Friday, April 29, 2011

Survey - how will you vote in the key constituencies

Do this survey now. It is exciting.

What the PAP do not want you to know

Read this blog
http://www.brianbummers.com/2011/04/03/what-the-pap-does-not-want-you-to-know/#permalink

It explains what might happen when the PAP lose power. The writer said that it will not cause long term damage to the future of the country. In fact, things will turn out to be better. Watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVkF5uFJtag&feature=player_embedded#at=161

I agree with the views of the writer almost completely. Singapore will do better under a new government - even a coalition government involving the PAP. The old policies will have to be changed and the new policies will be be better for the people.  He cited Hong Kong that went through a bigger change (i.e. transfer of power from  UK to China in 1997, and life continue to improve.)

If the new government does not have the people with the right experience to run the ministries, they can find loyal and competent Singaporeans to give advice to the ministers. Even the President of the United States of America has to appoint a Council of Economic Advices and a National Security Council to advice him on the key decisions. He is able to find the most competent people for this role and they do not have to be elected politicians.

Tan Kin Lian

How are slaves ruled?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpQCT8h9mzk&playnext=1&list=PL157508BFD0BBDB26

Speeches at SDP rally

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2fI4F_0LTc

LKY on TV

I watched LKY on television urging the voters to vote PAP. He has aged considerably and is quite frail - in spite of the cosmetics. The recent loss of his wife and other events must be taking a toll. I wanted to look for a video of that TV broadcast.

Here is the news article on CNA
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1125768/1/.html

Possible scenarios at this general election

Yeo Toon Joo analyses the possible scenarios that may occur at this general election
http://easyapps.sg/sgep/admin/file.aspx?id=122

Pass the message to vote for opposition

Dear Mr. Tan 

Vast majority of voters don’t attend election rally and seldom surf the Internet. They prefer to watch TV and read Straits Times/Lianhe Zoabao. Most of them are not aware of those issues raised in the election rallies and your blog. How do the opposition parties find ways to reach these voters?  

REPLY
The opposition parties will have to depend on people like you to pass the message to the other voters.





Minimum wage and the economy

I have supported a minimum wage in Singapore for many years. My position is the same as that advocated by the Singapore Democratic Party, Worker's Party and the Reform Party. My views differ from the position of the People's Action Party and the National Trades Union Congress ( ... happy May Day).  Read my reasons in TKL website or click here.

Desperate appeal of the Minister Mentor

http://singaporerecalcitrant.blogspot.com/2011/04/desperate-appeal-of-minister-mentor.html

Workers Party at Serangoon Stadium

I drove to see the Worker's Party at Serangoon Stadium. I knew that I had to park quite far from the stadium and to walk there.

It was a mistake to go by car. The road to the Serangoon stadium was congested and crawling all the way to the stadium. It was not possible to find a parking space for the next 1 km after passing the stadium.

Too many people had the bad idea of driving to the stadium to watch the rally. It would have been easier for me to go by MRT from Yio Chu Kang to Bishan and transfer to the Circle Line to Serangoon.

I decided that the next time I go to an election rally (except a PAP rally), I will go by MRT or public transport.

PAP Rally at Yio Chu Kang stadium

I attended the PAP rally at Yio Chu Kang stadium. The crowd looked quite respectable from a distance. The seated areas were mostly occupied, but the crowd in the field near the stage was rather small. The key draw of the rally was PM Lee Hsien Loong, who was seated prominently at the center of the stage.

I walked round the stadium to observe the people at the seated area. I got the impression, from the way they dressed and talked to each other, that they were members of activities groups sent by the community centers.

My suspicion was confirmed when a new group of people arrived. Looking at their ages, frail appearance and dialect speaking, they must have been sent from an old folks home. Here is a picture of the PAP supporters.


It must be great for them to have an outing, although they probably do not know what the event was for. Perhaps, we should hold the general election more frequently, so that these old folks have more chance to go for an outing.

Vote for change

Dear Mr. Tan
Please post my views in your blog

I live in Ang Mo Kio GRC. I am glad that the Reform  Party has field a team to contest in this GRC.It gives me the chance to cast my vote as a citizen.


Based on the credentials of the candidates from the PAP and RP, it is clear where the vote should go to. The PAP team is headed by the PM Lee Hsien Loong. The RP team comprised of people that I cannot recognize and, if I remember correctly, include candidates that were borrowed from other parties. How pathetic.


I want to use this opportunity wisely and cast my vote for the future of Singapore. 


I spoke to a few friends. I was troubled to learn that Lee Hsien Loong was responsible for the decision to bring the two casinos to Singapore, for raising GST to 7%,  for making civil servants lose their medical benefits, for the high HDB prices, for bringing in so many foreigners and allowing the investment banks to bring in the toxic products.  I also heard a few comments about his cynical laugh, arrogant attitude and looking down on people.


I have agonized over this difficult matter for the past few days, and have now decided to vote for change.


Ang Mo Kio resident


Chicken Little Election Strategy

http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

Quote
The PAP candidates started off their battle for the people's heart and minds with their predictable weapon of choice - their supposedly impeccable track record. Unfortunately, in the context of today, that is looking more like a laundry list of systemic defects. Higher costs of living, suffocating housing repayments, congestion in transport systems, crowding out by foreigners, erosion of social mores, complacency of governance, etc - the checklist length is matched only by the number of zeros in a minister's paycheck.

Unquote

Video on Worker's Party Manifesto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uGrX86R2vM

Some wise words from Dr. Goh Keng Swee



Dr. Goh Keng Swee was the previous #2 in Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's government. Many older Singaporeans knew him to be the person who was primarily responsible for the economic success of Singapore. Dr. Goh was honest and pragmatic. He did not believe in the "top talent" nonsense. My friend sent these words to me, with the remarks "Of course, we can lose a minister. So what! "


Here are the words of Goh Keng Swee, 22 Feb 1981, Singapore Conference Hall, inauguration of Schools Council:

"There is one extraordinary fact about a government minister — here or elsewhere — which few members of the public are aware of. This is that his ignorance of the subject he is in charge of greatly exceeds his knowledge of it. Ministers naturally seldom draw attention to this, but I
 assure you that this is true; anyway, in my case, it is.


This is not a public confession and the position is not as alarming as it looks. In modern society, it is not possible for the head of an organisation to know more than a small fraction of what goes on within it. It may be otherwise in primitive societies. The chief of a small group of primitive savages is better informed of what goes on in his village than, say, the President of General Motors is about his corporation.

The modern executive chief may be armed with a whole battery of computers while the village chief is not, but he knows less. Even so, the village chief may not understand everything, and so he usually has a witch doctor upon whom he depends when events pass his comprehension. Perhaps the only creature who possesses a total information system of which he has complete grasp is the patriarch of a troop of baboons. I have not come across any reference in the literature to the practice of witchcraft among baboons."