hi Gem, I agree with you. This 1party system is definately a no-no go for singaporeans. If we allow this to kick in is just as good as signing them our blank cheques to help them to empty our entire cpf life savings. By now, they already know their party have started to loose ground in singapore, they know they have lost the complete trust and faith of the citizens, and there is nothing they can change the facts of those strings of screwed ups that they cannot hide from the people any longer, and they also know that as the digging continues, more and more dirts will surface. So, the only way out now is to use force or whatever underhand methods they can to protect themselves now and not the country.

Hi Gemami *194-Good to hear from you. Yesterday, was very busy with my work-I am working for a small boutique investment advisory company. We all are family man and we have a family to feed and no matter how desperate we don’t sell our national Singapore to the foreigners and bring these foreigners to Singapore to so called fight for us and taking monies from these foreign NGOs and being their Running Dogs. I gone to hell and back and now still struggling after I lost all in 1997 Asian Financial Crisis (more than S$30million in deposits pledged to banks in Singapore). We are Singaporeans and we have our integrity, dignity and principle

For the record, I too cannot accept a one-party system. The fact is that with the statement coming out from PM, he has already won in the subconcious department.

As for Chee and SDP, yes, I agree with you that Singapore’s affairs should best be decided by Singaporeans and supported by Singaporeans.

Having said that, and as I have explained post #186, I still feel that Chee was left with no choice. Most of us would see Chee, the politician, if we can call him one in the first place, who later became an activist, but we fail to see Chee, the family man. He has a family to feed. There is a need for him to play a dual role as head of his family and activist for political and social freedom. Both are equally important to him.

Being crushed to the bone and with no one else to turn to, any normal person would grab at straws, what more when someone stands by your side with hands stretched out to pick you up.

Don’t get me wrong, I do sincerely hope that Chee would stick to his activist role and stay away from politics. This way, he will not be dragging the opposition down collectively especially during election time. The opposition without him would stand a better chance of getting better polling results.

Hi Gemami *192-PM Lee said no room for two party system, what is he talking about (our neighbour Malaysia has two party system now ie Barisan Nasional (BN) vs Pakatan Rakyat (PR). We are no longer in the Dark Ages and we have a huge middle class with education minimum diploma and maximum Phd and they travel abroad frequently for holidays and businesses (I doubt they support his idea ie no room for two party system). We in Singapore cannot run away from Two Party System and is here to stay and the Singapore Opposition must help themselves and be relevant by revamping themselves very thoroughly.

I don’t expect Singapore Opposition to win significant seats perhaps two more Single seat and a GRC (so help them God). Perhaps I will not agree with you that PAP owns the “casino” even casions can go bankrupt look at USA Sand’s casino which is on the verge of Bankruptcy. I do agree that Politics in Singapore is a gamble but a gambler must be street smart and prepared to hear from our neighbours regional and not like the SDP and Dr Chee being Running Dogs for those foreign NGOs (I have nothing personal with Dr Chee and I feel that what he has been doing, are very wrong especially bringing foreigners to Singapore and fight the PAP.We Singaporeas must fight our own battle and not allow foreigners to fight for us and will these foreigners fight and die for us and my answer is a big No.Look at Gopalan Nair now a US citizen and he did not put up a good fight and just surrendered (earlier he thought being a US citizen, the US goverment would send their Marines to rescue him like the movie Blak Hawk Down)

There is no doubt that Singapore’s opposition must revamp (and this is the only point I have agreed with CF Lai). It must come together to be the next alternative.

I agree with Gilbert that, as hard as it may be to accept, CF Lai has his valid points and it is his right to snigger and laugh at us, for now.

It is most unfortunate that I failed to make him see further than what the eyes can see. We need to see with our minds as well and see what the future will be like, in all sorts of possible scenarios.

Singapore is the people and the people is Singapore.

———

PM has already said that there is no room for a two-party system. Whether we like it or not, it is going to have its impact. The effect would be that most would still believe him blindly. Even those who do not subscribe to his believe will find that there is no room for anything more than two.

So you see, it becomes a case of ‘three’s a crowd’. If two won’t work for Singapore, you can forget three. Most Singaporeans will buy into this for sure.

Let’s just say the opposition is able to get together some top quality candidates, what happens next? They are not going to be able to take over and take control overnight. This is the reason why I have always preached patience and endurance. The erection of an alternative is going to be a long-haul process.

Singapore’s Anwar Ibrahim? This will have to wait. I do not see him in this election but I am hopeful that he will show himself at this coming election. And, I hope he will not be underhandedly suppressed before he can be any effective.

Politicis in Singapore is a gamble. PAP owns the casino.

Hi Gi,lbert/Gemami/Lai CF-As I see it, Singapore Opposition needs a through revamping and perhaps merging into a sole entity to take on the PAP in the coming General Election and now the only credible Oppostion Party is the Worker’s Party who has revamped itself successfully and more relevant than before and the rest must follow likewise.Perhaps the winding of SDP will be blessings for the Singapore Opposition and a windfall of votes for the Worker’s Party.The SDP is a nuisance and a Running Dog of those foreign NGOs under Dr Chee and his gang also like the PAP believing that Foreigners are better than we local born Singaporeans and this I refer to one of his members reply to my posting on Discuss-Singapore ie “we need foreigners to fight the PAP”.

A total revamp for Singapore Oppostion is a must and perhaps after revamping to be headed by our Singapore Anwar Ibrahim and only then there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

I think we all should give due respect to divergent views here. There is no point trying to convert one another. In due time, we will judge for ourselves who is right or wrong. Even then, it is a personal decision to make whether one stands for the ruling party or otherwise.

I find what lai CF wrote has it’s merits. Compared to other countries, we are better off than many. Having take a look at opposition politics here, one will make up the mind to vote for the ruling party given it’s solid credentials all this while and most importantly the stability factor. It is not surprising that at least 65% of our people will vote for the ruling party for many years to come. They are simply that good. If they have screw up big time, do you think people will vote for them?

There is no perfect political party in the world. Even the US will attest to that. In fact, sometimes I felt that the US system is like a big show with two candidates campaigning for 20 months to be President.

What we are talking here probably is the impact of swing votes. Will those who are adversely affected by the economy still vote for the govt? People change their voting pattern over the years. I have being a PAP supporter for many years but only lately have decide to swing my vote. Some who vote for opposition politics may also now decide to vote for the ruling party.

How many people swing their votes will probably be decisive especially in closely fought wards like Aljunied GRC. The ruling party won not more than 4% in that ward. The margin could be less than 20,000 votes. George Yeo and team could have lost and faded out of politics. It is that serious.

I am taking a long, deep breath while writing this reply.

Now let’s see.

1. Let’s put your first declaration to the test. Why don’t you write on a big cardboard these words, ‘Lee Kuan Yew is Singapore and Singapore is Lee Kuan Yew’, hang the cardboard over over neck and walk around in Singapore with it?

Whatever, it is, thanks for sharing, and, don’t forget to prove your declaration of what LKY is to Singapore.Good luck! You need it.

Singapoe for Singaporeans.

Vote PAP in GE2011, and Opposition can start thinking on GE2016 if theya re prepared and have the resources to survive till 2016.

WHy GE2011 for PAP?

SImply that if present recession which is most likely to turn into a full blown GLobal Depression worse that 1973, worse than 1980s recession, worse than 1997 Asian FInancial Crisis, worse than 9/11, at this moment in time, and for the next 5 years, who is in better place to pull Singpaore out of the recession?

What can 20% of Opposiiton do in Parliament – like British parliament jsut veto PM Brown rescue Plan?

Can Singapore affords to take that kind of approach of letting Opposiiton to hinder Economic Rescue Plans?

SIngaporeans?
Do they care so much about political opposition as to their livelihoods come GE next year, 2010 or 2011?

Me?
I will vote PAP as it is a Hobson’s Chocie, whetehr it is a nag or a steed, at elast I got the “ride”.

Opposiiton?
They can’t even afford to paln for a stable, let alone afford to buy a wind-broken nag.

Civil Disobedience and street disorders after demise of Lee Kuan Yew?

You must be joking as we recently commissioned those Leopold Main Battle Tank (MBT).

MBT is most unsuitable for jungle warfare, crossing numerous streams, plus a sittign duck in urban warfare that even the isrealis encountered in Gaza Strip.

Draw yur own conclusion as why SIngapore needs MBT.
Technology transfer?

All of you ahve high ideal, kudos to you all.
But like Chee Soon Juan and his ideals, do they “sell” to that 90% SIngaporeans staying in HDB Heartlanders?

As Low TK ousted Jeyaretnam, simalrly, who si goign to oust Low TK to move it into a new direction as what Low TK did for post-Jeyaretnam WP?

if this si the style of Low TK, defendign Hougang, an donly Hougang is Sngpaore to him, a smallish localised unique poltiical party centralised at Hougang only, you called that Oppostion in Singapore?

Like Chaim See Tong in GE2006, only Potong Pasir liek hsi eprsonal fiefdom.

No, germani, you read me wrongly.

COme GE2011, if given the chance to vote, I will vote PAP.

Clowns beling to circus, certainly not in Parliament.

As early as last year, I said I will vote anyhting but PAP, including Ah Meng.

But basing on WP performance on the Serangoon Gardens Worker Dormitory Incident in Aljunied GRC when WP si all by invisible, offering to moral support to residents there.

And yet, 34% or more voted for WP in Aljunied GRC during GE2006.

You call that Oposition party, so fearful fo even its own shadow in deciding to be good little church mouse.

Voting for Opposiiton?
What choice are they offering to “voters?

“A Better Singapore” only for the Intelligentsia which “understands” all thsoe high-sounding “poitical theories”?
But how about sellign that “A Better Singpaore” to all those 905 HDB dwellers, the very source of politicla power to PAP, and even to any political party in Singapore?

Going out meet clients now, write some more later (busy day today)

We all know that Chee has foreign support to do the things he does and it is also clear he has a lot of issues to grind with the PAP govt. With the mixture of these two components it is not surprising that the PAP finds it absolutely necessary that he and his SDP supporters be completely crushed and demolished.

When I first saw him and heard him at his first rally in Potong Pasir, it reminded me so much of LKY in his younger days (from the footages we often see on tv). At that time, I was telling my friends that we have to remember this name because the way he talked and the way he showed his passion was exactly like the man himself. I believe LKY saw himself in CSJ and feared for the PAP from that day onward. That is why the relentless obsession to destroy him. Sadly, CSJ played into the hands of the PAP and he lost himself after that trying in vain to clear his name.

I partly attribute Chee’s action to one who has been pushed to the corner and the only way out is to bite back even when all his teeth are being plucked out one at a time. If he has to end up biting with his gums he will continue to bite just to survive in the hope that he will be free one day.

I must be clear that I do not accept the methods he has adopted and is continuing to use especially with the dictation of these foreign NGOs. However, I will still support him only because this PAP govt needs someone to irritate them if not for anything else.

As to why he sacked CST, I shall not want to dwell on this as I have met CST a number of times and he can be quite headstrong and very firm on certain issues himself.

For people like PAP Anonymous, I do not have any quarrel with them. In fact, I would welcome pro-PAP comments so that we can discuss and find out why people still continue to give support to the PAP after all the wrong-doings that are so plain for all to see. Surely, the PAP is not perfect and there must be something these pro-PAP people would agree with us on?

Having said that, I will not hesitate to dish out in equal measure any anti-opposition comments that hit below the belt, or any over-glorification of the PAP.

PAP is not infallable and needs to be checked by an alternative voice.

Hi Smallvice585 *182-Good to hear that we have a few things in common.

My stand on Death Penalty is very firm ie must not be abolished at all costs.Despite Death Penalty for Drugs Trafficking since the law was passed, we still see these Drugs Traffickers using their runners to smuggle drugs and last week we saw a Malaysian youth age 19 sentence to death, and the same for Murder, we still see murders in Singapore. I have written on Discuss-Singapore that Death Penalty be used on International Drugs Syndicate in Singapore at all costs.

Welfare State will drain all the Singapore financial resources.President Elect Obama will fail in his Welfar State policy ie giving Americans earning US$250k and below a cheque. He is not a top calibre and will be a very weak President like the former Democrat President Bill Clinton and USA will be very weak in all front. I have written on Discuss-Singapore that free education to be given to all Singapore Born children up to University level and on TOC up to PHD and this is only a minute percentage on our GDP and will encourage Singapore Born Singaporeans not to migrate (many migrated also because of costs of education for their children). For the poor, the very poor, help must be given but not a blanket cheque.

Hi Gemami-I have replied to PAP Anonymus and Gilbert Goh. We must know what we are talking and responsible on what we talk and on what we write unlike Dr Chee and his gang who are Running Dogs of those foreign NGOs, I have been writing short postings on Discuss-Singapore since 2001 and still write without fear or favour and have challenged Dr Chee to come clean why he back stabbed his former boss Chiam and he has failed to reply.

Let us write what is good for Singapore our only Home which we have. I have gone through hell and still struggling and moving forward in life, not so easy. For PAP Anonymus, I think he is a PAP member and very young man and just joined the PAP and believing in changing from within the PAP and this is not easy and just a dream very hard to be realised as one you are inside the PAP, Worker’s Party or even SDP, you have to toe the line.

I finally see that we have some common ground here. But I don’t share absolute agreement with that is said. ISA should not be used on the Loyal Opposition. I have my reservations on the death penalty and I feel that it should be repealed.

On the aspect of welfare, Singapore should embrace welfare, but welfare does not have to be provided entirely by the state. In fact, I support further political liberalisation to encourage civil society to flourish and take up this role. Give trade unions the means to negotiate for their own welfare. Empower trade unions to manage their own welfare scheme, retraining scheme, retrenchment scheme, etc.

Hi Gilbert Goh *178-Good to hear from you. I also travel alot overseas and hardly have time in Singapore and to us, Singapore is always in our heart and the only place we called “Our Home”, will die and be cremeated in Singapore.

Let us always put Singapore above all things and pray that we have a Singapore Anwar Ibrahim who is equal or better than the PAP and first he has to win a few more seats and then work with the PAP in Parliament and not dismantle everything the PAP has established since Singapore independence like the late JBJ who was a very selfish man-all out to dismantle what Lee Kuan Yew has established in Singapore and unable to fit himself into Modern Singapore and he played into the hands of Malaysia government which is UMNO dominated when he was first voted into Parliament ie he questioned our huge Defence Budget and this was a very wrong thing (this was and is still what the Malaysia government wants a weak defence force in Singapore). I met the late JBJ during my Singapore banking days in his old office in Colombo Court and I also met his protege MP Low Thia Kiang many times but I did not join the Worker’s Party. He did not play smart and he paid a very high price and lost everything and died without anything nor achieving his dreams for a Welfare State in Singapore.

What Singapore needs a Singapore Anwar Ibrahim who is for all Singaporeans regardless of races and knows how to fine tune PAP policies not to dismantle what Singapore is under PAP since her independence, besides putting Singapore national interests above all things ie (a) Internal Security Act-ISA still very relevant but needs to be modified and not used on Singapore Opposition members unless they are caught helping those terrorists, (b) Death Penalty for Capital Punishment ie Drugs Trafficking and Murder and (c) Singapore remains a Free Economy and not a Welfare State which Singapore Opposition Parties want to make it a Welfare State-this is rubbish as it will drains our financial resources.

I almost agree with your argument and I am not being sarcastic, just in case you might think so.

Why do I say this?

If I were to consider your advise, I would first look at what I can bring to the table of discussion. Then I will see if there is any real chance of getting heard because 99.9% of those already in there will be the those who already subscribe to PAP’s ideology.

After considering this, I will think further; will the 99.9% give me a hearing or will they conveniently shut me up? I say this because PAP supporters have a habit of echoing their leaders without giving much thought to what they are saying and the implications of it.

So you see, it might not be such a good idea after all.

Finally, one of the most important ingredient is very much lacking in your suggestion. The people or the diversity of views from the people.

Your suggestion can only work if you presume Singaporeans (100%) believe in PAP’s ideology for Singapore.

It will not work because almost half of Singaporeans either do not trust the PAP enough or does not trust it al all.

So you see, it is not for anyone to say that this or that is the best option for Singapore. Singaporeans will decide for themselves.

No one should patronise us and we don’t need a nanny anymore. We have grown up.

LHL is right when he said, “But it is not our job to build up the opposition or split the party into two, because it is hard enough to find one team to look after the country. How can we find two?”

Those of you who truly wants the best for Singapore, instead of being armchair critics – join PAP and change from within.

Else, you can talk cock sing song here until the cow comes home and nothing will change.

Very detailed assessment.

However, I think it is time for everyone to re-focus, look into our mirrors and ask ourselves what is it that we want. Do we want to continue assessing the opposition according to the personalities in the oppostion camps or do we want to look beyond the personalities and see the cause they are fighting for and why they continue to represent the people the way they do.

Apart from CSJ and the late JBJ, no offence to them, and staying neutral to any judgement, I think parties like WP and SDA do have relevant causes to fight for and this is why they have been endearing themselves to the people.

What I am suggesting in my earlier post was that these parties make some effort to publicise their brand names. The individuals in these parties are far to big for the names of their parties at the moment. They need to make the party name bigger than they are.

Take PAP for example, apart for LKY, are the rest of his successors bigger than the party? The party has to be bigger than the names of any members.

Hi Gilbert,

I don’t think Singapore needs a radical shift. This will be too de-satbalising to the country. What it needs is radical minds to do things diffferently with one main focus in mind – the people and their well being. Not the way PAP has been doing which is to keep telling the people that that they have the best solutions for everything and therefore the people just have to support them and floow blindly.

Thanks

Hi your comments put me to tears. I am merely a Singaporean who loves his country too much to see it go down the drain even though I am abroad.

Let us do what we can however small it is as when we consolidate what all the small people have say we will then have a larger voice.

Keep it up guys!