular voting results), the number would be 1,194,400.
And after taking into account overlap in the categories by applying 70% factor, the estimated number of assured PAP votes is 836,080.
Again, this is only an estimate at best but that's 40% of the 2.2 million voters in the PAP's corner even before a minute of campaigning.
Throw in Grow & Share monies, a rare apology by PM Lee and some apparent underhand tactics, it's not hard to see how they can easily swing another 10-20% of the voters to win a mandate.
It's not surprising to see more public servants voting against the regime. Then how is it that the PAP still managed to cling onto 60% of the electorate? Where are the votes coming from?
Let me attempt to break it down. Please note that these are pure estimates. I apologise in advance if there are any gross inaccuracies. So here goes.
Public Service
This government website says there are about 124,000 officers working around various ministries. While it isn't clear, let's assume they are 2009 or 2010 figures.
Grassroots
According to TODAY, there are about 30,000 grassroots leaders Using the average household size of 3, there would roughly be 100,000 or so grassroots leaders and their families voting for PAP.
New Citizens
The PAP claims to need 20,000 new citizens each year. So you can deduce there would be about 100,000 new citizens from 2006-2010.
Older Voters
Referencing official stats, there are about 1.6 million citizens above 50 years. MM Lee claims that those 50 and above will remember the PAP contributions so I thought this would be a good gauge of PAP's staunchest demographic.
So the math is:
| Type: | Votes: |
| Public Service | 124,000 |
| Grassroots | 100,000 |
| New Citizens | 100,000 |
| Older Voters | 1,600,000 |
| Total | 1,924,000 |
Further assuming that all New Citizens will vote PAP and applying 60% to the rest (based on popular voting results), the number would be 1,194,400.
And after taking into account overlap in the categories by applying 70% factor, the estimated number of assured PAP votes is 836,080.
Again, this is only an estimate at best but that's 40% of the 2.2 million voters in the PAP's corner even before a minute of campaigning.
Throw in Grow & Share monies, a rare apology by PM Lee and some apparent underhand tactics, it's not hard to see how they can easily swing another 10-20% of the voters to win a mandate.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Same old PAP?
Barely a few days into the new government term, reports have surfaced online regarding typical PAP behaviour towards the opposition and their supporters.
The 60% daft Singaporeans thought a hasty apology from PM Lee signalled a change in the PAP mindset.
While it may a little too early to judge, the signs aren't too good.
Aljunied residents have complained about a spate of apparent sabotage after PAP got voted out.
Town Council services stopped, employees sacked, garbage not cleared etc etc.
The TCs and RCs are doing Singaporeans a big disservice if they halt essential functions. You are NOT part of the PAP even though MM Lee would like you to think so.
You have a duty to all Singaporeans, regardless of language, religion or political association.
If the allegations are true, they are classic PAP tactics to instill fear into opposition voters.
In fact, the ominous signs were there seconds after the results were announced. Dr. Vivian B, in his thank you speech said "many PAP policies are right but their implementation and communication can be improved".
Looks like we might get the same old shit policies shoved down our throats, in improved ways, thanks to silly Singaporeans who failed their duty to do their bid in toppling a few more GRCs.
MM Lee too couldn't resist another pot shot:
“2011 has seen a generation that does not remember from whence we came, but that is to be expected. But I do, and those amongst you who are over 50 will remember”
As I'm writing this, the Police are apparently dispersing the peaceful crowd gathered at Blk 108 Potong Pasir to sign a petition for by-election.
To the 60% of Singaporeans, you were given a very important vote and wasted your cross on the wrong box for the umpteenth time. This Aljunied resident summed it up best.
Repent?
The 60% daft Singaporeans thought a hasty apology from PM Lee signalled a change in the PAP mindset.
While it may a little too early to judge, the signs aren't too good.
Aljunied residents have complained about a spate of apparent sabotage after PAP got voted out.
Town Council services stopped, employees sacked, garbage not cleared etc etc.
The TCs and RCs are doing Singaporeans a big disservice if they halt essential functions. You are NOT part of the PAP even though MM Lee would like you to think so.
You have a duty to all Singaporeans, regardless of language, religion or political association.
If the allegations are true, they are classic PAP tactics to instill fear into opposition voters.
In fact, the ominous signs were there seconds after the results were announced. Dr. Vivian B, in his thank you speech said "many PAP policies are right but their implementation and communication can be improved".
Looks like we might get the same old shit policies shoved down our throats, in improved ways, thanks to silly Singaporeans who failed their duty to do their bid in toppling a few more GRCs.
MM Lee too couldn't resist another pot shot:
“2011 has seen a generation that does not remember from whence we came, but that is to be expected. But I do, and those amongst you who are over 50 will remember”
As I'm writing this, the Police are apparently dispersing the peaceful crowd gathered at Blk 108 Potong Pasir to sign a petition for by-election.
To the 60% of Singaporeans, you were given a very important vote and wasted your cross on the wrong box for the umpteenth time. This Aljunied resident summed it up best.
Repent?
Why is the PAP worried?
If the elections were contested online, the opposition would have trashed PAP on every count. Nearly all the online polls conducted were overwhelmingly in favour of the opposition.
Despite the numerous attempts to woo young voters, including attempts at hip-hop, they seem to have difficulties connecting with the younger generation.
However, it was a triumph in the end for MM Lee, err PM Lee and his 81 MPs.
Why then is the PAP so concerned about the results?
Despite the numerous attempts to woo young voters, including attempts at hip-hop, they seem to have difficulties connecting with the younger generation.
However, it was a triumph in the end for MM Lee, err PM Lee and his 81 MPs.
Why then is the PAP so concerned about the results?
- 40% or 880,000 Singaporeans voted against them. If we exclude the estimated 100,000 new citizens whom we can safely assume , voted PAP, the figure is 43%.
- The PAP share of popular votes has plunged from 75% in 2001 to 60% in 2011. If the trend continues, they could see their share hit the crucial 50% mark in 2016.
- They have given literally everything in this fight: Grow & Share package, PM Lee's apology, smear tactics, MM Lee's threats, redrawing of GRC boundaries etc.
- They put their best minister in charge of Aljunied GRC and yet he lost to a coherent and formidable Workers' Party team. If George Yeo can lose a GRC, any other lesser minister can be vulnerable in 2016
- They are getting a real bitter taste of their own medicine. What is it like to lose three ministers and one future speaker of Parliment in one fell swoop?
- One of their strongest GRC anchors, former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, came within a whisker of a shambolic embarrassment. And their opponents? A bunch of unknowns including a raw 24 year old candidate. SM Goh has said this would be his last elections. Who then is going to helm Marine Parade in the next GE?
- How did they let TPL into their political ranks? Steve Tan? What happened to the screening process?
- How much more can they rely on MBT and WKS? If they had come up against opposition of the calibre of Low's team, these deeply unpopular Ministers would probably have lost. WKS, the veteran Minister, has mind-blowing number of "Likes" on Facebook-847 to be exact.
Monday, 9 May 2011
The "Aljunied Roar"
For those who haven't heard the "Kallang Roar", this is it.
Some PAP ministers wanted to bring back the roar... But even with their million dollar salaries, they couldn't see that all they needed to do was to give the people their voice in Parliment!
PM Lee...just listen to the people of Aljunied GRC.
It is so good to be Singaporeans again!
It is so good to be Singaporeans again!
Sunday, 8 May 2011
More thoughts on GE 2011
A full day has passed since the GE and the reality of what transpired is totally sinking in.
Somehow, the well-oiled PAP machinery has steamrolled all but 2 constituencies.
It appears that whilst momentous in the making, the Workers' Party's superb victory in Aljunied GRC was a pyrrhic one. Although some opposition supporters may not admit it, it feels like we've taken one step forward and about two steps back.
Firstly, it is a mystery of unimaginable proportions how Tin Pei Ling is officially an MP and will actually be debating on serious country issues in Parliment. It is just as well the Singapore Parliment is not used to debates but serves as a legal ground for other pressing issues like the creation of a food museum.
Such is the undeniable consequence of the GRC system, a system supposedly designed to ensure minority representation in government.
Well the GRC certainly did just that by voting in a minority indeed. How often do you see someone of TPL's ability or lack of contesting in a General Election?
Secondly, how did candidates of real calibre like Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha, Tan Jee Say, Tony Tan and others not be serving in our country's highest office? Are Singaporeans going to continue to show blind faith in untalented and undeserving ministers? Is there something really wrong with the opposition's strategy? I will deal with this in future articles.
Thirdly, by giving a 81-6 mandate to PAP, are Singaporeans actually saying it's OK to have:
1) Public housing that is increasingly unaffordable to the masses
2) Rising healthcare costs with the PAP continually chopping its share of the burden
3) Unchecked immigration that have made our daily toil ever more suffocating and unbearable
4) Foreigners taking away jobs that Singaporeans want and can do
5) Ministers paying themselves millions of dollars while 30% of our population continue to earn about $1500 a month
6) Ministers talking down to us, calling us names and suggesting we ship our elderly to JB for cheaper nursing homes
7) Our CPF retirement age and minimum sums raised time after time while thousands are in dire need of their hard-earned monies
The bewildering actions of 60% of our electorate may have prolonged the hardships of the 40% by another 5 years.
Fourthly, how much of a role did our state-controlled media play in this elections? We all know that our media is ranked a shocking 141st in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index so biased coverage is but expected.
While this elections may be known as the social media election, I'm afraid that state media came up triumphant in the end, much to the PAP's delight.
My belief is that alot of the good messages from the opposition didn't reach the masses. It appears there are thousands of people, probably in the late 40s and up that don't access Facebook, Youtube or Temasek Review. Singapore may not be as highly wired as we think.
So long as state media is under total PAP control, the task of unseating them is always daunting.
Fifth, 40% of Singaporeans voted for the opposition but that yielded less than 10% of the Parlimentary seats. That is both an aberration and anomaly and there is little doubt that the GRC system is the chief cultprit. While my prayers are on the 6 brave souls that are going to be the voice of a million Singaporeans, we know that they would be powerless to stop the PAP should they still decide to pass laws on their whim.
I'm hoping or dreaming of a legislation that will ban electoral boundary changes for 3 or 4 elections.
Finally, how astute was the timing of PM Lee's "apology" on the penultimate day of campaigning? I actually think this was one of the turning points in this GE. Thousands of undecided voters would have felt the nostalgic tug on the heartstrings and failed to realise that they could be royally screwed for another 60 months. Further, we have already seen how monetary "gifts" during election time can seal lots of votes for the PAP. I think the "Grow and Share" package entrenched many Singaporeans grateful for the extra $800 to defray mounting expenses onto the side of the men in white.
Pity they didn't know the handouts are from the GST they paid or that the ministers would have received $1,000,000 each for their part of the package.
Somehow, the well-oiled PAP machinery has steamrolled all but 2 constituencies.
It appears that whilst momentous in the making, the Workers' Party's superb victory in Aljunied GRC was a pyrrhic one. Although some opposition supporters may not admit it, it feels like we've taken one step forward and about two steps back.
Firstly, it is a mystery of unimaginable proportions how Tin Pei Ling is officially an MP and will actually be debating on serious country issues in Parliment. It is just as well the Singapore Parliment is not used to debates but serves as a legal ground for other pressing issues like the creation of a food museum.
Such is the undeniable consequence of the GRC system, a system supposedly designed to ensure minority representation in government.
Well the GRC certainly did just that by voting in a minority indeed. How often do you see someone of TPL's ability or lack of contesting in a General Election?
Secondly, how did candidates of real calibre like Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha, Tan Jee Say, Tony Tan and others not be serving in our country's highest office? Are Singaporeans going to continue to show blind faith in untalented and undeserving ministers? Is there something really wrong with the opposition's strategy? I will deal with this in future articles.
Thirdly, by giving a 81-6 mandate to PAP, are Singaporeans actually saying it's OK to have:
1) Public housing that is increasingly unaffordable to the masses
2) Rising healthcare costs with the PAP continually chopping its share of the burden
3) Unchecked immigration that have made our daily toil ever more suffocating and unbearable
4) Foreigners taking away jobs that Singaporeans want and can do
5) Ministers paying themselves millions of dollars while 30% of our population continue to earn about $1500 a month
6) Ministers talking down to us, calling us names and suggesting we ship our elderly to JB for cheaper nursing homes
7) Our CPF retirement age and minimum sums raised time after time while thousands are in dire need of their hard-earned monies
The bewildering actions of 60% of our electorate may have prolonged the hardships of the 40% by another 5 years.
Fourthly, how much of a role did our state-controlled media play in this elections? We all know that our media is ranked a shocking 141st in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index so biased coverage is but expected.
While this elections may be known as the social media election, I'm afraid that state media came up triumphant in the end, much to the PAP's delight.
My belief is that alot of the good messages from the opposition didn't reach the masses. It appears there are thousands of people, probably in the late 40s and up that don't access Facebook, Youtube or Temasek Review. Singapore may not be as highly wired as we think.
So long as state media is under total PAP control, the task of unseating them is always daunting.
Fifth, 40% of Singaporeans voted for the opposition but that yielded less than 10% of the Parlimentary seats. That is both an aberration and anomaly and there is little doubt that the GRC system is the chief cultprit. While my prayers are on the 6 brave souls that are going to be the voice of a million Singaporeans, we know that they would be powerless to stop the PAP should they still decide to pass laws on their whim.
I'm hoping or dreaming of a legislation that will ban electoral boundary changes for 3 or 4 elections.
Finally, how astute was the timing of PM Lee's "apology" on the penultimate day of campaigning? I actually think this was one of the turning points in this GE. Thousands of undecided voters would have felt the nostalgic tug on the heartstrings and failed to realise that they could be royally screwed for another 60 months. Further, we have already seen how monetary "gifts" during election time can seal lots of votes for the PAP. I think the "Grow and Share" package entrenched many Singaporeans grateful for the extra $800 to defray mounting expenses onto the side of the men in white.
Pity they didn't know the handouts are from the GST they paid or that the ministers would have received $1,000,000 each for their part of the package.
Thursday, 5 May 2011
There has never been a more crucial time for Singaporeans
Some people feel that PM Lee's apology may have swayed some undecided voters.
While we know that it was a calculated moved, the PAP gamble may well pay off come May 7th.
It is estimated that there are about 90,000 new citizens this elections, translating to about 4% of votes.
With many battleground facing close fights, 4% can easily decide the outcome of the results.
The danger of a 87-0 Parliment is clear and present. If that happens, the only lesson the PAP would have learnt from this election is that they should have converted more PRs to citizens. Come 2016, there could be another 90,000 new citizens adding electoral support to their new masters.
By then, the Singaporean electorate will be powerless to do anything. And the harsh reality of native Singaporeans becoming second class citizens would have fully materialised.
The message to Singaporeans is very clear.... this might be your one and only chance to reclaim your natural rights as citizens who together with our forefathers, toiled to build the roads, parks, skyscrapers, malls, our financial service, our civil service and the works.
Our sons have sacrificed their blood and sweat in National Service only to hear a new PAP man and former chief of army apparently downplaying the signficance of NS.
One minister even remarked that if we make new citizens serve NS, they will all run away.
Opposition parties have gone all out to assure Singaporeans that voting is secret.
Unless Singaporeans overcome the fear that PAP has successfully manifested in us, we will have another five years of the same deficient policies that have lowered our quality of life- expensive HDB flats, overcrowded public spaces, foreigners taking away jobs, depression of local wages, MPs talking down to us, ever rising ministerial salaries and the unbearable cost of living.
I urge all Singaporeans to use Cooling-Off day to reflect and then disepl the irrational notion that our votes can be traced.
If we don't vote wisely, to paraphrase MM Lee, "we have five years to live and repent".
While we know that it was a calculated moved, the PAP gamble may well pay off come May 7th.
It is estimated that there are about 90,000 new citizens this elections, translating to about 4% of votes.
With many battleground facing close fights, 4% can easily decide the outcome of the results.
The danger of a 87-0 Parliment is clear and present. If that happens, the only lesson the PAP would have learnt from this election is that they should have converted more PRs to citizens. Come 2016, there could be another 90,000 new citizens adding electoral support to their new masters.
By then, the Singaporean electorate will be powerless to do anything. And the harsh reality of native Singaporeans becoming second class citizens would have fully materialised.
The message to Singaporeans is very clear.... this might be your one and only chance to reclaim your natural rights as citizens who together with our forefathers, toiled to build the roads, parks, skyscrapers, malls, our financial service, our civil service and the works.
Our sons have sacrificed their blood and sweat in National Service only to hear a new PAP man and former chief of army apparently downplaying the signficance of NS.
One minister even remarked that if we make new citizens serve NS, they will all run away.
Opposition parties have gone all out to assure Singaporeans that voting is secret.
Unless Singaporeans overcome the fear that PAP has successfully manifested in us, we will have another five years of the same deficient policies that have lowered our quality of life- expensive HDB flats, overcrowded public spaces, foreigners taking away jobs, depression of local wages, MPs talking down to us, ever rising ministerial salaries and the unbearable cost of living.
I urge all Singaporeans to use Cooling-Off day to reflect and then disepl the irrational notion that our votes can be traced.
If we don't vote wisely, to paraphrase MM Lee, "we have five years to live and repent".
Our opposition MPs have already begun to work for us...
It's amazing what a team of strong, credible opposition can do to the once almighty PAP...even before stepping into office.
PM Lee issued at rare "apology" at yesterday's lunch time rally, saying the PAP made mistakes on the floods, Mas Selamat, housing and a range of other issues.
What's so rare about apologies? Governments around the world apologise for wrong-doings all the time. Japanese and Korean lawmakers readily step down when they commit mistakes.
For the benefit of non-Singaporeans or Singaporeans who've been hibernating all this while, it is probably easier to catch a solar eclipse than to hear any PAP minister apologise.
Law and Home Affairs Minister now says that the PAP needs to communicate more with Singaporeans.
Dr Amy Khor, MP in charge of PAP's feedback unit "Reach", previously admitted in parliment that it was useless to give feedback to the government.
Lim Swee Say once claimed that he was deaf to all criticisms.
Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan has finally come out to explain his busting of the YOG budget and the now infamous "three meals" answer he gave to Dr Lily Neo in parliment--- albeit insincerely.
Khaw Boon Wan "cried" when someone asked him about this $8 heart bypass. He admitted to deficiencies in our healthcare system and probably cried because he's worried the voters will kick him out this time.
So you see dear voters, especially those still undecided.... just because we have a real political contest, 82 out of 87 seats, just because we have excellent opposition candidates of equal or better calibre asking the right questions and contributing viable alternative proposals during rallies and campaigning, we are seeing the PAP slowing taking responsibility for their past actions.
Imagine what 20-30 opposition candidates (hopefully more) in Parliment can do. They will absolutely make a difference in policy making and the end result is that our lives can only get better.
Do the right thing. The future is in our hands.
PM Lee issued at rare "apology" at yesterday's lunch time rally, saying the PAP made mistakes on the floods, Mas Selamat, housing and a range of other issues.
What's so rare about apologies? Governments around the world apologise for wrong-doings all the time. Japanese and Korean lawmakers readily step down when they commit mistakes.
For the benefit of non-Singaporeans or Singaporeans who've been hibernating all this while, it is probably easier to catch a solar eclipse than to hear any PAP minister apologise.
Law and Home Affairs Minister now says that the PAP needs to communicate more with Singaporeans.
Dr Amy Khor, MP in charge of PAP's feedback unit "Reach", previously admitted in parliment that it was useless to give feedback to the government.
Lim Swee Say once claimed that he was deaf to all criticisms.
Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan has finally come out to explain his busting of the YOG budget and the now infamous "three meals" answer he gave to Dr Lily Neo in parliment--- albeit insincerely.
Khaw Boon Wan "cried" when someone asked him about this $8 heart bypass. He admitted to deficiencies in our healthcare system and probably cried because he's worried the voters will kick him out this time.
So you see dear voters, especially those still undecided.... just because we have a real political contest, 82 out of 87 seats, just because we have excellent opposition candidates of equal or better calibre asking the right questions and contributing viable alternative proposals during rallies and campaigning, we are seeing the PAP slowing taking responsibility for their past actions.
Imagine what 20-30 opposition candidates (hopefully more) in Parliment can do. They will absolutely make a difference in policy making and the end result is that our lives can only get better.
Do the right thing. The future is in our hands.
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