Howard Lee
On the morning of cooling-off day, I was moved by what I read on the front page of Today.
The page was split in half – the perfect picture of balance. On one side, the image of Low Thia Kiang, the other of George Yeo. The commentaries ran down the centre.
But what struck me was not the attempt to balance the reporting. Aside, I have to say I saw a lot more balanced reporting this general election, even if it is restricted to page allocation only. Some credit goes to traditional media, but form does not always equate intent.
What moved me was (and always will be) the content. Just reading this front page, I felt a certain connection with the people in Aljunied GRC, not least because I used to stay there. It felt as if the entire weight of the nation was resting on their shoulders, as if they held the key to the nation’s democracy.
At the height of campaigning, the coverage on the general election drew exhaustively on emotions. You may say there is no smoke without fire, and it was true that the candidates have appealed to both the minds and hearts of voters, but they would not have reached in if voters did not open their hearts to begin with.
While some would have us believe that we have been unduly pressured by the rhetoric of the parties, the real pressure was from within. I believe that no small number of voters would have felt the power in their hands, and the decision weighs heavy.
The same sentiment must have been felt outside of Aljunied. I was waiting outside Deyi Secondary School counting station where about a hundred voters have rallied, mostly to support the Singapore People’s Party and its leader Chiam See Tong. Some were also rooting for the Reform Party team in Ang Mo Kio, but they were all there for the opposition cause.
They were strangers, but they bantered easily, sharing updates on iPads, and trading jokes. Two drivers turned up their car radios, and all clustered around, groaning and cheering when the results we announced, even as they continued to wait patiently for the candidates. They were bonded by a common vision, a shared purpose. They came from the next block, Hougang, and even Punggol. That night, this huddling was their community, and it radiated out to the people in Potong Pasir, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Toa Payoh, and yes, even Aljunied.
When the results for Bishan-Toa Payoh were announced, the collective angst cracked the night quiet. A number of them broke down in tears. And it was not just the seasoned supporters, but those in their early twenties, who wept openly for Chiam, the legend of Potong Pasir. They have invested a lot of heart into their votes, with the faint hope that their votes would not be in vain. They believed, and committed more than just a cross on a piece of paper.
But it is not just voters who have put their hearts into this general election. On this campaign trail, I have seen Kenneth Jeyaretnam overwhelmed by the vote of allegiance to his late father. I have seen Wilfred Leung tell Chiam that 43% was an excellent margin, in a bid to cheer up the old warrior. I have seen Benjamin Pwee support Chiam as he moved around, as one would an elderly parent. I have seen Alex Tan shake hands with every supporter he could reach outside Deyi, a warmth that transcends his political inexperience. I have seen a certain humanity behind the candidates, that I would seldom give them credit for in the battle of words.
On this campaign trail, I have seen faith, courage, loyalty, trust – the very best of the qualities of humanity. I have also seen desperation, fear, fatigue – what reminds us constantly of our humanity.
Some would have us believe that this general election is watershed by virtue of the number of seats contested, or by the number of seats won or lost, or by the winning margins, or by the quality of opposition candidates, or by party renewals, or by the role that new media plays. Perhaps.
But I say the watershed is about the water shed from our eyes. As a nation, we have awakened, and for this general election more than any, we realised that not only do we feel as an electorate, but also that we can do something about it, beyond just casting our vote. The more involved we are, the more of our selves we invest, and the greater the loss. We have felt the fire within, and we have been burnt by it with every seat lost.
But even as we heal and reconcile, as Lee Hsien Loong has encouraged us to do, we need to keep that little bit of passion inside us, like the Olympic flame that burns forever. We need to let that fire continue burning, infuse into civil society, and let ourselves grow politically.
The polls might have closed, but our journey to freedom has only just begun for each of us. Let your vote extend into your everyday life. Fight for the causes you believe in to benefit the lives and rights of others. Volunteer. Continue defending, not your party of choice, but the people whom the party has promised to defend.
And come next general election, we will be ready to go at it again, no longer as mere voters who depend on the guidance and plans of political parties, but equal stakeholders and action agents for the future of our nation.
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Check out the Chinese tabloids, e.g. Shin Min.. quite biased.. imagine featuring the family of George Yeo on Thu night in their papers!
We lost George Yeo a man who has served his country with exceptional distinction and with a wife who stalled her legal career to set up a foundation to help children with cancer. In its place we got Slap-stick Low, a person who has not contributed anything substantial, not even an intelligent idea in his 20 years in Parliament. In fact, the whole slate of the WP could not measure up to 1/10 of George Yeo’s contributions to the country.
Well done Slap-stik Low. Well done, Aljuneid.
Now that the dust have settled, I would like to know why none of the PAP MPs are serving us as full time MPs?
Each MP has about 20,000 – 30,000 residents to serve and yet they are not doing this full time and they earn $15,000 per month from taxpayers’ money.
NASA
MSM’s propaganda is not in the details. Choices of words. Imagery evoked. Innuendoes, insinuations. Don’t be fooled. Singaporeans get the media they deserve.
http://www.thenutgraph.com/why-mpwatch/
hello all locals, pls read the above thread and maybe you LEARN something from the north, “what questions to ask your mp”
maybe then, you will not be daft no more.
Look at the WEST side, even A+ team from SDP can only get 39%. A lot of good quality candidates but so what?
As much as we can say, majority of Singaporeans voted out of fear and upgrading. Singaporeans have been conditioned to look after themselves, no heart for democracy or the country.
Met an old lady last night, she was selling tissue, so weak that she still say Pappies is the best government in the whole world. What can I say? When she has nothing to eat and when MCYS would not give her any help, would she wake up?
Now we are awaiting another 1M foreigners to come and a lot of people will be replaced at their jobs or forced to accept lower pay/bonuses. An HDB, MBT is voted in with high margin and this shows Singaporeans endorsed his plan of escalating prices further. When you find out, you been kicked out of a job, dont blame government, you voted this.
Our style of democracy is brought to us by our votes. Blame no one.
YST
with a wife who stalled her legal career to set up a foundation to help children with cancer………..
and the rest of the other pap ministers?
liked eatin peanut and sleep aroun perhaps..or the other GREAT 1 who setup her legal career in myammer just on top of a tailorshop to run her solicitor office in myammer with more than 101 directorsips in 101 singapore companies
while sirgeorgeyeo wife had to resign just to run 1 cancer foundation…
something is not RIGHT somewhere
all of the wives mentioned are paps’ minister wives
The PAP says it will listen and understands concern about high costs of living.
So is PAP going to stop the destruction of Fengshan and Bedok Interchange hawker centres knowing very well it will lead to higher food prices?
Is an air-con bus interchange necessary?
If not, East Coast GRC will be the next to fall.
A first world parliament shall see the absence of ‘big-bone-toad’ MPs who fail or simply refuse to rise from their seats to speak up for the people.
A first world parliament shall see debates on all issues conducted in full decorum, bearing People in mind with a people-before-self attitude.
The PAP would do well to note that the number of people seeking help at the Meet-the-People Sessions is a proxy of the extent to which the system has failed the people / the numbers who fall through the cracks, rather than as a trumpet to praise the hard work of their MPs.
Channel your energy to reforming the system and policies to reduce these numbers, instead of spending resources dealing with the symptoms. What people need is not just short term bandage but also long term cure.
@YST
don’t cry, you still have MBT, WKS, GCT to cheer you up in parliament :)
I know of a PAP member. This GE he voted for the opposition. He says in future when the opposition is strong enough, he will vote for PAP. Why? He says a two-party political system is good for Singapore. He said further, We are in the process of nation building, not party building. His loyalty is to Singapore, more than to the party he is in.
New Poll on Living Cost and General Issues
http://cost2011.iblogger.org/cost.php
So you have voted!
And you have seen the ballot paper.
Did you remember which party was printed top and which was printed bottom for your case?
Most people would expect the Ruling Party to be printed at the top.
Ask around your family and friends, which was top and which was bottom on theirs.
There were difference.
You can think about what was the consideration behind on this minute details design layout for yourself.
Another point based on design layout:
the Ruling Party’s frame and the Opposition Party’s frame were printed adjacent WITHOUT A GAP IN BETWEEN.
There must be a choice between leaving a wide space and drawing just adjacent for the top and bottom frames. What was the reason?
If I were the designer, I would design a wide gap.
I think one of the post-election priorities is to have an independent Commission to review the GRC system because of its unintended consequences.
It was a 1988 invention to bring minority candidates into Parliament but instead it ushered in more non-minority candidates.
It also culminated in the defeat of three ministers, including a FM.
In a Westminster parliamentary system, such as ours, all candidates should fend for themselves.
If minority candidates cannot win in an open election then give them the same number of seats in Parliament but to get in they must be elected by their own community.
The other review is our minister’s grotesquely high salaries and bonuses.
This is because the top 25 highest paid politicians in the world is from Singapore.
This is scandalous when we have only 5 million residents ( inclusive of 1 million foreign workers).
Maybe some rich ministers should only accept a token $1.00 salary and donate the rest to their favourite charities.
The other matter is whether we should have a minimum wage system as in other developed nations to prevent exploitation by employers who have a million of low-paid foreign workers to choose over Singaporeans.
For example in Singapore, workers in McDonald are only paid $4 an hour but in Australia they are paid Aust$14 an or (S$18) an hour. Why such a great difference when our car and house prices are so much higher than in Australia?
We should make sure little old ladies do not have to gather cardboards in the streets in pitiful carts to eke out a living and give them a pension. If politicians can get pensions why not them and those with disabilities?
Singapore has an aging population and we risk falling into oblivion as we are not reproducing ourselves. To get our birth rates going up again, send a delegation to Norway and learn why they have the world’s best baby bonus system.
Act 1 Scene 1 has ended.
Act 1 Secne 2 is about to start.
Presidential elections in 3 months.
I agree with “Get Our Priorities Right” on the need for Independent Commission Review on GRC as there are other ways to get minority representation. Prof jayakumar in today’s ST mentioned abt other ASEAN Ministers surprise and sadness on the ouster of mr George Yeo at the Aljunied Elections. He himself understands well that it was the imperfection of the GRC system which got GY out, and not the voters of Aljunied. The voters were forced to eject the very likeable GY with the rest of the not so well-liked candidates from the PAP! So instead of being truthful to himself and take the moral highground, Jayakumar is sowing doubts and guilt on the voters of Aljunied who, in my opinion, did nothing wrong!
with or without George Yeo, Singapore will still move on! His earned salary will let him enjoy for years! If he is really that capable, let me ‘swim’ on his own and show us what he can achieve in private sectors.
mixed feelings about aljunied huh? well, besides being from that grc in the past, i know GY and LHH to be nice personalities. but i guess they suffered the backlash of the system. in public service, its called “systemic problem”. and we should not be too affected by the fact that capable peeps like these are being replaced by their own kind like TPL, should we? i wonder what the reply would be if i asked GY and LHH what they think of themselves out and TPL in parliment… well, there is a saying that everything rises and falls on leadership. LKY has led (S) so far only to seem to cause its decline by putting in the GRC. sometimes one should not be greedy or find the easy way out. if we are good, pple will vote us in, whatever party we are in. let this be a lesson the ruling party can learn from… so that singapore can have some hope of maintaining its progress, and for the ruling party to stay on…
George and Zainul and the others were collateral damage. Sad, but unless the government truly listen to their citizens, in the next election such occurence may recur. Sad, but the present crop of PAP candidates also appear mediocre. Sad, but if PM Lee was to hear our hearts the departure of George will not probably happen. As a senior reporter once said, there will be an ” orchid revolution”. And so it happens.
But I sincerely hope our PM do not fix any opposition, instead hear them. Because they are not people who will inform you on issues selectively, the opposition will call a spade, a spade.
George Yeo was an incredible lost to Singapore, his service to our nation is an irreplaceable one and will never be forgotten his human nature is pure, upright and just, Singaporean should feel very sorry for themselves.
Still the event on 7 May 2011 that took place at aljunied is of great importance in Singapore history, that isn’t just the lost of George Yeo or the victory of the Worker Party but the complete lost of all Opposition power in Singapore. In context if aljunied is to be return to the PAP the next 2016 GE, Singaporean would stand to lose its motivation to vote for any opposition as it therefore pointless since this GE was the biggest ever contested.
In closing, the victory in aljunied may bring its fruits and con, but at least one thing is sure that it shall serve as a meaningful historical standpoint for all Singaporean present or future.
The Prime Minister has said sombrely on TV, right after the elections, which I now recall to contain the gist:. that members of the Ruling Party should be more humble towards the public. That to me is put things mildly. Not only are members of the Ruling PAP Party arrogant, their friends and supporters in the private sector are able to commandeer State Institutions to do their bidding.For example Elite Law Firms call up the ISD to soften their targets so that these hapless people may give up attempting to obtain justice at the Courts. The AG prevents the progress of certain actions which will reveal unsavory behaviour of certain people.. Some Judges take the side of the Elite and powerful with alacrity. The common citizenry is thus pressed to the wall. it is as if the Government extends to include these elite lawyers who can harness the State Resources they need for competitive advantage and win their cases.
I am well aware that to talk bad about the Police, Courts and especially judges is anathema to the Ruling Party. So many people have been destroyed because they dare to talk bad about judges and the legal system in Singapore.. I am not a fearless fool to stretch my neck out for the chopping block, but I reckon from the PM’s speech that he meant it: be humble and serve the people. It is no way to serve the citizenry when the Government and its elite cloud of connected folks present a monolithic structure to crush everyone in its path without heed of any notion of fair play.
I happen to mention Law firms because they are the foremost mediators of societal issues and because of my own experience.
I hope that an investigation be made by the PM to find out how rampant is the evil symbiotic relationship between the Elite and State institutions.. We the citizenry will not appreciate it much if the Ruling Party members become merely humble in demeanour but will crush any citizen illegally whenever such a one has the bad luck to cross an elite or his client in a conflict.
The Arab uprisings may be due to the arrogant disdain their rulers and the monolithic elitist ruling class regard their own people, more than the abject poverty and hopelessness that is their lot.
We hope too that the new opposition in Aljunied will remind the Ruling Party time and again to be humble, nay more than that, to curb the Elites’ foul play over State Institutions so that there is fair play.
GY brought the casinos to Singapore.
nuff said.
When I submitted my IC for verification to the election staff at the polling station, I noticed the staff deliberately put in the effort to solemly say out my name AND the SERIAL NUMBER on my polling card (e.g. “Wong Kan Seng, serial number 1234″).
I can understand if he had to verify my name, but what’s the point in saying out the SERIAL NUMBER?
When I visit a doctor, he’ll verbally verify my name but if at the same time he were to verbally mention my register number on his record, it’d be very strange.
A verbal verification of my name is sufficient. To mention the serial number is REDUNDANT. This is because my name and the serial number were both printed on the same polling card anyway. And the serial number has no significant reference to me, it’s not my NRIC number or birth cert number.
Was this some psychological trick to instil fear and intimidate voters to vote the ruling party???
Could it be a deliberate effort to implant a sublimal message into the voter’s mind that the SERIAL NUMBER will give him away???
If so, I feel sad for my country as democracy is dead!
They said WP gambled big, so did PAP. GY as SM Goh said is TIM – Too Important Minister, to lose. So why did PAP put him there?
This is all about battle. Big guns versus big guns. So, a defeat also mean big loss! Why cry? Perhaps, it is PAP who has to repent for all the scary threats, fear-mongering, doom-spelling, and gerrymandering.
So like the TV series ‘Survivor’, the tribe has spoken. Those voted out must pack their bags and leave the tribe.
@rotten PAPaya
No worries lah, that one is to make sure no one voted twice.
In Singapore our Parliamentarians seem to be nothing but estate managers. And all that we are seen to care about is whether our lifts are upgraded, carparks sufficient, our walkways are sheltered and our landscaping are nice. This is because the Ruling Party has at one point some 15 or 20 years ago established the Town Council control over housing estates which effectively politicized each housing estate. Thus in every election you will hear the candidates talk about what they will do for you in terms of brick and mortar. Also the housing estate as a political arena makes it difficult for opposition groups newly elected to step into the shoes of the current Town Councillor, not because they are stupid but because estate management calls for continuity of management in terms of personnel, physical layout of buildings and other land improvements which cannot be obtained without actual previous hands- on experience but which is not governance. Thus the term , “Track Record” is banded about by the Ruling Party with pride. This is because in an estate, track record of good management is important and if you have not been here for any reasonable length of time you certainly shan’t have a track record.
In this way the populace is sidetracked away from national issues of greater importance than mere renewal and rearrangement of brick and mortar. The idea of good governance is obliterated. Good governance would consider some of the following: Don’t you think that a correct concept of the level of foreign workers is of greater importance to the continuation of Singapore as we know it and for Singaporeans. Don’t you think that a very very high salary like what our Ministers are now paid destroys the compact of the governor with the governed. A societal compact is thus transformed into a commercial contract. As in all commercial contracts the profits are all that matters. Thus you have the deluge of foreigners explained by the blindness of the Ruling Party to the effects of this deluge on the existing population. No amount of expanding the infrastructure would lessen the alienation the original population feels about his country. Within the short time span of 5 years the country is now different with a different source population, one that has not shared its social and biological history. A contractor on a commercial contract cannot bother with the evolutionary biology of the existing population. All he cares about is the GNP which is a proxy for profit. Governing a country is not the same as managing an estate. We have all been sidetracked into a limited view of governance which also is a view that assists the Ruling Party to focus on the infrastructure in terms of brick and mortar but leave out the abstract realities of Nationhood.
We must restore the idea of what the Government is for in Singapore as in all countries. Wjhat it is not is mere estate management. The opposition in Aljunied should bring back to the Nation the normal idea of government if it hopes to serve beyond its 5 year term and even to win other GRCs. Because the incumbent will always be better at estate management, viz repair of spalling walls, term contract for falling windows, cracked toilet bowls etc. Soon the WP will be forced out because its level of planned maintenance of Aljunied is inferior to the PAPs. And that would be a sorry eventuality of a mistaken concept of governance. I leave you, gentlemen and ladies of the WP, with the question of ‘what constitutes government?’
First, I have to congratulate WP winning the first GRC after 20 years of hard work in the political scene. Their success will inspire other opposition parties to strive harder and preserve and also clear the myth of the electoral boundaries and that GRC is unbreakable.
For other opposition parties who lost in the constituencies, they have gain the pride of their parties and have made great achievement through their coalition effort in GE 2011 as follows:
(1) You have made LHL admit mistakes made and apologize to the public for accountability.
(2) You have made PAP put 2 Ministers in some constituencies to defend against the opposition although some are new parties.
(3) You have engaged all Singapore in national building and push a big swing of the votes to the opposition parties. It is consider a victory and big step for the opposition parties.
(4) You have shape the future of Singapore political system
Although a few opposition parties came out with plan for their constituency, but voters could not make a decision on the Polling day because they did not gain the confidence of the neutral voters due to last minute effort ( The voters take a longer time to learn). The plan is important as it will definitely help your party to win in the election. To gain acceptance and voters’ confidence, opposition parties must work double hard on the ground to gain recognition from the voters.
The 9 days rallies campaigning have been very engaging for all Singaporeans. But most of the opposition parties spent most of their time debating on the current govt policies in the 9 days campaign. Perhaps they should allocate the last day of the rally to give the voters an outline of their plan and how their parties can improve the lives of the voters in the constituency if being elected. Voters will able to have a better idea and make the right decision on who can serve them better.
The loss in the GE will not stop the passion of the candidates serving the nation, they should continue to work in the loss constituency and engage actively in community services to have better connect with their voters.
Meet the People Sessions by Opposition Parties
(1) Conduct meet the people sessions regularly in your constituencies’ HDB void decks for those residents who need help (voluntary basis for candidates who intend to contest in the same constituency in the next election). For those voters who do not want to see the PAP MP or they find their assistance is not helpful, they can look for the help from the opposition parties.
(2) With the assistance given to the residents in the meet the people sessions, it will help to create free publicity through word of mouth and will get credibility and build up the reputation for the party.
(3) Through the meet the people session, the opposition parties can find the needs of the residents to formulate the plan on improving the life in the constituencies.
(4) The party will gain acceptance of the voters to support the party. This pool of supporters will be added in the existing supporters (votes gain in GE2011) and will help to increase the percentage of votes in the next GE even if the electoral boundaries are redrawn.
The end of GE2011 also signifies the start of the preparation for GE2016 and the fighting spirit should not stop and determination should not waver by the loss in this GE. It is time to re sharpen your election strategy for the comeback. They should learnt from Sylvia Lim , who lost the Aljunied GRC in 2006 GE but made a comeback with LTK and won in this GE. All opposition parties should start work now and we expect more opposition parties having more wins in the GE2016.
YST
You means a man who has rallied Jack Neo
is a good man.
The people of Aljunied have make a mistake
of voting for the WP so that
Aljunied GRC must be returned back
to George Yeo. The PAP can not lose anything seat.
If that is your idea what for we held 2011GE.
My take on the future is that the PAP government will be split into two different factions from now on. First faction wants is to listen to the people and change the way of doing things. The other faction wants to continue the same policies but hood-wink the people by good packaging or false advertising.
If the first faction wins, then Singaporeans win but if the second faction wins, then we can always vote PAP out. But what I am most afraid of is that 2016 election results may be determined by the influx of new citizens.
Oh well… 5 more years to go. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
I’m sorry. I don’t have sympathy for George yeo. He has an enormous pension. And this is politics. Like LTK said somebody has to lose. GY was no saint. Look at how he framed the contest in Aljunied. He just wanted to win at any cost. His pension can probably support a poor family for life.
@YST, do your homework before commenting! Ask around old Hougang residents how Mr Low has assisted them through their hard times. Likewise from the Potong Pasir residents on how Mr Chiam has help them too. These are words of mouth! They are low profile and did what they believe in and not for the sake of being reported on TV or any other media. Understand? Do you see or hear the same for PAP?
I find that the latest GE results have rather accurately reflect the people’s hopes, wishes and faith. I’m proud to be a singaporean. I believe GY is a talent and have contributed greatly to Singapore. It is a loss to the nation but we have gain the engagement of singaporeans in this perpetual process of nation building. Let’s look forward to more interesting parliamentary sessions.
@YST
“We lost George Yeo a man who has served his country with exceptional distinction and with a wife who stalled her legal career to set up a foundation to help children with cancer. In its place we got Slap-stick Low, a person who has not contributed anything substantial, not even an intelligent idea in his 20 years in Parliament. In fact, the whole slate of the WP could not measure up to 1/10 of George Yeo’s contributions to the country. Well done Slap-stik Low. Well done, Aljuneid.”
YST – Are you a PAP mole? Heard their Counter Criticism team is pretty active on TCO. :)
George is a good man, probably one of the better ministers. LTK is also a good man to stand up against 80+ MIW MPs with CST. If you have no time to watch LTK speak in Parliament, please try to do this before you comment. He contributed lots of ideas in Parliament. Obviously if you are a PAP mole, you would think it is rubbish.
George is paid well in the past 20+ years for it and he can retire comfortably. Or he can serve Singapore in other ways. Maybe join the opposition.
George’s wife has the means to stall her career to help a noble cause. That I am sure many respect for.
But please, there are many middle and lower income families that are suffering out there. I need to push back my retirement plans due to ‘crap policies’. If you ask me, the greater evil is the one-party rule. Especially when the leadership admits that they have ‘lost touch with the common folks’.
The blame should partly fall on the GRC system and the MIW leadership to sacrifice this ‘good man’ by putting him in Aljunied. Also, his fellow GRC team members that are ‘not good enuff’.
I like to end by saying:
Thank you Aljunied and Hougang Residents!! We are all so proud of you.