Monday, December 21, 2009 23:22
“Milder but more credible”…for whom?
In Main Stories • 2,343 views • 108 Comments
Seelan Palay
The following is a letter from Mr Seelan Palay in response to TOC’s report, “Milder but more credible“.
A lead article on The Online Citizen portal a couple of days ago described the Youth Wing of the Workers’ Party as “milder but more credible”. But what this headline means has become a subject of controversy, going by the comments that the article has attracted.
However, my focus is on something else.
The first two paragraphs of the write-up are an unbridled attack on WP’s former secretary-general, the late Mr J B Jeyaretnam who had led the party for three decades until 2001.
The late JBJ, as he was popularly known, was accused of “unrestrained election rally speeches and rambunctious attacks on the PAP government“.
This is exactly the same allegation that the ruling PAP, through its controlled media, was accusing JBJ of doing during his political life. What is most disturbing is the fact that such an allegation has found resonance, of all places in the new leadership of WP.
It was through his resolve and determination that JBJ was able to break 15 years of PAP’s total domination of Parliament by winning the Anson seat in a by-election in 1981. Again, he was elected with an increased majority in the same constituency in 1984 when all electoral wards in Singapore remained Single Member Constituencies.
Soon after, the MP for Anson was found guilty by a high court judge for “having falsified” the party accounts, together with its chairman. Both were fined and jailed, depriving JBJ of his Anson seat and thus frustrating the constituents of their elected MP. But in 1991, when he remained disqualified from contesting, JBJ worked relentlessly to make sure Mr Low Thia Khiang, an unknown WP candidate then, got elected in Hougang. If not for JBJ’s leadership of WP and his election rally speeches, the Hougang single seat would not have been won.
Despite the constant attacks from the PAP, including name calling such as “mangy dog” by Lee Kuan Yew, JBJ’s tenacity paid off in the form of a Privy Council judgment in the late 1980s when the Law Lords ruled that the MP for Anson and his co-defendant (WP chairman) were subjected to “a series of mistrials for offences which they did not commit”. The Privy Council in London was then the highest court of law of the county due to Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s insistence that an outside body provided the “litmus test” of Singapore’s judicial independence.
This damning indictment by the Privy Council sealed the fate of the so-called litmus test Lee Kuan Yew often boasted about. Soon after, appeals to Privy Council were scrapped.
And yet the WP and its Youth Wing now seem “adamant about avoiding the bevy of defamation suits suffered by its former Secretary-General“.
What an irony. Instead of blaming the perpetrators of the crime, the victim remains condemned.
I suppose that is the price one has to pay to earn the accolade “milder and more credible” from an authoritarian regime intolerant of dissent.
With this kind of opposition or alternative party, Singapore will continue to be under the PAP for another half-a-century, giving firm assurance to the obvious desire of Law Minister K Shanmugam for the ruling party to continue with the status quo.
Seelan Palay is an artist and activist. He blogs at http://seelanpalay.blogspot.com
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108 Comments
Disappointed
Anonymous
“I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.” (Bishop Desmond Tutu)
You can’t stand up to the PAP and speak up for Singaporeans on bended knees.
Pissoff
Many Low Thia Khiang wannabes in the WP are aiming for the $14,000 “crumbs” of monthly MP allowance thrown down from PAP’s table?
No wonder the “credible” WP becomes the media’s blue-eye boy.
FaceTheFact
What’s the point of act aggressively. Just bring out the fact and Singapore citizen will be more willing to listen. Don’t forget, at least half of the voters (female) don’t like aggressive gesture. Be a gentleman and get the fact right.
seebeng
#4 says: ((What’s the point of act aggressively))
Yes, you are right. It’s Lee Kuan Yew who had acted aggressively, calling JBJ “mangy dog”. And not only that, Lee Kuan Yew subjected JBJ and the then WP chairman to “a series of mistrials for offences which they did not commit”.
Let’s have decent politics based on our Constitution and the National Pledge. Put an end to Lee Kuan Yew’s aggressive politics of “fixing” the opposition and “engineering” election results.
New kid
I can’t agree more with Seelan Palay when he said:
“Instead of blaming the perpetrators of the crime (the PAP), the victim (JBJ) remains condemned.”
Why sing to the PAP’s tune, and use such lame excuses to justify your own silence and inaction?
Change won’t come if our opposition politicians see no need in speaking up for us or answering up to the criticisms they have raised. One need not be aggressive in opposing but opposition should not wait for the elections to speak up during the rally to gain voters’ confidence and then once voted into Parliament, do nothing much about it (I am speaking in general here).
Honestly, I was rather disturbed by the introduction paragraph made by Terrence but couldn’t find the words to put it properly without sounding too harsh. I think we have to look objectively at JBJ’s contributions towards local politics. He was the first opposition politician to get into a PAP dominated Parliament and he did not behave like a tame little “watchdog”. For his brutal frankness, he was faced with defamation suits indeed BUT if politicians fear getting into similar trouble and speak up less directly for us, then they are no better than alot of our PAP MPs.
At least JBJ spoke up for us despite the problems he faced. Defamation suits did not make him less credible, in my opinion. His legacy should be respected and his fiery passion to improve the lives of us all should become an example for those who want to make a change, no matter which party/ organisation one is from.
No doubt, being in the opposition is not an easy task but one should be brave in speaking up for if they genuinely do care about the well being of this country and Singaporeans, they should never hold back. Otherwise why even become one? Might as well join the PAP right?
Words may only carry so much weight but words along with actions will prove more than anything else. I do hope that the younger generation of WP members will not come to disappoint some of us the way their senior members (especially those who are in Parliament) have. I also hope that they may come to handle criticisms constructively and hear the voices of the people instead of taking things too personally (because it will result in rejecting any of it).
:)
Rooney
The writer is a well known proxy of SDP and we’ll take it from the SDP angle. I do not know what he means by “Singapore will continue to be under the PAP for another half-a-century” due to WP. I do recall that the party he supports, unfortunately, did not make a dent in the PAP but ended up minus three seats away from unseating PAP, all which were earned under Chiam’s leadership.
#8 Rooney – to be fair, I’ve never found Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen to be very effective parliamentarians. Perhaps I was young and ignorant of parliamentary proceedings involving the two individuals, so if someone could enlighten me about what the two did as MPs, I would be most appreciative.
I notice that the WP Youth is made up of only people of the majority race. What has happened to the monorities. Even the PAP is multi racial.
Where got hope? Like this how to run a multi racial Sigapore?The YoungSDP is truly multi racial.
Wake up WP! No wonder you didn’t do much better in Aljunied. Eunos in 1991 did much better.
kimun
And 8) Rooney is obviously a WP proxy. I mean, instead on focusing on the fact that the letter is about WP and JBJ the topic is shifted to SDP.
If the WP proxy has nothing to say in defense then say so. Oh wait, the shifting of the topic to SDP already shows to that the WP proxy has nothing to say.
mice is nice
jentayu
post #10 on December 22nd, 2009 2.13 am
////Even the PAP is multi racial.////
racial representation does not mean that the concerns of that race will be taken care of. does it mean that PAP MPs are only concerned about their own race? there are still minorities like Philipinos, the “ang mohs”, Indonsians, etc that do not have an MP of their race ler?
PAP is multi-racial, but so is greed ler…
lol….
kimun
“racial representation does not mean that the concerns of that race will be taken care of. ”
No it doesn’t mean that the concerns of that race will be taken care of. But it does tell us something when there is no representation at all of other races in the WP Youth.
There were some before like Abdul Salim – but why did he leave?
andrew leung
WP has managed to attract more young professionals to join them.
http://wp.sg/wordpress/our-organisation/executive-council/
http://wpyouth.sg/youth/exco/
Perhaps SDP can also look into this. I hope to find out more about:
The Central Executive Committee
Gandhi Ambalam Chairman
Francis Yong Vice-Chairman
Chee Soon Juan Secretary-General
John Tan Assistant Secretary-General
Gerald Sng Treasurer
Jeffrey George Assistant Treasurer
Chee Siok Chin
Lilian Chia
Johnny Ho
Mohd Isa
Jufrie Mahmood
Sylvester Lim
Young Democrats 2009-2011 Council:
President – Priveen
Vice-President – Jufri Salim
Honorary-Secretary – Jarrod Luo
Program Director – Muhd Khalis
OLDIE
Yes! I remember at that that time JB worked very hard and brought Low TK , a greenhorn and made him famous to Singaporeans. In the end Low TK as the usual mandarino played the racial card and also played out his MENTOR JB JEYARETNAM, who made him populour with the people in hougang. Poor JB – Kenna main Blakang!
I would not put my vote for this cheat and scoundral – I rather vote for the PAP – who is fair to all races.
For those who like to read an objective academic review of JBJ:
http://www.pathsnottaken.qut.edu.au/pdfs/Michael_Barr–JBJ.pdf
Abstract
J.B. Jeyaretnam was Singapore’s most celebrated opposition leader when his career came to an abrupt end in 2001, but he is better known for the injustices he has suffered at the hands of the People’s Action Party regime than for anything he has achieved or said. Bankrupted, imprisoned, deprived of his livelihood and expelled from Parliament twice, he has acquired the aura of martyrdom, yet little is known about his life, his ideas or his motivations. Drawing on interview and archival research, this article studies him with a view to better understanding both the man himself and — probably of greater significance — what his experience can tell us about the dynamics of the Singapore policy.
Why did he enter opposition politics and keep coming back for more in the face of persecution? Why did the government set out to destroy him with such vehemence? What does this tell us about the limits of political tolerance in Singapore, both today and in the past? What lessons can other opposition figures learn from his experience? And why has Jeyaretnam been treated so harshly while the government nurtures some other opposition MPs as responsible and courteous players?
futuristic
Poor darling Sylvia is just wasting her time with this chinaman with no regards to other races in Singapore. She’ll do better with the Reform Party or the SDP and win a seat. Go for it Sylvia ! Instead of being STIIFLED by Low KT in your political career, my dear! You have bright future – only out of Low kt and the workers party.
It’s still not late to decide, lady!
In his no-holes-barred masterpiece Requiem for an unbending Singaporean, former President C.V. Devan Nair recounted how, after J.B. Jeyaretnam had won the 1981 Anson by-election, the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said that he would make him “crawl on his bended knees, and beg for mercy“.
But the former Worker’s Party leader was made of far sterner stuff, and in Devan Nair’s own words, “he never did crawl on bended knees, or ever begged for mercy, and it is to Lee Kuan Yew’s eternal shame that Jeyaretnam will leave the political scene with his head held high, enjoying a martyrdom conferred on him by Lee.”
Today, while the WP’s efforts in providing constructive criticism of Government policies, their implicit support of the system only serves to enable the PAP to entrench the system further.
The Worker’s Party appears content at playing the role of a “moderate” opposition party that appeals to the middle ground — people who are neither very pro-PAP nor very pro-opposition, but open to ideas from both sides of the fence.
The WP might believe that the largest share of votes can be captured from this segment of the voting population, hence they have chosen to concentrate all their efforts on winning hearts and minds here.
They may also believe that by playing the role of a moderate opposition that only challenges Government policies but never questions the health or integrity of the political system, they would be allowed a space under PAP’s umbrella.
The WP strategy of “standing up for the people on bended knees” might be nothing more than very shrewd political calculation on their part.
The Worker’s Party knows that it does not appeal to “fringe” voters who want a vociferous opposition, but it also knows that when it comes to voting, the majority of fringe voters will still cast their vote for whichever opposition party stands in their constituency, including the WP.
The WP can thus let vociferous opposition parties like the SDP canvass support from the fringe segments of the voting population, whilst sitting back and collecting the benefits during the elections. It is a win-win situation for the WP: it can enjoy the result of work done by others, but avoid antagonizing the PAP.
However, the day will eventually come when the people of Singapore want a more robust challenge to the PAP and want mainstream opposition parties to start playing a greater role in building a better political and economic system for all Singaporeans.
If the Worker’s Party remains content at playing its current role of being a non-confrontational party that avoids challenging the system even though the system is blatantly flawed, it will one day start to lose mind-share to more progressive and outspoken parties like the SDP.
If Mr Low Thia Khiang and the Worker’s Party wish to build an enduring legacy for themselves, that is something they should think about seriously.
historian
Don’t be ignorant, dear ‘NICE IS MICE’! The minority races like the MALAYS AND INDIANS , were here centuries ago before the Chinese immigrants and Sir Stamford Raffles with his battalions, who occupied tiny Singapore. These very early settlers , like the CHOLA Sea Warriors and the Sri Vijaya Pahit Empires, were already developing this island those early days. Who already had their language and culture deeply instilled here, even till today..
younger01
let a bunch of propaganda-ed kiddos write about politics.. and wat u get is regurgitateing of propaganda. .
Ah Beng
To some of the posters here that is bringing out SDP as the boggyman:
The important point here is whether this article has any substance? whether the the writer is Seelan – a SDP proxy- or an Anon is not important. If not , you are no diferent from the PAP dogs.
Most posters here are oppositions supporters. I would have to say that I am also disappointed with the performance of WP since the last GE. I think you guys should not start to shoot at SDP but rather how to give some good suggestions to improve the WP. SDP is for another discussion.
Another questions to ask is why are so many activists had left the party? people like Goh Ming Seng, Chia Tih Lik and a few others… If this Koh CY guy are the new people that WP had brought in to replace those that had left, I don’t think WP had change for the better.
theforgottongeneration
@12) mice is nice on December 22nd, 2009 2.57 am
“….racial representation does not mean that the concerns of that race will be taken care of……”
True, the GRC concept is packaged as supposedly to give a voice to the minorities, i.e. about 22-23% of the population. In such a “racial representation” process, 44% of the population got walked-over. Everyone still think racial representation was the intention? (Note I’m not saying it is not important).
And here we have, pro-WP and pro-SDP engaged in a mud-slinging competition. Real smart. Why don’t they combined their brains and figure out how to get more than 2% of parliament for the PEOPLE. Hey, bake the cake first, lah; don’t fight over who to eat what if the cake is only in your dreams.
The way things are going, my voting pattern would be like: my cat, somebody’s dog, and a (pink?) elephant somewhere…
Green box
This stupid freaking idiot Koh CY says WP is “credible”.
Lets all visit the WP websites and have a look.
Out of 14 CEC members, only ONE is from the minority race.
The other 13 are all Chinese.
Out of 11 Executive Committee members, only ONE is from the minority race.
The other 10 are all Chinese.
Koh CY, your “credible” WP seems like an exclusive CHINESE party.
Don’t be too quick to think of yourself as “credible” just because LKY says so or the msm says so. Look at your own party. It is a joke party.
south china sea
this accusation that PAP started and which now WP has subscribed to, which is that JBJ was confrontational and unrestrained, is absurd.
actually these people are using the contemporary “Chinese” yardscale of what constitutes being confrontational and unrestrained.
in the contemporary Chinese culture since independence at least not just in Singapore also places like China, there is absolutely zero tolerance for anyone in power or position be it a politician, official or employer to hear anything that they dont like to hear from their constituent, citizen or employee. this is what LKY try to pass off as Asian Values which the Nobel Laurette AK Sen successfully demolished as myth.
by this contemporary Chinese yardscale, indeed JBJ is confrontational and unrestrained.
but if you use the yardscale of the civilised world, JBJ was hardly confrontational nor unrestrained. in fact he avoided confrontation by refusing to turn to aggression, violence. he also was never arrested once for staging any illegal protest or strike. JBJ was also restrained in his methods and words as he never used personal attacks or insults.
it was PAP that all along has been confrontational and unrestrained. but i guess as in contemporary Chinese culture, thats fine since they are the ones in power. Contemporary Chinese culture may resemble certain period of Chinese history in these areas. however there are so many other moments in Chinese history where people did pursue fairness, justice and truths with determination and without being a wimp. even Confucius promotes the latter.
so WP, drop your “lets hide in the bush and prance during election” strategy. Sylvia Lim and LTK have lost much credibility in Hougang constituents in these last four years for their inaction. When LHL ask LTK if he calls for WKS resignation, LTK does not even have the courage to say yes and echo the voice of Singaporeans. He chickens out. In all the four years in parliament in the current parliamentary term both Sylvia Lim and LTK has been more like PAP backbenchers than opposition candidates.
i wont vote WP this time round unless there is a leadership change.
Green box
WP website:
“Racial equality in practice in all spheres of public activity and equal respect in law for all racial cultures.”
WP CEC: 14 members = 13 Chinese, 1 Malay.
WP Youth Wing Exco: 11 members = 10 Chinese, 1 Malay.
Out of a total of 25 positions in its CEC & Exco, NOT A SINGLE ONE IS INDIAN.
Out of a total of 25 positions in its CEC & Exco, 23 are Chinese.
Out of a total of 25 positions in its CEC & Exco, ONLY 2 are from minority race.
Looks like after taking over from JBJ, Low TK has eradicated any Indians from party positions completely.
WP is now an exclusive Chinese social club.
VERY CREDIBLE INDEED!
seebeng
#18 says: “And here we have, pro-WP and pro-SDP engaged in a mud-slinging competition. Real smart. Why don’t they combined their brains and figure out how to get more than 2% of parliament for the PEOPLE. Hey, bake the cake first, lah; don’t fight over who to eat what if the cake is only in your dreams.”
As far as I can recall there were two unity forums organized in the recent past to bring together all the opposition parties. Everyone attended to discuss and reach a common plan of action except the Workers’ Party headed by our “watchdog” leader LTK. The WP wants to go it alone. Maybe, they want to live up to PAP’s expectation that they are “milder and more credible”?
Dexter
Unfortunately it seems that the author of this piece has accentuated his biasness by suggesting that the WP can’t do the job that other more vocal parties (such as the SDP) can do. I would like to remind Seelan that we’re all in this together. Nitpicking and pointing fingers at other opposition parties does not help the already fragmented political scene under an authoritarian government. Sure, with this kind of pointless quarrels where opposition activists seek to take issue and insult other parties, sure, the PAP WILL rule for another half a century.
@ Green Box: Before we can even blame the WP for not having minority members in its exco, one really needs to ask why many Malays and Indians do not choose to run for an executtive position within the Workers’ Party. One remembers James Gomez used to be in the exco, and yes he’s Indian. I think for academic purposes and work commitment he decided to stand down. Now if their exco selection rules reek of being exclusive to Chinese people then yes, we ought to blame them. However this does not seem to be the case. By suggesting that WP is an exclusive social club for Chinese people is outright stupidity. You certainly don’t count the ordinary members, you haven’t really asked the questions i have presented above.
Incredible
WP=Milder & Credible=PAP Approved
btan
“With this kind of opposition or alternative party, Singapore will continue to be under the PAP for another half-a-century, giving firm assurance to the obvious desire of Law Minister K Shanmugam for the ruling party to continue with the status quo.”
Wrong Seelan, with this kind of attitude of fighting among yourselves, Singapore will continue to be under the PAP.
It’s seems like PAP’s claws are deep into the minds of many people, such that even TOC, some opposition members and supporters take it at face value what they say.
As the great yoda master said, we must “unlearn what we have learned”, throw everything PAP said back and question everything they say and not take them as face value.
They have repeatedly misled us is so many things, through the mouthpiece, why would you guys fight among yourselves based on PAP information?
seebeng
((Before we can even blame the WP for not having minority members in its exco, one really needs to ask why many Malays and Indians do not choose to run for an executtive position within the Workers’ Party.))
In the main article by Terence ‘Milder but more credible’ it’s stated that “Both Mr Koh, and 28-year-old Ng Swee Bee, who is the Vice-President, were appointed to their posts in August this year to facilitate leadership renewal.”
So, they were selected and not elected.
It’s no use claiming to be opposition/alternative party but refuse to attend unity talks/forums among opposition parties. Even a “watchdog” does not boycott such talks.
prettyplace
Remember LKY calling CSJ…all the names in court….
What was that all about….
I hope the YWP grows up….don’t speak ill of the expired.
Anyway, He was a fighter, that old man. My office was in the same building as his, whenever, I pressed the buttons on the lift for him to his floor, he used to stare with a slight smile and rough Thank You.
You can be milder…but don’t even question his(JBJ) credibility implicitly.
Now I hope you can guys do well, but first grow up and learn politics and how to interact.
prettyplace
#27 seebeng
Well said.
First and foremost, I have no intention to discredit wp’s chairman sl, as I do not know her personally but, just to recall what happen during last ge on 2006, the new-paper of sph reported that her father is also a press secretary of lky (just like grace fu’s father james fu) and her father had discussed politics with her during most of their dinners’ get-together. Sorry to assume, does sl join wp because she can not defeat gf as being more preferred by lky?
According to my own analysis, the “MILD” culture proclaims by the wp, does it has to do with the “fear-culture” imposes by lky to “Singaporeans” , (I specially emphasize Singaporeans as I believe strongly that lky will not impose it to the foreigners as he needs foreign investments desperately and relentlessly! Again, unfair double standard treatments to Singaporeans) the secretary-general of wp ltk is Chinese-educated in natural who has very strong Confucius mindset and is “totally non-confrontational”.
What I want to impress here is that if one of the main opposition party is so “MILD” that to the extent of giving unnecessary due respect to the ruling party and its cronies, what is the point of having opposition party to counterbalance the ruling party. It totally defeat the original purpose of politicking to oppose most of the time and to agree to the least extent, (I tweak it a little bit, by right it should be to oppose all the time) I agreed that there are more than one way to show the citizen’s dissatisfactions of the ruling party not just in supporting the “mild” opposition, spoiling the vote is one good option, sorry to say!! Why shall we, the born and bred Singaporeans helping the ruling party to show to the world that Singapore is a “democratic country” that has ge every five-year under the guise of voting for the opposition-party? Does it benefit us? Let’s demonstrate to the world that Singapore is the empire carefully craft out by lky and a dynasty maintains by his son.
What a great disappointment to have sure an opposition that does not even dare to confront just tap along the bandwagon of the political tide!!! Wait long-long to be an alternative credible opposition to counter the ruling party, if you carry on this type of mentality!!! To replace, “FLAT-FLAT HOPE”!
Dumb and dumber
There is a big rock – a hugh one; blocking the way of 2 crabs allowing only 1 crab to pass through at one time. Crab A wants to get through first and says that Crab B is blocking the way and vice versa.
The owner of the rock, picked up the big rock, and crushed both crabs while they are busy debating.
PS: Stay focus, and get your priority right.
Moe Gan Thai
WP should ” drink water think of the source ” — chinese proverb. Who brought LTK in ? When JBJ got into problem, did WP CEC offer help?
YOAHYO
I hate SDP who constantly defaming everyone in the political scene. I am a die hard WP supporter i will never let SDP to get my vote as all SDP ppl are CRIMINALS and CRIMINALS don’t deserve any support.
Singaporeans WAKE UP!
Every SDP member is a CRIMINALS!
#16 John Tan -
Thank you very much for that illuminating article about JBJ. Now I understand a little more about the man and how I used to feel about him when he was in parliament.
Tua ling kong
I wonder is it that people join WP because its a safer bet as in it has 2 members in parliament , i of whom by ncmp, as in they have achieved the most among opposition? Does WP give people who aspire to join opposition party a better future kind of feeling?
But remember, for 50 years, WP did not progress much – won 1 seat only. another by ncmp.
This , to me, means, any opposition party has potential to win the same number of seat. There is no number seat lower than 0 number of seat.
To me, the style of WP would take prolly another 20 years AT LEAST to win substantial number of seats to form a ’shadow cabinet’.
1. the new citizens population have grown by leaps and bounds since the last election where opposition collected a Third of the votes casted. WP, tell me,this does not affect you. Tell me, why people give up their citizenship to come here?
2. The rules can be changed and have been changed. Your style , imho , is not aggressive enough in terms of making a strong impression of a dynamic and resourceful opposition. If the new citizen population has not grown substantially, yes, i would agree that high chances WP would collect a few more seats and the 33.3% may increase. BUT! see my point 1.
In conclusion, imho, singaporeans need a more progressive opposition and now is a great time for a new opposition party to be the leading opposition party.
Not that i must support RP, but they seem more gungho and bombastic with talents like KJ . Imagine if this singaporean gets a seat in parliament the value we can get out of him. I long to see how he debate and demand answers from the MIW.
WP, name me your achievements for the last 50 years. I would be interested to learn more about WP.
Pakimoon Sonata
I worry that the different opposition parties may be challenging or attacking each other online while the fisherman sits and watch.
wahahaha!
tan
The new WP is the PAP reserves in disguise?
lee
My opinion as an onlooker for 40 years:
As an opposition leader, LTK couldn’t
hold a candle to JBJ and even CSJ
Enough said
Sad Singaporean
Seeing all the WP bashing here fills me with sadness.
And all the urgings to spoil our votes … the only puny little thing we have in our hands, that can effect change for a better place to live in.
Several posters have said this and I will say it again.
Any opposition is better than one-party (one-family) rule. Embrace all oppositions, warts and all. Allow them to evolve, even if they stumble along the way. Accept the whole spectrum, from very-mild to triple-chilli hot.
Do we really want another 50 years of PAP, with the 3rd generation Lee (Li) in power ?
The fact is no single opposition party can take on the PAP alone.
Unite.
santar forinatedo
We just need to step back and analyse why is this inter-opposition bashing happening now and find out who is the one that started all this.
Opposition should be for the country and not for personal grudges.
Would the electorate have confidence like this?
strange you know. People who seem to talk smart sometime appear so unleaderly.
Rooney
And 8) Rooney is obviously a WP proxy. I mean, instead on focusing on the fact that the letter is about WP and JBJ the topic is shifted to SDP.
If I’m a WP proxy so be it but the fact is the writer is a SDP proxy. It is also a fact that I did not focus on the SDP until an SDP proxy decided to start the ball rolling first.
It is also a fact that SDP supporters are very, very worried about WP (of course they would still pay attention to their main enemy PAP) because there are now 2 approaches and either both fails or if WP’s one succeeds it means SDP’s one fail.
A lot of people here are also PAP supporters in SDP disguise. The two although are deadly enemies to each other, both have in common is they both ‘kan bu shun yan’ WP.
btan
don’t pick and choose your opposition unless there are a lot to pick and choose form.
vote in 30-40 opposition MPs, THEN you can argue about which is the better performing opposition.
anything else is TOO EARLY. don’t count your eggs before they hatch. don’t fight over your omelet before you break even one…..
vote in all the opposition candidates first, then we talk. else you just let PAP wins. unless this is your intention.
Nazryn
To all who are playing the racial card themselves, accusing WP and the senior people of playing the racial card, think again.
It has been a known fact among all political parties, except for the PAP, that it has been very difficult to recruit malay members in numbers especially those from the educated demographics. Perhaps we should stop looking at the party from the outside and play our part to understand the party from the inside.
Political parties have been trying hard in recent years to have themselves recognized by the public, unergoing public relation strategies, but the number of attendees to these events have always been dwindling. Why? because Singaporeans are still screen critics. They rather watch and observe from the convenience of their comfort zone. Get out and have the real feel.
i do not see why going for non aggressive politics would get more voters in. Singaporeans are getting educated. They need debates on facts and figures on realities of life. Do we want to see Malaysia’s style of political blinkering where candidates are more in favour of throwing accusations to each other, families involved??
Let us think before we start criticizing. With all due respect to the great man JBJ, our society savours different tastes of politics. Maturity and ability to comprehend facts will get the public eyes rooted to their message. This is not the 60s anymore. Look at LKY, how he changed his rhetoric speeches to that of calm yet firm style. Society’s expectations change. Stop living in the past
Rooney
36) Tua ling kong on December 22nd, 2009 12.29 pm
WP, name me your achievements for the last 50 years. I would be interested to learn more about WP.
Ironically, the above comments appear under an article that criticized the present WP for somewhat not respecting its past leader JBJ.
Do not forget that JBJ led 30 out of 50 years of WP. By saying the above you are putting 60% of the blame on JBJ.
Rooney
Nazryn I think there are a lot of comments on the race distribution of WP. Let’s put the fact that it appears deliberate aside, I find that all opposition parties and even PAP seem deficient on minorities yet this reason is used to justify why others are better than WP.
But put the race card and now we talk about gender card. I note WP has most number of women. Well done!
Rooney
25) seebeng on December 22nd, 2009 8.48 am
As far as I can recall there were two unity forums organized in the recent past to bring together all the opposition parties. Everyone attended to discuss and reach a common plan of action except the Workers’ Party headed by our “watchdog” leader LTK.
The problem is that with lies like this, the internet can never reach the credibility it needs to attract more readers.
smallfly
My dear “Dumb and dumber” on tue, dec 22, 2009, 1113am, I really do not know what do you mean by stay focus, and get your priority right? By the way, who are you and who do you think you are? I guess a hubris and nothing else!!!
Good! Since both of them grow-up by drinking lky’s milk as both fathers worked as lky’s press secretary so, let the stone master take the BIG stone and crush both crabs. Well, they choose to live in the stone master’s “GRACE” so, they deserve to be treated that way!!! Why shall I vote for both lky’s cronies under the guise of democracy!! Anyway, it is the new-paper and straits time of sph which expose both of them so, do not point the finger at me, do you understand? my dear hubris cum nerd!!!!
Give your instructions and lectures to ours and not me!!! Once again, who do you think you are? By the way, I do not grow-up by drinking the milk provided by you, my hubris @@#$@#^$#$%^&&^^%……. hahahahaha…..
historian
BELOW LINK WILL EXPLAIN ALL ABOUT ASIAN VALUES……..excellent read !
http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/2009/12/letter-from-ding-ting-in-london.html
seebeng
#46 Rooney’s lie: “The problem is that with lies like this, the internet can never reach the credibility it needs to attract more readers.”
Sometime back there was a public forum in a local hotel where leaders of opposition parties and civil society activists took part to promote cooperation among opposition parties in facing the common adversary PAP.
All political parties sent their repsentatives except the WP. When asked, iIt was announced to the full-house crowd that WP declined to take part in the forum. It’s learnt that that was not the first time the WP refused. There was another one before that, which was also ignored by WP.
I suppose WP doesn’t want to be seen in such forums for fear of losing its “credibility” bestowed on by the PAP.
I think it is better for those lacking integrity to stop talking about credibility.
A Tan
In 2001, JBJ’s team could not even fill in the forms correctly. Need I say more?
He was a very, very brave man.
But thaz abt all. Maybe a little less bravery, and a lot more brains would have served S’pore better.
So much for any opposition alliance
anakin
Woah….Nick Lazarus and the Papies having a field day…..cut out the bickering you guys and face your foe….
kimon
“cut out the bickering you guys and face your foe….”
Yes that would be great, except maybe WP doesn’t think the PAP is a foe at all.
kimon
“But thaz abt all. Maybe a little less bravery, and a lot more brains would have served S’pore better.”
If you had a lot more brains you’d wouldn’t be making a comment like that.
kimon
By they way what constitutes “having brains”?
If shutting up and sitting down, playing into the game of the PAP and LKY, denying Singaporeans any improvement from the sorry state they are in now is “having brains”, then maybe those “brains” are under some sort of hypnosis.
Maybe the hypnosis is called ‘money and power’?
B Tan
49) seebeng on December 22nd, 2009 3.23 pm
[All political parties sent their repsentatives except the WP.]
Chiam and his assistant had also declined and the chairman attended his personal capacity. NSP had also declined. Rooney was right to say it is a lie.
[I think it is better for those lacking integrity to stop talking about credibility.]
Yes think that’s applicable to yourself. Or perhaps you know you have none.
kimon
‘49) seebeng on December 22nd, 2009 3.23 pm
[All political parties sent their repsentatives except the WP.]
Chiam and his assistant had also declined and the chairman attended his personal capacity. NSP had also declined. Rooney was right to say it is a lie.’
Pretty sure Sin Kek Tong from the SDA was there. I heard from someone that Desmond Lim of SPP wanted to attend as well, but perhaps he was advised not to?
Anyway the forum was a good step forward with Ng Teck Siong having the foresight and wisdom to participate.
And it all boils down to this: It’s better for those lacking integrity to stop talking about credibility.
Nazryn
sorry typing error to my earlier posts:
“i do not see why going for non aggressive politics would get more voters in. Singaporeans are getting educated.”
What I meant is I DO NOT SEE how aggresive opposition politics would get voters in. Seriously think hard!
kimon
@ Nazryn “What I meant is I DO NOT SEE how aggresive opposition politics would get voters in. Seriously think hard! ”
Can you share how JBJ’s politics were aggressive?
And if you claim that his politics was aggressive and it doesnt get voters in, why is it that the highest votes for WP were gained during the time he was leading the party?
Think about it. Are we saying the people really think or what the PAP says the people think?
mice is nice
theforgottongeneration
post #21 on December 22nd, 2009 8.23 am
////True, the GRC concept is packaged as supposedly to give a voice to the minorities, i.e. about 22-23% of the population. In such a “racial representation” process, 44% of the population got walked-over. Everyone still think racial representation was the intention? (Note I’m not saying it is not important).////
yeah, i guess there are always people who fail to see the purpose & are hoodwinked to think that racial representation is the be-all-end-all purpose. my opinion that it was more ideal to have a person of a perticular race who is of the same race to break the racial divide & be tackle any issues with more (racial) sensitivity.
yeah, there are more chinese (by race, not nationality) MPs, but reality showed that it does not translate that the concerns like job security, rising cost of living, etc are addressed. a brilliant strategy to divide & conquer by tossing up racial discontent? it does appeal to some to interpret as so & slug it out. hence PAP will always get the mandate to rule as they deem fit.
////And here we have, pro-WP and pro-SDP engaged in a mud-slinging competition. Real smart. Why don’t they combined their brains and figure out how to get more than 2% of parliament for the PEOPLE. Hey, bake the cake first, lah; don’t fight over who to eat what if the cake is only in your dreams.////
sad rite? looks like some prefer to fight for the bits of crumbs that is all that is left, instead of growing the pie or cake.
////The way things are going, my voting pattern would be like: my cat, somebody’s dog, and a (pink?) elephant somewhere… ////
i’ll vote for a foreign party if PAP open themselves to competition like they always say that competition is good for S’pore. must embrace foreigners mah. :)
vote for Bill Clinton (make love not war)? lol…
mice is nice
kimun
post #13 on December 22nd, 2009 3.13 am
////No it doesn’t mean that the concerns of that race will be taken care of. But it does tell us something when there is no representation at all of other races in the WP Youth.////
PAP does have the racial representation, but what does reality say? looks good on PAPer only?
currently, whom do you think PAP represent? the MNCs with there accompanying concerns, GDP, “growth”, $$, their own pockets… do they even care if the local citizen is of which particular race?
when people let racial issues take centre stage, they forget there will always be another minority race that does not represented. S’pore is not just made up of chinese, indians & malays. if you are so concern about racial representation, vote for PAP, only they have a large enough numbers to accommodate ALL RACES.
////There were some before like Abdul Salim – but why did he leave?////
how am i supposed to know? i am not affiliated with any political party.
mice is nice
i believe any article on any opposition party will attract its share of trolls.
i think TOC should “give them a break”, put some under moderation to discourage flame wars.
kai
i tell you all hor, you can do nothin’ except wait for Nature to take its course.
till then, endure.
Raky
For me, LTK lost it when he did not answer to LHL question if WKS should be sacked ! Afer all the protestations and building up of the Mas Selamat case – he
have – no opinion ! Could it be the $14,000 that he is thinking of !
Because of this, he has lost much credibility as a leader of the opposition !
Guess JBJ would reply in the affirmative !
kimon
@ mice
////There were some before like Abdul Salim – but why did he leave?////
how am i supposed to know? i am not affiliated with any political party.
I know you don’t know. I just hope the WP members reading this will take note that some people do know.
Nazryn
Kimon:
true enough, kudos to that man,..
still ever admired among singaporeans from all age groups, wp excos included i believe!
Then again, remember this, the society back then were more attached to fire politics.
As our society evolved, we have to adapt to changes. Voters like us love to see dramas and drowning of voices from both camps. But as we walk into the polling station, we want facts. Facts and evidences we can relate to what we desire to see, what the pople in public offices can really do.
Think Malaysia. PKR has been firing, making waves of changes. Then again, do we see more action than talk.
think!
Dexter
@ 27: See Beng
Well i’ve got to hand it to you, at least you’ve spotted what i did not see about the Youth Wing. But the Youth Wing is just one part of the party. What about the main exco too?
Now, it doesn’t matter if there are unity talks if supporters and activists don’t actually work together for the sake of the country, not the party. So you say the WP has its agenda. Yes, and so do all the other opposition parties in Singapore; that’s why unity has never been more than avoiding three-way fights at the polls. All this bickering by everyone about whose party is more credible sickens me, seriously. Grow up, people. Let’s see some real action with defeating the ruling party.
kimon
Nazryn:
“As our society evolved, we have to adapt to changes. Voters like us love to see dramas and drowning of voices from both camps. But as we walk into the polling station, we want facts. Facts and evidences we can relate to what we desire to see, what the pople in public offices can really do.”
That is your one-sided opinion. JBJ cited several facts and evidences and he won the elections, he has even published them in books. He cited more facts and evidences in parliament, and that’s when they kicked him out.
How many “facts and evidences” do the opposition MPs in parliament bring up now to back their arguments, if and when they make any at all?
“Think Malaysia. PKR has been firing, making waves of change. Then again, do we see more action than talk. think! ”
Thank you admitting that PKR has been making waves of change. They are trying their best, although they are stopped in their tracks by many cunning moves pulled by BN.
kimon
You think too, Nazryn. Think harder.
Ng E-Jay
Firstly, the late JBJ did not get elected by being mild and apolegetic to the PAP.
Secondly, there is a difference between moderate and being an unwitting supporter of the PAP system. WP has fallen into the trap of being the latter, which involves tweaking your message so as not to offend, or so as to dilute or conceal the true facts, or even worse, to explicitly agree with the PAP on certain points (the rule of unjust laws being one example) just so as to pass under their radar safely.
The WP philosophy is that the best chance of being elected into parliament is to give what they THINK the people want — something resembling the PAP in terms of political vision, but being able to disagree with the PAP on policy issues and debate accordingly. But what does the WP really believe in? Until today I cannot fathom. How do I know if I elect them as my representative, they will deliver what they say they would, if they base their ideology not on some sound principle but on whatever happens to be the political mood of the day?
Incredible
WP=Milder & More credible=PAP Approved
Incredible
#41 Sad Singaporean,
Understand that the PAP uses WP to make it LOOK as if there is an opposition in parliament. Seriously ask yourself – what has Low done for Singaporeans?
Word Up
A party which says it is “proud to be compared to the PAP”, and a party whose org sec ACTUALLY voted for the PAP (after telling S’poreans in his election rally speeches NOT to vote for the PAP) is a party which is totally lost.
It is a “lost” party pretending to be “credible” and believing it too.
Its ranks are now all made-up of yes-men and yes-women. Even Sylvia Lim has become a coattail-hanger of Low Thia Khiang. And what about all those candidates in the last GE? Where are they? Glenda han? Petty Tong? Brendan Siow? Where are they?
What is the WP’s stance on:
- The influx of foreign workers and foreigners?
- National Service
- The raising of CPF withdrawal age?
- Organ donation and compensation?
- The death penalty?
- The lack of criminal lawyers in S’pore?
- The high prices of HDB flats?
- The discrimination of those 40 year and above in looking for jobs?
Etc, etc etc. So many many issues. What has the WP done? NOTHING. Nothing at all. Not even a squeak.
WP, contrary to what Low Thia Khiang boasted about, is not even a watchdog.
I am not even sure if it is a mouse.
Word Up
Low Thia Khiang is too comfortable and scared. He gets $14,500 a month as MP. A 5-year term that means more than $600,000. Good money, if you can keep your mouth shut and be guai guai.
And he is also guaranteed lifetime pension for having been MP for two terms.
Low Thia Khiang became a multi-millionaire as an MP – same as any PAP MP.
No wonder he is behaving exactly like the men in white and is “proud to be compared to the PAP”.
Some netizens and the public at large seem to have got the impression that the SDP is infested with too aggresive a people. This cannot be further from the truth.
In stlye the SDP plays in a robust manner, not aggressive nor violent. Being mild and goody, goody have not brought much progress either. Track record does not lie.
Many also are of the view that SDP leaders always court trouble. But they are blind to the fact that the SDP leaders are only exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly as guaranteed by the constitution. Its about time voters realise that it is the PAP that has been criminalising provisions of the constitution.
The ‘offences’ committed by the SDP leaders are not at all criminal in nature like gangsterism, robbery or rape. In fact most of the ‘offences’ are more for providing entertainment without a permit. They have in fact been repeatedly found guilty of providing ‘entertainment’ and gone to jail for being entertainers.
So Singapore achieves another first in being the first country in the world to convict people for providing healthy entertainment.
We have heard enough of the differences between the WP and the SDP. I for one am calling upon all WP and SDP leaders and supporters to put their differences aside. They should instead put their heads and shoulders together to strive and win as many seats as possible in the interest of our future generation.
To each his own style – the objective should remain the same, ie to serve Singapore to the best of each and everyone’s ability. Let all smoke the peace pipe and blow the smoke onto the face of the PAP.
mice is nice
kimon
post #66 on December 22nd, 2009 7.00 pm
////I know you don’t know. I just hope the WP members reading this will take note that some people do know.////
thanks for clearing the air. ;)
as an outsider, all i can say (without knowing the working dynamics) is that differences in people do come to fore when personalities, working style clash.
peace. ;)
I hasten to add, leaders come and go. Leaders who betray the objectives of their party’s foundation and continued existence lose their moral right and credibility to lead. Members and supporters should remain steadfast. Do not lose sight of the the noble reason for coming forward.
Inevitably leaders who don’t measure up will fade away. It’s only a matter of time. In this fast moving world it will be sooner rather than later. Have faith.
wat?
milder but more credible for most singaporean fence sitters who don’t really prefer the confrontational style SDP adopts.
mice is nice
opposition parties should not clash with 1 another, if they cannot work together, at least not fight among themselves. truth be told, there will always be difference in opinions.
they have to know step up their “game” if they want to be seen (hopefully not just be seen as) as potential leaders of a great little Red Dote. pick your fight judiciously, if not been viewed as unworthy of the votes.
kimon
mice: “as an outsider, all i can say (without knowing the working dynamics) is that differences in people do come to fore when personalities, working style clash.”
Salim is now in NSP, does that mean NSP is more credible than WP? So what then is the problem with WP? (No, I’m not asking you, its just food for thought for everyone here).
wat: “milder but more credible for most singaporean fence sitters who don’t really prefer the confrontational style SDP adopts. ”
You say that fence sitters don’t prefer SDP’s style, but you don’t mention how much the PAP and the media they control have played a role in totally destroying them.
How many people here know that JBJ was going to form a GRC team with SDP if he couldn’t get enough people to set up RP in time?
Exercise political maturity, stop being the political infants that the PAP wants you to be.
primary school questions
hello frens,
i not so chim hah, just ask some primary school questions on politics hoh.
1. what’s the purpose of being in politics?
2. what’s the purpose of a political party?
from my primary school education understanding, i tink very simple loh, i ask myself hoh:
1. is it to get sued?
2. or not to get elected and do something outside the parliament?
3. or to get elected and do something for the people?
which one more effective leh?
For 1, get sued means spending unproductive time and effort in legal mess end up not able to do the proper work to prepare one getting elected. so u end up merry-go-round for the wrong thing and ending up at the wrong side of the destination. just like WP, after so many years still only 1 MP niah
Number 2, this method alreadi tried out by Barisan Socialist under Dr Lee Siew Chor (sori, i might spell his name wrongly) when he took over the leadership from Lim Chin Siong. u know i know the outcome, so i don’t talk here liao
just MHO i think it’s smarter to do number 3. i always thot history is one of the best teachers to mankind loh, becos after primary school i got no teachers to teach me liao.
hehe
kimon
hello frens & especially primary school >
Answer 3. to get elected and do something for the people is correct.
But JBJ and other local politicians did not ask to get sued, so the blame should be put upon the PAP, unless of course you are fond of the PAP yourself like WP.
JBJ and others were forced to do something outside parliament. But they still did continue being a part of every election, which means that they still believed in getting elected and serving the people.
But according to your answer, how much have the current “opposition” MPs in parliament done for the people?
kimon
Sorry, I forgot to add something to the end of my last comment: hehe
I observe that many here are calling for opposition unity and I can’t agree more.
As far as I know, SDP has always been trying to reach out to their counterparts. Members have been actively attending events organised by the other parties and sometime back, some from the other parties have responded positively to the idea of ‘opposition unity’.
Let’s hope that things will go well but of course, WP didn’t really respond (if I am not wrong). Then again, no obligations. If they think they are doing well by standing alone, then all of us should respect their wish and not pressurise them into joining hands with the rest of the opposition parties.
My vote is for the opposition party that is genuinely concerned about changing the situation and SDP will get my vote because they have never failed to be so dedicated in their outreach despite the media blackout and lashing, despite all the knives being stabbed at them and despite all the abuse of law to convict them of this and that when they have done nothing wrong if you take a good look at the constitution of Singapore.
We all have our choices to make. Let’s do that and let’s take considerations of the actions shown, the words said and the constructive criticisms presented and use all of those factors to make your decision/ carry on the discussion. No point pointing fingers at people and calling them the proxy of this and that party. You mean people close to whichever parties cannot express their opinions about another party? Personally, I find that really immature but of course, that is just my opinion.
mice is nice
kimon
post #83 on December 22nd, 2009 11.16 pm
////Salim is now in NSP, does that mean NSP is more credible than WP? So what then is the problem with WP?////
personally, a change could be due to personal differences, strategic differences or differences in vision. the problem may be a question of fitting in any particular group, be it political, among friends, or in a workplace.
mice is nice
historian
post #19 on December 22nd, 2009 4.49 am
sorry i missed your post. lol…
i do not see how its relevent to my earlier
post #12 on December 22nd, 2009 2.57 am
can you further explain or highlight the links (to my post)?
thank you.
mice is nice
Rachel Zeng
post #85 on December 22nd, 2009 11.52 pm
////….some from the other parties have responded positively to the idea of ‘opposition unity’.
Let’s hope that things will go well but of course, WP didn’t really respond (if I am not wrong). Then again, no obligations. If they think they are doing well by standing alone, then all of us should respect their wish and not pressurise them into joining hands with the rest of the opposition parties.////
this i totally agree, there is no point proceeding with a “forced marriage” i mean opposition unity. :P
we know what happen when marriage hits the rocks right? :D
eh, Rachel, i hope you dun mind the dark humour. haa… :D
kimon
Mice: “////Salim is now in NSP, does that mean NSP is more credible than WP? So what then is the problem with WP?////
personally, a change could be due to personal differences, strategic differences or differences in vision. the problem may be a question of fitting in any particular group, be it political, among friends, or in a workplace. ”
Yes. So I guess almost all the non-Chinese left WP after the last elections due to similar reasons.
mice is nice
kimon
post #89 on December 23rd, 2009 12.23 am
////Yes. So I guess almost all the non-Chinese left WP after the last elections due to similar reasons.////
eh, let’s not speculate too much? it may lead to flame wars when the pro-WP people come across comments, some people can be very offended….
-.-”
anythingbutPAP
So far as I can tell, WP has been selfish in not helping the opposition
cause except their own.
They have refuse to stand united with the rest in criticising the PAP Govt.
eg.
1. When SDP held a forum for the opposition parties, the refused to
attend.
2. When CSJ was there to highlight the shortcomings of the local
judiciary in political cases during the American lawyers’ conference here,
Party Chairman Sylvia was there to counter him by insisting there
were bias.
3. LTK once inferred CSJ as a mad dog and that he (LTK) a watchdog.
but did he know that mad dog certainly can bark louder and better
his watchdog (think about his non reply when challenged by LHL over
WKS on tthe Mas Selamat incident)
As an opposition party leader and when compared to his predecessor,
LTK is a major disappointment.
Nevertheless, as much a I am disappointed with the WP, if they were
to contest in my ward, I would still vote for them BECAUSE, any opposition
is still better than the MIW
kimon
Some talk about change and working within the system to achieve that. The problem with always being a conformist is that when you try to change the system from within, it’s not you who changes the system; it’s the system that will eventually change you.
theforgottongeneration
@26) seebeng on December 22nd, 2009 8.48 am
“….As far as I can recall there were two unity forums organized in the recent past to bring together all the opposition parties. Everyone attended to discuss and reach a common plan of action except the Workers’ Party headed by our “watchdog” leader LTK. The WP wants to go it alone. Maybe, they want to live up to PAP’s expectation that they are “milder and more credible”? …”
So there is a grand coalition among the opposition parties minus etc, etc.. Big deal. As if people cares how many times Bill Clinton did it with Monica Lewinsky. The total opposition in Parliament, as I know it, is about 2%. After 4 years, their presence FEELS like 2%, notwithstanding they garnered 17% of votes (34% adjusted), whatever which party/person is more at fault for such poor showing.
In contrast, I know of people who when given 2-4% of a pie, would after 4 years have eaten 25-30% of that pie.
So get real — fighting over voters but can’t even guarantee people will have a chance to vote. The first “common plan of action” for any grand Coalition should be to ensure 100% of voters gets to exercise their precious vote this time round, not just only 56%. Voting for a pink elephant is better than not voting at all.
Otherwise, the opposition can organise 1000 unity forums, dig up all kind of dirt of whichever party/person and invite in Monica Lewinsky — what then?
Dexter
After re-reading the article Seelan is criticizing , i find it actually rather ODD that he is taking the Workers’ Party to task instead of the author of the piece, Terence Lee. As Seelan has said, the first two paragrahps have irked him. The first two paragraphs are done by the author of the piece, not the WP Youth Wing. Isn’t it unfair to criticize the Workers’ Party based on the introduction written by someone not related to the Workers Party? Now, partisan biases aside (yes, Seelan, don’t jump to conclusions based on an introductory paragraph)…
Nowhere in the entire piece do the WP Youth Wing interviewees criticize JBJ directly or indirectly. The President of the Youth Wing only indicates that the party is taking a different direction in the past, not even as part of answers to the interview but in the introduction as well. This could mean a lot of different things, such as policy formation etc. Apparently this interview is not as clear as we would like it to be.
theforgottongeneration
@92) kimon on December 23rd, 2009 1.38 am
“….The problem with always being a conformist is that when you try to change the system from within, it’s not you who changes the system; it’s the system that will eventually change you….”
Sad but that is so true. There was an article on TOC some time back about this “change from within” business; unfortunately I can’t recall which one. Mentioned in that tread was a young doctor starting out with good ideals; the change of NMPs, Ong Teng Chong, etc…
Of course, we still have an idiot that can only shout slogans….
andrew leung
I think “Milder but more credible” was coined by Mr Terence Lee of TOC.
I think PAP’s level of competance is dropping sharply. The MOE did not oversee the quality of the Private Schools and accreditation of overseas Degrees. It seems the Education Minister has slipped under the radar of opposition parties. PAP lacks credibilty.
I think honor should be given to opposition members that can stand in the courtroom with The Hatchet Man.
PAP has most slogans and shysters.
Balajian Skulambong
Opposition unity is Not an Easy thing.
The chance for success in this is near zero.
Even small opposition parties cannot unite, what hope is left?
Would they be myopic or far-sighted leaders of the revolutionary type R?
The best suggestion i can give to them which is achievable is
1. Don’t attempt the impossible.
2. Do what is achievable.
3. You can Agree to Disagree
4. You just don’t SABO the other opposition parties can liao.
All you all can do is wait for Nature to take its Course.
Champaigne in Freezer.
I opine that Singaporeans really short of political knowledge, anybody (liken to the idiotic lty) who try so hard to be a nice guy will never be a “GREAT” politician, mind you, please read carefully, ##a politician not a philanthropist##. Only real bad guy (liken to lky) can be a “successfully” politician (not respectable) as the more despicable you are the more political benefits and advantages you will achieve, my dear nerds!!
That’s why in international ranking of all professions by the general public: A career in Politic only rank slightly higher than a Prostitute and Medicine profession always ranks the highest in position!!! Please grown-up my dear oppositions, especially mr. ltk, miss. sl and their mild wp!!!!
Do not bull-shit talking about dignity and integrity, only the wining-political-party in gathering the most votes will succeed as the credible political party, my dear, please face the reality!!!
Wayan Party
why the surge in number of opposition members?
why so many young men and women?
are they not busy with work and career?
could the recent announcement of provision for more seats entice more to go this career path?
over $10000.00 per month part time work.
not bad even by european or world standard.
i also feel can fit the shoe to ask questions.
But cannot assure i can get answers all of you want.
so vote me if i apply ok?
Linguist
relevent must reads and movie……..see link below!
fair-ways
Is it truly going to be a multi racial party or will it change it’s mind later?????
Nazryn
Kimon:
As faras I can think, you have your own one sided opinions too.
Being in the opposition is one thing. Filling into the opposition’s role is another.
As far as I can see, JBJ is a great man. A man with shoes too big for anyone to fill because his guts and determination is just and clear.
But please, as I have mentioned, the tides have changed. Look at wesminister’s democracy like Australia or Britain. They fight the cause using the medium of legislation.
Our oppositions have not been fighting based on facts and evidence? I suggest you really do your research. Infact, I would strongly suggest you take up the opposition cause.
It’s common in Singapore to be dissatisfied with what has been evolving in a rapid manner. Tastes change too fast. How many are still living in the Malaysian cup dream, leaving our current soccer heroes in a limbo even though they have championed regional tourneys. Change is not good enough. People someitmes expect rapid change. If you do not root the support and display patience and loyalty, we can never achieve anything. We will jsut let PAP think that we need their directions to lead our lives.
Look at PKR ..really…they’ve been fighting the cause of change but look at the evolving infigting. The fight and speeches seems so clear yet the ending result has been too subtle. It was more talk and air punching then actual groundwork.
Kimon, step inside the circle of politics, and we can properly evaluate your otherwise side comments.
“this i totally agree, there is no point proceeding with a “forced marriage” i mean opposition unity. :P
we know what happen when marriage hits the rocks right? :D
eh, Rachel, i hope you dun mind the dark humour. haa… :D ”
Sure, I see your point. ;)
I think opposition unity is no easy feat because our opposition parties have different approaches. There are also pros and cons, and compromises to be made with due respect to each parties’ uniqueness. In fact they should celebrate the diversity and work towards a common goal. However before beginning to do so, they must have a mutual sincerity to work with each other.
Otherwise it will truly turn out ugly towards the end… that is if we are to imagine the worst of all outcomes.
[...] Seelan Palay said that it is ironic that the new leadership at WP is not blaming the PAP for the atrocities suffered by the late JBJ, but is allowing the victim to remain condemned. His article is published by TOC here. [...]
mice is nice
Rachel Zeng
post #105 on December 24th, 2009 1.45 am
////I think opposition unity is no easy feat because our opposition parties have different approaches.////
true, & people need to see & appreciate them for what they stand for in their own unique way. people should not behave like 1 old man (from that big party) who does not tolerate individual views that differs from his.
i guess people are shaped largely by their environment, which does not tolerate people who do not toe-the-line. some response that borders on such behaviour is disturbing.
in the end opposition parties ought to see themselves not just as opposition parties with credibility but with vision, heart to serve the people & not be too distracted by petty politics.
i’ll like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a better & brighter (but not cheaper or faster) 2010!
;)
spirited-centred
What matters most is not just being ‘mild and credible’ or ‘aggressive and critical’ but whether actions from the politicians served the best interest of all Singaporeans.
I have the same feeling as Seelan after reading the article by Terence Lee. It will be good that the WP youth people can come out to clarify their position on JBJ.
And even better, let us know why they have been so mild? fear the PAP?