I have just come back from attenting two rallies today after school, the SPP (Singpore Peoples' Party) at Bishan-Toa Payoh and Workers' Party at Serangoon Stadium, contesting for Aljunied GRC (Group Representation Constituency).
I must say that attending the rallies was enlightening to a certain extent. It is also heartening to see that many of my fellow RI/JC schoolmates are interested in such political talks; I personally consider myself largely apathetic to politics, but with the entire of Singapore in such fervour, to not be involved is a very hard thing. Information is filtered to you by your collegues talking about the various parties around you; a tiny glimpse of the newspaper; networking sites, even. I think that for me, five years ago at the last GE I was simply too young to understand much of what was going on, maybe just a hint or two from my parents talking about various parties here and there, but also subconsciously assuming that the PAP would win most of the areas they were contesting for.
However, the situation now is rather different. One of the most hotly contested areas is the Aljunied district with the PAP against the WP. The WP have poured their top five best candidates to contest in this districts; among them, Dr Low Thia Kiang, a veteren poltician, and Chen Show Mow (think there's a typo somewhere, correct me if i'm wrong) who has lived in China for the past 30 years, but has now come back to contribute to his motherland. From what i have gleaned from the newspaper, he seems to be a brilliant individual, coming from Harvard University, top notch lwyer etc. It does seem that George Yeo, the main PAP candidate contesting in Aljunied GRC, might have a hard time securing the voters. How the people might vote can be seen from the turnout for the rallies for the political parties; at PAP, news reports of deserted stands were rife, while at WP, there was a massive turnout at Serangoon Stadium; the place was literally overflowing with people; chants of " Workers' Party! Workers' Party! .." overwhelmed me. I count myself lucky that i was able to catch the latter half of the rally, because I am at a more mature age now, and have become more interested in politics at a time when the tides might just be shifting in favour of the Opposition. There has been speculation that if the WP wins the contest for Aljunied this time round, the opposition will get a stronger footing, spurring on more contests in SMCs (Single- Management Constituencies) and GRCs the next GE. I could be witnessing the start of the slow demise of the PAP, which has dominated Singapore's political scene for most of the time after independence. This may or may not be a good thing, but i hope that if this happens, there will be a gradual, solid transition of power from the PAP to the opposition- whoever that may be that is strong enough to take on the PAP, be it now, or in the future. It will be interesting to see what happens to Singapore after the GE voting results are out. But of course, we should not emulate any example we see. I think the PAP's argument is valid when they say that the WP's theme this year (for a first-world parliament) does not really make sense. What is considered a first world parliament? That answer probably varies from country to country; there is no one-size-fits-all solution to different cultures and traditions and mix of different people of different races. What is most important is that Singapore's government continues to run smoothly and care for the people.
Of course, the political scene in Singapore is likely to change drastically if Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew were to (touch wood) pass away. Imagine if he had done so before the GE this time round. The GE would probably be quite chaotic. People still do, in their heart of hearts, respect this figure who has led us to become a more developed society. MM Lee commands a great deal of power among us Singaporeans, and the day he leaves this world will be the day that Singapore mourns. We will once more be an unsure nation, standing shakily, not knowing our identity, and whether we pick ourselves up from there and move on with newer and capable leaders taking over the helm or regress back into instability is nothing short of a huge question mark. For now, though, I really think that MM Lee should enjoy his life. He has, admittedly, done so much for Singaporeans. I do believe that it is time for him to enjoy life and reap the ripe fruits that have grown from the seeds he sowed.
On the other hand, going for the rallies was also enlightening in another aspect. For both the rallies that i have gone to, there was alot of PAP-bashing going on. The fractious opposition seems to be united only in this as part of their stand. They simply want the PAP gone. Have they ever thought about how they are going to run the country with them gone? The intentions of the opposition are good, but without a large enough backing and experience to keep things running smoothly like clockwork, i find that all they are doing now is making empty promises, building castles in the air and crafting a mesmerising song that weaves itself around the bespelled audience. Perhaps i have a different viewpoint, having only watched the two rallies on the last day- or rather night- of campaigning. But it does seem to me that that is all the speakers have been talking about. Issues like inflation, the high prices of food, GST (goods and services tax), ERP (electronic road pricing) etc have been raised. They may criticise the PAP, but what measure have they proposed? None. If they put themselves in the shoes of the ruling party, i am sure that they would have been alot more quiet. One SPP speaker ralked about the transparency of the public reserves fund. He commented on how the Government has restiricted access; no figures and statistics online or on public domains, who cite 'national security' as the primary reason. But isn't that the case? Does he really want to make the public reserves totally transparent, such that people know every single detail that goes on? What will happen if every Singaporean or even foreigners worldwide know that we have been losing money (hypothetically)? The value of the Singdollar would dramatically decrease, and the economy would collapse. Some things are better left a secret.
In conclusion, it is in my opinion that Singapore's political scene is nearing its peak- perhaps this GE, or maybe the next. Sweeping changes might occur very soon; all eyes are on Aljunied GRC and how its voters will respond. There might be mass turnouts at WP rallies and less-than-warm receptions at PAP's, but in the end, voters will scrutinise who has, or will benefit them the most, and this is evident in what they already have been provided. It will likely be a close fight in Aljunied. I am looking forward to the results- and of course, that of the other voting districts drawn out in Singapore as well.
I must say that attending the rallies was enlightening to a certain extent. It is also heartening to see that many of my fellow RI/JC schoolmates are interested in such political talks; I personally consider myself largely apathetic to politics, but with the entire of Singapore in such fervour, to not be involved is a very hard thing. Information is filtered to you by your collegues talking about the various parties around you; a tiny glimpse of the newspaper; networking sites, even. I think that for me, five years ago at the last GE I was simply too young to understand much of what was going on, maybe just a hint or two from my parents talking about various parties here and there, but also subconsciously assuming that the PAP would win most of the areas they were contesting for.
However, the situation now is rather different. One of the most hotly contested areas is the Aljunied district with the PAP against the WP. The WP have poured their top five best candidates to contest in this districts; among them, Dr Low Thia Kiang, a veteren poltician, and Chen Show Mow (think there's a typo somewhere, correct me if i'm wrong) who has lived in China for the past 30 years, but has now come back to contribute to his motherland. From what i have gleaned from the newspaper, he seems to be a brilliant individual, coming from Harvard University, top notch lwyer etc. It does seem that George Yeo, the main PAP candidate contesting in Aljunied GRC, might have a hard time securing the voters. How the people might vote can be seen from the turnout for the rallies for the political parties; at PAP, news reports of deserted stands were rife, while at WP, there was a massive turnout at Serangoon Stadium; the place was literally overflowing with people; chants of " Workers' Party! Workers' Party! .." overwhelmed me. I count myself lucky that i was able to catch the latter half of the rally, because I am at a more mature age now, and have become more interested in politics at a time when the tides might just be shifting in favour of the Opposition. There has been speculation that if the WP wins the contest for Aljunied this time round, the opposition will get a stronger footing, spurring on more contests in SMCs (Single- Management Constituencies) and GRCs the next GE. I could be witnessing the start of the slow demise of the PAP, which has dominated Singapore's political scene for most of the time after independence. This may or may not be a good thing, but i hope that if this happens, there will be a gradual, solid transition of power from the PAP to the opposition- whoever that may be that is strong enough to take on the PAP, be it now, or in the future. It will be interesting to see what happens to Singapore after the GE voting results are out. But of course, we should not emulate any example we see. I think the PAP's argument is valid when they say that the WP's theme this year (for a first-world parliament) does not really make sense. What is considered a first world parliament? That answer probably varies from country to country; there is no one-size-fits-all solution to different cultures and traditions and mix of different people of different races. What is most important is that Singapore's government continues to run smoothly and care for the people.
Of course, the political scene in Singapore is likely to change drastically if Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew were to (touch wood) pass away. Imagine if he had done so before the GE this time round. The GE would probably be quite chaotic. People still do, in their heart of hearts, respect this figure who has led us to become a more developed society. MM Lee commands a great deal of power among us Singaporeans, and the day he leaves this world will be the day that Singapore mourns. We will once more be an unsure nation, standing shakily, not knowing our identity, and whether we pick ourselves up from there and move on with newer and capable leaders taking over the helm or regress back into instability is nothing short of a huge question mark. For now, though, I really think that MM Lee should enjoy his life. He has, admittedly, done so much for Singaporeans. I do believe that it is time for him to enjoy life and reap the ripe fruits that have grown from the seeds he sowed.
On the other hand, going for the rallies was also enlightening in another aspect. For both the rallies that i have gone to, there was alot of PAP-bashing going on. The fractious opposition seems to be united only in this as part of their stand. They simply want the PAP gone. Have they ever thought about how they are going to run the country with them gone? The intentions of the opposition are good, but without a large enough backing and experience to keep things running smoothly like clockwork, i find that all they are doing now is making empty promises, building castles in the air and crafting a mesmerising song that weaves itself around the bespelled audience. Perhaps i have a different viewpoint, having only watched the two rallies on the last day- or rather night- of campaigning. But it does seem to me that that is all the speakers have been talking about. Issues like inflation, the high prices of food, GST (goods and services tax), ERP (electronic road pricing) etc have been raised. They may criticise the PAP, but what measure have they proposed? None. If they put themselves in the shoes of the ruling party, i am sure that they would have been alot more quiet. One SPP speaker ralked about the transparency of the public reserves fund. He commented on how the Government has restiricted access; no figures and statistics online or on public domains, who cite 'national security' as the primary reason. But isn't that the case? Does he really want to make the public reserves totally transparent, such that people know every single detail that goes on? What will happen if every Singaporean or even foreigners worldwide know that we have been losing money (hypothetically)? The value of the Singdollar would dramatically decrease, and the economy would collapse. Some things are better left a secret.
In conclusion, it is in my opinion that Singapore's political scene is nearing its peak- perhaps this GE, or maybe the next. Sweeping changes might occur very soon; all eyes are on Aljunied GRC and how its voters will respond. There might be mass turnouts at WP rallies and less-than-warm receptions at PAP's, but in the end, voters will scrutinise who has, or will benefit them the most, and this is evident in what they already have been provided. It will likely be a close fight in Aljunied. I am looking forward to the results- and of course, that of the other voting districts drawn out in Singapore as well.
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