Voting for Opposition a bad move? Wat of Check and Balances?
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Voting for Opposition a bad move? What about Check and Balances?
Fearful of supporting the opposition? I think, firstly its probably due to the government swinging the Sledgehammer, with "ISA" engraved on its side so prominiently in the past. Every time I talk about how much I respect people like Jeyaretnam, Chiam See Tong and about how much I root for the opposition parties... it really saddens me, to the point my heart aches, to hear my loved one tell me " Please think of your future, don't get into trouble". Opposition politics is synonymous with trouble? It really saddens me, it is a very real sign, to me, that there is an acute need for political reform. To quote the venerable Mr Jeyaretnam "A complete and thorough reform of the system" "no more tinkering".
Then there is another kind of fear, As Mr Lee Kuan Yew had once said - paraphrase "Elections are about your futures and your children's' futures" It really does make one, standing in the voting booth stop and think doesn't it? Especially those who have families or kids to raise. He does seem to have a talent for it doesn't he? Striking fear in the hearts of people... one way or another.
Many people worry, or fear, that voting the for the opposition will threaten the security of this country, both civic and economic security, if indeed, the PAP is to be ousted from its entrenched seat of power. The operative word being "if". yeah, I know it sounds kinda pessimistic.
A thought I was toying with, there are many people whom I have come across, see the sledgehammer of the PAP and don't really like it. Some would like to see more transparency and accountability from the government. Some feel that more press freedom is in order, but if these people voted for PAP, why?
My take?Here's where they trip, they are not willing to risk the economic future for checks and balances. They don't see the perceived required calibre within the opposition at the moment, so "hmm ok I'll vote PAP for now till WP/SDA get better people" becomes a common self justification line they use for voting for the incumbents or PAP. But its no impossible to find capable people isn't it? even in a coup de'tat like in thailand, they still found people to run the country. But thats far from what we should be doing tho, just saying that its not impossible to find capable people.
So how will Singapore get a credible opposition?
Firstly, a credible opposition doesn't equate to overthrowing the government, or even a revolution. Overthrowing the government is not the objective here. Placing a credible opposition in parliament has to start gradually, by taking small steps....
Firstly, the opposition has to build up strength.... which so far, WP is ahead among the opposition parties, but not enough, yet. Although its a rather significant step. They do not have to match the PAP, man for man. Its a big step, considering 15-20 years ago or even 5 years ago, if a graduate were to openly join an opposition party, chances are, that there was actually a social taboo attached, even regarded as insane by some. Get enough talent, win a GRC, or even 2. Establish a foothold.
Then the 1st real step to the main objective to establishing Checks and Balances. Something I consider the Achilles heel of the PAP, hard to get to, but when you get to it, its the key. What is the most important key to rule? Its the absolute power and control of the law. And what is the supreme law of the land? It is the Constitution of The Republic of Singapore.
So the first step is to wrest away total control of the constitution from the PAP. As many of you already know, 66% votes in parliament gives them(PAP) the right to amend the constitution, and thats where PAP gets its power. Having all but 2 out of 84 seats in Parliament, needless to say that the PAP has absolute control over the constitution. Amendment to this act, introduce that act, amend this act, introduce that act, easily done to entrench themselves. Like what they did to the elections act, and also amended the constitution to give the PM the power to appoint Judges and CJs, on short term contracts, which means, also gives him the right to "not renew" those contracts on "unsatisfactory performance" and I leave the definition of "unsatisfactory performance" you to your imagination.... I think it has got something to do with Lee and son and all their libel suits....
Anyway, I digress, first major objective, is to gain like 40% seats in parliament.. PAP will still be in power, with most of their ministers still in cabinet, just that the power over the law will no longer be absolute. And when that happens, the opposition parties will start to have more credibility to attract capable people. Joining the PAP will no longer be a nobrainer for potential politicians. Voting will then really involve serious deliberation on the part of the voters. Bear in mind, the first step is to wrest absolute power from PAP's hands
Competition can breed quality.... absolute power can breed stagnation, and then corruption..
The ultimate goal, is to win at least 66% and then remove all entrenching amendments from the constitution. Relinquish the power from the Executive to appoint judges. The police force, answerable to the whole parliament, not just 1 minister. These are things to watch out for when a new party does take over. If a new party take over, and still retains all the entrenching laws, we might just get another PAP, but by another name.
Think about it, lending your support to the opposition may not be such a big a risk as the PAP may have you and I believe. Do you honestly think that singapore will crumble if PAP has 60% seats?
Well thank you for reading this longish essay, if 1 out of 20 people who read this, begins to lend his or her support to the alternative parties, I would be glad to have been able to even make a small difference.
Competition can breed quality.... abosolute power can breed stagnation, and then corruption. -
Have these people benefit from the 'better' economy? I see prices going up onli nia...
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I wanted to vote for worker's party, but they didn't come to my grc to campaign.
Only SDP came, which I dun really like...
Imagine WP's AMK GRC team. They did not even campaign properly, yet they managed to garner so many votes (almost 40%). This clearly shows their popularity. -
Shame on that fellow who got 66.6% votes which is average and yet dare said he had strong mandate! Si yao main zi !!Originally posted by eagle:I wanted to vote for worker's party, but they didn't come to my grc to campaign.
Only SDP came, which I dun really like...
Imagine WP's AMK GRC team. They did not even campaign properly, yet they managed to garner so many votes (almost 40%). This clearly shows their popularity.
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Will u guys vote for opposition in the next GE den?
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DunnoOriginally posted by Trump_Card:Will u guys vote for opposition in the next GE den?
Not sure
Dun care
P.S. Your vote is secret -
According to statistics, opposition usually does better in by-elections.Originally posted by rane:Shame on that fellow who got 66.6% votes which is average and yet dare said he had strong mandate! Si yao main zi !!
Also, opposition also fares better when the economy is better. -
in this forum, nobody included me, will support PAP at all
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Too early to decide. Now we dunno if there is any opposition - it is nearing the election date then we will know.Originally posted by Trump_Card:Will u guys vote for opposition in the next GE den? -
I support GTC nia...Originally posted by allentyb:damn it, this forum, nobody is supporting PAP at all -
PAP ok la... 2nd choiceOriginally posted by allentyb:in this forum, nobody included me, will support PAP at all -
Let's just see the next election, what percentage this fellow will get. Hope it will be way below 66.6%.Originally posted by eagle:According to statistics, opposition usually does better in by-elections.
Also, opposition also fares better when the economy is better. -
Provided more oppositions in parliament...I wanna see how JBJ's party fare oso...Originally posted by rane:Let's just see the next election, what percentage this fellow will get. Hope it will be way below 66.6%.
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Yes, more oppositions to give that lee ah loong more headaches. Ha ha!!Originally posted by Trump_Card:Provided more oppositions in parliament...I wanna see how JBJ's party fare oso... -
This is hard to sayOriginally posted by rane:Let's just see the next election, what percentage this fellow will get. Hope it will be way below 66.6%.
But it will definitely be a challenge if sylvia lim goes for AMK GRC -
Yeah, hip hip hooray to Sylvia!Originally posted by eagle:This is hard to say
But it will definitely be a challenge if sylvia lim goes for AMK GRC
One thing for sure lee ah loong will come up with "sweets" during election campaign to lure more people to vote him. -
Ya, to paraphrase the PAP for their defeat in Potong PasirOriginally posted by rane:Yeah, hip hip hooray to Sylvia! One thing for sure lee ah loong will come up with "sweets" during election campaign to lure more people to vote him.
Since the voters in Potong Pasir has expressed their wishes by not casting their votes to PAP, WE WILL NOT SPEND THE MONEY TO UPGRADE YOUR LIVING AREA.
What a nice "sweet" indeed. -
By common sense she shd stick to aljunied ...It would be suicidal to go AMK...Tanjong Pagar would be a more appropriate place if opposition wants challenge...Nobody wans the old-man and i wanna vote too...Originally posted by eagle:This is hard to say
But it will definitely be a challenge if sylvia lim goes for AMK GRC -
and the more they use such tactics, the more the residents will ignore them.Originally posted by eagle:Ya, to paraphrase the PAP for their defeat in Potong Pasir
Since the voters in Potong Pasir has expressed their wishes by not casting their votes to PAP, WE WILL NOT SPEND THE MONEY TO UPGRADE YOUR LIVING AREA.
What a nice "sweet" indeed.
LTK enjoyed a sizeable increase in electoral support in the recent GE, despite a record offer of millions in upgrading, and the foolish support of Goh.
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Yeah, yeah yeah, looking forward to see oppositions winning votes continue to increase in the next election.Originally posted by LazerLordz:and the more they use such tactics, the more the residents will ignore them.
LTK enjoyed a sizeable increase in electoral support in the recent GE, despite a record offer of millions in upgrading, and the foolish support of Goh. Jia you!! -
I foresee a lot of professionals coming forward for an alternative Singapore by the next GE.Originally posted by rane:Yeah, yeah yeah, looking forward to see oppositions winning votes continue to increase in the next election. Jia you!!
It can only better, because it raises the AP's profiles and raises the playing field. The MIW have to realise that one day, it's not just about profiting because their opponents are weaker, and then they actually have to fight a real electoral battle, something which you normally cannot run away from in a democracy. -
WP just need someone more charismatic to take charge at AMK GRC.Originally posted by Trump_Card:By common sense she shd stick to aljunied ...It would be suicidal to go AMK...Tanjong Pagar would be a more appropriate place if opposition wants challenge...Nobody wans the old-man and i wanna vote too...
However, i agree it would be suicidal because to give a strong challenge to AMK, where the PM is, is like issuing a direct challenge to the PAP. WP can't afford to do that yet, especially when the PAP tactics of eliminating opposition is well known. It is common sense not to incur the wrath of the PAP yet.
However, PAP is cunning to start GRCs in the first place, and incorporate most of WP's supporters into AMK GRC. This sorts of strengthens their positions. Thus, even though PAP won so many seats, it's not a strong representation of how much popular support they have, but rather the success of their efforts in putting down the opposition.
Furthermore, by introducing the GRC, PAP shows its greed for seats.
1) One of the given reasons why GRC was implemented because PAP wanted to balance out the racial distribution in the parliament. They believe we will vote mostly for our own race, and hence the minority race will most likely have no representatives. This is directly telling us that they do not trust us singaporeans to uphold the meritocratic policy that has been running singapore for years. If PAP do not trust us, why do they insist in us trusting them? We singaporeans definitely recognize the ability of other races, and will not vote someone of less capability and charisma just because someone is the same race as us.
2) Many including the PAP complained about the political apathy in singapore. However, I strongly feel that GRC actually contributes much to the sad political atmosphere in singapore today. There is actually less political competiton than before. GRC dampens the competition by making people compare against the leader of the GRC team, and not the individual team members. The amount of competition is thus reduced even though there are so many seats to be contested. Furthermore, because it's the leader that counts, many MPs are "elected" only to become back-benchers for the PAP. This is really sad.
There are many other things to complain about, but I'm not very good at expressing myself. So I shall stop here for the time being. -
This is exactly why i think it is suicidal...I can see Li sian lung telling the voting public to vote wisely lest they will lose a PM for their MP ...Originally posted by eagle:WP just need someone more charismatic to take charge at AMK GRC.
However, i agree it would be suicidal because to give a strong challenge to AMK, where the PM is, is like issuing a direct challenge to the PAP. WP can't afford to do that yet, especially when the PAP tactics of eliminating opposition is well known. It is common sense not to incur the wrath of the PAP yet.
However, PAP is cunning to start GRCs in the first place, and incorporate most of WP's supporters into AMK GRC. This sorts of strengthens their positions. Thus, even though PAP won so many seats, it's not a strong representation of how much popular support they have, but rather the success of their efforts in putting down the opposition.
Furthermore, by introducing the GRC, PAP shows its greed for seats.
1) One of the given reasons why GRC was implemented because PAP wanted to balance out the racial distribution in the parliament. They believe we will vote mostly for our own race, and hence the minority race will most likely have no representatives. This is directly telling us that they do not trust us singaporeans to uphold the meritocratic policy that has been running singapore for years. If PAP do not trust us, why do they insist in us trusting them? We singaporeans definitely recognize the ability of other races, and will not vote someone of less capability and charisma just because someone is the same race as us.
2) Many including the PAP complained about the political apathy in singapore. However, I strongly feel that GRC actually contributes much to the sad political atmosphere in singapore today. There is actually less political competiton than before. GRC dampens the competition by making people compare against the leader of the GRC team, and not the individual team members. The amount of competition is thus reduced even though there are so many seats to be contested. Furthermore, because it's the leader that counts, many MPs are "elected" only to become back-benchers for the PAP. This is really sad.
There are many other things to complain about, but I'm not very good at expressing myself. So I shall stop here for the time being. -
lets not talk about GRCs shall we?
its here to stay whether we like it or not..
nothing can change the system.
oppo just need to garner more votes.. -
And most Singaporeans have been conditioned to think that if our PM loses his seat, all hell will break loose. What a childish thought, but albeit a powerful one that has been in the socialisation of our citizens for decades.Originally posted by Trump_Card:This is exactly why i think it is suicidal...I can see Li sian lung telling the voting public to vote wisely lest they will lose a PM for their MP ...
But at the recent polls, it's clear how much support our PM has in his own ward. And mind you, that's even less than the national average of his party.
Think about it, if LHL loses his MP seat, the deputy leader of the PAP would be elected Sec-Gen, and hencewith, PM. Of course, this is assuming that the PAP still retains majority control of Parliament.
However, right now, I'd rather have Lee as PM than Wong Kan Seng.