[Bukit Batok By-Election] Have you heard of the Opposition Effect?

Have you heard of the Opposition Effect?

As the Bukit Batok By-Election draws near, many people are talking about the by-election effect where voters would vote for the opposition as the outcome would not make a difference as to who formed the Government. This by-election effect is real, as the PAP has lost all of them in the recent years. But wait, have you heard of the opposition effect?

The opposition effect is where HDB property prices fall as a result of being in an opposition ward. While WP’s Low Thia Khiang went to great lengths to dispel this, online data from HDB’s resale portal tells a different story.

Using Potong Pasir as the example, let us compare the prices of HDB units sold. Unfortunately, Potong Pasir is a small SMC, so there are only a handful of transactions for the last 12 months. Small in sample size, but nonetheless sufficient to provide us with an indication.

Example 1 – Same Blk

There were 2 transactions for units of similar size. Unfortunately, there were on different levels.

After GE 2015	Blk 115 4 to 6 Floor	93 SqM	$420,000	Feb 2016
Before GE 215	Blk 115 7 to 9 Floor	93 SqM	$380,000	July 2015

What is significant is that a unit on a lower floor sold for $40,000 more. If you factor in the premium for higher floors, the difference is significant.

Example 2 –Same Size Same Floor

There were a total of 4 transactions for units of same size on similar floors.

After GE 2015	7 to 9 Floor	93 SqM	$405,000	November 2016
Before GE 215	7 to 9 Floor	93 SqM	$380,000	July 2015

After GE 2015	7 to 9 Floor	104 SqM	$560,000	October 2016
Before GE 215	7 to 9 Floor	104 SqM	$525,000	May 2015

Once again, the data shows that units on similar floors of similar size sold for more after the PAP won the ward back from the opposition.The Opposition Effect is real! If you don’t believe us, just ask your property agents. They will tell you that there are a group of Singaporeans who will never buy a HDB flat in opposition run wards.

So residents of Bukit Batok, as we already have the Worker’s Party in Parliament, having Chee Soon Juan will not make any significant difference to democracy. But it make a difference to the value of your property.

Chee Soon Juan's Redundancy Insurance Plan

Where is the $2b coming from?

Dr Chee Soon Juan has said a lot about this redundancy insurance plan that he intends to introduce. I thought it sounded wonderful. As a PME who was retrenched a few years ago, I thought what he proposed could have indeed helped me through those rough times.

That was before I went to read his proposal in detail. (It’s in the SDP manifesto, you can read it for yourself.) I had wondered how this $2b dollar scheme will be financed. Turns out, he intends for 80% of it to come from the Government (meaning taxpayers’ money right?), 10% by employers and another 10% by workers (meaning you, and me). So if I’m not wrong, this means we not only have to pay higher taxes, we also have to fork out 10% of our take-home pay?

But there is one big problem for this retrenchment insurance – the money will only go towards those who are retrenched, and stay unemployed.

My money may go towards helping some lazy bum to continue relaxing at home, rather than looking for a job. I managed to get another job within two months of being retrenched, but I had to really go out there, apply many times and attend many interviews. I even took a small pay cut. But I also had ex-colleagues who just sat on their retrenchment package, didn’t put in much effort, and only started looking for work after many months, and had a lot more trouble than me. I think if they had redundancy insurance as well, they may still be slacking at home.

I’m not going to give my hard-earned to someone else to enjoy himself for a year instead of looking for work. No way, this scheme is not worth it at all.

Bukit Batok By-Election ... Chee Soon Juan

The SDP we know now is a shadow of its former self. It used to be the leading opposition party in Singapore, with the most opposition seats in Parliament, when it was led by Mr Chiam See Tong. Mr Chiam was well-respected and a force to be reckoned with.

All of the SDP’s achievements started to crumble the moment Mr Chiam brought in Chee Soon Juan in 1992. Mr Chiam mentored and guided him, but Chee Soon Juan repaid Mr Chiam by betraying him. Eventually, Mr Chiam was forced out of the very party he founded in 1980. After that, SDP under Chee Soon Juan never won a single seat in Parliament ever again.

Karma’s a bitch.

So no matter how much Chee Soon Juan tries to say he has changed, I honestly cannot get over how he backstabbed his own mentor, and tried to make all kinds of excuses. How could he turn on someone who had brought him into politics, groomed and mentored him? To me, that says a lot of his character.

I think it’s hard to trust someone who was capable of that.

Who knows if he will next turn on the people of Bukit Batok, after they send him to Parliament?

Bukit Batok By-Election ... CSJ and Ah Ma

The following story has been circulating online. In it, SDP’s candidate for Bukit Batok By-Election, Chee Soon Juan (CSJ) is seen lamenting the plight of a 83 year-old Ah Ma earning $1,050 a month cleaning tables in a coffee shop 6 days a week.

As part of his political campaign, CSJ has chosen to focus on the plight of lower-income Singaporeans. This is an obvious attempt to tug at the emotional heart-strings of Singaporeans. Unfortunately, CSJ has chosen to tell only half the truth.

On the surface, everyone will agree that $1,050 per month is indeed low by today’s standard. As a seasoned politician and someone who claims to be very concerned about lower-income Singaporeans, CSJ should be well aware of the various government schemes in place to help this vulnerable group.

While Ah Ma would indeed earn a mere $1,050 on her own, the G supplements her income with an additional $310 in cash and additional $270 in CPF. This means that Ah Ma actually earns $1,630 per month.

A quick glance at the G schemes that Ah Ma would qualify for in 2016 ... 

	Scheme	Cash	CPF	Total (per year)
1	Workfare Income Supplement	$1,400	$2,100	$3,500
2	GST-Voucher	$500	$350	$850
3	PGP	-	$800	$800
3	Silver Support Scheme ($250 per month from July)	$1,500	-	$1,500
4	GSTV U-Save (4-room)	$220	-	$220
5	S&CC Rebates (2 months for 4-room)	$111	-	$111
		$3,731	$3,250	$6,981

CSJ is quick to point out that Ah Ma earns only $5.50 an hour and only gets 1 day off a week. Chee Soon Juan fails to offer any solution. Any G would want to pay Ah Ma more. Any G would want to give Ah Ma more off days. Perhaps, for CSJ who has not held a job in the past 20 years and yet can own a HDB and drive a car, money falls from the sky. Unfortunately, we live in the real world.

CSJ is intentionally leaving out important information to serve his own personal agendas. In fact, other than what Ah Ma receives above, Ah Ma should also qualify for a few other G schemes like CHAS, which would help to bring down her cost of living.

There is also a recent video that interviewed Ah Ma and she said she is actually rather happy working. Why? Because working is optional (as she has a family taking care of her) and she gets to exercise while working.

The key points are these:

#1 - Chee Soon Juan cannot be trusted as he will lie (or shape the truth) for his own benefit

#2 - Not everything in life should be measured in dollars and cents. And even if we insist on using dollars and cents as the measure, the G will ensure that no one is short-changed or left behind, especially if you are willing to work and earn your own living.

This is SDP's Chee Soon Juan .... Bukit Batok By-Election

This is the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) Chee Soon Juan ….

Chee Soon Juan has and continues to write to the foreign media and gives speeches overseas to condemn Singapore. His impact is small as he is generally considered a “nobody”. This will change if he is elected as a Member of Parliament.

So we urge residents of Bukit Batok SMC to think carefully. It is not just about having opposition in Parliament. It is about having opposition who are Singaporean first. The following is a compilation of his condemnation of Singapore. 

1. Chee Soon Juan sent a message to President Obama to condemn Singapore and asked him to interfere in our local politics. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yNhfIexncdc

2. Chee Soon Juan condemns Singapore to an organisation based in Oslo, Norway. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jmJQp9RsfOk

3. Chee Soon Juan condemns Singapore in Sydney, Australia. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R_-w763SHyI

4. Chee Soon Juan condemns Singapore on video for The Young Turks, and the video is for worldwide distribution. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JR-y5T9c_BA

5. Chee Soon Juan condemns Singapore on video for a conference in Dubai. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QzI0Mz2KVlU

6. Chee Soon Juan condemns Singapore at Yale. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PsWQKD4tPKk

7. Chee Soon Juan condemns Singapore to foreign media. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qermwf6bIDM

8. “…he told the Bangkok Post that Singaporeans lacked conscience, lacked morals.”

“Recently, in the episode with Australia and the drug baron, he pointed his finger at Singaporeans and said that they lacked moral conscience.”

"Beneath the facade, however, lies a society bankrupt in morality.

"We pursue everything except that which makes life worthwhile.

"The lust for things material have blinded us to values of human decency. 

"Sadly political leadership does not come naturally to Singaporeans. We have been ingrained with the notion that only the PAP has the smarts to lead this country."

http://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/topic.jsp...

9. Chee Soon Juan has also condemn Singapore to the foreign media.

He told Australia to be wary of Singtel because we're spying on Australia. It could hurt bilateral relations, and possibly even our international relations: 

http://www.abc.net.au/am/stories/s345846.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/stories/s351040.htm

Against the Death Penalty: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2005/s1513146.htm

John Tan SDP: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2418001.htm

Defamation suit: http://www.abc.net.au/correspon.../content/2006/s1742509.htm

IMF Protest: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1742489.htm

"There is no rule of law in Singapore." http://www.abc.net.au/.../singaporean-rights.../2228738

Bukit Batok By-Election - Even WP-backed The Independent Does Not Think Chee Soon Juan Will Win

Letter Published In The Independent Singapore

Dear editors,

I am a resident of Bukit Batok. You published an article yesterday which listed 10 reasons why the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)’s secretary-general, Dr Chee Soon Juan, may be elected in coming Bukit Batok by-election. But I want to list 10 reasons here why I think Chee Soon Juan will not be elected in the next election.

1. The Tharman Factor

Mr Tharman is a very popular anchor-Minister for the constituencies in Jurong, including Bukit Batok. We believe Mr Tharman will campaign hard for the next PAP candidate fielded in the constituency.

2. The Low Thia Khiang Reason

At the 2013 by-election in Punggol East, despite popular calls for the NCMPs Gerald Giam or Yee Jenn Jong to be fielded as WP (Workers’ Party)’s candidate for that constituency, WP’s secretary-general Low Thia Khiang fielded the candidate he fielded in the constituency during the 2011 GE (General Election) – Lee Li Lian.

The voters in Punggol East saw that Mr Low did not did not field a second class MP in GE 2011, and gave Ms Lee an overwhelming endorsement.

If SDP does not field the candidate it fielded in Bukit Batok constituency in GE 2015, Sadasivam Veriyah, and fields someone else, it is natural for voters like me to question if SDP offered its voters second-class candidate in the last election.

3. The Chiam See Tong Betrayal

Older voters like me have not forgotten Dr Chee’s betrayal of opposition doyen, Mr Chiam See Tong. SDP was once the leading opposition political party in Singapore. Mr Chiam had brought Dr Chee into the SDP in 1992, mentoring and promoting him.Dr Chee then proceeded to betray Mr Chiam, isolate him and force him out of the SDP. More recently Dr Chee had tried to explain what actually led to Mr Chiam’s expulsion – but it was viewed by many as throwing more mud on Mr Chiam’s face.

4. The Rebel Image

Dr Chee has consciously cultivated an image of him as being a rebel. Singaporeans are not willing to elect a rebel who engages in confrontational politics into parliament.

5. Former SDP Members who Continue to Accuse Dr Chee as being Unethical

Former members of SDP like Jeremy Chen have continued in their accusations that Dr Chee Soon Juan is less than honourable, and SDP nor Dr Chee has rebutted Mr Chen appropriately (at least as far as I know).

6. Using Foreign Media to run down Singapore

This needs no further illustration. Dr Chee has never failed to use foreign media to run down the Singapore government. This is very unlike Mr Chiam or Mr Low, who close ranks with their Singapore counterparts when they speak to foreigners.

7. The Goh Chok Tong Harassment

Singaporeans have not forgotten how Dr Chee like a pai-kia went after Singapore’s former Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, with a loudhailer in GE 2001. He lost that election miserably.

8. No Experience Running a Town Council

The SDP has zero experience running a town council. They may claim that they managed town councils when the Party had Members in Parliament. But their MPs, Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen, who were elected in the GE 91 did so badly managing their town councils that the voters decided to give them the boot at the next election. The fact is, besides Mr Chiam See Tong, who subsequently left SDP to form his own party, no one has effectively managed a town council. From rats to mosquito breeding, Bukit Batok has a number of municipal issues which only an effective town council can resolve.

9. Flip-Flopping

Dr Chee is seen to be flip-flopping in the type of candidates his Party would offer Singaporeans. In GE 2011, he fielded Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, an openly gay party member (who has since resigned), and in GE 2015, he fielded Damanhuri Abas, a leader of the ‘Wear White’ campaign (a campaign against the LGBT Pink Dot event).

10. Western-style Liberal Democracy

Dr Chee is a proponent of western style liberal democracy and freedoms. Middle class families like mine are not clamouring for more freedoms, but for bread and butter issues. Will life for me and my family be better or worse if Dr Chee is elected to Parliament?

SG General Election 2015 Candidate Chee Soon Juan

Candidate for Singapore General Election 2015: Dr Chee Soon Juan

Dr Chee Soon Juan likes to tell people that he is a martyr and stands up for democracy in Singapore.

With nomination day tomorrow, people want to know what he is really like. Hearing him talk about himself is like hearing a company say it’s very good, got high pay, big bonus and got chiobu, but after you work there you find out the pay is high because you never go home, and the only chiobu is the lao aunty who wants to set you up with her granddaughter.

So who is Chee Soon Juan? The best way to know is to ask the people who knew him or worked for him. These were what some of the people who knew him best had to say:

- Dr Vasoo was CSJ’s superior at the National University of Singapore and persuaded NUS to give Chee a job. Dr Vasoo was forced to sue Chee for libel because CSJ accused Dr Vasoo of fabricating evidence against him.

- Mr Chiam See Tong was CSJ’s mentor in SDP. Chiam had to sue Chee for illegally kicking him out of his own political party. Then Chiam had to sue CSJ again for saying that Chiam almost “killed” SDP.

- Jeremy Chen was a PhD student working for SDP. He called CSJ stubborn, jealous, egotistical and a poor leader. Jeremy was a great supporter of SDP, but ended up asking why SDP would support a leader who lacks integrity.

So Chee Soon Juan is a man who turns around and backstabs the person who gets him a job, kicks his mentor out of his own political party, defames his mentor, and makes life hell for a student who works under him.

What will he do to us Singaporeans if he gets into Parliament?!

Unseen Footage of Chee Soon Juan Heckling ESM Goh Chok Tong

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has started to re-brand themselves with a slick PR campaign. The key question on many Singaporean's mind is whether Chee Soon Juan, a man so filled with hatred for the Government and who believes in disruptive politics, can make a responsible opposition Member of Parliament (MP).

To see the hatred and the style of democracy he advocates, SG Leaks as a telling video of the man in action. The video shows Chee Soon Juan heckling Mr Goh Chok Tong.

Click here for previously unseen video. You be the judge .... to us, he will never be a responsible opposition MP.

Amos Yee - SDP's Sacrificial Pawn

Amos Yee - Singapore Democratic Party's Sacrificial Pawn?

Much has been reported about Amos Yee's now famous YouTube rant about Singapore's Founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. In Amos' YouTube, he not only uploaded content online which contained remarks against Christianity with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of Christians, he transmitted electronically an image showing obscene figures, and he made a video containing remarks about Mr Lee that offended people who viewed it.

SG Bumiputera has learnt from credible sources that Amos Yee may in fact be as innocent as he makes himself out to be. What SG Bumiptura has learnt is that Amos Yee had met with senior members of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) 2 days before his YouTube video was published. Could this be a coincidence? Or could Amos Yee be a pawn in the SDP's overall plan to discredit the government.

While we can only speculate what they discussed, what we do know is that anti-government activists are beginning to use children as "human shields" for their activities. By instigating children below the age of consent to do their dirty work, authorities either cannot take action or, if they do, they will look bad for taking actions against a child.

You decide. Is Amos Yee a misguided youth? Or a sacrificial pawn in Singapore's political game?

Singaporeans Slam Portraits of Chee Soon Juan

On 4 April 2015, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) announced the launch of Mr Chee Soon Juan's book "Teacher, Thinker, Rebel, Why? Portraits of Chee Soon Juan" on their Facebook page. Almost immediately, Singaporean netizens slammed Mr Chee Soon Juan with the following comments ...

"Get yourself elected first then get your residents to support your ideas, then present your proposals to parliament. Not sure how to do it? Learn from one of Lee Kuan Yews books on how he got self-govt from the British, got himself elected by winning the hearts and minds of the people, learnt Mandarin, Hokkien , Malay to connect with the people of all races. And behave in a civilized manner. Next election coming soon; good luck (you gonna need lots of it)"

"$ better donate to charity rather than buy d nonsenc bk"

"CSJ not interested in building the country or bring In foreign investment or create jobs. So it is a waste of time"

"Sorry, Not interested"

"Give me free also I lazy to read!"

"A journey to hell start with a first step in the wrong direction..,"

"With you all about Hope not about the reality and perfection, with you all about riots, protests & promotion of anarchy for Singapore not the peace, prosperity & happiness. With you all about bring political tsunamis, cyclones & typhoons for Singapore"

"Hey keep it for yourself , we wan to be a less courupt country pls do u hv a history about this pls lahhhhhhh"

This prompted the proponents of free speech to issue the following reminder on their Facebook page.

"Reminder: Users are invited to share their views with others and to comment on the SDP’s views and policies. We welcome debate and discussion. However, we ask that you do not troll our FB and repeatedly make statements that are unrelated to the subject at hand. We reserve the right to remove such comments."

In our opinion, an #epicfail on the part of the SDP.

Is SDP's Dr Chee Soon Juan A Changed Man?

In recent months, opposition figure of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Dr Chee Soon Juan appears to have turned over a new leaf. 

In recent public exchanges with the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) over Chee Soon Juan's on-going efforts to denigrate Singapore in front of an international audience, Chee had departed from his traditional confrontational kamikaze approach. Instead of responding with wild (and often unfounded) accusations against his detractors, Chee Soon Juan adopted a more muted stance by acknowledging the accusations and presenting his "side of the story" without any inflammatory remarks or counter-claims.

While we at Singapore GE 2016 find this a refreshing approach for Singapore opposition politicians to adopt (and which is inline with PM Lee's call for constructive politics), we are however reminded of the old proverb that "a leopard cannot change its spots." As such, much as we want to believe that Dr Chee Soon Juan (and the SDP under his leadership) can be a credible opposition in Parliament, we believe in the laws of nature and that it will be only a matter of time that Chee Soon Juan reverts to his former self.

With the future of our children at stake, we believe that we cannot take the risk and we urge Singaporeans not to be tricked by Dr Chee Soon Juan's dog and pony show.

Chee Soon Juan rebuts Chan Chun Sing

In response to Minister Chan Chun Sing's highlighting of his political failures as an example of why Singaporeans (and hence foreigners), should not give weigh to Dr Chee Soon Juan's  comments on the Huffington Post, Dr Chee Soon Juan responded that "I have, unfortunately or otherwise, chosen a different path. It is, admittedly, not a conventional path and, certainly, not one that leads to power, privilege and a high salary. In this respect Mr Chan is right, I have not succeeded."

 

Since Dr Chee has admitted that he is a failure, how does that work? Vote for me: I am a failure!

 

 

 

If Dr Chee stopped for a moment from his ongoing efforts to denounce Singapore and Singaporeans on the international stage, he would know how ridiculous this sounds. This is no different from a taxi driver saying I failed my driving test, but ride in my taxi anyway. Or a lawyer saying I failed the bar exam, but nonetheless let me defend you in court.

 

Simply unheard of.

 

In short, Minister Chan Chun Sing is saying, "trying and not succeeding is fine. Lying and not admitting is not."