TOC would like to thank Mr Alex Au of Yawning Bread for the following tipoff.
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
It is a fallacy to think that the APs are weak and cannot take over the running of our country. This is a myth propagated by our elites which has fooled so many of us and for long enough.
Our elites have shown us that they bear no sense of shame, accountability, or apologies towards the people in spite of their numerous flops. In fact, with every passing mistake, it has only made them grow bolder, obnoxious and more arrogant in the eyes of the people.
Look at Malaysia, their opposition took over some of the states there without any previous experience after taking over from the incumbent and are doing well. I believe our APs will do no less worse.
It is time our elites are given a wake up call by the people. It is time we stand for what is right and let them know we will not be taken for granted. It is time.
One more important reason not to support PAP, they may hike GST by another 2 to 3% again. This form of consumer tax is very lucrative to replenish all the billions the existing govt has lost. If you felt you have not suffered enough, than 10% GST might just add salt to your wound.
This time round, the alternative parties should contest in all the electoral seats to dismiss the myth that alternative parties are too weak. Once we can match numbers to numbers with the other party, the mindset of the people will change, they may consider that its time to change a new government that encompass all parties working together to bring us out of this recession. One dorminant party is not enough to bring us out of this mess, because one party only views usually does not go through enough rigorous brainstorming and refining as all participants of the same party views and opinions are unconsciously shaped by party stance even its against the interest of the people and the nation.
46) Mere Mortal Tan on February 21st, 2009 3.06 pm
You are so right!!
IF they still unable to make gains, given the many circumstances,
it simply means 1 thing :
Hope.less.
TOC has made significant contributions. kudos!
Nevertheless, the fact remains,
if the root problem is not tackled or faced head-on,
status may be the quo or worse, due to the crisis, there are theories that says the MIW margin may increase.
last E, the tremendous turnout for LTK rallies were shocking as seen by real pictures available in many places on the internet. And what happened?
Thus, its clear, the root problem was not handled head-on. Other than more speeches at HLP, there is no difference since then and now. Then, also many issues purturbing people. Now, the same, but much worse. But as long as the root problem is not understood, discovered, tackled successfully, status quo at best if not get worse.
Which is why it is time we try to educate more of those who are still dreaming. We have to make them see the light so that there will be changes in singapore
From all over, in realpolitik, a coalition governments from Thailand to Japan, there is this constant struggle to compromise between parties, trading off interests and I am not sure if that is the best way forward for Singapore.
On the point of suffocation by David, I wonder what kind of Singapore some of us including David may have. Which country in specific does he has as a model for Singapore? What hopes and aspirations do you hold out for yourself in Singapore?
hi WSS,
u cannot reach the majority as the breakdown is like this according to 1 taxi driver who was telling me: ~30% sure vote opposition, ~20% other races sure vote PAP, ~40% old pple/chinese sure also vote PAP, so u have left ~10% who are like new singaporeans (aka naturalised) who are afraid that if they vote for opposition their pink ic will be taken away n there u have it! no more wins for the opposition!
that’s how this PAP will draw the boundaries to make sure this percentage stays this way, but whatever willing that will help, then a swing will take place n they might lose 1 GRC n this will be enuff for the moment!
how the opposition can win is to tackle the other races! and the on the fence pple in the ~40% band, to convince/educate them that sg will not sink if PAP falls as the country is still basically run by the civil service(who by right are non-partisan)!
just perhaps even dealing the old man a big blow n he might be paralysed or something to that effect n his eventual demise!
nothing stays like that forever, so PAP! u will also go down! sooner or later! that’s all!
The mood of the people are changing. A big portion of fear-marginalised old people is already gone, now only left some old who cannot fend for themselves without cpf savings and some disenchanted after being swindle by mini-bonds and high-notes. The remaining old have nothing to lose so nothing to fear. This time round, the very old, very young and middle-aged people whose jobs were lost to foreigners are the ones to turn the tables this time round.
So we expected very close fight in every wards. My take is PAP votes will go down to 52% and the alternative parties 48%. PAP takes 68 seats and Alternative parties 16 seats
54) sucker
Please do not insult Mr Tan, he has proven himself with his deed and his action speaks louder then words. I for one will not flame him. so let me ask this, are you send here to undermine Mr Tan?
55) insider65
it will be good if that happens, internal strife between their own people will add a little leverage for the opposition.
Even though it is hard, but we have to wake up those that are still in dreamland…and one of the way is to ask them to look at what happen after the last GE and do they want the same cycle?
fear what? fear that the opp will destroy singapore ? or being captured by PAP ?
why do u say that the old ones will vote for pap.is it that they see how PAP has changed singapore?
our leaders are not god, even if they are very good and think good. they cannot foresee that the economy will fail so badly. they did not know those us banks are in the red or the world economy has left with a ”empty shell”.
Now is the time we as a nation ,work hard for ourself and not blame the govt.
if u are being sack, are u in ur heart work hard for the company?
They need investment to make money,bank too also need invest. u think money fall from the sky???
you can try play this game….
http://www.erepublik.com
it is a political game play by all others nation ppls…
you can elected as a president and lead a nation,which has real players listen to.
It is very similar to real life, if u done badly, the citizen will complain…sam.e
it is a sitmu of a country with real citizen to answer to, it has economic like GDP and inflation and stuff.
If PAP calls a snap election i have doubts that the oppostion can do much damage even though the ground is sweeter for the oppostion now.
This probably is the most disappoiting part about our politics here. If this happened in either Malaysia or Indonesia, the oppostion aprties will be out in full force campaigning for votes.
Our opposition parties were strangely very quiet during this critical period. It is as if they have went into hiding.
Even if things go awry with the government, they may not be able to capture the advantage which is very disappointing for Singaporeans who may be looking for a change unlike that of Obama’s US.
TKL can only do so much and even if he wins he cant change the whole political situation much.
I am afraid even if PAP calls a snap election now, they will still win hands down with hiccups like Selamat MAs, town council’s investment and massive losses of Temasek/GIC. We don’t have a good alternative now.
61) Gilbert Goh on February 21st, 2009 8.30 pm
Though we are 2 different unique individuals,
you know what,
we think exactly the same, every word!!! :P
And I suspect most here feel the same deep down inside. :(
there is basically nothing different from the last E where LTK rally drew extremely huge crowd and result was 180 degrees ‘out of phase’. ;(
And since many of us think the same, I would add another thought to share with you:
Like all problems and difficulties, there is a solution. The solution is not inplace obviously. This could be due to the root cause is known but the solution cannot be found by mere mortals. Or maybe the root cause is not even found! many may be aiming at the wrong target based on wrong root cause determined.
You are right. I would not expect anyother country the same for some unexplanable reasons.
The biggest joke is, the alternatives could not synergize to the best possible way to achieve their common goal. If cannot even progress, don’t need to even think about too many alternatives lah.
do u have any idea how disappointed many people are? and sorry for this negative comment that seems to pour cold water on the movement.
I conclude: this place is the most THE MOST unique place on earth. No one can break the spell. No one.
oh, by the by, another neighbor migrated. i asked him why, he turned around and gave me a pissed look then walked away to the airport….
52) SZ on February 21st, 2009 4.04 pm
Which is why it is time we try to educate more of those who are still dreaming. We have to make them see the light so that there will be changes in singapore
=============
Quizz : why indon chinese tak chakap cheena?
how to educate? using what? realistically speaking, many could not be bothered to even type “www.theonlinecitizen.com” . donch take my words for it. Do a litmus test. how to educate chinese ed elderlies? how to educate internet-phobic asian elderlies?
how to make people jump out of the well?
how to make people come out of their COMFORT Zone or shell?
reading this blog comments may mislead new readers that many think alike. These are the minority. Sad but true.
What i am really concerned about is just:
1. MSK case
2. TC investments
3. HDB flat construction costing.
4. Transport fare hiked during crisis.
5. T and G extravaganza
6. EP and 52 man-years
7. who wants to be a millionaire
8. talk to my face
9. etc etc etc
To u and me, we deduce many things. To the majority, why they so like that?
Its not even about win or loose. Its about fundamental commonsense things. its about principles and value systems. Believes and ideals.
I am not sure what is going on with people’s brains.
Politicians in Singapore are really bad at politicking, even PAP ones..
That is why i feel we need FT politicians to improve the alternative strategising.
Is it legal to pay such FT for strategies? i mean maybe its time to look at ideas from people from out of this deep well.
61) Gilbert Goh on February 21st, 2009 8.30 pm
I am afraid even if PAP calls a snap election now, they will still win hands down with hiccups like Selamat MAs, town council’s investment and massive losses of Temasek/GIC. We don’t have a good alternative now.
It is all about people. Freedom is not free. If people are not willing to pay that price for their freedom, then there will never be good alternatives. There will never be a strong opposition party and strong opposition present in Parliament.
If people were willing to vote in any opposition for the sake of sending a message to PAP enough is enough, then we will see progress. If people think the situation is not bad enough to warrent such drastic action, then there is not likely to be much progress.
Democracy is about people taking actions, expressing their views. There is no democracy if no one is doing that.
63) Rodney Quek Leng Lee
We won’t know until we try, and if everybody think in such a manner whereby because of some reason or some stereotype, there is no point in trying to change it even a little bit, and that’s when we end up stagnant. I am not suggesting that we will change the whole system directly, but we can try to be a catalyst and try to push it along.
you don’t start everything with a critical mass, you have to build it up sometimes from scratch.
however, Gilbert Goh is quite right, the way things stand now, even if the condition is ideal for the opposition, PAP will still win. what i just hope for is a higher percentage of voters that switch over to the opposition.
There is no way in which the opposition can win enough seats to form at least 5% of the seats in parliament. This is based on following survey and observation
85% of the citizens live in HDB flats. Survey shows that at least 60% will vote for the PAP no matter what situation. This translates to 51% of the votes for the HDB heart lands. Of the 15% who lives in private property, 40% is likely to vote for them. This means 6%, so they are almsot certain of getting at least 57% of the popular votes.
The opposition can huff and puff, but they would not move one bit of the solid PAP edifice.
Its a generational issue. The strategies can only work if the audience is a capable receiver.
A look at the electorate will show that while internet based informational flows are growing, the majority of Singaporeans are born before independance, aren’t English educated or have an education beyond a diploma.
Hence, while I am pessimistic that we will have a more plural polity this election, the wave of change will come because of a generational shift in electoral demographics in the next 10-20 years.
As to whether the current model can prosper Singapore for 20 more years, I don’t really know anymore. In fact, I would even say that the social compact is beginning to unravel.
Lastly, newly naturalised citizens usually aren’t socialised as much as the rest of local-born Singaporeans, hence one should not readily place them in the voting camp of the ruling party. These people have seen far more than the average voter, and while their concerns are mainly economics, I’m quietly confident that they are not easily hooked by pork-barrel policies.
Personally, i think we should not even be talking about win or loose as in overall win or loose.
I feel that what we are expecting or hoping for is some Progress , if u know what i mean. ;)
It would be considered a WIN, to me ,if there is improvement in results. Will we see more of them inside there to voice up for us?
So, for me, i am not asking or hoping for alternative to win overall. Just a few more seats would be good since so many think alternative since the last E as shown by the turnout. This , to me, means this lot of people needs to be represented in that house. Its only logical and fair, imho.
The only question is : will every eligibles get to cast? As the population has increased significantly, so too should the number of ‘casters’.
juz me 1.499 cent
71) Andrew Yap
which is what i hope for too…now in a overall victory for opposition but an increase in seat for the opposition to express our voice
63) Gilbert Goh on February 21st, 2009 8.30 pm
Gilbert! I guess there are only 2 kind of people here in singapore, that is why its so dman difficult to look forward to any much changes to the present system. The first kind is those rich ones or those who’d already made their marks and would prefer to stay away from trouble, and the other kind which is those who are still suffering and complaining ones, and when time is ripe for them to play their part, they would just stick their heads into the sand and waiting for some others to come out and take the leads. This kind is the worse kiasu type and they would always be the ones that will ask alot of kiasu and kia see questions instead of doing their part when time calls for.
Was told that MediaCorp is among the first to know of GE dates so it can make sure that its mobile studios, crews, network links and other equipment are available.on those days.
allow me :
as long as the alternatives could not create a environment where all eligible voters get to vote , i believe history will repeat itself till no end.
many fundamental root obstacles not tackled or cannot be tackled which means…..
What I love about PAP MPs is that they are willing to do self-sacrificial passionate work …for a decent price. Big decent price. For a change, can some of them quit PAP and do the same passionate work they are doing now?
For one, you will earn my respect and others too. Please don’t say I’m crazy to suggest this hor, because there is one perspn doing this FOC and he oso wants to run for the Presidency. For 2, save tax payers money. From my books, that is what I call ..a bargin.
“What I love about PAP MPs is that they are willing to do self-sacrificial passionate work …for a decent price.”
In Hokkien parlance, it is called kiu-lo-kiu-tua-tu (the whole road is full of such).
58) sucker on February 21st, 2009 5.32 pm
you may be right. afterall, most elderly people mostly do not surf blogs to see what is going on. Luckily, they rely on MSM ;)
Those who join the PAP hope to be called up to stand for election and become an MP earning $250,000 per year. Or if luck would have it become one of the millionaire ministers. Well, with the GRC in place, about 80% of PAP MPs are hollow and shallow; they have not experienced working the ground to becoming an MP.
Most of the PAP ministers were invited to join the party. Those who have joined the PAP hoping to rise through the ranks would be totally dissapointed
The most one would benefit from being in the PAP is 5 visits from LKY. Beyond that you are just cheap labour for the PAP elite.
There has been some important progress to educate people about social issues.
However, the audience is only to net users who are non-apathetic. so, not majority of net users is reached and engaged. The other main bulk not reached is the non-surfers and uneducated elderlies. they are the main supporters of …..
On surface there is much progress and even innovative efforts made. But the bottomline remains that many are not engaged.
SUGGESTION :
Number is STRENGTH.
With STRENGTH, can achieve more.
Residents should be engaged face-to-face.
Net-engagement is always limited.
Net-engagement is already effective. Effort should now shift to meeting the residents.
Imagine: large groups of Volunteers go around the residential areas every weekend to Talk to them, Ask they how they feel, Get their Feedback, Get their Views, Listen to them, Help them, advice them.
Can this be done?
But 1st TKL needs to formally declare and open his Alternative Party.
I believe 1 thousand volunteers is possible.
The screenshot is doctored. Visit the actual site and you will realise that it is “2006″ and not “2009″. The picture published here is also strategically cropped to leave out the title of “Singapore Votes 2006″.
/// 18) TKL party out pls on February 20th, 2009 1.49 am
Tan Kin Lian should announce a new party asap, and pronounce aiming at a GRC. it could be a treat to PAP, and if they do not think it as a treat, we’ll see what we can do to give them a Storm! ///
/// 21) isa on February 20th, 2009 3.30 am
I favor Tan KL as he has been a pappie all his life..
I think if he gets in.. he will grab the pappies by the balls..
He should be very good as he is a CEO before and he knows the way of the system. ///
Yes, TKL will be a treat to the PAP – a real treat. While you are giving them a treat, while not treat us to an ice cream? Is TKL a THREAT to the PAP? No way. He has already showed his hand too early, and the PAP is ready for him come what may.
isa – I presume you are thinking of TKL standing for the Elected President? I wonder who will be grabbing whose balls. Remember OTC – he has been a Pappy all those years and what happened? Knowing the way of the system is not going to get you anywhere if your intention is to rock the boat or change the system. The system will change you – just look at V. Also, remember that TKL was not fielded as an MP despite toiling for decades doing grassroot work.
Just my $0.02
/// 82) sweet_gingerz on February 25th, 2009 12.11 am
The screenshot is doctored. Visit the actual site and you will realise that it is “2006″ and not “2009″. The picture published here is also strategically cropped to leave out the title of “Singapore Votes 2006″. ///
sweetie pie, the doctoring was done by Media Corp themselves. I went to the site in the morning of 20 Feb at 8.30am and title page was still showing “2009″. By 4.30pm, they have already changed it “2006″ as they realized their boo-boo and they were poked fun by Alex of Yawning Bread and this site. Initially, all the references were to 2009.
My friend told me casually,
if given all the things that happened,
IF alternative force still could not make progress,
then, maybe, they would not be able to make progress for a long time come.
for me, i always keep my thoughts secret and never tell people how i feel. i kia si.
If those kia si voters still vote the same way in favour of the papy, then they will ‘si te hun how cant’ cos all jobs will be infiltrated by FT, Singaporeans will lost their indentities, probably we need to wear a big tag around our neck to tell the whole world I am native Singaporean; our numbers will be diluted in the messy big crowds. Don’t dream that the economy will grow as fast as before and your income will go up, in fact will be depress further. You will regret for your ‘tortoise hand’ in the vote.
tiredsingaporean: stop using derogatory terms to describe MM Lee. if not for him, u wldnt even have the stupid com that you’re using to type ur amateur comments. have some respect for the man. i disagree with him on loads of things, much less do i put him on a pedestal. nonetheless, i am deeply appreciative of what he’s done and continues to do for sg when he could jolly well spend his millions in comfort. for those reasons alone, lets think twice before insulting our founding father.