Anti pap, or genuinely here for country
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Well.. if you associate with them all the time, they can brainwash you. But let's stop making this kind of comment again, shall we? It does not help anyone to get their points across if it has to end up with this kind of comments. None of us likes to be called brainwashed.Originally posted by EmptyCage:Hahah...... can opposition brainwash when it does not even have much access to reach out to 3+ million Singaporeans?
Yes, partly because you said you don't trust GMS. Not because of your distrust, but because you were not able to substantiate your distrust. And when asked you just said you are 'lazy'. How can a lazy thinker's words be credible? Who knows if you are saying he cannot be trusted because you happen to be in a 'lazy' mood?
And also because of all people here, you don't trust him and he happens to be a member of an opposition party. So many posters here, how come you only don't trust him? If you are treating kindly the neutral posters and only gunning for opposition, doesn' t this sound like what PAP does?
But anyway, since you clarified, then I shall leave it. Your recent post is objective enough. Enough said.
EmptyCage
I believe I have now stated quite clearly enough why I do not trust him.
As for targetting him, the reason is he post a lot compares to others, not because he is opposition. Surely you would agree he attracts attention. And I personally do not like one-sided information, hence my comment.
Additionally, you may like to know I have also disagree with Barracuda before on the thread: Fear: real or perceived. A proof of me not only disagreeing with opposition, but others as well. -
Okay, I shall stop the unnecessary labelling.
However I still don't agree with your point that distrust of someone is based on perceiving that he/she has an agenda.
As much as what I said, I still respect politicians both PAP, WP and others. I think they don't have an easy job to do.
EmptyCageOriginally posted by Qitai:Well.. if you associate with them all the time, they can brainwash you. But let's stop making this kind of comment again, shall we? It does not help anyone to get their points across if it has to end up with this kind of comments. None of us likes to be called brainwashed.
I believe I have now stated quite clearly enough why I do not trust him.
As for targetting him, the reason is he post a lot compares to others, not because he is opposition. Surely you would agree he attracts attention. And I personally do not like one-sided information, hence my comment.
Additionally, you may like to know I have also disagree with Barracuda before on the thread: Fear: real or perceived. A proof of me not only disagreeing with opposition, but others as well. -
Credit given where it is due. At least you are one of the more honest ones here.
EmptyCageOriginally posted by Nelstar:I don't see how I can engage in political activities since I'm more biased than PAP, more critical than Opposition and I'm still screwed up in life. I'm still in the midst of not having enough free time to engage in many things I want to do.
When I argue against these ideas or solutions. I'm not totally against them. I just want to understand more. When they start bashing PAP like there's no tomorrow. I just feel they are no better than who they bashed against.
I don't see why they should start gauging and weighing the pros and cons like we deserved to be spoonfed these ideas of theirs.
In most societies, the people are more passive and are not strong participants in politics. They still managed to strive and live, though conditions may not be better.
What I'd like to highlight is that credibility counts more than anything. Less than 5% makes the decisions, more than 95% suffers. Thus these people who wants to make a difference have to ensure the big audience listens to their speech.
As for what you said in Red, I hope you understand that I'm trying to learn more. If I wanna be totally passive, I would have ignored this forum all together. -
Dear Nelstar,
I know exactly what you mean, believe me. That's exactly what I have written for Hammer issue last year.
As I have already declared, I am here to show that opposition party like Workers' Party does have ideas and even Vision for Singapore. And they could prove that they have substance, if only they are given the opportunity to reach out to more people.
That's politics anyway.
Here's my article:
http://www.wp.org.sg/news/hammer_online/05_critique_opp.htm
By Goh Meng Seng
Initially it seemed strange to write a "self-critique" in the Hammer that is supposed to propagate our political ideas. However I believe that any constructive and self-evolving political party should have both the ability to "criticise" its "opponents" as well as the courage to do a "self-critique" and "self-evaluation". It is only by doing so, that the party will be "reborn" again with greater strength to fight another battle and I believe that the Workers' Party, under the new leadership of Mr. Low Thia Khiang, is open enough and has the strength for self-reflection.
The first question I asked myself is this: "Is it a coincidence that the PAP won 75% of the votes in the last election?" Many critics of the PAP would jump into their war-gears and start shooting all sorts of "explanations" - unfairness or the lack of transparency in boundaries redrawing exercise, the expanding of the GRC system, the $13,000 deposit, the short campaign period allowed, and NSS handouts... the list goes on.
On the other hand, the PAP supporters and those who are sceptical about opposition parties would point to the "fact" that many opposition candidates only appear during election time and would disappear after the election. Well, some of the PAP's new candidates also appear not long before election time! The only difference is that the PAP's new candidates could acquire their political strength from the groundwork that their seniors had done within the GRC framework.
Opposition politics in Singapore had for decades been based merely on "Opposing". I am not saying that there is anything wrong with "opposing" or giving constructive criticism of the PAP government. However, this is not enough.
If we take the election process as a "Market of Free Choice", then the candidates who participate in this "market" are the "salesmen" and "saleswomen" who are trying to sell their parties' brand name. What we have seen so far indicates that most of us have rather "ineffective" sales persons as candidates. Why is it so? It seems that opposition parties would lose their "identities" without the PAP! Opposition politics has so far been defined as "opposing the PAP". These sales people have only one thing in common: making all sorts of criticisms against the PAP. Is this really "enough" to convince a customer to choose your products and services? Any good business person or sales person will tell you that such selling techniques would never work in the long run. It is only through "promoting" your own products and strengths that your sales can be improved.
Except for Hougang and Potong Pasir, we have had successes in the past that did not last long. Why is that so? It is basically because these short and "sweet" successes had been built on the opponents' (PAP's) mistakes or negligence in serving those constituents and not built upon the strengths of the opposition candidates. HDB upgrading and goodies might have lured the voters to give the PAP back these wards, but why did such tactics not work for Hougang and Potong Pasir?
We should stop blaming others and learn from our failures instead. PAP's victory is by no means a "coincidence". Although those new PAP candidates might not have done anything substantial for the people prior to their involvement in politics, the PAP must have done some things "RIGHT" for the people. After all, it is the political party that voters have chosen to be the government. We can argue that the PAP has all the advantages as a government and can take control of all grassroots networks. As such, it has the means to reach out to the people and control the playing field. This may be true but this should not stop opposition parties from counteracting.
The Workers' Party has reflected on its political direction and aims. We are aware that merely "opposing" the ruling party is not enough. We must also embrace the true spirit of SERVING the people. Walking the ground is merely a basic and fundamental political exercise we do weekly. There are other important and meaningful areas of work such as standing up for the less privileged, organizing various activities for the community, and co-ordinating social and voluntary work for the needy, etc. These are some items in our "report card" which we could show the voters in the next election. It demonstrates that we are not merely an "opposition party", but a political party that really cares for the welfare of our people.
In the spirit of "Pro Singapore, Pro Singaporeans", we will strive to be an opposition party that goes beyond "opposing politics". We sincerely hope that we can garner the support of all like-minded Singaporeans. We hope that they will lend us both financial as well as moral support to work towards our vision of a better and caring Singapore.
You do not need to be a party member in order to join us in serving the people. You can volunteer your service by being a part of our Hougang Youth Action Committee.
Goh Meng Seng is a member of the Workers' Party and the 2nd Treasurer for the Hougang Youth Action Committee. He has an Honours Degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and runs his own business. -
Nah,when comes to politics,Singapore not even close to 50% democratic!Originally posted by miong:PAP is denying many Singaporeans right to vote by forming GRCs.
I dare say Singapore politics is NOT 100% democratic. -
CenturionMBT,you are asking the impossible man.Let me quote an example.If ur handphone spoil,u give it to a person name A to repair.Now a guy name B comes in,and u turn to demand B to repair ur handphone while it still in the hands of A,do u think B can repair it?Of coz he cant,he didnt even know whats wrong with ur hp as he didnt even have the chance to take a look at it!Same here,opposition parties didnt even have the chance to take over PAP n rule this country,how the hell do u expect them to come up with all the plans n all the resolutions?Even if they did,PAP will normally just wipe out their ideas as they even have difficulty in voicing out their opinions in the parliament as they have only "2 seats" in it!When u counter a problem,then u can try to solve it.But the PAP wont even let them have a chance to "touch" the problem,how the hell are u expecting the opposition to solve the current problem we are facing?Originally posted by CenturionMBT:As far as i know, the "innovative economy" trend has been implemented for the past few years. But how successful it is, we will have to wait and see.But as for the post about governments not working through plans etc. Lets take it this way, i as a potential voter want to see the goals for your party. And i want to see what you can offer to me and how you are going to deliver it to me. I want to see its benefits. Right now you are just a sales man. And a sales man don't sell his products by attacking another company's product only. He must show in depth knowledge of what he is offering.if he can't, his product simply can't sell. So i don't mind you attacking the weak points, but you must proove to us that what you have is something that the other party doesn't have. Now, is that simple enough? -
Well said.Originally posted by drawer:CenturionMBT,you are asking the impossible man.Let me quote an example.If ur handphone spoil,u give it to a person name A to repair.Now a guy name B comes in,and u turn to demand B to repair ur handphone while it still in the hands of A,do u think B can repair it?Of coz he cant,he didnt even know whats wrong with ur hp as he didnt even have the chance to take a look at it!Same here,opposition parties didnt even have the chance to take over PAP n rule this country,how the hell do u expect them to come up with all the plans n all the resolutions?Even if they did,PAP will normally just wipe out their ideas as they even have difficulty in voicing out their opinions in the parliament as they have only "2 seats" in it!When u counter a problem,then u can try to solve it.But the PAP wont even let them have a chance to "touch" the problem,how the hell are u expecting the opposition to solve the current problem we are facing?
You describes the political situation in Singapore well. In fact this is the situation in many countries.
Except that Singaporeans cannot spot this because 1) they don't understand the role of opposition or how politics function or both 2) they don't venture into new things when it comes to politics..... this also extends to other areas like career.
EmptyCage -
Sian ah,u know i really hate politics,but whenever i read newspaper,or watch TV,those PAP politicians really act like a big f**k.they always talk big u know or not,especially those on top.If they talk big but they are running this country well,fine.But the thing is every single day,our country is going downwards.Jobs opportunity are getting fewer n fewer,the living cost is getting higher n higher,n those boss are becoming more n more demanding,SIBEI SIAN AH!!!!Sometimes i feel that i like suffocating like that,if we dont speak out really will choke to death ah!
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I think our golden period is already over liao,many ppl also think the same.Many ppl say in the 70 n 80's,we are the best!But when comes to 90's under that "Lou Goh rules",our country started to slide down liao,now the angle of sliding is going deeper n deeper......sian.....
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I HATE POLITICS.
I AGREE WITH PAP that REFORMING and RESTRUCTURING is CRUCIAL in TODAY's SOCIETY.
But I GMS that PAP MIGHT POSE as a POTENTIAL THREAT to all the 'restructurings'. Alot of times they're just slapping their own mouths. I'm NOT saying they're NO GOOD or I can DO BETTER.
I'm just saying that they've got TOO MUCH AUTHORITY. Loosen up a bit, the GOVERNMENT (not just PAP alone) can pose a BETTER POTENTIAL. But of course, natually would expect it to suffer more 'internal injuries'... -
forget about the upper middle class and higher class income group in singapore as they are PAP stronghold.
also forget about 50+ auntie as most of them are also PAP supporters.
i think most woman below 30 are also PAP supporters because they cant care less about politics. forget about most civil servants as they worried ticket are being track to affect their rice bowl.
who left? target those 40+ above who faces mid career crisis that dont mind voting for a change as they have nothing to lose.
taxi driver who are being squeese by their own union, who squeese them to make huge profits for the organisation.
but few of you and myself who will support for a stronger opposition voice in the parliament so that singapore will not become another suharto dynasty or guomingdang era that behinds mountains of problems after changing of power. simply because they are in power too long that the ground are rotten and uncheck.
to those singaporean who take no side, i think they are quitters. because they dont care about singapore future nor do they wana be part of it. -
I appreciate what the ruling party has done for us over the years. I agree with CenturionMBT when we opposed we should have a better solution. As the saying goes, give the solution - not problem.Originally posted by goh meng seng:First of all, you must be able to differentiate between the country, the govt and the ruling party.
Anti-PAP isn't equating to traitor or "unpatriotic". And the word "opposition" itself has a bad connotation which I never like. I prefer to use "alternative party".
As for what you have said about having "concrete" plans for Singapore, step by step...etc etc. I think you are mistaken; running a country doesn't go like this.
If it is so, then PAP has failed badly. Where is the vision of PAP for Singapore? Any concrete vision? At least I have provided one; the Innovative Economy. Does PAP fulfill its last election promise of "Jobs Jobs Jobs"? No. There are still many jobless, so many that PAP admits that we are most probably going to have a persistent unemployment of 4% or more for the years to come.
And it seems that to the PAP, only cutting wages could save itself as well as the economy. Isit the case around the world? If that is so, countries that have high wages would not be progressing at all! Thus it would seem that PAP is the problem for Singapore's future economic development, if it continues to believe in such uncontested formula.
The Innovative Economy that has been tested successfully in places like Finland and Sweden requires a total revamp of the political culture we have in Singapore. PAP has resisted such a change for whatever reasons and thus become an obstacle to Singapore's economic well-being for the next phase of development. For patriotic reasons, we have to deal with PAP's resistance to reform the political structure first before we could proceed toward our next phase of economic development. So is this considered anti-PAP or patriotism itself?
Goh Meng Seng
I am tired of listening to how much the minsters are getting and where our CPF goes. As far as I am concern, the country should make reasonable progress, improving standard of living and is in peace and harmony. That's what matters most. Sometimes u may see some opposition party set up booth somewhere in areas like bukit batok, putting up chart on how much the ministers are earning - i think that is load of crap! i want our leaders to have solution, not the problem.
I m neutral wif regard to ruling or opp party. The party can promise many things, but we vote based on our trust in them and based on our judgement that these pple will lead singapore into a better future. Sometime, not everything promised can be fulfilled. It is really a situational thing. They promise more jobs, yeah right - more jobs but if the nation is choosy - there will always be jobless no matter how much the government do.
A country is like a household, a family. The parents are like the government, they are the wise one who has been through life and should - most of time - know what's best for the children and bring them up accordingly. Now when the children grow up, its time for them to take on a job and start out on their own. The children can choose not to work and at the end of the day, the parents cannot force them to work.
I do accept the fact that we do need some form of competition to keep us competitive and to a certain extend - push us forward. Of course, it will be good to see 'real' opp party competing, but are we Singaporeans, able to handle this freedom? Will we throw baskets at each in the parliament? When we achieve political freedom, how sure are we that these rulling party and opp parties are doing it for the country/pple and not for their won personal lust for power? Do not underestimate the craving of power in some individuals.
I am not an expert in the field of economy, but do agree that wage cutting is not the long term solution to a poor economic situation, simply because inflation will still be there. I am not taken in by those announced inflation rates, but just look at the things around - how many actually deflat over this years? Many government around the world suffers record-breaking deficit because of social benefits and the various economic policies to substain the country's well-being. In Singapore, we can't really afford that as we do not have natural resources to defend our economy. Having a weak economy is like our body is low on immune system.
I won't demand for a concrete plan but at least a vision on what Singapore's should be heading - not complain about this and that - any yet no solution.
Just my 2 cents worth... -
I appreciate what the ruling party has done for us over the years. I agree with CenturionMBT when we opposed we should have a better solution. As the saying goes, give the solution - not problem.Originally posted by goh meng seng:First of all, you must be able to differentiate between the country, the govt and the ruling party.
Anti-PAP isn't equating to traitor or "unpatriotic". And the word "opposition" itself has a bad connotation which I never like. I prefer to use "alternative party".
As for what you have said about having "concrete" plans for Singapore, step by step...etc etc. I think you are mistaken; running a country doesn't go like this.
If it is so, then PAP has failed badly. Where is the vision of PAP for Singapore? Any concrete vision? At least I have provided one; the Innovative Economy. Does PAP fulfill its last election promise of "Jobs Jobs Jobs"? No. There are still many jobless, so many that PAP admits that we are most probably going to have a persistent unemployment of 4% or more for the years to come.
And it seems that to the PAP, only cutting wages could save itself as well as the economy. Isit the case around the world? If that is so, countries that have high wages would not be progressing at all! Thus it would seem that PAP is the problem for Singapore's future economic development, if it continues to believe in such uncontested formula.
The Innovative Economy that has been tested successfully in places like Finland and Sweden requires a total revamp of the political culture we have in Singapore. PAP has resisted such a change for whatever reasons and thus become an obstacle to Singapore's economic well-being for the next phase of development. For patriotic reasons, we have to deal with PAP's resistance to reform the political structure first before we could proceed toward our next phase of economic development. So is this considered anti-PAP or patriotism itself?
Goh Meng Seng
I am tired of listening to how much the minsters are getting and where our CPF goes. As far as I am concern, the country should make reasonable progress, improving standard of living and is in peace and harmony. That's what matters most. Sometimes u may see some opposition party set up booth somewhere in areas like bukit batok, putting up chart on how much the ministers are earning - i think that is load of crap! i want our leaders to have solution, not the problem.
I m neutral wif regard to ruling or opp party. The party can promise many things, but we vote based on our trust in them and based on our judgement that these pple will lead singapore into a better future. Sometime, not everything promised can be fulfilled. It is really a situational thing. They promise more jobs, yeah right - more jobs but if the nation is choosy - there will always be jobless no matter how much the government do.
A country is like a household, a family. The parents are like the government, they are the wise one who has been through life and should - most of time - know what's best for the children and bring them up accordingly. Now when the children grow up, its time for them to take on a job and start out on their own. The children can choose not to work and at the end of the day, the parents cannot force them to work.
I do accept the fact that we do need some form of competition to keep us competitive and to a certain extend - push us forward. Of course, it will be good to see 'real' opp party competing, but are we Singaporeans, able to handle this freedom? Will we throw baskets at each in the parliament? When we achieve political freedom, how sure are we that these rulling party and opp parties are doing it for the country/pple and not for their won personal lust for power? Do not underestimate the craving of power in some individuals.
I am not an expert in the field of economy, but do agree that wage cutting is not the long term solution to a poor economic situation, simply because inflation will still be there. Many government around the world suffers record-breaking deficit because of social benefits and the various economic policies to substain the country's well-being. In Singapore, we can't really afford that as we do not have natural resources to defend our economy. Having a weak economy is like our body is low on immune system.
I won't demand for a concrete plan but at least a vision on what Singapore's should be heading - not complain about this and that - any yet no solution.
Just my 2 cents worth... -
Dear Mujiland,
I think something must be changed in your perspective. The mindset of having the govt as the nanny.
Well, you need to open up your eyes. 3 out of the top 10 of those mentioned in World Economic Forum are economies that have BOTH Social Welfare as well as GOVT BUDGET SURPLUS. Sweden, Swiss, Finland.
We have been drilled in about the "evil" of social welfare, but I think we seriously need to look deeper into the issue before we accept PAP's version of political discourse. Not only these countries become the top competitive countries in the world, they have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve a truly Democratic Socialist state without having accumulate huge budget deficits. Why?
I am not going to provide my views on these as it is politically sensitive, but you may want to take a second look into this.
Goh Meng SengOriginally posted by mujiland:I appreciate what the ruling party has done for us over the years. I agree with CenturionMBT when we opposed we should have a better solution. As the saying goes, give the solution - not problem.
I am tired of listening to how much the minsters are getting and where our CPF goes. As far as I am concern, the country should make reasonable progress, improving standard of living and is in peace and harmony. That's what matters most. Sometimes u may see some opposition party set up booth somewhere in areas like bukit batok, putting up chart on how much the ministers are earning - i think that is load of crap! i want our leaders to have solution, not the problem.
I m neutral wif regard to ruling or opp party. The party can promise many things, but we vote based on our trust in them and based on our judgement that these pple will lead singapore into a better future. Sometime, not everything promised can be fulfilled. It is really a situational thing. They promise more jobs, yeah right - more jobs but if the nation is choosy - there will always be jobless no matter how much the government do.
A country is like a household, a family. The parents are like the government, they are the wise one who has been through life and should - most of time - know what's best for the children and bring them up accordingly. Now when the children grow up, its time for them to take on a job and start out on their own. The children can choose not to work and at the end of the day, the parents cannot force them to work.
I do accept the fact that we do need some form of competition to keep us competitive and to a certain extend - push us forward. Of course, it will be good to see 'real' opp party competing, but are we Singaporeans, able to handle this freedom? Will we throw baskets at each in the parliament? When we achieve political freedom, how sure are we that these rulling party and opp parties are doing it for the country/pple and not for their won personal lust for power? Do not underestimate the craving of power in some individuals.
I am not an expert in the field of economy, but do agree that wage cutting is not the long term solution to a poor economic situation, simply because inflation will still be there. I am not taken in by those announced inflation rates, but just look at the things around - how many actually deflat over this years? Many government around the world suffers record-breaking deficit because of social benefits and the various economic policies to substain the country's well-being. In Singapore, we can't really afford that as we do not have natural resources to defend our economy. Having a weak economy is like our body is low on immune system.
I won't demand for a concrete plan but at least a vision on what Singapore's should be heading - not complain about this and that - any yet no solution.
Just my 2 cents worth... -
If ur hp spoil, do you give guy A who has experience repairing one or do you give it to guy B who has no experience but keep boasting tat he knows wat to do ?Originally posted by drawer:CenturionMBT,you are asking the impossible man.Let me quote an example.If ur handphone spoil,u give it to a person name A to repair.Now a guy name B comes in,and u turn to demand B to repair ur handphone while it still in the hands of A,do u think B can repair it?Of coz he cant,he didnt even know whats wrong with ur hp as he didnt even have the chance to take a look at it!Same here,opposition parties didnt even have the chance to take over PAP n rule this country,how the hell do u expect them to come up with all the plans n all the resolutions?Even if they did,PAP will normally just wipe out their ideas as they even have difficulty in voicing out their opinions in the parliament as they have only "2 seats" in it!When u counter a problem,then u can try to solve it.But the PAP wont even let them have a chance to "touch" the problem,how the hell are u expecting the opposition to solve the current problem we are facing? -
Sgsentinel!Originally posted by sgsentinel:If ur hp spoil, do you give guy A who has experience repairing one or do you give it to guy B who has no experience but keep boasting tat he knows wat to do ?
What if experienced guy A has tried to repiar it but has failed and seems to be unable to repair it?
Do you keep letting the guy who has tried and failed still keep at it?
Remember the experienced guy A started out without experience as well.
How did we end up talking about handphone repair?
Anyway, how many PAP fellas when they first entered politics had prior experience? -
What if A & B can't do any sh!t to repair the HP?
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Either replace A & B or replace the HP.Originally posted by Nelstar:What if A & B can't do any sh!t to repair the HP? -
Wow.Originally posted by SnowFlag:Either replace A & B or replace the HP.
If it can be replaced as easily as mentioned. life would be very easy like a damned hp. -
The scenario was stated clearly that when the hp is spoilt, it was given and considered now in the hand of guy A who claimed to have experience repairing it. And up till now, it is not repaired. Shouldn't i sack him and give guy B a chance to repair it since it's spoilt anyway.Originally posted by sgsentinel:If ur hp spoil, do you give guy A who has experience repairing one or do you give it to guy B who has no experience but keep boasting tat he knows wat to do ? -
Originally posted by greengoblin:
anti-PAP sentiment might be intellectually unstimulating but the pro-PAP chorus here is intellectually wanting!
I believe what CenturianMBT wants is a place where we can discuss all topics political and not just anti-PAP sentiment topics... it is damn boring you know and intellectually unstimulating
[/b] -
What is the diff between YAC and YP?Originally posted by goh meng seng:Dear Nelstar,
I know exactly what you mean, believe me. That's exactly what I have written for Hammer issue last year.
As I have already declared, I am here to show that opposition party like Workers' Party does have ideas and even Vision for Singapore. And they could prove that they have substance, if only they are given the opportunity to reach out to more people. That's politics anyway.
Here's my article:
http://www.wp.org.sg/news/hammer_online/05_critique_opp.htm
By Goh Meng Seng
Initially it seemed strange to write a "self-critique" in the Hammer that is supposed to propagate our political ideas. However I believe that any constructive and self-evolving political party should have both the ability to "criticise" its "opponents" as well as the courage to do a "self-critique" and "self-evaluation". It is only by doing so, that the party will be "reborn" again with greater strength to fight another battle and I believe that the Workers' Party, under the new leadership of Mr. Low Thia Khiang, is open enough and has the strength for self-reflection.
The first question I asked myself is this: "Is it a coincidence that the PAP won 75% of the votes in the last election?" Many critics of the PAP would jump into their war-gears and start shooting all sorts of "explanations" - unfairness or the lack of transparency in boundaries redrawing exercise, the expanding of the GRC system, the $13,000 deposit, the short campaign period allowed, and NSS handouts... the list goes on.
On the other hand, the PAP supporters and those who are sceptical about opposition parties would point to the "fact" that many opposition candidates only appear during election time and would disappear after the election. Well, some of the PAP's new candidates also appear not long before election time! The only difference is that the PAP's new candidates could acquire their political strength from the groundwork that their seniors had done within the GRC framework.
Opposition politics in Singapore had for decades been based merely on "Opposing". I am not saying that there is anything wrong with "opposing" or giving constructive criticism of the PAP government. However, this is not enough.
If we take the election process as a "Market of Free Choice", then the candidates who participate in this "market" are the "salesmen" and "saleswomen" who are trying to sell their parties' brand name. What we have seen so far indicates that most of us have rather "ineffective" sales persons as candidates. Why is it so? It seems that opposition parties would lose their "identities" without the PAP! Opposition politics has so far been defined as "opposing the PAP". These sales people have only one thing in common: making all sorts of criticisms against the PAP. Is this really "enough" to convince a customer to choose your products and services? Any good business person or sales person will tell you that such selling techniques would never work in the long run. It is only through "promoting" your own products and strengths that your sales can be improved.
Except for Hougang and Potong Pasir, we have had successes in the past that did not last long. Why is that so? It is basically because these short and "sweet" successes had been built on the opponents' (PAP's) mistakes or negligence in serving those constituents and not built upon the strengths of the opposition candidates. HDB upgrading and goodies might have lured the voters to give the PAP back these wards, but why did such tactics not work for Hougang and Potong Pasir?
We should stop blaming others and learn from our failures instead. PAP's victory is by no means a "coincidence". Although those new PAP candidates might not have done anything substantial for the people prior to their involvement in politics, the PAP must have done some things "RIGHT" for the people. After all, it is the political party that voters have chosen to be the government. We can argue that the PAP has all the advantages as a government and can take control of all grassroots networks. As such, it has the means to reach out to the people and control the playing field. This may be true but this should not stop opposition parties from counteracting.
The Workers' Party has reflected on its political direction and aims. We are aware that merely "opposing" the ruling party is not enough. We must also embrace the true spirit of SERVING the people. Walking the ground is merely a basic and fundamental political exercise we do weekly. There are other important and meaningful areas of work such as standing up for the less privileged, organizing various activities for the community, and co-ordinating social and voluntary work for the needy, etc. These are some items in our "report card" which we could show the voters in the next election. It demonstrates that we are not merely an "opposition party", but a political party that really cares for the welfare of our people.
In the spirit of "Pro Singapore, Pro Singaporeans", we will strive to be an opposition party that goes beyond "opposing politics". We sincerely hope that we can garner the support of all like-minded Singaporeans. We hope that they will lend us both financial as well as moral support to work towards our vision of a better and caring Singapore.
You do not need to be a party member in order to join us in serving the people. You can volunteer your service by being a part of our Hougang Youth Action Committee.
Goh Meng Seng is a member of the Workers' Party and the 2nd Treasurer for the Hougang Youth Action Committee. He has an Honours Degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and runs his own business.
and what business do you run anyway? -
The opposition is here to give views from different angles. It is not important whether they are anti-PAP or not. The important thing is whether they can bring development and progress to our country or not.Originally posted by CenturionMBT:Are the opposition here because they are anti pap or do they truely love their country? I just want to question their motives. Are you here because you love this place or because you hate the current party? How many of you here can give out concrete plans for this country, step by step in detail? How many of you are here simkply because you are discontent. Frankly, Most of the time i just step aside and let all the topics go on. But sometimes, i see the topics as more anti pap then patriotism. I always wanted speakers corner to be one that would benefit the country, not one where people take pot shots and spew discontent. How different would this be as compared to sammyboy if that is the case?Well, i advocate free speech, and i won't close topics this easily. I just want to see how sincere you are to this country.
Plans for the country:
Promoting sports to all
We all know that our local football is not performing well. And we also have our own kelong league or S. League. In our kelong league, we have 2 foreign teams and 8 local teams. The problem with FAS is that, bringing foreign teams does not improve our local football. First of all, they are foreigners, they will go back to their own countries one day. Next, these will only bringing in rivalry. Since Sinchi is from China, and Albirex is from Japan. Improving weak teams like Balestier and Tanjong Pagar, upgrading the standards of stronger teams like Young Lions, Tampines and Home United, will improve our overall performance one day. Old folks should be invited to watch local games and school students would be given a student rate on the entrance fees. The current $5 entrance fee does not really serves an attraction to attract people to come to the stadium.
Congestion problem
Due to our constrain in land resources, we cannot do too much road widening on our roads. However, we should resolve in other ways. For instance, go underground. Our government should have already been developing underground system (MRT) together with the pace of our nation development. Too much congestion will eventually reduce our morale, as we reach our working place under a lot of stress, thus, reducing productivity. Bus companies would be appreciated to provide their services, with a better quality, and not driving slowly (most SBS drivers drives very slow). With the opening of NEL, SBS should not have reduce or remove bus routes serving the North East Region.
Local Pay TV
We should not let Starhub Cable TV do the monopoly. The consequences of allowing Starhub Cable TV to continue with their monopoly is that, they will increase their prices anyhow. That puts a constrain on our consumers, which is not right for consumers, at the time when the economy have not recover completely. -
Solving congestion by going undeground isn't the way to go.Originally posted by PJ_Quek:Congestion problem
Due to our constrain in land resources, we cannot do too much road widening on our roads. However, we should resolve in other ways. For instance, go underground. Our government should have already been developing underground system (MRT) together with the pace of our nation development. Too much congestion will eventually reduce our morale, as we reach our working place under a lot of stress, thus, reducing productivity. Bus companies would be appreciated to provide their services, with a better quality, and not driving slowly (most SBS drivers drives very slow). With the opening of NEL, SBS should not have reduce or remove bus routes serving the North East Region.
1st, it is not easy to go underground. Remember that in the past, singapore, has a lot of swampy areas. These areas are now developed into housing estates, industrial park etc. To go underground, they have to go deeper than previously dug. And often in many parts of singapore, there are marine clays underneath the hard rocks that has been used to fill the evaulated swamps.
They have to dig very deep amidst the marine clays, inorder to build up the foundation for taller buildings/undergroud mrt etc.
2ndly, I personally feel that there is a limit on how much we can go underground. Why? It is like hollowing the ground that the tall buildings stand upon. Yes, they can build underground support.
But do u think it is good if there are a lots of underground in singapore? Ever wonder it may not be easy to rebuild the tall buildings where there is already underground tunnels underneath.
Conclusion, there is a limit on how much we can go underground. -
Ok maybe for expressways mrt stations etc. But other than that can't do much.Anyway, the new Paya Lebar Expressway is being built, circle line is also being built. We gotta wait till these are complete and observe for a few months before we can say anything about congestions.If all else fails, then perhaps we could offer more express bus services? More alternative bus routes etc. Million and one ways. But we gotta wait and observe first.
And buses are limited to 50kmh they seriously won't go faster.
As for the scv monopoly, well, introduce a new company, why not? But that is provided that the market is big enough to substain 2 companies.Otherwise the weaker one will lose out and fall. Everything will be back to square one.