Coming General Elections- what it means to you

[Panopticon-3]

well i agree wholeheartedly that what the singapore govt needs is an opposition, but i feel that the opposition parties are still not up to standard yet. i mean i understand that they have to deal with tight budgets and schedules but i feel that they need a much longer time to prepare, build up their party, get the right people and then contest the election. For example, if a party were to be just formed now, i'd suggest using this time to build up the party system, goals, everything thats essential to challenge the PAP and not take part in the next elections to make a fool out of yourself but instead, use the next few years to try and build a rapport with the residents of the particular GRC and then maybe 10 years later, contest the elections and it will definitely be a 50-50 fight, unlike what we are seeing in the current GRCs where bitchfights are so common, making them all look so petty and childish. And for a good example of an opposition party that has held well, take a look at potong pasir, even with their tight budget and lack of proper support from the govt, they still have that rapport with the people, so same for the rest. What we really need is a good opposition, that way it will rid PAP of their complacency and at least provide them a challenge to live up for


im not an activist or rebel or whatever, just my own personal views.

 

[Timex]

no way.............. 8O

 

[lilrampage]

yes way. i was there. i can testify to the size of the crowd. though i massively under-estimated it. im not very good with crowds.

I'm just waiting for the WP rally in AMK grc. anybody going?

yes i am.

btw.

PAP PWND. :lol:

 

[HeartRockSingapore]

Very well said Panopticon.

The general perception is that the PAP is all out to suppress the opposition, but I believe the PAP would also welcome a worthy opponent. In today's context, and the PAP knows it that while one-party rule is very comfortable, it is not ideal. In fact I dislike the word "opposition". The Taiwanese uses the term "Zai Yeh Dang" instead of "Fan Dui Dang".

Unless Singaporeans are easily taken by fanciful speeches and out of the world logic, what we should look for are people who have track record. Face it, many of the PAP new faces do not have track record, but they have their predecessor and a tested system where they rely on, so when in office they cannot be too far of. that is the privilege of any incumbant. so, if the "alternative" my preferred word, is really serious about helping people, they should have engage in grassroots level works long before the next general election. I am not referring to house to house visit per se, but concrete work. I think the "alternative" should be telling the voters now about programmes they will do for the next 5 years whether they win the seats or not, and better still be full-time voice of the people for the next 5 years. It is very easy to say I will be your full time MP because you will get a fat MP's pay, and at the same time draw a salary from the town council you run. Face it again, you want to show that you are serious, face the uphill tasks, caryy the cross so to speak, and walk your talk. This is how the opposition can turn into the alternative.

 

[super_punk]

i actually just read the Workers' Party manifesto. alot of the society and arts and media stuff they intend on carry out makes a lot of sense. tried to find the PAP one but counldn't find. can anyone help me out?

 

[detroit_red]

well i agree wholeheartedly that what the singapore govt needs is an opposition, .

A rebel has views that differs from the norm. Your "opposition not good enough for me" view i've heard one too many times.

 

[lilrampage]

the PAP manifesto is hardly something to read.

http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2006/yax-578.htm

 

[imcorn]

hmm.. looks like got new twist in the JM issue, getting more and more drama liao.. gosh..

 

[thor666]

Just came back from the WP rally. Listened to 3 speakers, 2 of which were newcomers. Am disappointed generally at what I've seen. I've said that the opposition generally should do more than check and balance, and from the WP leaflets, they do have the planning to do so.

However, it doesn't seem to get across on the rally. The content of the speeches sounded off more like mudslinging festivals. Which makes it even the worse - I have this nigging feeling nothing concrete will be highlighted at the ruling party's rally.



With regards to the opposition helping out at grassroots level, I don't have any proof, but I suspect it is not easy or possible for the opposition to ever help in any way in a ward they have not won. Chicken and egg; damned if you do, damned if you don't. From what I can sense at the rally, particular members of the WP have done their work at the grassroots level in the Hougang ward, and some have not had the support of their supporters perhaps for some reasons.

 

[guitarman78]

With a pinch of salt ... what the Oppositions claims about inflating prices in transportation and many other sectors, unemployment, Wage VS purchasing Power issue, Medical care, etc ... these are issues that deserves to be looked into ... working adults will understand this better.

Allowing more oppositions will make the dominant party think twice before they raise price again ... and will push to government to work harder to provide better service to the community. If everybody votes for the PAP .... then PAP will be given the power to do whatever they want to do ..... which is dangerous.

I'm not saying that PAP is bad or anything .... but for any nation including Singapore to make sound decisions for the nation ... we need more voices from the floor ... for the people. This can offset any selfish decisions any parties can make.

It doesn't matter whether the Opposition wins or not ... we just need more voices in the cabinet before the parliment makes a sound decision. Think about it.

 

[guitarman78]

You may wanna try this ...

http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/

http://www.sfdonline.org/

http://www.wp.org.sg/

http://www.thinkcentre.org/

Not trying to promote anything ... but well knowledge is power ... just read it and discern it for yourself ... you will never know the price for a comfortable life when you have no liabilities.

 

[Kengz]

You know, I'm probably not as into this election thing as many are, but I know some of the promises being made by MPs to their potential voters. Improving the lives of residents by upgrading lifts/flats etc are noble things, let's not lie.

What I think is cool though is a party who is able to promise a better future for Singaporeans in terms of education, more so when talking about Universities. As we all know, local Universities are made up of large numbers of JC students and international students, followed by a minority of Polytechnic and ITE (though rarely) students. What should be proposed is a plan to to help students unable to enter local Universities by subsidising their fees should they have no choice but to look abroad. Or they could open up more slots per class in local Us to facilitate a larger intake of students. Furthermore, Polytechnic and ITE students can be considered specialized in their respective fields. Surely they have a foundation?

Of course, while MPs themselves are unable to render aid directly, they could at least bring matters such as this to the top. I just find it funny that other countries have so many top-class Universities that has room for international students, on top of providing sufficient spaces for their own LOCAL students.

 

[HeartRockSingapore]

Kengz, very sensible and practical thoughts. I hope you are not a victim of bureucratic uni admin.

 

[thor666]

I'm a little lost as to what you're referring to: students who can't make it into uni because of money issues, or students who cannot enter because of a limit in intake?

For the record, the intake in NUS is increasing every semester. And also, the government has reiterated its massive subsidies in school fees to Singaporeans seeking a local university education. (Why foreign students receive comparable subsidies is beyond me, but that's not for me to criticize.) The reason for a price hike is to relieve the government's expenditure on such subsidy given the increasing costs of education and resources.

Links to the tuition fees for NUS can be found here.
http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/graduate/info/fees3yrs.htm
https://team.nus.edu.sg/registrar/info/gd/fees3yrs_annex_a1.pdf

The school and the government has also highlighted various loans, scholarships and bursaries that students can apply for.

The only thing I have on this issue as and when NUS (studying there now) and perhaps other universities can give details of cost cutting measures undertaken before justify the price hike, and to reduce future price hikes from recurring frequently.

 

[xspace]

Nice and good read

The media usually wont be my first venue...

 

[kgwZ]

I tried to apply some mathematics to see if Gomez was lying, you can take a look at the results on my blog:
http://kennygoh.blogspot.com/2006/05/to-lie-or-not-to-lie-arguments-on.html

Feel free to leave a (constructive) comment. Thanks!

 

[xspace]

Very innovative... I like it...

 

[Vaiyen]

kgwZ: Respect.

you're damn cool in my book.

 

[Vaiyen]

This photoessay is very interesting to read...

http://www.yawningbread.org/photo_essay/pew-05/pew-0500.htm

 

[Tribalcast]

Ooh bloody hell why math. :lol: But anyways innovative nonetheless.