2011 budget to help the Singaporean or PAP election?

[lonewolf]

Maybe DY is biased in his views about the systems working for 40 years; and while it can surely be argued that Spore under PAP has not worked for everyone, I guess perhaps an equally fair question to ask would be to name a country with a system that has benefited everyone in the last 40 yrs.

Its a rhetorical question. No such system and no such countries exists. Every country and every system has its strength and weakness. Even those countries blessed with oil riches like Brunei and other middle eastern countries.

For me the biggest credit I would give the PAP govt is for providing Spore with a political stability that serves to be the basis of our economic growth and progress over the last 40 years.

We have so many examples of countries in our region that has more resources, more people and more talent than Spore. But why has these countries failed to progress while Spore is able to comfortably trout along?

Take a look at Philippines. Yes it was a heck of a mess under Marcos but what has the Acquino revolution bought for the people of Philippines? Marcos was disposed in 1986. Has there be real progress for the country since People power threw the dictator out? For as long as I can remember, its maids remain its biggest exports and it still the same today.

How about Thailand? Like him or hate him, Thailand under Thaksin was progressing well until he was removed in a coup. And since then, the red shirt and yellow shirt has been going at it ad nauseam with no clear political end game in sight. Would the coming elections solve the impasse? You would naive to think so. Thailand is a country in decline and I dread to think what would happen when the much-love King Bhumibol Adulyadej died.

On to Indonesia. When Suharto was deposed, there was chaos in the years that followed. There has been 4 presidents since Suharto - a clown, a half-blind man, a housewife and Susilo. Was it any coincidence that things improved under Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono? I still remembered that when First REIT was first listed, I avoided it because most of its assets were in Indonesia. Now I have made First REIT my first acquisition target for the year. How things have changed for Indonesia!

Its easy to criticise the PAP govt or to blame it for all the woes or inconveniences that we are subjected to everyday. Train too crowded. Road too crowed. Too many PR. Too many foreigners. Cars too expensive. Property too expensive. Its all the govt fault.

I dare say that most of the members who are members of this site are where they are now in part becos of the stability that the PAP govt and the policies that it provides.

Would we even be discussing on where to put our money to invest in companies if we have no monies or no companies to invest in the first place? Think about it.

---

The current system has issues, and no system is the best out there. But what’s the alternative? Unless a viable opposition forms and shows itself capable of forming the entire cabinet, I will still be voting for the incumbent.

This will probably rub a lot of people the wrong way but when I discussed politics with some of my anti-PAP/pro-opp frens, I always ask them to imagine Chee Soon Juan or Low Thia Khiang or any of the leader of the opposition parties representing Spore in those international meetings like APEC summit or UN assembly etc..

Having said that, its equally disconcerting or worrisome that there is no clear successor to Lee Hsien Loong in PAP at the moment.

[newborn1000]

I think Singapore is still okay currently...........I really feel uncomfortable with the population increase and packed trains (Felt alienated)

But most of the other stuff is just politics.......If you havent got a flat, you will want the price to fall

But if you had already paid down the HDB, then obviously you will want the price to rise..........

any government will want to please the bigger group.......or try to please all with subsides lolz

[arthur]

Not true that those who has a flat would want flat prices to go up perpetually.
Its the law of mean reversion applying into every situation including MBT's law of property prices to infinity.

Those who cannot understand this law will suffer as a consequence.. and drag those who actually bought the flat with a well meaning "roof over the head".

[iisterry]

It is about secession.

Regardless of whoever is in power, there must be leadership renewal along with accountability for that responsibility.

It is not about PAP, about WP or SDP or RP or any other political party. Neither is it about LKY, JBJ, CSJ or any other icon. We need to take a larger view than that.

While Singapore has progressed over the years, it can hardly be attributed to any single person or party. Were it not for the infrastructure bequeathed by the West, the foresight of people like Albert Winsemius, along with the unyielding hard toil of our forefathers, we would likely have ended up similar to some of our neighbours.

While PAP itself has contributed some good over the years, it is hardly the self-sacrificing members that makes up its number nowadays. I believe they are currently more concerned with fine culinary courses on peanuts which is conducted once every 50 years.

When we speak of the current in-experience of the opposition members, one must remember that PAP itself was also an naive, in-experienced opposition party.

With time comes experience and if we do not give others a chance to grow and prove themselves, will we ever step out of our comfort zone?

Leadership is a heavy responsibility and definitely a place where you want a person who tinkers along based on trial and error with no fear of the consequences.

Ponder wisely and think for ourselves.

The current system has issues, and no system is the best out there. But what’s the alternative? Unless a viable opposition forms and shows itself capable of forming the entire cabinet, I will still be voting for the incumbent.

This will probably rub a lot of people the wrong way but when I discussed politics with some of my anti-PAP/pro-opp frens, I always ask them to imagine Chee Soon Juan or Low Thia Khiang or any of the leader of the opposition parties representing Spore in those international meetings like APEC summit or UN assembly etc..

Having said that, its equally disconcerting or worrisome that there is no clear successor to Lee Hsien Loong in PAP at the moment.

[koh_52]

Yoong Siew Wah (Director of ISD 1971 to 1974)

Friday, February 18, 2011
An Election Budget

What has been touted as a bountiful budget is, strictly speaking, actually an election budget. Barring anything unforseen, this year will be an election year. What has prevented the PM from naming a date so far, according to observers, is the uncertainty of the ground situation where there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction among a considerable section of the underclass. The election budget is therefore very timely as an attempt to assuage the unfavourable situation and to win over this disgruntled class. What one sees on TV are only the apparently happy faces of the population specially focussed by TV personnel for the benefit of the gullible audience. Can one imagine the counter effect any showing of unhappy faces on TV can have on the populace?

As the name implies, the election is aimed at vote-procuring (I would not use the obnoxious word vote-buying) in the general election by using the people's money. This gives the PAP wallahs a distinct advantage over the opposition in the general election because the opposition can never, in terms of financial resources, match the PAP in procuring votes in this manner. Besides the election budget, the PAP has introduced or will introduce other measures like HDB Estate upgrading and gerrymandering to ensure a clean sweep of the poll.

In view of such a great electoral disadvantage, can the opposition surmount such an obstacle in competing in the coming general election.? In spite of the PAP's apparent impregnable position vis-a-vis the general election, there is, however, considerable electoral support for the opposition partly as a result of their frequent walkabouts in the constituencies meeting the people and partly because of the animosity of some of the people towards the PAP. Therefore all is not lost provided there is unity among the opposition parties. Although the PAP seems to be a colossal force, with ingenuity a united opposition will be able to find a chink in its armour and capitalise on it.

It is not a given that the whole electorate has been bought over by the PAP's election budget. As has been said there is considerable sympathy among the electorate for the opposition and it can appeal to their good sense and fair play for their votes in the coming general election. With unity there is no reason why a united opposition will not be able to capture one or two GRCs which will really be splendid in bringing down the arrogance of the PAP leaders, especially that of the hubristic MM Lee Kuan Yew. After the recent booboo of MM Lee in disparaging the Malay/Muslim community, the opposition can perhaps count on considerable support from the Malay voters, despite the luke-warm effort of PM Lee Hsien Loong to resolve the Malay anger. As long as MM Lee does not show any humility in apologising for his aspersion, the Malays are not known to have short memories. Many of the public have predicted that the percentage of votes that the PAP will get in the coming general election will be reduced.

Finally, the Finance Minister can congratulate himself for a vote-winning election budget.

[newborn1000]

Not true that those who has a flat would want flat prices to go up perpetually.
Its the law of mean reversion applying into every situation including MBT's law of property prices to infinity.

Those who cannot understand this law will suffer as a consequence.. and drag those who actually bought the flat with a well meaning "roof over the head".

I highly doubt that most ppl even think about the law of mean reversion when 3-rms HDBs are now selling at 180k compared to 30k from eneons ago..........

I am just describing politics, do you want to please the bigger group or smaller group or try to win all.........

[thefarside]

What I have found over the years, and this is just my observation, is that people tend to accuse the ruling party of various unfairness in trying to perpetuate their rule. However, would any party in power, do anything different from what they are doing? Would WP, SDP, SDA etc not do the same - in using the resources of the state and the advantage of incumbency to perpetuate their rule?

If the current opposition in Singapore is serious about building themselves into an alternative government, we should wish them the best, and hope that they are successful as it can only be good for the country to have viable alternatives to PAP. But please have no illusions that the incumbent, especially one so powerful and successful, would make way for them. They would have to earn their credibility, mile by mile through a long journey especially when common Singaporeans are now generally well-fed, and contented with what they have.

As usual, just my opinion on current issues.

[Foxer]

What type of serious opposition would use by-election effect strategy? The opposition is ineffect giving up, admiting that that PAP is the correct party to be in power. The opposition is infact just gathering some sympathy votes.

[flinger]

There goes a credible ( or what was once considered one) opposition party. Long Live PAP!... =)

Nine members leave Reform Party
Five are from its top committee; they cite differences of opinion
By Kor Kian Beng

HE opposition Reform Party (RP) has been rocked by the mass resignation of at least nine members, including five in its top decision-making committee and a couple regarded as potential candidates for the upcoming general election.

The central executive committee (CEC) members who quit are: treasurer James Teo, 51; organising secretary Jeisilan Sivalingam, 41; youth wing chief Justin Ong, 25; and CEC members Jeannette Aruldoss, 46, and Tony Tan Lay Thiam, 41, a former government scholarship holder slated to be a candidate for the election.

Others who left include Mr Tan's wife, Ms Hazel Poa, 41, also a potential candidate; freelance writer Samantha De Silva, 27; dentist Gan Theng Wei, 35; and advertising executive Nicole Seah, 24.

Sources said the CEC members and Ms Poa quit last Friday, followed by Ms De Silva and Dr Gan this week.

Some of those who left told The Straits Times that the key reason for their departure was that they found it difficult to work with Reform Party secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam, 51.

Ms Poa, who spoke on behalf of the group, said: 'We left because we had differences of opinion. That is common in any organisation.

'We tried to work things out initially but it reached a point where no further compromises could be made. We decided it was time to part company.

'We want to thank the Reform Party for the opportunities it gave us in the past two years, and we hope it does well in the coming election.'

Asked about the group's plans, Ms Poa said those who quit were considering whether to join another party or to set up a new one.

'We still want to participate in the coming election. If we are unable to stand as candidates, we would probably help out as volunteers in other parties,' she said.

It typically takes a few months to register a new political party. The Socialist Front was registered within five months, while the United Singaporean Democrats took two months.

The next general election is due by next February, but many believe it will be held by June this year.

Mr Jeyaretnam, when contacted yesterday, confirmed the departures but said these members did not resign.

Instead, they had not paid their membership dues for more than six months and so their memberships had lapsed in accordance with the party's Constitution, he said.

He shrugged off the impact the departures might have on the party's electoral chances, saying: 'It's sad but we are focused on moving forward.'

The party is keen to contest in West Coast GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC, Hong Kah GRC and Choa Chu Kang single-member constituency, if it has enough candidates.

The latest development is not the first time infighting has hit the RP, which was formed in July 2008 by the late opposition stalwart J.B. Jeyaretnam after he was discharged from bankruptcy and two months before he died.

After his death, his long-time ally Ng Teck Siong, 69, took charge of the party.

In March 2009, the younger Mr Jeyaretnam, a hedge fund manager who returned to Singapore in 2008 after many years in Britain, joined the party. A month later, following a tiff, Mr Ng was ousted and Mr Jeyaretnam took over.

The party's membership soared in the initial months of Mr Jeyaretnam's leadership. Most of the newcomers were young, educated professionals.

Before the recent spate of resignations, it had close to 100 members.

Among its many new recruits in 2009 were Mr Tan and his wife, Ms Poa, both Cambridge University graduates with first-class honours degrees. She studied mathematics on a Public Service Commission scholarship, while he studied engineering on a Singapore Armed Forces Merit scholarship. Ms Poa worked for four years in the elite administrative service in the 1990s before resigning. Today, the couple run a tuition centre chain called SmartLab.

In May last year, the Reform Party became the first opposition party to unveil a slate of potential candidates for the next election, and in August released a draft election manifesto.

It also made news when it entered into alliance talks with Potong Pasir MP Chiam See Tong, though the move has stalled due to opposition within Mr Chiam's Singapore Democratic Alliance.

Political observer Eugene Tan, a law lecturer at the Singapore Management University, said the en masse resignations from RP were a significant development and could not have come at a worse time, with the general election imminent.

'It suggests that there are deep issues within the party,' he added.

kianbeng@sph.com.sg

[Wlla]

I think Singapore is still okay currently too