GE just around the corner, time to take a stand if you dare
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Any opposition party who talks about changing the foreign talent policy and looking after Singaporeans first will get my vote.
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I think that the foreign talent policy is necessary for the survival of Singapore.Originally posted by fymk:Any opposition party who talks about changing the foreign talent policy and looking after Singaporeans first will get my vote.
But I think at this point in time, it is becoming overdone.
At the end of the day, Singapore is limited in both resources and space.
With the government encouraging more babies together with the influx of foreign talent, I cannot imagine what will happen 20 to 30 years from now. Overcrowding, less space etc.
It is easy to rectify a problem of "too little" - you just bring in more "talent" but what will happen when the problem becomes one where it is "too much."? Do you start kicking people out ???
Just a thought ... thinking into the future. -
Don't tell me Steve Chia is your idol?Originally posted by Nelstar:I got no time at the moment to engage in politics, not that I'm not keen. I might find myself working in both system before I decide to form my own party.
Imagine Singapore ruled by Bian Tai Bisexual Nelstar?
His skeletons in the cupboard are in the public domain these days, you know. -
There has to be a lot done to help the reservists who are 1st in line for retrenchment. It is heartless to treat foreigners with no commitments to our soil better than those who make all the sacrifices just because the latter must take time off work for in-camp training.Originally posted by fymk:Any opposition party who talks about changing the foreign talent policy and looking after Singaporeans first will get my vote.
Unless retrenched NSmen are promised EU-style welfare aid, there is no reason to vote PAP at all.
Furthermore, some expatriates like Supremist are extremely ungrateful. We could do with less of his kind in SG. -
Foreign talent policy should be just restricted to jobs which no singaporean has the capability to do . On top of that , we should get Singaporeans training in the lacking skills so that a singaporean can take over the foreigner's job when he/she has the capabilitiy to do so.Originally posted by Kismet:I think that the foreign talent policy is necessary for the survival of Singapore.
But I think at this point in time, it is becoming overdone.
At the end of the day, Singapore is limited in both resources and space.
With the government encouraging more babies together with the influx of foreign talent, I cannot imagine what will happen 20 to 30 years from now. Overcrowding, less space etc.
It is easy to rectify a problem of "too little" - you just bring in more "talent" but what will happen when the problem becomes one where it is "too much."? Do you start kicking people out ???
Just a thought ... thinking into the future.
As for scholarships - I say restrict it to foreigners - some of the foreigners are just using us to jump to USA or Australia. I met a few in Australia who used Singapore as a jumping board. We have been screwed over on that aspect . That's the reason why I am anti-foreign-talent-policy nowadays. One of them was laughing about Singapore's policy until I smiled and told him that I was singaporean..then he shut up. -
So wats Chia Ti Lik stand on that ?Originally posted by fymk:Any opposition party who talks about changing the foreign talent policy and looking after Singaporeans first will get my vote.
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just hit the nail on the head.Originally posted by Nelstar:The current opposition only tackles the daily problems, not the future. Their lack of vision was appalling. I attended one session of such talks before. It was infuriating that the opposition are but a pool of scattered sand lacking ideas and angry with the Government. They can only keep pointing fingers at mistakes committed by others, and when challenged to foresee the future they suddenly lost their voice.
They keep talking about checking on the PAP but they are so lightweight that I cannot even trust my future in them. Such is the problem that is causing our country to gear down. -
INSIGHT
Opposition parties have to win people's trust
Last week's Insight looked at the declining fortunes of the Singapore Democratic Party under Dr Chee Soon Juan. Readers give their views on the SDP and the overall state of the opposition.
'IF THE opposition parties really want to see a check-and-balance mechanism to the ruling People's Action Party, then they have to work extremely hard to gain support and draw members. You just cannot be active, and want to be seen and heard, only when the General Election is around the corner.
In fact, whether there is an election or not, a responsible opposition leader should be on the ground most of the time.
It takes years to win the people's trust and confidence, and this is what most opposition parties lack.
For them to prove their worth, they should first put their house in order and show greater interest in domestic issues.'
- Jeffrey Law Lee Beng
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'DR CHEE spends his time on airy-fairy ideals on Western-dictated 'human rights' and 'democracy', globetrotting and shaking hands with representatives of Western non-governmental organisations.
I don't understand why SDP members do not realise that the public has lost interest in Chee... A politician who does not know how to prioritise his political battles and win the public's hearts and minds is useless to us.
That he spends most of his time overseas and in organisations like Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia further upsets me. How can he say he is fighting for us when he is not among us?'
- Jeremy Tan
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'I WISH to urge our opposition politicians to focus on building the nation for future Singaporeans rather than propose policies which are either short-term, or worse, to the detriment of Singapore.
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew once said that whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him or give it up.
Our opposition politicians need to display the same steel resolve and ability to govern, to their fellow countrymen, if they hope to win our hearts.'
- Bernard Ee (Melbourne, Australia)
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'Although the article was mostly equitable, it insinuated that the party faced an ominous future. It also connoted that Dr Chee was responsible for its decline.
But the article is appreciated - it helps more young Singaporeans such as myself to become cognizant of the opposition.'
- Amarinder Singh -
the problem is not whether we want to take a stand or not, but whether our stand will have any effect. so what if we take a stand? PAP will still win no matter how we vote. so since whether voting or not makes no difference, why vote?
and given the "bo chap" or "heck care" attitude of most s'poreans, they don't care who wins as long as they have food and shelter. -
Originally posted by vito_corleone:
well, we are already slaving out guts out liao, where got so much time and energy go think about what the gahment is doing. if they wanna do something, its hard to change their decision to do so. there is a cap to number of opposition people in the cabinet, so even if they manage to hit the cap, they also can't really do much in my opinion.
[b]the problem is not whether we want to take a stand or not, but whether our stand will have any effect. so what if we take a stand? PAP will still win no matter how we vote. so since whether voting or not makes no difference, why vote?
and given the "bo chap" or "heck care" attitude of most s'poreans, they don't care who wins as long as they have food and shelter.[/b]
further more, we are only voting for the guy in charge of our sector, not someone high up there who could change the way SG operates. Just imagine a class voting for a rep who helps to switch off the lights after the lesson ends, is it really important who does the job ? -
Originally posted by vito_corleone:
Who are the "we" are you talking about? How many are the "we"? PAP still win because the majority still vote for them. Our votes will not make any difference if the majority do not share what we believe, or we do not share theirs. The "bo chap" and "heck care" attitude does not encourage the opposition, does not help the ruling party and is no good for the country. Sometimes we need to ask why are we the minority.
[b]the problem is not whether we want to take a stand or not, but whether our stand will have any effect. so what if we take a stand? PAP will still win no matter how we vote. so since whether voting or not makes no difference, why vote?
and given the "bo chap" or "heck care" attitude of most s'poreans, they don't care who wins as long as they have food and shelter.[/b]
The opposition should be working now to get to the people. Any great idea not supported by the people are castle in the air. Ideas cannot be supported by the people if it is not told and explained to the people. Why are the people not told? I usually don't see the opposition until few days before the nomination day!
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there are two WP members here maybe they can answer your qn.Originally posted by sgdiehard:Who are the "we" are you talking about? How many are the "we"? PAP still win because the majority still vote for them. Our votes will not make any difference if the majority do not share what we believe, or we do not share theirs. The "bo chap" and "heck care" attitude does not encourage the opposition, does not help the ruling party and is no good for the country. Sometimes we need to ask why are we the minority.
The opposition should be working now to get to the people. Any great idea not supported by the people are castle in the air. Ideas cannot be supported by the people if it is not told and explained to the people. Why are the people not told? I usually don't see the opposition until few days before the nomination day! -
Dear Chun Yong,
It is really disheartening to read your posting here.
We are not only voting for someone who is only in charge of our sector (i.e. Town Council), definitely not someone that is just to switch off the lights after the lesson ends. MPs' responsibilities are much more important than that. Though the overwhelming domination of PAP in parliament has practically turn the parliament into something like a "rubber stamp" in law making, but it is still important to have proper parliamentary debates on every issues. MPs are law makers and they are supposed to pass laws that would eventually affect our daily lives.
To belittle the role of the MP and thus the vote in your hand is to make a mockery out of the democractic process we have at the moment. PAP links the governing of the ward via Town Councils to the selection of MPs, has deliberately sidetrack the original importance of the role of MPs as law makers. Voting is a matter of struggle between social role vs self interests. This link only tries to enhance the considerations on the "self interests" by each and everyone, playing down the importance (supposedly to be a more important role) of the social role of lawmakers. I call this "rule by materialism". Subsequently, to enhance such materialistic self-interests considerations, they added HDB upgrading into the equations.
Is this healthy for Singapore's long term development? After I read your posting here, it has confirmed my fear that the success of such tactics have done great damage to our fabric of society.
Goh Meng SengOriginally posted by chunyong:well, we are already slaving out guts out liao, where got so much time and energy go think about what the gahment is doing. if they wanna do something, its hard to change their decision to do so. there is a cap to number of opposition people in the cabinet, so even if they manage to hit the cap, they also can't really do much in my opinion.
further more, we are only voting for the guy in charge of our sector, not someone high up there who could change the way SG operates. Just imagine a class voting for a rep who helps to switch off the lights after the lesson ends, is it really important who does the job ? -
Dear Nelstar,
There are advantages and disadvantages of taking "hasty" approach. Efficiency comes with a price; At what Price?
To have a "stable" system and vision, we should not be afraid of people "catching up" with us at all.
We must realize that we are part of Souteast Asia, not America. We must also realize that our neighbours could well be our strength, not "enemies". For the past decades, we have tried to live and strive out alone, without the need of taking our neighbours into considerations. We are encaged in such an "unfriendly" mindset that the only considerations we have is how fast our neighbours are "catching up"! This is a source of tension and unhappiness sowed in our relationship with our neighbours. This will have to resolve ultimately.
Whether we like it or not, we are stuck down here, a little red dot in SEA. The vision of Singapore would be a stronger, united ASEAN; ASEAN UNION should be the long term strategic aim, with economic Free Trade Zone as the mid term aim. What we lack as a small nation, we could establish it in economic unison with our neighbours. We lack economic depth and we cannot expect to find it in some far away places like USA!
I am risking sensitive strategic political views to state it here. The total population masses we have in this ASEAN economic union will make us a formidable entity with great bargaining power, as comparable to China, India, EU or even USA. We should enhance economic development and union with our neighbours instead of taking them as a form of egoistic comparison, which has been done again and again by PAP leadership, so insensitive to the feelings of our neighbours.
Goh Meng SengOriginally posted by Nelstar:The Government had become conservative since LKY stepped down. We see actions done slowly instead of with more haste. We are losing every portion of our industry if we keep allowing our neighbours to crawl and attempt the same feat. Is Singapore gearing down? Yes to me. We need another leader with good vision like LKY such that the country will improve further. We must not let our country slacken more. -
Again, this is a piece of writing without any insight at all. It is ironic that it is put under the column "Insight"!
Just have to pay a little visit, just a few clicks away to realize that the author doesn't even know what is happening on the ground! Try these links:
http://www.wp.org.sg/news/news_articles/20040809_national_day.htm
http://www.wp.org.sg/photos/photos_wp04.htm
And to say that opposition parties proposed "short term" policies is really making a mockery out of PAP! What "long term" policy has PAP suggested? Adjustment of CPF contributions as and when they like, they want? WP has already proposed that CPF be fixed at 35% more than one decade ago! This is a realistic, sustainable rate, while PAP insist of raising it back to 40%!
This is the kind of social engineering via the mass media that is happening day in day out.
Goh Meng SengOriginally posted by paperchicken:
INSIGHT
[b]Opposition parties have to win people's trust
Last week's Insight looked at the declining fortunes of the Singapore Democratic Party under Dr Chee Soon Juan. Readers give their views on the SDP and the overall state of the opposition.
'IF THE opposition parties really want to see a check-and-balance mechanism to the ruling People's Action Party, then they have to work extremely hard to gain support and draw members. You just cannot be active, and want to be seen and heard, only when the General Election is around the corner.
In fact, whether there is an election or not, a responsible opposition leader should be on the ground most of the time.
It takes years to win the people's trust and confidence, and this is what most opposition parties lack.
For them to prove their worth, they should first put their house in order and show greater interest in domestic issues.'
- Jeffrey Law Lee Beng
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'DR CHEE spends his time on airy-fairy ideals on Western-dictated 'human rights' and 'democracy', globetrotting and shaking hands with representatives of Western non-governmental organisations.
I don't understand why SDP members do not realise that the public has lost interest in Chee... A politician who does not know how to prioritise his political battles and win the public's hearts and minds is useless to us.
That he spends most of his time overseas and in organisations like Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia further upsets me. How can he say he is fighting for us when he is not among us?'
- Jeremy Tan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'I WISH to urge our opposition politicians to focus on building the nation for future Singaporeans rather than propose policies which are either short-term, or worse, to the detriment of Singapore.
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew once said that whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him or give it up.
Our opposition politicians need to display the same steel resolve and ability to govern, to their fellow countrymen, if they hope to win our hearts.'
- Bernard Ee (Melbourne, Australia)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Although the article was mostly equitable, it insinuated that the party faced an ominous future. It also connoted that Dr Chee was responsible for its decline.
But the article is appreciated - it helps more young Singaporeans such as myself to become cognizant of the opposition.'
- Amarinder Singh
[/b] -
Just to add another link:
http://www.wp.org.sg/photos/photos_wp0203.htmOriginally posted by goh meng seng:Again, this is a piece of writing without any insight at all. It is ironic that it is put under the column "Insight"!
Just have to pay a little visit, just a few clicks away to realize that the author doesn't even know what is happening on the ground! Try these links:
http://www.wp.org.sg/news/news_articles/20040809_national_day.htm
http://www.wp.org.sg/photos/photos_wp04.htm
And to say that opposition parties proposed "short term" policies is really making a mockery out of PAP! What "long term" policy has PAP suggested? Adjustment of CPF contributions as and when they like, they want? WP has already proposed that CPF be fixed at 35% more than one decade ago! This is a realistic, sustainable rate, while PAP insist of raising it back to 40%!
This is the kind of social engineering via the mass media that is happening day in day out.
Goh Meng Seng -
Uncle Goh you start more topics here lah. We will give you the feedbacks and suggestions that you need.Originally posted by goh meng seng:
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i agree with what skyfoo mention about the state of politicing in spore.
i dunno if u ppls feel the same way as me. most of those ppls who bo chap about politic one usually vote for PAP because they felt it's a norm. every elections come, same choice vote for PAP coz everybody is voting for them. also, by voting for PAP, they would live their lives as before as there's no big changes in the gov. just like 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'(dunno the real phrase)
as for myself, since i eligible to vote, i have been casting my vote to the opposition party. reason, because i think the parliament need opposition voice to opposition to minister into passing the bills without any serious challenge from the house.
i agree with some PAP supporter arguement that SDP does indeed lack direction and agenda convince ppl to cast the vote for them. bu there are also some good one who we should learn to appreciate before they become extinct from singapore such as steve chia, low tk, chiam st. some argue about steve chia character to become NMP, but to me a MP job is to fight for us resident and make our area better. it is sad that his wife decided to expose his fetishes in the press. ask ourselves, which men dont watch x rated movie and keep copies at home.
what the opposition need to do in the next election is simple. go to the point where it affect every singaporean.
1. foreign worker policy.
- yes we need foreign worker and talent but from where we know in our workplace, company seem to be exploiting the situation and abuse fellow singaporean worker into wages comparison. fair to us?
2. CPF gradual restoration. economy has pick up for months. if we dont increase now, wait until when we have a downturn? we should know today economy are fragile and dynamic, where upturn could only last for 2-4 years before we going for another downturn.
3. education.
4. transporatation cost.
5. widening gap of earning.
get the votes of the ppl who are unhappy about current system. after you win the seats please fight for them and make your voiec loud enough to be heard. ppl vote for opposition not to sit inside parliament and keep quiet but to oppose policy which is not fair to the singaporean. -
Originally posted by reyes:
Next time Mr Goh Meng Seng comes here hope he can start a new forum to discuss all these topics. All the forumites can post their feedback and suggestions there.
i agree with what skyfoo mention about the state of politicing in spore.
[b]i dunno if u ppls feel the same way as me. most of those ppls who bo chap about politic one usually vote for PAP because they felt it's a norm. every elections come, same choice vote for PAP coz everybody is voting for them. also, by voting for PAP, they would live their lives as before as there's no big changes in the gov. just like 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'(dunno the real phrase)
as for myself, since i eligible to vote, i have been casting my vote to the opposition party. reason, because i think the parliament need opposition voice to opposition to minister into passing the bills without any serious challenge from the house.
i agree with some PAP supporter arguement that SDP does indeed lack direction and agenda convince ppl to cast the vote for them. bu there are also some good one who we should learn to appreciate before they become extinct from singapore such as steve chia, low tk, chiam st. some argue about steve chia character to become NMP, but to me a MP job is to fight for us resident and make our area better. it is sad that his wife decided to expose his fetishes in the press. ask ourselves, which men dont watch x rated movie and keep copies at home.
what the opposition need to do in the next election is simple. go to the point where it affect every singaporean.
1. foreign worker policy.
- yes we need foreign worker and talent but from where we know in our workplace, company seem to be exploiting the situation and abuse fellow singaporean worker into wages comparison. fair to us?
2. CPF gradual restoration. economy has pick up for months. if we dont increase now, wait until when we have a downturn? we should know today economy are fragile and dynamic, where upturn could only last for 2-4 years before we going for another downturn.
3. education.
4. transporatation cost.
5. widening gap of earning.
get the votes of the ppl who are unhappy about current system. after you win the seats please fight for them and make your voiec loud enough to be heard. ppl vote for opposition not to sit inside parliament and keep quiet but to oppose policy which is not fair to the singaporean.
[/b] -
The Opposition parties are on the ground with no national media and press to highlight everything that they do and blow their trumpet, its no wonder that most Singaporeans don't see. When you read the papers and listen to the news some times you have to understand that the press and the media will not be reporting to the opposition's favour. Commonsense will tell you this is true.
You hear of Town Councils raising charges to cap costs and the justification for such, do you know that only PAP Town Councils are raising charges and both opposition wards SPP's Potong Pasir and WP's Hougang have not? Not reported in the news.
The MP being tasked to run Town Councils was a move invented by the PAP (when they lost four seats in 1991) and it was intended to burden opposition MPs into the day to day exigencies of HDB town living and detract them from the role of checking the Govt in parliament.
Now this has backfired. Speaks volume of the quality of PAP MPs as well as the quality of Opposition MPs huh? -
As much as i would love to touch on that topic and win your favour. An answer to a sensitive question like this cannot come about without proper research and justification. Notwithstanding that, a seemingly well though out answer will almost always be shot down by a request for facts and statistics a.k.a. PAP style.Originally posted by paperchicken:So wats Chia Ti Lik stand on that ?
Any answer i give, will both find favour or rancour with different members of the forum. You cannot please everybody. People like us cannot be making sweeping statements that this is good or this is bad off the cuff. People get unhappy with my stand and they start shooting. i start shooting and everybody gets unhappy. It's too easy to fall into the usual forum discussion trap and with the greater picture in mind i have this to say:
As politicians in a minority faction in parliament (a.k.a the opposition), our roles (if elected) will be limited to exercising the primary function of parliament i.e. holding the executive accountable AND speaking for the people. AND from this basic first principle is where my answer comes:
And if (if God permits) my constituents tell me they strenously object to foreign talent, it is my duty to highlight their concerns and their arguments to the Govt ask the Govt to justify their unpopular policies and explain them to the people. -
This was reported in the Straits Times.Originally posted by Chia Ti Lik:The Opposition parties are on the ground with no national media and press to highlight everything that they do and blow their trumpet, its no wonder that most Singaporeans don't see. When you read the papers and listen to the news some times you have to understand that the press and the media will not be reporting to the opposition's favour. Commonsense will tell you this is true.
You hear of Town Councils raising charges to cap costs and the justification for such, do you know that only PAP Town Councils are raising charges and both opposition wards SPP's Potong Pasir and WP's Hougang have not? Not reported in the news.
The MP being tasked to run Town Councils was a move invented by the PAP (when they lost four seats in 1991) and it was intended to burden opposition MPs into the day to day exigencies of HDB town living and detract them from the role of checking the Govt in parliament.
Now this has backfired. Speaks volume of the quality of PAP MPs as well as the quality of Opposition MPs huh? -
We have a secular government.Originally posted by Chia Ti Lik:As much as i would love to touch on that topic and win your favour. An answer to a sensitive question like this cannot come about without proper research and justification. Notwithstanding that, a seemingly well though out answer will almost always be shot down by a request for facts and statistics a.k.a. PAP style.
Any answer i give, will both find favour or rancour with different members of the forum. You cannot please everybody. People like us cannot be making sweeping statements that this is good or this is bad off the cuff. People get unhappy with my stand and they start shooting. i start shooting and everybody gets unhappy. It's too easy to fall into the usual forum discussion trap and with the greater picture in mind i have this to say:
As politicians in a minority faction in parliament (a.k.a the opposition), our roles (if elected) will be limited to exercising the primary function of parliament i.e. holding the executive accountable AND speaking for the people. AND from this basic first principle is where my answer comes:
And if (if God permits) my constituents tell me they strenously object to foreign talent, it is my duty to highlight their concerns and their arguments to the Govt ask the Govt to justify their unpopular policies and explain them to the people. -
i am sure that some men in white may not be as clean as they seem to be, but what they do is hidden away from the media. Even if some of them have an illegitimate child or something, the media would never dare to report on it.Originally posted by reyes:i agree with some PAP supporter arguement that SDP does indeed lack direction and agenda convince ppl to cast the vote for them. bu there are also some good one who we should learn to appreciate before they become extinct from singapore such as steve chia, low tk, chiam st. some argue about steve chia character to become NMP, but to me a MP job is to fight for us resident and make our area better. it is sad that his wife decided to expose his fetishes in the press. ask ourselves, which men dont watch x rated movie and keep copies at home.
What happened to Steve Chia was unfortunate as one by one, the skeletons in his cupboard were dug out just because of his wife's foolish actions which could jeopardise his chances at the next election.
I pull no punches when i say our media hypes up the achievements of the ruling party and takes part in character assasination of oppositioon MPs who make mistakes. After all, we are only human and prone to errors. It does not matter whether we are in the ruling party or otherwise. -
I am definitely voting opposition this time around.
My first vote for opposition!