The following was first published as a blog post by Kirsten Han.
Kirsten Han/
Colourful mushrooms? (Image from mobileapples.com)
As Singapore is wrapped up in the middle of what is widely seen to be a “watershed election”, we begin to see many, many instances of fear-mongering. Warnings of “freak elections”, despite the fact that there is no such thing in real democratic countries. Analogies of driving cars, and car crashes. Mentions of violent quarrels in Parliament with chairs being thrown. Threats of not getting any upgrading in your neighbourhood estates. Accusations of our precious reserves being “raided”. Even Mr Lui Tuck Yew has come forward with a thinly-veiled and highly inept analogy aboutnice shady trees and poisonous colourful mushrooms, possibly the closest he has come to being “artistic” in all his years as the Minister of Information, Communication and the Arts.
Yesterday, our Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew came forward to say that the voters of Aljunied GRC would “regret it” if they voted for the Workers’ Party. Again, he pointed out that the WP team had “little track record” compared to the PAP. He also said that the residents of Aljunied GRC would have 5 years to “repent” voting for WP, because they would learn that the PAP would always take care of PAP constituencies first. So much for serving all Singaporeans.
As a young Singaporean, and a first-time voter, I have had enough of this. I have already had a lifetime of fear instilled in me: you might fail your exams and never find a good job, don’t speak, don’t question, don’t get in trouble. I am not taking any more. I am too young to be so afraid.
If the Singaporeans of the 1960s had been so fearful and so concerned about “track record”, we would not be where we are today. Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP would not be where they are today. This city, Singapore as it is today, is a testament to what Singaporeans have achieved – and we did not achieve all this because we were afraid.
I wish the PAP would stop with their fear-mongering. They aren’t doing themselves any favours. It makes them look like the alternative parties have got them on the run, like they have nothing left but to fling threats and doomsday scenarios at the electorate. With the complicit mainstream media to help them propagate these baseless fears, it is sneaky and dishonourable, and does not reflect well on the maturity of the PAP.
I used to live my life afraid. When I was packing up my bags in New Zealand ready to move back home, I remember saying to my friend that I did not want to say or do anything against the government because I am too young to get in trouble and “burn bridges”.
Image from venisebala on Flickr
Then I came home and found out about the homeless, the aunties and uncles collecting cardboard, working day-in day-out when they should have been enjoying the fruits of a lifetime’s labour. I read about the skyrocketing housing prices, the new young families unable to have homes of their own. The people who lose their life savings just because of one surgery, one hospital stay. And I watched, as our Ministers (all of them PAP) blew budgets, allowed terrorists to escape, brushed floods off as “once in 50 years”… then told Singaporeans to not complain so much, and gave themselves fat, hefty bonuses on top of their already-inflated paychecks. There was very little I, along with fellow Singaporeans, could do to protest this – because the PAP government has also passed legislation that restricts our freedom of assembly, association and expression.
When I saw all these things, I realised that I was wrong. I was wrong to have said, “I am too young to get in trouble.”
I should have said, “I am too young to bury my head in the sand.” I am too young to live my life dismissed as mere “noise” on the Internet.
I am not saying that I am not scared any more. I am. When I join campaigns, when I openly support the opposition and when I write entries and articles criticising the PAP, I still have worry and anxiety that I deal with. No matter what I do, there are still mental hurdles that I have to overcome.
But I will not be intimidated and fear-mongered into backing down from doing what I believe is right. Not anymore.
I have seen the effects of the PAP government’s policies. I have seen what happens when there are no alternative voices in Parliament to speak up, to raise debates and to force the government to reconsider and re-evaluate policies. I have seen the people who are suffering the effects of these policies, who are unable to have their own home, or afford three meals a day to feed their families.
It is true, there is no guarantee that the alternative parties will really be able to deliver. They have no “track record” that we can examine. By voting them in, we are taking a chance.
But we will be taking a chance anyway. How do you know, when you vote PAP, that the housing prices will not continue to skyrocket, that the wages of the lower-income will not continue to be suppressed, that sick people will not continue to be bankrupted by healthcare? How do you know, when you vote PAP, that they will fix all these problems, be accountable and start to connect with the people?
There is no “safe” vote. There are no real guarantees. We cannot know for sure how the next 5 years will turn out.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”
Have you heard/read this quote before? I believe that it is true. We have already seen how things are under the PAP: how people are suffering, how help is not forthcoming, how the Ministers pay themselves with no accountability. Can you say that things have been fantastic for all Singaporeans in the past 5 years? Can you say that it could not have been any better?
Insanity is voting for the same party over and over again, and expecting things to be different.
I cannot tolerate all this fear-mongering from the incumbent. I cannot tolerate all this bullying and gerrymandering. I cannot tolerate being just “noise” in my own country, bossed about by holier-than-thou Ministers who don’t understand the sort of lives and problems that normal Singaporeans face.
I believe that there needs to be a change, and I stand by my belief. I will not stand for all this fear-mongering to try to get me to back down.
I am Singaporean. It is my right to have a say in where my country is heading for the next 5 years, and I will vote according to what I believe is best for my country’s future. I will not give in to fear, and I hope you won’t too.
If they want to keep talking about “freak elections”, then let’s get freaky.
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So Sorry to say that… (MBT is good businessman really and I really don’t like him as he is draining our money.)
a)Because the NSP team new members are mostly not public speakers(although they might speak from their hearts glad to say that).
b) Also some of them did not capture the hearts of people from the beginning to the end.
c) The opposition parties did not cover enough the blocks of HDB and condos when elderly people, senior folks and people who wants alternative voice or rather representative voice of opposite MPs from Tampines will be heard. I suggest those not so good in public speaking(example speaking too emotionally, some are too soft, some are too monotonous tone, some dont catch rhythm well, eye contact if media is catch no enough) will go to visit in buddies system to reach out to as many residents as possible as tomorrow is the final day.
d) Luckily guest speaker Tan Kin Lian-ex nutc income CEO(spoke many good points like our hdb cost and transport cost too high, but abit too soft but can be better voice projection) lift up some spirits to gather swing and rational votes, followed by Goh Meng Seng(can be better) and also Nicole Seah(rational yet to the point and simple).
e) Speak of pros and cons and give example for end of chapter of speech and also try to back it up with substantial information and quotes.
f) Talk more about plans, dont be too radical do it progressively as it may scare voters.
g) I agree with Mr Goh Meng Seng on high housing price and also compassion of gov is lost which renting house to foreigner for more profit than to rent to Singaporean and left alone to sleep openly in void decks, streets and also parks like east coast. Luckily he mentioned they are not anti-foreigners but must take care of citizen housing and other rights first which saved abit of vote, if not some good number of votes. Also opposition parties please please say about good to have PR and new citizen but seriously the balance of managing these foreign people were lost and they need to
i) Also Miss Nicole Seah cost of livings points which she spoke sincerely and close to our hearts. She present well with very well tone(not emotional but sincere and not pushy)
j) Good points of candidate to say give discount to hdb flats, but seriously for example I would rather want to let ruling party every year give us back 20k of rebate since we got that much reserves for the next 5 years(but ruling party will say it is saved for rainy days, if it is unaccounted for and unaudited but we cant even use to pay our internal debts of housing and cost of livings to save fire what is the
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use of having some much reserves and CPF when there is minimum sum policy which is more than 110k-120k for each person), instead of the petty handouts(or sweets) or rebate(which sends shivers to my spine and mind.
Sorry, Even Hougang may not be safe to opposition, the rest of opposition party are in very jeopardy state. I dont put the ruling party up to bring down opposition morale at this point. But I have to wake loved fellow Singaporeans up.
Hopefully Singaporean have done enough positive deeds and generous mindsets previously to be appreciative of opposition parties so that they can really win, but I doubt Singaporeans have such a good fortune as most of us are self centred about short terms gains about upgrade of hdb, environments, cpf and monetary handouts before election.
And after that struggling to pay for housing debts and bills and payments to counter cost of living for next 5 years, which the people have been doing actually since again I mentioned GRC, because GRC was first CREATED 25 years ago(if we forgot when the GRC Matrix(the movie) was created to kill democracy from day 1).
Many non-ruling parties candidates may be sued for defamation, one of them is Nicole Seah maybe, hope by writing this I am protecting them through public eyes……
Hopefully, opposition becomes stronger, but I doubt so as ruling parties will try ways and means to tear them down and most people like the past elections with capabilities will not want to come into election again, maybe until the day when the cancer of democracy got too serious like we become HK or Japan asset bubbles and higher cost of living. but it would be too late to help.
I vote THE VOTE of no confidence for ruling party on the high housing prices(my children will not be able to afford hdb due to higher price definitely due to inflation, pegging to market prices, overprinting of money, greed of authorities, high cost of building which by right is not so high), ERP(200 over ERP Gantries standby with some 3-5 Singapore dollars, transport cost including CRAZY TAXI prices which the authorities should allow car pool and waive ERP for Central Business District Area, which would drive up cost of living and even housing prices, mark my words here also),
no accountability(no independent groups of auditors with members of the public to witness, tally and sign off) and transparency of Reserves, GICs and temasek reserves, Ministers and Super Scale Civil Servant Pays, bonuses and increment and promotion and increase of headcounts each year(plus retrenchments/retirements of older and more senior staffs). Their cost structure have far become too much higher than what they can give Singaporean back year after year. that’s why they tax more and more in various form year after year and this is a form of price inflation of cost of living. Town councils accounts should be audited also.
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The ruling parties have been good for first national building, but they have already lost the balance between national building of well being for people and money making.
And I intend to leave Singapore as much i don’t want to.
AGAIN MARK MY WORDS HERE, Singapore WILL soon become Hong Kong and also even Japan, China and India where housing price and cost of living are too high!! It WILL GET OUT OF HAND.
It is getting harder each day. Pay and pay without knowing why we need to pay more and more, and we piss and piss. Work and work and work for long hours and when we retire still cant take our CPF(maybe cant even fork out any CPF to pay for housing) and think when my retirement age is 80 to 100 years old by then. And I have to pay 30 years for our house.
I guess Singapore Pte Ltd(not Ltd) has just really becoming a Very Very Very Big MNC(s), even bigger after THIS election….
Singaporeans will continue to be unwilling boiling frogs, and will continue in a way that they wont even know how, where and when to voice out publicly although deep inside their heart they are very tired working and paying debts and bills.
I personally guess and believe all these are due to the reserves and loss of GICs and temasek holding that they want to cover up the losses(including in CHINA Suzhou and India and Thailand) that lead to the recent years mania increase of the prices of everything including housing and ERP, non-withdrawal of CPF, retirement age increase.
No ones want to be left, no ones want to be left at home, no ones want to be forced to leave their homes, but I guess we will.
The education system is THE SOURCE of why our policies of meritocracy and elite, but all along it is emphasizing in second place morals, ethics and compassion. That’s why now our ruling parties leaders or rather followers are yes men and also more close to the party than the nation. The quality and non monetary motivation of candidates for this election from non-ruling parties are far better than ruling parties despite all odds and doubts of people fear change for the better of democracy and monopolies, but ruling parties are dividing them and conquering them one by one… The balance of conscience is lost.
Also, the healthcare is too high and also not enough time to take care of health due to cost of living, for example the lower income like contract workers and more than 30000 taxi drivers and many other private bus drivers…
Upgrading of HDB estate comes with a price, which we have to address the false glory behind it as we are driven so hard so fast to work harder and harder, longer and longer each day. Not sure when we can retire is a scary thing.
The government only spend 1.6% of GDP to healthcare, that’s why we have to work hard for our hefty and long medical bills. Plus lack of hospitals and healthcare scheme where we are reminded that we are not welfare state, but remember the word we can die, but we cant be sick or ill.
The lists goes on and on.. I am neither a statistic guy nor a pro-hdb upgrading man(as it is promoting false glory while we work and struggle for livelihood) but I sense as a concerned resident of Singapore and resident of Tampines,
I urge that Mah Bow Tan(MBT) be removed from election so that he can move on to the private sectors to help ruling parties make more money. George Yeo can retire since they are millionaire, we definitely have talents from non ruling parties.
If we vote ruling party WITH LANDSLIDE VICTORY USING GRC SYSTEM and they don’t control the situation well, Singaporean might be swarmed with 1000000 to 1500000(1million to 1.5 million) more Foreigners soon that our next generations are squeezed out of Singaporean even they work very very very hard and fast, till the day they die. Filial Piety may be lost from children to their parents and before that parents can afford to have any child and don’t even want to get married like many of my friends above mid 35s, due to cost of living to even support themselves…
Remember the cooling day tricks… It is not about voting opposition, it is voting for votes of no confidence of ruling party and voting for ourselves and our children not be enslaved by ruling party, be brave and be farsighted..
To the well-off, powerful and richer people, you might want to rock the boat by allowing GRCs to be biased favourably towards ruling parties, but once the cancer of democracy due to GRC formations are uncurable, the vicious cycle might impact you in vicious cycle manner and even your children in future.
The MAIN, MAIN reason why ruling party don’t want opposition parties is so that they wont check their billions of dollars lost and cannot account for, since the early day Suzhou Industrial Park losses…
Be cautioned in advance my beloved Fellow Countrymen.
Have a GOOD VOTE(there is no best vote, don’t waste your vote to void as opposition need your vote to voice out your real long TERM concerns and NEEDS) using LONG TERM VIEW of balanced multi-parties yet ensure that parties and their candidates are morally, ethically and compassionately and passionately about the people, not just meritocracy and elite system!!
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Bless ourselves and Bless Singaporeans :)..
Guardians and Forefathers of Singapore help US!!
Hope the positive and pure balanced energies finally flows in Singapore
Let there be no over greed, morally, ethically and compassionate government and people through education from young to nurture with patience!!!
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read http://www.goldclubasia.com/forum to see why ruling party are crappy also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZcyU5eG5g&NR=1
Promises After Promise(PAP)-Liers
Wolves in Sheep White skin
Be our voice for us from Tanjong Pagar