Singapore General Election 2015: Vision for Singapore

We have a vision for tomorrow, just believe, just believe

Over the last few days of campaigning, one question that I have heard from my friends repeatedly is –What will I get if I vote for PAP? More of the same?

WP says – vote for me, get minimum wage

SDP says – vote for me, get free healthcare

RP says – vote for me, get child and elderly support

HHH says – vote for me,  get your CPF back

What has PAP said?

“Please vote for me and my PAP team, so that we can keep improving Singaporeans’ lives and make our plans and dreams come true” – Lee Hsien Looong

Is that a collective “cheeeeey” I hear? PM – how to get votes liddat?

But here’s the thing – PAP is the only party that is expected to deliver on their promises. PM cannot just run off and promise to build a gigantic dome that keeps the entire Singapore air-conditioned (though side note – whoever can make that happen, gets my vote man).

So we should probably give the PAP some credit for being the only party fighting against the cries of “more, more, and more.” I mean, if our current leaders just want to stay in power for a couple more terms, collect their salaries (yes, I know, million-dollar salaries) and retire, all they got to do is spend the reserves and keep people happy. Free education? Sure, why not! Free healthcare? Sure, why not! Free transport? Sure, can even throw in a free bicycle or two.

Singapore has leapfrogged from mudflats to metropolis. We are now among the top global cities; there is no blueprint for us to follow.  But that doesn’t mean that we can remain at status quo. There are still challenges for us to overcome – changing demographics, widening inequality, and increasing regional competition. These will be hard to tackle and there’s no quick fix. If we don’t continue to push, the only place to go is down.

So relook what PAP is promising you.  Making lives better and providing more opportunities is not as easy as it sounds. And yes, Singapore will have to keep working and fighting to remain successful – no two ways about it.  But if the PAP presses on with policies such as improving pre-school education and SkillsFuture - policies which are decidedly unsexy – maybe that’s how they will make sure that dreams continue to come true in Singapore.

So as the song goes … We have a vision for tomorrow, just believe, just believe. 

Singapore Election 2015: Why I Continue to Support the PAP

An amazingly simple but powerful video by a PAP supporter on why she continues to support the PAP. She gets it right by saying that much has improved since 2011 and that only by working together with the Government can we continue to achieve as a nation.

Singapore General Election 2015: Ministerial Salaries

Every once in a while when the opposition trolls run out of things to say, they will invariably raise the issue of Ministerial Salaries to push their agenda that the PAP Ministers are out of touch with Singaporean. However, before you get mislead by this misinformation, did you know that the Worker's Party (WP) and the People's Action Party (PAP) agree on the quantum of ministerial SALARIES to be paid?

A look back at the SALARY debate in 2012 will show that the WP's proposal is very similar to that of the review committee set-up by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. In fact, the WP proposed a higher starting monthlySALARY for ministers.

The full story can be found at AsiaOne. #sgelections #ge2015

Why I Support the PAP

This Article on Why I Support the PAP first appeared on Swinging Singapore

There is so much negativity about Singapore and our government, especially in the internet forums. So I decided to compile a list of debating points for the government supporters now that elections are in the air again.

Singaporeans are fond of complaining and they end up forgetting what a great country we have. Here is a list of all the great things that our country has achieved.

Singapore’s achievements under the PAP

1)We are the 3rd richest country in the world. The richest is Qatar which is heavily dependent on its oil wealth. (With oil price declining as a result of fracking, they may not remain on top for much longer.) It is quite an achievement for us to reach the 3rd place without any natural resources. 

2)Our education system is ranked 1st in the world by the OECD. 

3)The World Health Organization ranked Singapore’s health care as the 6th best in the world. Our health care is rated most efficient in the world by Bloomberg. This is in terms of getting value for money. We spend less on health care, but still live longer. In fact, our life expectancy is the second highest in the world at 83 years, exceeded only by the Japanese. 

4) The crime rate is low. How low? Since lesser crimes are sometimes not reported, it is best to compare the murder rate because murders are always reported. Singapore’s homicide rate is 0.2 per 100,000 people, making it the 3rd lowest in the world. 

5)What about corruption? Transparency International has ranked us as a 7th least corrupt country in the world. 

6)Another important measure of national well being is the unemployment rate. According to the CIA Factbook, Singapore has the 9th lowest unemployment rate at 1.9% for the year 2014. A complementary statistic is the Labor Force Participation Rate which measures the % of the population who holds jobs. We have the 10th highest Labor Force Participation Rate. 

This statistic is used by economists to rectify the limitations of the unemployment rate. The problem with the unemployment rate is that the discouraged unemployed person who has given up looking for work  is not counted. It only counts jobless people who are actively seeking jobs. 

7)Singapore’s taxes are low. The common perception is that our taxes are high because of COE, ERP and PARF. The public image is that of a greedy, grasping government out to take our hard earned dollars one way or another. This is totally false. Our taxes are in fact one of the lowest in the world. See this link comparing company, income and Good & Services (also known as Value Added) taxes around the world. 

I will just compare GST for a few countries. In Singapore our GST is just 7%. Value Added Tax (another name for GST) in the Sweden, Australia and China are 25%, 10% and 17% respectively. Admittedly, only Singapore has COE. So the best way to compare how much money our government takes from us is to look at tax revenue as % of GDP. 

Fortunately, someone has done the compilation for the entire world and we can easily compare. The Singapore government only takes 14.2% of our GDP. Let’s compare with other developed countries like the US, France and Japan. The respective figures (see link) are 26.9%, 44.6% and 28.3%. So our government takes very little money from us. 

Yet, the government is able to give us good health care, schools, safe streets, etc. that is better than most of the First World Countries. Despite spending less money, they have managed to save money and we have huge reserves. Compare this to the indebtedness of most First World governments. For example, the US government owes creditors $18 trillion! Greece is broke and other PIGS (portugal, Italy, Greece & Spain) are also in bad shape. 

All these statistics spell a good, competent government. Don’t just take my word for it. The World Bank also thinks so. Each year, it sends out a report card for each nation called the World Bank Governance Indicator. It rates each country according to six criteria:

1)Voice and Accountability

2)Political Stability and absence of violence

3)Government Effectiveness

4)Regulatory Quality

5)Rule of Law

6)Control of Corruption

We scored better than 95 percentile for 5 of 6 categories. It is only in ‘Voice and Accountability’ that we got a middling score of 52 percentile. This is like getting 5 ‘A’ and 1 ‘C’ in school. This is an excellent report card from the World Bank. 

Yet, I have heard ceaseless complaints over minor things like MRT breakdowns, too many foreigners, high ministers’ salaries and issues regarding the CPF. Such things are minor issues compared to what we have achieved under the PAP led government - a rich country with top notch schools, healthcare, low crime, low corruption, low unemployment etc. Most of the complaints are in fact non-issues. The unhappiness is due to sheer ignorance. I will go through all these hot topics one by one.

MRT breakdowns

I don’t understand why some people think we got a bad government whenever our trains break down. Train breakdowns happen in all cities and people in other cities are less quick to complain. They seem to understand better than Singaporeans that all electro-mechanical devices break down once in a while. 

Trains break down in the London Underground. They also break down in New York. They also break down in Hong Kong. They also break down in Paris. I don’t think it is possible for something so complex as a train system not to ever have a breakdown. The key thing to ask is how often our MRT breaks down as compared to trains in other First World cities. 

The only statistic I could get was from the New York subway. According to the New York link above, there was a mechanical failure for every 153,382 miles in 2013. I don’t have comparable statistics of our MRT. What we should do is to learn from the best in the world and improve the reliability of our MRT. But expecting it never to break down is unrealistic. The people who appreciate our trains are the foreigners. One even said that the breakdowns are 100 times worse in London. 

I have not come across a study about the reliability of trains in all major cities so that we can tell where we stand. But judging from rankings of our health care system, education system, per capita income, my guess is that we would probably find ourselves again in the top ten best in the world. Following complaints about the train breakdowns, I am sure our government will get MRT to do something to make our trains more reliable.

But remember, reliability, like all good things in life, costs money. They have to install more backup systems which cost money. So expect the train tickets to increase in price and don’t complain when it does. Because you asked for it. 

Complaints about foreigners

The common complaint is that there are too many of them and they are taking away our jobs. The problem is that most people are like a rabbit on the ground while they should be a bird. A rabbit on the ground can only see a short distance ahead. His vision is blocked by nearby obstacles. So it cannot see that beyond a mound, there are fresh carrots growing. A bird in the sky can see the big picture, but not the rabbit. 

The big picture is that Singaporeans are not reproducing ourselves. The average birth rate per woman is 1.2. For Chinese Singaporeans it is even lower. We need to have 2.1 to maintain our population. 

This means that we need to ‘import’ 0.9 person per woman in order to maintain our population. Those with Employment Pass may apply for PR and later for citizenship. Of course, these 0.9 people per woman will compete with native born Singaporeans for jobs. But had this 0.9 person been born in Singapore, you still have to compete with him/her for the job. The point is that if Singapore does not have such a low fertility rate, we would not need so many foreigners but competition for jobs will be just as fierce.

If immigrants don’t come, our population will decline and our economy will suffer frequent recessions. You only have to look at Japan whose aging and declining population acts as a drag on their economy. Their economy stagnated since 1990. They too have low birth rate, but they are xenophobic and do not welcome foreigners. 

Some Singaporeans counter-argue that we can automate to lessen the need for foreign workers. Yes, automation can help to increase productivity, but there is a limit as to what it can do. Again, look to Japan. They are among the world leaders in robotics and they still cannot overcome their economic problems. 

There is one other point that the ‘rabbits’ on the ground cannot see. While foreign workers compete with Singaporeans for jobs, they also keep costs down. For example, our SBS buses are driven mostly by foreign workers. They are also repaired by foreign workers. That is why our bus tickets are cheap compared with other global cities. In London, a bus ride cost at least 2 British pounds or the equivalent of S$4. 

High Ministerial salaries

Yes, our ministers enjoy the highest salaries in the world. But they are probably among the poorer ministers in the world. The dirty secret is that politicians all over the world get rich one way or another. This is the big picture. 

I would love to know how rich our ministers are compared to those of the rest of the world. It is difficult for anyone to assess the wealth of all the world’s leaders. But every now and then, we get an inkling of how much money politicians make. Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that the PM of Malaysia, Najib Razak received US$700 million in his personal bank account. This has sparked off a political crisis in Malaysia.

In 2012, the New York Times reported that family members of former Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao have billions of dollars of assets. How did his 90 year old mom, who was only a schoolteacher before her retirement became so rich, so fast? Of course, the Prime Minister is  not so stupid as to put the money into his own bank account. Only the Malaysian PM does that. 

Former President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela convinced (or is that conned?) his people that he was the champion of the poor and got elected. He sure got very rich being their champion. (His family has US$550 million in liquid assets besides owning 100,000 acres of land.) In the process, he ruined his country with his Socialist policies. There are shortages of nearly everything, including toilet paper. This is despite that fact that Venezuela is an oil rich country. (Promising people free things is the easiest way to win votes. But it will bankrupt the country some day. A corrupt, irresponsible leader does not care for he will be rich long before that happens. )

I think our Lee Hsien Loong is poor compared to these leaders. 

But it is not just in Third World countries that the politicians get rich. While there is less corruption in the First World, most politicians in the First World also get rich legally or illegally. See the book, ‘Throw them all out’, on how US politicians get rich.  

A good example is former President Bill Clinton. His net worth is estimated to be US$80 million. In the book, ‘Clinton Cash,’ the author connected the dots pointing to at least unethical and possibly corrupt ways Clinton made his wealth. His wife, Hillary Clinton was the former Secretary of State. As the Secretary of State, she had to approve the purchases of American companies by foreigners. 

A Russian company wanted to buy a  Canadian company which owned uranium mines in the US. The Clinton foundation received a big donation from the Canadian mining industry and Bill Clinton  was paid $500,000 to make a speech by a Russian bank. Hillary approved the deal. Was it a coincidence? Unlikely in my view. But proving corruption is difficult.

Notice that Clinton’s estimated wealth of $80 million is far lower than the estimated wealth of Wen Jiabao’s and Hugo Chavez’s families. The US is a clean country like Singapore. So the less corrupt the country is the poorer the leaders are. For your information, the US is ranked 17th least corrupt country by Transparency International as compared to 7th for Singapore. 

What politicians want the most is power. With power, gaining wealth legally or illegally becomes easy. Power and money also make the politicians attractive to girls, which is important to womanizers like Bill Clinton. They all say they want to serve the people, but most just want to gain power and wealth. 

By paying themselves high salaries, our politicians at least are honest enough to admit it. It is human nature to want to look after your own family and getting wealthy is the time honored way of doing it. 

What is important is the results. I prefer a well paid leader who did a good job than a lowly paid one who did a bad job. Better to pay them well over the table than for them to get money from under the table. Taking bribes mean making bad decisions that cost taxpayers far more money than paying them higher salaries. 

Ministers must not be overpaid, but their salaries must be competitive with what they can get in the private sector. After one term as a minister, they would have acquired  valuable experience and contacts that makes them highly sought after in the private sector. So if you don’t pay them well, the good ones will leave. 

Singapore’s leaders have done a good job and so let’s not begrudge them their salaries. With their high salaries, they are unlikely to be the poorest politicians in the world. But they are still among the poorer ones because politicians all over the world get rich - one way or another.  

Unhappiness about the CPF

There are two main complaints about the CPF:

a)The first complaint is that we no longer can withdraw all our CPF money at 55, as before. Unhappiness over this issue has led to all sorts of bizarre theories. This is all nonsense as a result of sheer ignorance. 

The reason is that we are all living longer. When the withdrawal age of 55 was first set in the 1950s, our expected life expectancy was 63 and so could retire at 55. Today it is about 83. So we all have to retire later. That is why we cannot retire and take out all our money at 55. Because many people unwisely spend their money, the government decided to give the money out slowly in the form of an annuity. 

One bizarre theory circulating on the internet is that the government has lost money investing our CPF money and thus have no money to repay. This is nonsense because the GIC and Temasek accounts have been profitable. These companies have been audited by reputable international accountants. 

Even if it is true, our government can always raise money by taxing or printing more money. So there is no possibility that they cannot pay our CPF money.

b)The CPF interest rates are too low. Some people noticed that Temasek Holdings have been earning a rate of return of 16% per year since it started. So why are we paid between 2.5% to 5% interest rate by the CPF. But this argument falls, because CPF money is risk free. On average, CPF is paying us about 4% interest rate. This is higher than the risk free rate which means they have been generous. 

I challenge you to find a risk free investment that gives you 4% interest rate in Singapore. The highest yielding risk free investment is the 30 year Singapore government bond. It gives a yield of about 3% p.a. and you have to wait 30 years to achieve this 3% p.a. return. 

You cannot compare the return with what Temasek is earning because Temasek’s investments are risky. They can and do lose money.

Singapore General Election 2015: Freak Election Results

This is a cool video we came across from a Citizen Sane. It is aptly titled "A Sanity Check".

Starring ... PM Lee Hsien Loong, Minister Chan Chun Sing, Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister Heng Swee Keat, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Pritam Singh, Mr Tan Jee Say and Everyday Singaporeans.

SG General Election 2015: What is important!

Leadership, not Parliament, matters in improving the lives of the people

The elections are coming. As a political science student who has spent the last three years learning about political developments around the world, I feel I have an obligation to share what I have learnt to ensure that Singaporeans make an informed choice before they head to the polls. The Worker’s Party call in the last election was to vote them in to achieve a First World Parliament. Having studied the political developments in several first world democracies in my political science classes so far, I find Worker’s Party call naïve.

Just look at the USA. President Obama recently stated his frustration that his administration was unable to pass gun control laws. The Economist did not mince its words when they said that progress on gun control was politically impossible. In fact, China, a developing economy ruled by a communist dictatorship, was making more progress in tackling climate change than America on its tightening gun laws. A democracy does not ensure the right things are done and that the welfare of the people are a top priority.

You might say that the USA is so different from Singapore. Its history and culture makes it hard to compare properly with Singapore. In that case, let’s look at Malaysia, our closest neighbour with a shared history and culture.

No reasonable person will disagree that Malaysia is a democracy with a strong opposition. Two elections ago in 2008, the ruling Barisan Nasional BN coalition government lost its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat (Malaysian Lower House of Parliament). The Opposition coalition continued to deny the BN a two-third majority in the last election back in 2013. Some would argue that Malaysia has a First World Parliament because of its boisterous and strong presence of opposition lawmakers.

But a democracy does not promise a corruption-free government where leaders uphold the highest standards of integrity. It also does not guarantee that the leaders put the lives of its people first and do what is right for them.

The ongoing saga involving 1MDB, Najib’s sacking of deputy prime minister Muhyiddin and the arrest of the deputy public prosecutor and others in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission have sent shockwaves across Malaysia’s political scene. It has even prompted PM Lee to express his concerns about Malaysia's stability. Clearly, this ongoing saga teaches us that the quality of leadership and governance matter more than having a First World Parliament.

People in every country deserve the highest standards from their MPs and ministers. Singaporeans have been extremely fortunate that the high standards of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his Old Guards colleagues made it possible for Singapore to achieve and maintain a reputation of a First World Government. It is not a  coincidence that so many foreign leaders come to Singapore each year to learn Singapore’s secret. From my own experience, my university classmates from ASEAN countries always tell me how impressed they are with Singapore’s performance in curbing corruption and its achievement in keeping it a clean and green city.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s passing in March this year was the end of an era. Granted, the current Cabinet under Lee Hsien Loong’s leadership is not the same as Lee Kuan Yew’s old guards.  But they continue to deliver, growing our economy and raising incomes across all levels over the years. Having researched on economic development for my classes, I now know how difficult it is for a city state without natural resources to enjoy growth amidst tough competition from neighbouring cities who are ceaselessly striving to improve themselves.

It is easy for a political party not in power to criticise. It is even easier for political parties to promise the sky and dangle carrots like spending more money to reduce the burden on Singaporeans. But come this election, Singaporeans owe themselves and the future generation a duty to scrutinise what they are saying carefully. Every seat in Parliament will be contested and there will be no guarantee that it would be business as usual if we do not elect the right leaders. Whichever way they vote, once the votes are cast and the results are out, there will be no turning back.

Nicholas Phng

Singapore General Election 2015 - The Real Business of Politics

Singapore General Election 2015: Real (Correct) Politics in Singapore

Since PM Lee Hsien Loong’s acceptance of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee’s (EBRC) recommendation on 24 July 2015, social media has caught election fever.

The usual suspects of alternative websites (TOC, TRE and ASS) have started to distort information, rehash old issues and make malicious attacks on the Government and its Ministers. Thankfully, in recent months, the proverbial middle-ground and silent majority have started to speak-up and challenge opposition trolls and instigators. This bodes well for Singapore General Election 2015 as Singaporeans will now be able to make a more informed decision on whom they think can better lead Singapore into the future.

When the new electoral boundaries were first announced, to be honest, I too was taken aback. My initial sense of fair-play was challenged and I was indignant that our Government would not play fair. After my emotions had settled, I began to reflect on whether a constantly changing boundary was necessarily a bad thing. I concluded that firstly, Gerrymandering (common in all democracies even in the United States) did not benefit the PAP. Unlike the past where the PAP was dominant with 80% of the popular votes, unless the PAP is now prepared to give-up some Divisions to the opposition, gerrymandering in reality forces the PAP to spread their support base across multiple Division. This in turn benefits the opposition as the margin to win, is likely to be a few percentage point. So why do it? Perhaps it is as PM had mentioned – to address population shifts.

Secondly, and what I believe to be the more important of the two points, is that gerrymandering helps to filter the real political parties from the opportunists. As Kenneth Jeyaretnam famously said, the “General Election is not a once in 4 or 5 year event where opposition parties show up, distribute flyers and should rhetoric.” The General Election concerns the future of Singapore and Singaporeans and real political parties work and walk the ground on a daily basis. If a political party has done that, it does not really matter if the boundaries are redrawn. The voters will know.

So gerrymandering while seemingly unfair on the surface, actually helps the real political parties stand-out from the opportunists. It is obvious that parties like Singaporean First do not really care about Singaporeans. The extent of their ground work is to do a few walk-about, distribute their manifesto and then call for Singaporeans to vote for them if they want change. My question is what have you done for Singaporeans first, to have earned the right to represent us? And there are many more political parties like that.

For all their imperfections, I can see that the PAP actually helps everyday Singaporean. I see them and their party activists on the ground on a daily basis. For opposition political parties who are genuine in helping Singaporeans, there is nothing stopping them from having their own weekly Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) or raising funds for the needy. It is whether they want to or not. At the heart of real, and I might add correct, politics is the intention of helping people. To me, I don’t care how much you know, until I know how much you care.

In short, show me you care first, before asking for my vote!

Singapore GE 2015: More Aid for Single Mothers ... Who said it first?

More Aid for Single Mothers ... Who said it first?

It’s definitely not true that Workers’ Party Lee Li Lian mooted the idea that single mothers should receive the same type of benefits as wedded mothers. Talk is cheap, so take a look at the warriors who have raised the matter in Parliament and taken concrete action to help single mothers.

#1 : In 2009, NTUC's Women's Development Secretariat (WDS) launched a special help scheme for single mothers. The project ‘WeCare for U’ was launched by then NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say. WDS also collaborated with the Law Society of Singapore to produce a comprehensive guidebook [http://bit.ly/1LUltmi] so that single mothers have a better understanding on custody, care and maintenance of children.

 

#2 : In 2010, Marine Parade MP Seah Kian Peng talked about how unwed mothers should be treated as "mothers first and singles second", urging that they should be given benefits like maternity leave.

 

#3 : Mr Wee Siew Kim, then MP for Ang Mo Kio, was also concerned if single mothers and their children are eligible for universal infant and childcare subsidies, government subsidies for healthcare and education, social assistance and 2 days of statutory childcare leave per year under the Employment Act. 

 

2. It was in 2013 when unwed mothers were given the same amount of infant-care and childcare leave as their married peers. Still, MP Seah Kian Peng continued to ask for unwed mothers to be given the same maternity leave and childcare benefits as married mums. Then Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing noted that the call to give unwed mothers the same benefits as married mums is valid. It is also worthy to mention that Mr Chan was raised by his single mother.

 

MSF’s recent announcement that the benefits for single mothers are being reviewed is a signal that the Government continues to recognise such needs and support, regardless of the marital status of the children’s parents.

Clearly, the author of that article need to double check the facts before going around to claim merits for WP. In light of the looming General Elections, some articles have begun to resurface and taken out of context in a bid to twist facts and mislead the public. All these are platforms for WP to validate that they have an ‘outstanding’ report card, and Singaporeans should vote for them. Remember, talk is cheap. So don’t be taken in by false information and understand the facts before jumping to conclusions. 

SG General Election 2015: Opposition Manifesto and False Prophets

Opposition Meet to Divide Up Singapore

It was reported that Singapore opposition parties will be meeting this Friday (31 July 2015) to discuss how to divide up Singapore at the General Election 2015.

I don’t know about you, but I find this meeting extremely discomforting.

From what I understand, a political party’s manifesto is its published declaration of their intentions, motives, or views and their own prescriptive notion for carrying out changes. So if there are multiple political parties, it is logical to assume that they should all have different manifestos.

If multiple manifestos exist, then a political party that does not believe enough in its own manifesto, and is willing to bargain with other political parties on where they can run, it can only mean that their manifesto is merely a false front to deceive voters. To these political parties, the prize is not the betterment of Singapore or the lives of Singaporeans, but a game of getting into Parliament to disrupt the Government.

Yes, Singaporeans want an opposition voice in Parliament. However, since not all political parties are genuine, Singaporeans should not vote blindly for the opposition. For Singapore to continue to prosper under any Government, the correct opposition must be voted into Parliament. The opposition voted into Parliament must be one that is credible and who has the interest of Singaporeans at heart.

The litmus test is to see which political party agrees to divide-up Singapore …

Who will win Singapore GE 2015 ...

Why the middle ground must remain rational for the sake of our children's future

 

The upcoming Singapore General Election 2015 is going to be a hard-fought battle.

 

The opposition Worker's Party (WP) had pulled off an unprecedented feat of winning a GRC and the win would have encouraged many educated Singaporeans to join the fight against the People's Action Party (PAP). The WP's bench, in terms of depth and strength, is now within striking range of the PAP's. The main thing working against the WP is the legal, financial and moral issues surrounding AHPETC. Unaccounted monies, favoritism to friends and cronies, and blatant lies to Parliament. All this shake the confidence of the electorate so unless the WP comes clean, these doubts will hurt the party at the General Elections.

 

The incumbent PAP on the other hand goes into the battle with a perceived upper hand, but with two clear Achilles heels - their refusal to trade short-term populist policies for the long-term survival of Singapore and their absence on social media.

 

Policy Trade-Offs. The new generation of voters, especially those who did not experience the growing pains of a young nation, have come to expect the good life. The Singaporeans of today are no longer happy to have a roof above their heads. They now want a roof which is nice, a roof that is free, and a roof that appreciates in value. The angst over the CPF is a classic example which activists like Roy Ngerng and political wannabe like Tan Jee Say exploit. Roy and Jee Say are telling Singaporeans that they deserve the good life. There is nothing wrong with this. Aspirations are good. But what Roy and Jee Say do not tell Singaporeans is that they need to work for it. Instead, they tell Singaporeans that it is the Government's responsibility to give the good life to every Singaporean. And, if they want it, vote them into Parliament and they will get it. 

 

Social Media. With an electorate that no longer relies on main stream media for news and information, the PAP's absence on social media means that they will no longer be able to "communicate" effectively with Singaporeans. Alternative sites that are anti-PAP thrive and, given that the contributors are not bound by a journalist code of ethics to be truthful and objective, good and well-intentioned government policies are distorted to suit the political agendas of the opposition. Social media also allows the opposition to fight a guerilla war against the Government by spreading untruths via the fabrication and sensationalization of news to portray an uncaring government and a government that has lost touch with the electorate. Without a social media presence, the PAP lacks the ability to counter these lies.

 

Looking at the election landscape, I often describe it via a bell-curve. Generally, 30% of the electorate is assessed to be pro-PAP with another 30% being anti-PAP. The balance 40% are considered the crucial middle-ground who have not decided. It is important to highlight that I did not describe the 30% as pro-opposition, but as anti-PAP. This is an important distinction as this segment hates the PAP so much that it does not matter who the opposition is. As long as they oppose the PAP, this segment will vote for them.

 

Given this landscape, the only election strategy that any of the political parties can adopt is to fight for and win the swing votes. Assuming you already have 30% in the pocket, all you need is another 21% to win. Broadly speaking, the 30% in the bell curve are too emotional. For the anti-PAP camp, nothing the PAP does is ever right. If it is good, then there must be a catch. This is similar for the pro-PAP camp. As such, there is no easy way to convert the votes of these two segments. This then leaves the middle-ground. The middle-ground is assessed to be the rational voters. These voters are those that would consider the pros and cons, the cost and benefit and the consequences or advantage of the choices presented. Unfortunately, this segment while rational, are also human and they are prone to being manipulated by their emotions.

 

For the PAP, the true danger of the middle-ground is the fear that they want the PAP in government, but want to signal their unhappiness of the PAP's policies. As one cannot control who votes for whom, a miscalculation could end up with a freak election result where the PAP is voted out of government. In my assessment, the loss of Aljunied GRC in the 2011 General Election was a freak election result. The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's statement that the residents of Aljunied would live to repent their choice pushed many to vote WP to signal their unhappiness over Mr Lee's statement. And as things are unfolding now, the residents of Aljunied GRC are suffering for their choice.

 

General Elections in Singapore, be it for 2015 or even the next two, will not be about choosing a more capable political party. In the foreseeable future, the dominance of the PAP is unquestionable. For General Election 2015, the true determining factor of who will win, will be on how voters choose to signal their unhappiness over the PAP's reluctance to mortgage our future for short-term gains. In short, if voters miscalculate, a freak election result will be the outcome and the best party to govern Singapore will have lost.

 

While unorthodox, voters have a third option. If voters truly believe that the opposition is not capable, but they want the PAP to know their unhappiness and to work harder for them, voters should signal by spoiling their vote. The percentage of spoil votes has remained largely in the 5-6% range. Any spike in these numbers will be a clear indication to the PAP that the electorate is unhappy. Spoiling a vote minimizes the risk of a freak election result. For the sake of our children's future, please do not throw the baby out with the water. 

Date of Singapore's next General Election: GE 2015 or GE 2016

Stoked by netizens and political coverage by the main stream media, the number one topic of conversation around dinner tables this month is the date of Singapore's next General Election.

Pundits and political observers have pointed out that what was to have been a Singapore General Election 2016 (GE 2016), is now highly likely to be a GE 2015 instead. Many reasons have been given to support this theory. Chief amongst them is that the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) needs to ride on the positive sentiments the passing of Singapore's first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, generated to be re-elected.

This is what the opposition want Singaporeans to think. Which is far from the truth.

Singapore opposition parties want the rational (but all important) middle-ground to think that the PAP is no longer the Government of choice. Singapore opposition parties want the middle-ground to think that the PAP's days are numbered with the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. And Singapore opposition parties want the middle-ground to think that the PAP of today is not as capable as the PAP under Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Thankfully unlike other Asian countries, where founding leaders cannot let go, the PAP has instituted a systematic and robust leadership renewal process. Since Mr Lee Kuan Yew stepped-down in 1990, while he did remain in Government for several more years, he no longer made the decisions. This can be seen from the policies that subsequent Cabinets implemented which had, among them, policies that Mr Lee Kuan Yew had publicly opposed when he was Prime Minister. To me, this makes it clear that it was the PAP and not Mr Lee Kuan Yew that has been leading Singapore 1990s. If they could do it since then, there is no doubt that the PAP has the ability to lead Singapore into the future.

As such, if PM Lee Hsien Loong decides that Singapore should have its 17th Parliamentary General Election in 2015, it will not be due to the inability of the PAP to lead Singapore with the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. PM Lee's decision would likely be based on when is the appropriate time for him to seek the mandate of Singaporeans for the next generation of leaders. If you ask me, given the developing challenging global economic environment, a GE 2015 will put Singapore in a better position to weather the coming storm.

As a betting man, my money is on a GE 2015 and, if we believe the political analysts in the Chinese press and TR Emeritus, it will be on 12 September 2015.

AHPETC: A Wake-Up Call to Vote Wisely

AHPETC: A Wake-Up Call to Vote Wisely (original article from Talking Singapore)

With AHPETC back in the spot-light for their alleged misappropriation of public funds, I think it is timely for Singaporea...ns to reflect on the significance of their Vote.

Regardless of whether the Court decides to uphold The Worker’s Party’s assertion that the Government is powerless to interfere in the running of Aljunied, Hougang and Punggol East even when there is gross dereliction of duties or not, the fundamental issue at hand is how Singaporeans view (and hence exercise) their constitutional right to Vote.

Since 2006, the once dominant People’s Action Party (PAP) have been denied the Government on Nomination Day. In General Election 2006, the opposition parties contested more than half the Parliamentary seats, and in 2011 all constituencies except one was contested. Vote share for the Government has also fallen to an all-time low.

Polls, focus groups and studies into the “poor” election performance of the Government reveal that the electorate still believes that the PAP is the only credible party to govern Singapore. This is not surprising as the PAP’s traditional dominance has enabled them to recruit the best talents.

From this, one can only conclude that the poor showing of the PAP at the polls is due to the casting of protest votes. The intention to vote for the opposition, even though they know the PAP is the better party, is to signal that they are unhappy and that the PAP must work harder.

Unfortunately, adopting such an approach is extremely dangerously as no one can know for certain who will vote for whom. Such reckless actions can result in a freak election result where the PAP is voted out of power. Singaporeans only need to look at AHPETC for evidence that the opposition is not ready to govern Singapore and what could possibly happen to the country if they were the elected Government.

For the sake of Singapore, Singaporeans should vote wisely for the party that can best serve them. In the event that Singaporeans are unhappy and want the PAP to know it, the wiser move is to spoil your vote then to vote for an opposition that cannot serve Singapore. Do not risk a freak election result. The residents of Aljunied, Hougang and Punggol East are suffering for their choice.

Singapore GE 2016 Prediction: The Battle for Aljunied GRC

Singapore General Elections 2016: Our Prediction ... Tan Chuan-Jin to take on Low Thia Khiang

 

In an interesting development, SG Bumiputera believes that Minister Tan Chuan-Jin maybe set to take-on Low Thia Khiang in the latter's strong-hold of Aljunied-Hougang. Fresh from his Ministerial Community Visit over the weekend, PAP activists have obtained a good sense of the ground and they feel that the Worker's Party hold on Aljunied-Hougang is shaky.

 

While Minister Tan Chuan-Jin was diplomatic in his comments that the municipal issues faced by the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Councils (AHPETC) was nothing peculiar, this is far from the truth. Many resident Chuan-Jin met during his walk-about expressed their unhappiness over the cleanliness of the estate, deteriorating infrastructure that was affecting their safety and the anger that Low Thia Khiang and his cronies were profiteering at the expense of residents.

One such example is how projects under the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) at Blocks 121 to 127, 135 to 148 & 151 to 154 Serangoon North Ave 1 & 2, which includes the upgrading of the basketball court at Block 135, Serangoon North Avenue 2 was unilaterally cut by AHPETC after they received the funds from the Government. Despite several reminds by HDB to AHPETC, AHPETC has not updated residents on the revised scope and progress of the NRP works. In short, The Worker's Party and AHPETC are deliberately creating a perception of persecution by denying residents what the Government has provided and then claiming that the Government is treating the residents of Aljunied-Hougang as 2nd class citizens.

 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, for Mr Low Thia Khiang, the PAP team at Aljunied-Hougang are fighters and they are willing to do what it takes to win the GRC back for the 45% that voted for the PAP. While opposition members have claimed that the distribution of flyers by Mr Victor Lye is illegal, many residents have told Mr Tan Chuan-Jin that they are happy that it was done. It was only because of the flyers that they now know what is going on. In fact, what is helping turn the tide in Aljunied-Hougang is the Worker's Party's own continued refusal to answer questions posed to them about AHPETC by residents - despite them stating in Parliament that they will answer to their residents.

 

At SG Bumipetra, we believe that the end of the Worker's Party control of Aljunied-Hougang is near. We predict that given Mr Tan Chuan-Jin's sincerity, if he is fielded in Aljunied GRC, it will be a close fight. But our money is on Mr Tan Chuan-Jin to win.

Low Thia Khiang Dishonors Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Today in a despicable act by the leader of the opposition in Singapore, Mr Low Thia Khiang dishonored the memory of Mr Lee Kuan Yew at the Special Parliamentary Session convened to honor him.

In addressing the House, Mr Low Thia Khiang was reported by Today to have said "success arose not just from Mr Lee's fighting spirit and tenacity but also his sincerity. The PAP's one-party rule was not the reason for transformation, he said. Many Singaporeans were sacrificed. Mr Lee did what was right, but silencing opposition has risked disconnecting Singaporeans from their own society."

There is a time for everything Mr Low. Your words were said in extremely poor taste. It was something we would expect from the likes of Han Hui Hui and Roy Ngerng, not from the defacto leader of Singapore's opposition.

Your actions and words are equivalent to someone going to a wake and spitting on the deceased. As a Singaporean I was shocked to hear you utter such words. I can only imagine the pain that PM Lee felt. Unfortunately, in Parliament, you have your Parliamentary Rights to speak. However, if you use your Parliamentary rights to deliberately hurt another human being when he is already hurting, you are a man of poor character.

I really hope that the residents of Aljunied, Hougang and Punggol East see the man that you are and vote you out.

Tribute to Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew

An honest perspective by Ganesh Sundram about Mr Lee Kuan Yew ... 

Ok... i read that former prime minister lee kuan yew... is critically ill... and we all know whats gonna come after that....

I am honestly gonna be very sad when he is no longer ard. He had a full life and at 91.... thats consoling to the mind....

I see alot of ppl saying... if the old man dies... i will be damn happy.... But i jus want to ask.... what r we angry at?? Coz he took a small shitty island and turned it into what it is today??

Coz today... our currency is almost on par with USA... 1.36 exchange rate... BY THE WAY... and that country is a giant... the world's superpower la.... and we are almost on par... our neighbour's exchange with us is at 2.4 smthg.... dun know... dun care

Today... companies all over the world come here to start their regional hq... coz of the stable platform created....

Today... india.... a country with the world's second largest population... has HIRED SINGAPORE'S EXPERTISE TO BUILD A NEW CAPITAL CITY FOR ITSELF!!!

sure... cars are expensive....here la... do u know in thailand... or jakarta... a small distance like yishun to ang mo kio... will take 2 hours... to drive... because everyone has a car and its congested very badly....this was said to me by a thai tourist and a indonesian tourist.....

Sure... houses are expensive... do u know that in hongkong... ppl dun own their flats??? Its so expensive... everyone rents!!! And the houses are smaller than our flats....

Everyday since i was born... till today.... i cannot remember a day when electricity or water went out.... i can drink the water out of the tap and toilet bowl... its that clean.... and i can switch on my fan anytime i want... it will work.... i went to india and i witnessed it first hand.... bloody every three hours... there was a power cut.... even in hotels... then the generators will kick in...

New delhi... a girl was raped and violently abused.... brought to SINGAPORE for treatment... we all remember that... dun we...

Superstar rajnikanth.... calls Lee Kuan Yew a hero... CAME TO SINGAPORE FOR TREATMENT....

sure we buy water from our neighbour... but how many of us know that we treat the same water and sell it back to our neighbour???

I had a tourist from paris... she told me that she lost her husband to a heart attack... they live in the outskirts of paris... she called for an ambulance... it took the damn ambulance 2 hours to get to them.... PARIS OK!!!! city of love... world reknowned tourist spot... 2 hours for ambulance response....

You dial 995 and call for ambulance now la.. you see how long the response time is...

God damn they even opened up independant ambulance companies so that the real emergencies can be attended to by SCDF

Sure.. there was a riot in little india... but it was contained wasn't it??? Ya our police and civil defence got a beating... but still... did any civilian get injured??? Ppl living in the flats beside... got injured??? The ambulance that got burnt.... what does it show... singapore's patience or that particular nationality's uncivilised behaviour....

The very next day.... that road was cleaned and relaid....

Even in war laa.... its protocol to nvr hit safety vehicles.... what the hell....

I met a tourist from sweden... and she said... she got raped whilst going for a jog from her house to her neighbour's house which was 2 miles away.... there was nobody to help her.... and thats y she moved to singapore...

My current job allows me to meet different nationalities everyday... straight from the airport.... and we always get to talking... abt their country versus mine... and almost EVERY SINGLE person.... tells me

"You guys dun know how good u have it here"

Every government has its flaws and shortcomings..... every government.... they r humans laaa.... not machines.....

Our laws are amongst the strictest.... and i have personally felt the brunt of some of the laws... but u know what??? I aint complaining.... my mum.. sister... girlfren... can go out and come back whatever time... they r fine...

I can sleep in my van and wake up... with my doors unlocked... i will not be mugged and robbed

Ppl from certain countries come here... to study... they have to take cross over exams... to match our system

I go somewhere.... my education is recognised la ..god damn it

Foreigner influx was probably the blooper singapore did.... but hey.... i have got a job... i earn very well... i am happy...

I have got close friends that live in condos.. drive nice cars... live in landed houses... have lots of money.....

So its definitely possible for everyone to "live the life" here... sure it may be difficult to rise up to the top... but hey.... other countries easy ahhhh????? You know ahhh????

A flat in singapore is 300,000.... a landed house in the states is also 300,000.... u get alot of space... but u still NEED TO HAVE MONEY.....

Soooo.... if u r not successful.. blame urself.... not the country.. the system... the lamp post... or the dog....

U never study... ur fault... u nvr work hard... ur fault...

Other countries... got natural resources... to build on... what does singapore have??? NOTHING!!! the people are the resource... and that why we have to work and contribute to build the country...

America... canada... all 40% tax sia... and here we complain for paying CPF and tax....

U try la... go and say smthg bad abt our neighbour to their citizens... or better still say smthg bad abt india to an indian citizen who lives in singapore.... you see what happens....

Their country is full of injustice and problems.... but they will NEVER SPEAK DOWN ON THEIR COUNTRY...

Look at what we r doing.....

This social portal page... new nation or smthg... teases that singapore will be renamed Lee Kuan Yew... eh why laaa i ask u. Then name as what??

mohd goahead bin gostan???

Or

Angamuthu s/o singamuthu

Is it???

That man.... whether u like it or not... was a key installation to the life we have today..... not sang nila utama... or that tengku.... or stamford raffles.....

The name is LEE KUAN YEW...

and if he is no longer ard.... i WILL feel sad.... coz god damn it i am SINGAPOREAN... and even though my country has its fair share of bullshit.... i LOVE this damn place.... the life and opportunity it has given me.... the level playing field it has given me....

And it was because Lee Kuan Yew had a vision and he went abt executing it....

Lets show a little bit of gratefulness laaa... a little bit....

Whether he did right or wrong.....the man who gave us this quality of life has reached the end of the tunnel.... let him go in peace and respect.....