Time for the young to drive the creation of a two-party system in Singapore
September 1st, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
When Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong extended his congratulations to Mr Yukio Hatoyama on his Democratic Party of Japan’s (DPJ) landslide election win, it is not lost on him that the losing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has run Japan since 1955 for all but 11 months in the early 1990s, 4 years longer in government than his owning ruling PAP. (read article here )
Lee told Hatoyama that the result “is a clear reflection of the Japanese people’s desire for change”, but is he aware of his own people’s desire for change? Apparently not. Last year, Lee told Singaporeans in no uncertain terms that a one-party state is the “ideal” form of government for “talent-scarce” Singapore.
In the aftermath of World War 2 in 1945, most Asian countries are ruled by dictatorships or one dominant party, but as their economies develop and the people become richer, the regimes collapse one by one with autocracies replaced by multi-party democracies.
In 1997, former political dissident Kim Dae Jung won the South Korean presidency, marking the first transfer of government between parties by peaceful means. In the same year, upstart Thai Rak Thai Party led by Thaksin Shinawarthra knocked off the decades-old Democrat Party from the Thai government.
Three years later in 2000, Taiwanese opposition leader Chen Shui Bian won the presidency, ending 41 years of Kuomintang (KMT) rule on the island. In 2004, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won the Indonesian presidency which consigned the ruling Golkar Party into the political fringes where it remains today.
Just last year, the Malaysian opposition stunned the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition which has ruled Malaysia continuously for 52 years since independence by winning an unprecedented 82 seats in Parliament. Since then, it has been on the ascendancy, winning 7 out of 8 by-elections.
In the early stages of nation-building, a strong government dominated by one single party may be desirable or even needed to ensure political and social stability. However, as the citizenry become more prosperous, educated and aware of their political rights, there will definitely be calls for the political landscape to be liberalized. A two-party system is the future of enlightened politics, not a obsolete one-party state.
Lee understood the aspirations of Singaporeans partially when he introduced changes last year to increase the number of alternative voices in Parliament. Yet, these are only comestic changes which does not reform the fundamental flaw in Singapore’s political system meant to entrench and perpetuate one-party rule indefinitely.
The younger generation who owes no allegiance to the ruling elite who led the nations since independence is the driving force behind the transition from autocracy to a two-party system.
The relative youth of the DPJ’s supporters is a key factor in its victory. Japan’s Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano was defeated by Banri Kaieda, a young economic analyst.
In a shabby concrete building in Tokyo where Mr. Kaieda set up headquarters, sweating workers posed for the cameras and handed out paper fans to ward off the heat. When the results came in, Mr. Kaieda walked into the room, tears in his eyes. His staff stood up and gave the victory cry: “Banzai!”
Haruhiko Yamaguchi, a 28-year-old law graduate who helped Mr. Kaieda campaign, said: “We need change. I wanted to help create a proper two-party system in Japan.” (source: Wall Street Journal)
Similarly, the Malaysian youth was instrumental in shaping public perception through the New Media to bypass the government-controlled mass media. Many first time Parliamentarians from the opposition camp are below 30 years of age in contrast to those from the ruling coalition.
It is time for Singapore youth to stand up and be counted. History is on our side. The question is not whether a strong dominant party is preferable but when it will be replaced by a two-party system. From the escape of Mas Selamat to the multi-billion losses suffered by Temasek and GIC, it should be clear to Singaporeans by now that a one-party government will not be able to check on itself. Not only does Singapore need a genuinely strong opposition presence in Parliament, perhaps it is about time we change the government into one which truly understands our present concerns and aspirations for the future.
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though the youth vote is important, in an aging society,it will be the old votes that counts. remember LKY once wanted to increase vote entitlement of young married couple so as to counter old voters.
Yes, Singapore really need to follow the trend of change, get into the two parties system, or else this country is really going to fail under the pap
Generally, I agree with this article with only one minor disagreement. It will not just be the “young”, although the young stand to benefit from a two (or multi-) party system.
It will take at least two to three elections to have a truly 2- or multi-party system, that means at least 15-to-17 years from now, if we act NOW.
And the voters who need to affect this change will be the opposition supporters and sympathisers.
Who are these people? In general, they are :
1.) The disgruntled. People who fare poorly under the current system and hope for a more humane and all-encompassing system.
2.) The disillusioned. People who used to believe the visions of current regime but have since realised the visions are just an illusion for them.
3.) The enlightened. People who know that the only way a society can become vibrant and creative is to have a two- or multi-party system. Competition begets quality.
4.) The radicals. People who know that there are more than just conventional thinking. That new ideas can only from thinking out of the box.
There are many other categories but these are the major four. And you can find all sorts of people (from young to old, from poor to rich) in any of the above.
cy
do u really think the old are grateful pap? not when they are picking up scrap boxes and selling tissue paper when they are above 60s. not when even their toilet cleaner jobs are being stolen by foreigners. not when their money needed for their daily survival is confiscated by cpf.
to anonymous,
i think you misunderstood my comment. what i mean is that LKY was afraid of old voters as in aging society,obviously old voters has a larger percentage of votes.
As for whether the old are grateful to PAP, i do not have any figures as the govt do not do opinion polls. but judging from my observation,there are indeed some who are grateful to pap (whether they are well-off or not) and most these ppl are also kind and charitable too. of course there are old ppl against PAP (whether they are well-off or not) and most of these ppl are also kind and charitable.
as we say,beauty is in the eye of the beholder. in my eye,PAP has turned ugly.
just a note that DPJ’s triumph was driven by Ichiro ozawa, a former LDP heavyweight while PKR’s victory was brought about by anwar ibrahim.
both these men are former ruling party’s important guys but have fallen out with the ruling party.
so,it seems that to catch a thief,you need a thief. joseph kennedy, a former stock speculator was recruited by franklin roosevelt to take action at Wall street during the great depression.
Maybe we need a PAP heavyweight to defect to instill change for singapore. but who will considering that they are well paid and their family well taken care of.
There are no heavy weights in the PAP now (those that are in their 50s)
they all listen to one man.
To hope for something similar to happen in S’pore is futile.
Don’t put all eggs in one basket when you come to invest your hard earn money. Likewise don’t put all eggs in one basket when the people come to select which party to govern the country on their behalf. Hence we need a two-party system to institutionise proper check-and-balance and keep whichever party in power to be on sync with peoples’ aspiration and need.
Time for all Silliporeans to wake up and drive the creation of a proportional representation system.
Singaporeans and Ministers a-like always sae the politics landscape in Singapore cannot be changed if not economy will go downhill as investors will be turn off by political change and the LACK OF EXPERIENCE by our Opposition parties will bring Singapore to doom..
Look at Japan’s DPJ , they NEVER govern before and their economy in this world .. so even the Japanese dare for changes and hand a noob party to govern the world’s top 3 economy ..
so is there any reason left for Pro-gahmen and neutralist to have reason with ?
Talk no use.
Majority are not aware of Alternative commentaries except the MSM.
We need to act fast. Time is running out.
Talk to strangers on MRTs and Buses and busstops.
Talk to people at Hong Lim Park.
sms, email to friends and get them to read and comment honestly.
I have been randomly talking to strangers (youths) asking them about current affairs. They are generally Oblivious about issues. At most they only know bits here and there without more depth.
they need more info.
Question.
A scientist once said :
“Question everything”
PAP will eventually spilt up in to several factions after Lee Kuan Yew’s demise.
@ Orlando Moon
Actually, there is a more effective way. This is employed by Obama.
Most opposition parties have twitter or facebook accounts. What is needed is for more people to subscribe to them.
I don’t know how many are reading this thread but if everyone who read this thread do this, it can be successful :
Each person let 10 of their closest friends and relative knows about opposition parties and what they do and ask them to subscribe to the oppos twitter or facebook. If they agree and buy into their camp, each of them will in turn talk to 10 of THEIR friends.
This viral way of bringing awareness is much more effective. Even if 80% does nothing, 2 other persons propagating at each iteration can reach up 4.2 million in 6 iterations.
Randomly talking to strangers in the street may put people off and honestly, how many bother to go to HLP? The important thing is not to hard sell. We have to accept that there will be people who are apathic, ignorant, conservative or simply content not to do anything.
To those who wish for a PAP-split, please do not harbour such illusion.
Even if it does split, learn the lessons of the past.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barisan_Sosialis
Also, people like Francis Seow, Tang Liang Hong, used to be part of the inner circle. Once they “turned”, look what happened to them. Also people like Devan Nair, Ong Teng Chiong, didn’t even “split” and the moment they breathe the wrong way, they were severely curtailed.
So don’t hope for a PAP split, as the dominant faction will bring their guns to bear on the smaller faction and bloodbath will follow.
A strong opposition is the way. Expect the road to that to be extremely difficult. Hence perseverance is key.
Lee told Hatoyama that the result “is a clear reflection of the Japanese people’s desire for change”
One day Hatoyama will tell Lee that Singapore newly elected non PAP PM “is a clear reflection of the Singaporean people’s desire for change”
The faster LKY kicks the bucket, the better the chances of the Opposition. I agree the PAP will split into 2 or 3 factions with sissy Lee Hsien Loong taking a hike. There is plenty of money for him to live like a prince in many parts of the world or he can join Thaksin on a perpetual holiday travel.
The future belongs to our young men and ladies, time for them to act and learn from the mistakes of their parents and elders.
//btan
The old man is there, that’s why this happens. Also, the others were nice. The old man is ruthless.
Once he is gone, I don’t think there is anyone who can be as ruthless with the credibility some more.
//rijin
I think LHL is dreamy.
@FPC
One should never underestimate one’s opponents. Until it became a reality, we will have to assume LHL is capable of the same thing as his father. We will have to assume LKY will document some bag of tricks to pass to his descendants.
btan is right about not hardsell political views,apathetic ppl will just switch off.
i suggest including entertainment, sports or any other news that they are interested in and display alongside political,social news.
facebook,twitter are indeed good tools to use but it should not be done by political parties but their supporters as ppl will trust ppl they know more than political actors/actresses
btan
One should never underestimate one’s opponents. Until it became a reality, we will have to assume LHL is capable of the same thing as his father. We will have to assume LKY will document some bag of tricks to pass to his descendants.
a person’s character and conviction is shaped by his experiences. loong didn’t go through what kuan yew went through- super turbulent times in close succession impinged on a english educated chinese mind wondering about roots. while kuan yew had to fight to get a foothold loong was spoonfed every way through.
most interestingly, hehehe, while kuan yew cried on public tv when malaysia kicked singapura out… ‘ i had always dreamt of a united malaya blah blah blah…(sob)…can we pause for a while’
loong cried on public tv…it was a national day rally , forgot which year…
‘ i remember that time , it was national day parade, there were no special effects , no fireworks. i was standing there as an officer. then it started to rain, and we just stood there…’
then he cried.
in fact they showed a clip of that during this year’s national day parade but they cut it at the point he started crying…i think they also know it’s a bit pai seh.
that’s the diff. ah loong , imo, if he had been left alone to do his own thing, would probably be living a gay lifestyle somewhere in new york, probably managing some kind of business.
this article rocks!
To me, supporting the idea of 2 party system does not mean to overthrow.
It simply means building ourselves a Backup System for Contingency should that in power cannot deliver the standard we want. This can mean there is a team ready to take over when necessary – A robust system that will not collapse when 1 team taken down by vote of no confidence.
To me, this is only as prudent as buying a life insurance.
Its foolish not to have an insurance policy in high cost singapore.
btan,
“”Each person let 10 of their closest friends and relative knows about opposition parties and what they do and ask them to subscribe to the oppos twitter or facebook. If they agree and buy into their camp, each of them will in turn talk to 10 of THEIR friends.
This viral way of bringing awareness is much more effective. “”
The fact remains, I have yet to receive ANY such SMS or email or anything viral.
What is the REALITY of opposition? singapore is indeed too small to be given any excuse not to be able to reach majority of youths and older adults. Totally inacceptable performance. New opposition should come into the fray to outperform the existing opposition parties.
I have supported them in the last 2 elections and totally pissed off now. We need new genes capable of change.
Firstly, we need to do away with the system of NMPs which is an abberation to true representation by the people.
Secondly, the 33% of the people who did not vote for the PAP must be represented in parliament.
Thus we need to have a system of proportional representation like those of the developed countries instead of what we are now having which is similar to Iran.
@sheldon
I personally agree LHL is “useless” without his father. However, there is a saying : “the silent dog can kill the fastest”. The art of war also says : know yourself and know your enemies, a hundred battles, a hundred victories. We don’t know ourselves (the opposition parties) and we sure as well don’t know PAP. So how can we then claim LHL will be a pushover after LKY’s demise? The smart opposition will be on their toes but also never let fear hold them back.
@ Karine Donahue
I agree. Overthrowing PAP would be stupid of us. We need to achieve a 55%/45% representation of MPs in parliament (NOT counting NCMPs and NMPs as they are non-voting). Now which party gets the 55% and which gets the 45% will depend on the performing one.
As for viral message, anyone can start. Just learn about the opposition parties and their capabilities and help spread their messages to supporters. They have always been around but due to lack of resources, they are hard to access. It is our duty as voting citizens to go seek them out and help them in any way we can, given their limited resources.
@Newdawn
Once a significant number of opposition MPs are voted into parliament, NMPs would be truly irrelevant and be finally shown as an illusion, as they are now.
Representative democracy is hard to achieve without significant opposition MPs in parliament. No ruling government will introduce a system that will weaken themselves. So it is up to us voters to vote in the required numbers of opposition MPs.
This article says it is time to drive the creation of a two-party system. However, it did not dwell on how to go about doing it. I would like to offer my opinion about this.
Firstly, as opposition supporters (or even if you are just a fence sitter), you need to know who are the people and what do they stand for. Election time is too short a period to get to know these. Which is why you have to start NOW. Two years before the next election is plenty of time to do so.
You can do this first by visiting their websites and read about their manifestos.
Some major ones are :
WP : http://www.wp.sg/wordpress/our-beliefs/manifest-2006/
SDP : http://yoursdp.org/index.php/the-party/our-manifesto
SPP/SDA : http://www.spp.org.sg/manifesto.php
NSP : http://www.nsp.sg/aboutus.php
Once you have read and understood them. If you agree with them, help spread this to your friends and families. Ask them to read about these people or if they are too lazy to do so, summarise for them what they stand for and how we can help them.
We keep complaining opposition members “disappear” between elections, not knowing they are active all year round, just that they are not given the proper coverage and exposure by mainstream media. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to their newsletters or buying their publications. Some even have delivery right up to your door-step.
WP : http://www.wp.sg/wordpress/hammer-0901/
SDP : http://yoursdp.org/index.php/component/content/article/46-publications/255-publications
SDA/SPP : (publication not available online)
NSP : (mailing list) http://www.nsp.sg/maillist.php
Subscribing to their newsletter not only keeps you up-to-date what they are doing, you also help to fund them so they have the money to put up candidates to contest in elections, thereby reducing walkovers and make everyone truly able to choose.
You can further help them in funding by making political donations to them. You can make anonymous donations of less than S$5000 per year as stated in the political donations act (http://www.mha.gov.sg/basic_content.aspx?pageid=66)
135 persons each donating S$100 will allow them to put up a candidate to stand for election. In order for them to put up candidates to stand for elections for all 82 seats, they need 11,070 people each making a S$100 donation.
You can pledge your donations here.
SDP : http://yoursdp.org/index.php/act-now/donate
WP : Subscribe to their newsletter, contact them for other donations.
SPP/SDA : contact them
NSP : contact them
Finally, contact them. Give them your inputs, your feedback, your well wishes and your support. Knowing there are people behind them will spur them on to fight for us.
WP : http://www.wp.sg/wordpress/contact-us/
SDP : http://yoursdp.org/index.php/contact-us
SPP/SDA : http://www.spp.org.sg/contact_us.php
NSP : http://www.nsp.sg/contact.php
If you want a two party-system, it is your DUTY as a voting citizen to do your part as well, beyond just merely saying you will vote for them.
Hello to all Singaporeans
Greetings from Malaysia and a strong opposition member aligned with Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Singapore and Malaysia are the same with one ruling party that has ruled the country for decades. Malaysians are the same, majority read and believe in MSM, as if it’s 100% truth. Malaysians have come a long way, bracing through tear gas and water cannon. Are you guys ready for it?
we have Malaysia Today: mt.m2day.org and http://www.malaysiakini.com
so it’s high time for singaporeans to have singaporetoday and singaporekini to spread the words to all walks of life. since the internet users in singapore by % is higher than Malaysia, you guys have a bigger chance in reaching out to the mass in the shortest possible time.
Very enlightening article. Thanks.
1. The issue is not so much that the PAP is attempting to entrench itself. Every political party in the democratic world will understandably consider its own self-interest in the quest for power.
2. The problem in Singapore is a very apathetic and disinterested population, as well as the very poor quality of the current Opposition. The current Opposition is clearly not a viable alternative to the incumbent govenrment. Both these factors are linked, since a politically active citizenship can only lead to more effective and persuasive opposition parties forming.
Take a good hard look at Lee Hsien Loong.
Who actually wears the pants at home? who put him on the throne? who is holding his hands? how many are propping him up? Those who serve with him during NS know all about him. Trust me, he is indeed a sissy.
Look how he was cowering under questioning by Dr. Chee.
I would not be surprised he was wearing diapers so as not to wet his pants. Let’s hope the Malaysians or Indonesians do not test us when the old bugger eats dust.
The truth about sissy Loong will never be more evident when it comes to the crunch.
Hi Malaysian,
That’s what we are trying hard to do with this site – to build it to become Singapore’s own ‘Malaysiakini’.
Malaysiakini was founded by a journalist, so is the Malaysian Insider. It is unfortunate that Singapore journalists are too busy making money than to concern themselves with such endeavors.
None of us are journalists and we are trying to recruit an experienced journalist to anchor the site full-time.
However, it will still be a tall order because though Singapore has a higher internet penetration rate than Malaysia, Singaporeans have a lower political awareness and maturity than Malaysians.
This site has the highest readership among socio-political blogs and even then its readership is only about one third of Xiaxue’s blog.
@Newdawn on Wed, 2nd Sep 2009 12:56 pm
“Secondly, the 33% of the people who did not vote for the PAP must be represented in parliament.”
Well said!
Its only fair to have this level of representation in the house for those who voted for the Opposition and NOT! the ruling party. These people exist, are real , are alive, can think, dare to dissent and are our future hope.
They should be appropriately Represented as in PEOPLE REPRESENTATION.
Viva la Democracy!
==
@btan on Wed, 2nd Sep 2009 1:58 pm
Can try using something called the SMS Gateway for blasting SMS’s simultaneously.
This can also be used to Mobile the volunteers.
Malaysia is so big so very very big compared to singapore and yet, a developing country Malaysiakini is able to reach out and Mobilize its Alternative nation.
singapore leh? ???? huh???
A lot have been said about creating a two-party system in Singapore but how to do it still eluded many. Some said that PAP could split into two but that had happened. Barisan Sosialis was an offshoot of PAP MPs and they once held a significant number of parliamentary seats. Their primary disagreement was against the joining of Singapore to Malaysia at that time. History has proven them right. Unfortunately, they were so utterly eradicated by PAP, no one from the new generations knew about this.
The only way for us to have a two party system is to grow the opposition parties. Ideally, they should contest as part of a united opposition alliance. If they do not do so, opposition supporters can still do many things to ensure they get parliamentary seats.
Opposition supporters (and fence sitters) can do the following (regardless whether there is an official opposition alliance or not)
1.) Know your parties and spread their message
You cannot vote for a party or spread their messages unless you know what they stand for.
Read their various manifestos.
WP : http://www.wp.sg/wordpress/our-beliefs/manifest-2006/
SDP : http://yoursdp.org/index.php/the-party/our-manifesto
SDA/SPP : http://www.spp.org.sg/manifesto.php
NSP : http://www.nsp.sg/aboutus.php
Once you read and understood what they stand for, and should you agree with them, you can then help to propagate their messages via internet or offline means. Start with your close friends and relatives and get them to do so THEIR close friends and relatives and so forth.
2.) Keep up to date on their activities.
Again the most common complain is the opposition is “hiding” between elections. They are in fact VERY active and received very little coverage by mainstream media. The best way is to subscribe to their newsletter or publications.
WP : http://www.wp.sg/wordpress/hammer-0901/
SDP : http://yoursdp.org/index.php/gallery/publications/255-publications-delivery-to-singapore
SDA/SPP : unknown (ask them)
NSP : http://www.nsp.sg/maillist.php
3.) Donate to their causes
Another common complain is that opposition is not contesting in your ward. They have very limited resources (both candidates, manpower and money). If they are not contesting in your ward, the most likely reason is that they do not have the money to put up a hefty deposit ($13,500 per candidate).
As such, donate money to their cause.
You can make an anonymous politcal donation of amount less than S$5000 per year.
http://www.mha.gov.sg/basic_content.aspx?pageid=66
Or you can buy their publications and subscribe to their newsletter (the money goes to the party coffers)
WP : newletter subscription (or ask them)
SDP : http://yoursdp.org/index.php/act-now/donate
SDA/SPP : ask them
NSP : ask them
It takes 135 donors each donating S$100 to put up one candidate. To put up all 82 candidates, it will require 11,070 donors donating S$100 each. And that is just the deposit.
4.) Talk to them.
Give them your feedback, your opinion, your well wishes and your encouragement. Write to them. It is very tough to stand as an opposition candidate as it is. Knowing that there are people supporting them will inspire them to fight for us. If they have made any mistakes, let them know, so that they can better themselves. Treat them with the same respect you would treat an MP (for they surely will be one if they are voted in).
You can contact them at :
WP : http://www.wp.sg/wordpress/contact-us/
SDP : http://yoursdp.org/index.php/contact-us
SDA/SPP : http://www.spp.org.sg/contact_us.php
NSP : http://www.nsp.sg/contact.php
5.) Elections
When election comes, vote for them. Do not be swayed by any PAP’s last minute sweet offers. Do not buy into any of PAP’s smear campaign about opposition candidates. If you have done your research, you would have known the candidates already. If your favourite opposition party is not contesting in your ward but another is, vote for that party. Supporting ANY opposition party is a support of YOUR party because, someone in another constituency will be supporting YOUR party if everyone does this.
So you want a two-party system?
Are you willing to now put your money/time/energy where your mouth is?
Or do you want PAP to dominate Singapore forever?
Stop being passive and hope for an alternative party will drop on your lap, do something.
The time to act is NOW.
To the admins of Temasek Review.
I have posted three times but it seemed one of my postings have been filtered. Can you tell me the criteria of fitering? (too many links? too wordy?)
[...] Road to Perdition Repression Election – The Temasek Review: Time for the young to drive the creation of a two-party system in Singapore [...]
Hi all
Does the opposition has a formal alliance? One thing we learned from our country is that when every opposition party on its own, the voters are not convinced and have the confident they can rule if they are voted in. The same thing I have been sharing with the top leaders in Pakatan Rakyat (the opposition alliance in Malaysia) is to form an alliance and eventually to adopt a single opposition umbrella. It gives strength and help to co-ordinate the party members and supporters. They an alliance chief/co-ordinator from planning, campaign strategies to mobilising workers. Are the below parties on their own or there is an alliance formally forged?
WP
SDP
SDA/SPP
NSP
We have come a long way with 3 parties finally coming together as opposition pact:
PKR – Parti Keadilan Rakyat
DAP – Democratic Action Party (a spin-off from PAP after LKY pulled Sg out from Malaysia but nothing like PAP)
PAS – Islamic Party
@ malaysian,
The only alliance is Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), which is made up of 4 smaller parties (now 3). SDA is lead by the most veteran opposition leader, Mr Chiam See Tong (CST). SDA garnered 16.34% of votes (out of about 1.1 million who voted)
The other two parties are WP which garnered 16.34% lead by Mr. Low Thia Khiang (LTK) and SDP which garnered 4.07% lead by Mr. Chee Soon Juan (CSJ).
A Pakatan Rakyat-type alliance would be best for our opposition parties which is what I personally would like. I am sure this kind of alliance will give it more credibility to the voters and also allow them to maximise their resources. As opposition supporters, we have to do more to affect such a change (as mentioned in my previous postings). Unfortunately, many voters are simply too passive to do so and expect the opposition parties to serve them everything on the plate. Only when they themselves are affected by the system (lost of jobs etc..) do they then realise, too late, how much we needed that two-party system.
That said, a reality check is in order. The chances of opposition uniting is, in my opinion, very slim. This is because of a few reasons.
1.) SDA (lead by CST) had a bad history with SDP. This is because CST resigned from SDP when majority of SDP’s CEC sided with CSJ. Unless they can forgive and forget, their union would be impossible (that would be like Anwar making peace with Mahathir and form an alliance)
2.) WP former sec-gen, JB Jeyaratnam (JBJ) also had a sort of a disagreement with WP’s current sec-gen LTK. JBJ left the party to form the Reform Party (RP) which is currently lead by his son Kenneth Jeyaratnam (KJ). RP is currently rumoured to be joining SDA.
3.) Due to the success of WP in last election, they may want to go alone, as they feel they are the best bet at forming an alternative government. Most of WP’s cadres are relatively young and healthy. (40s and 50s at most).
4.) SDA is also another potential but they only have one person at the helm – CST – who is in his 70s now (and he recently suffered a stroke). It does not seem there are any promising people taking over.
5.) NSP withdrew from SDA after their star member, Steve Chia, withdraw from politics and quit the party. Now back as a small party, it is uncertain how they will affect changes.
6.) Finally, the ideologies of all the opposition parties are quite different. WP is similar to PAP after LTK take over. SDA is also quite similar to PAP. SDP is the most anti-PAP and anti-establishment party but their radicalism (or they way they were portrayed by mainstream media) do not attract many supporters.
Of course, we may be surprised in the upcoming election. On the positive side, CST is also a proponent of opposition unity, which is the reason why he originally formed the SDA in the first place.
If the following happen, then we may see a opposition alliance :
1.) CST forgive and forget the incidents with SDP and invite them to join the SDA. SDP must realise they can’t fight alone and have to tone down their radicalism and carry the fight into parliament itself. This would be a powerful symbol of unity and unravel all the efforts of mainstream media to sow discord among opposition members.
2.) SDA to invite WP to join their alliance as well or form a new alliance. Again, WP has to realise they can’t do it alone, even though they are growing. I also hope, if RP is part of SDA, to let go of any disagreement their founder may have with WP.
3.) NSP should also rejoin SDA, as is RP if they have not done so.
Seperately, they have already garnered 33% of votes last election. Imagine together, how many votes they would garner and how many MPs they can put into parliament to affect changes.
Sorry, there was an error in my previous post. SDA garnered 12.99% last election.
I’ve found an interesting article regarding a “dream team” shadow cabinet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_cabinet).
http://kentridgecommon.com/?p=4993
Perhaps The Temasek Review can do something similar.
The article however, seemed to have missed out Leader of the Opposition, which, IMHO, should be Chiam See Tong, should such an alliance takes place.
@btan, I applaude your thinking and concrete proposals (actually already action plans)
1. We all have issues against PAP, but the objective is NOT to overthrow them, it is to nuture, support and finally give birth to a credible opposition voice.
An Alternative View…another voice, check and balances, more transparency…effectively, GROW as a People, as a Nation.
2. LHL is certainly not his father, but I do not doubt his capability or his love, loyalty and passion for his own Singapore.
I will go out on a limb and say this…He did not want to be PM, I dont think he wanted his wife Ho Ching to head up Temasek…no real data and information, but simply, if I were LHL (with a wife like Ho Ching and a father like LKY), that is what I will think.
3. I believe that even the head honchos within PAP wanted an Alternaive Voice, More Check and Balances. A “shadow cabinet” was mooted by current Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, when he was still PM…
4. Several PAP stars were shot down when they “turned to the dark side” (e.g. Francis Seow)…I remembered his speeches in Parliament (yes, I am that old) and was so impressed with his poise and clarity….just hearing him was cool, calm and collect…I believed that even LKY was impressed.
PAP was never comfortable with people like JBJ and Francis Seow then….but I believe they are warming to the idea, the necessity of an alternative voice and the absolute vital function of check and balances.
They know they are pissing off a growing % of the electorate (esp. the young ones) and they need to “manage this issue”. They know what is inevitable and if they are smart (which i know they are…well most of the time) they will want to manage this evolution and be part of it.
5. Ignoring our voices is at their peril.
there are two problems as the opposition goes forward. many opposition parties are too small and not sufficiently credible to face the onslaught of the scholars type ministers of the present govt. another concern is the lack of active participation from the many by-standers. is there a good way to harness these frustrated people to become one united people?
@ 坡仔哥哥
“Overthrow” is the wrong word to use. As it gives the connotation that it is done illegal. What I proposed is the lawful way.
My own personal objective is to see a viable two party system. On the one hand, it is PAP (a reformed one, hopefully not headed by any of the Lee family) and on the other hand is the united alliance (comprising of WP, SDP, SDA, RP, NSP).
One side should have 45% MPs in parliament and the other side should have 55% MPs. Why these numbers? This is because it just takes 5% (about 4 – 5 MPs == one GRC) to swing the government between PAP and Alliance (It can’t very well be “opposition” if it became a government right?)
This is a GOOD thing. Why? This means the new PAP and the Alliance will fight HARD to serve us, the people. Not the other way round. Laws cannot be passed any winny-nilly as a 2/3 majority is required.
We also don’t want to kick PAP out and the Alliance becomes like the PAP. This would be very stupid of us. If we ever get a two-party system we must NEVER let any single party or alliance become dominant like PAP is now.
That said, such a scenario cannot be achieved overnight. It would be too sudden. The opposition must be given time and space to grow. A victory of ONE GRC will do that. (If you read romance of the three kingdoms, the 3 kingdoms did not sprung up overnight. It took the victory of one night in Red Cliff to cause a snowball effect)
One opposition alliance wins a GRC in next election, they should aim for slightly more than 33% in the next election. Why? Because a law needs 2/3 majority to do that. Achieving that more than 1/3 numbers in MPs will prevent PAP to pass stupid laws like “one-man protest”.
In the 3rd election (15-20 years from now), opposition alliance should aim for 45% of parliamentary seats. If PAP still have not wake up and still trying to “fix” the opposition instead of listening to the people, would you want to still keep them in power?
If PAP wakes up, give opposition 45% and let them keep 55%. This way we have achived a check and balance system.
Like the opposition voters in Potong Pasir and Hougang, we have to be steadfast and not be afraid.
Big Singh on Wed, 2nd Sep 2009 12:30 am
You again – Big Stick.
Hi Big Stcik every one wil say “Byee . . Byee. . ” when the time comes. Even the one ith the biggest STICK.
Whilst PM Lee Hsien Loong is sitting at the Istana fortunately or unfortunately you’re standing outside Raffles Hotel. Anyway, if you want “plenty of money” then get a double-first at Cambridge University.
PM Lee doesn’t need to sport an Osama beard and wear a turban to prove he’s not “a sissy.” Anyway, it would be interesting to look at your ‘A’ level results or what Universty degree you have i.e. if you indeed have one to verify the GREY matter you have up there.
Yes. “The future belongs to our young men and ladies, time for them to act and learn from the mistakes of their parents and elders.” But please remember this is not Kalistan. And Singapore’s not India.
We’re only a FRIST world country without any natural resources and size governed by the PAP for the past 44 good years.
@btan…even though I like what you said and how u said it…please convince me further…
1. Is Singapore Ready for your proposal? Why do u say so?
2. Assuming we go your way….in the event of “shit hits the fan…” what is your proposal?
3. What is your vision for Singapore (not PAP or any opposition party) by 2020?
@坡仔哥哥
1. I strongly believe Singapore is ready. Singapore actually has many smart people. Some has left the country, this is called brain drain because only yes-men are encouraged to stay. Liberalise it and some of the truly talented ones will return and those who wants to serve (but not serve under PAP) will step out. There is no lack of passion, except now they have been channeled to other areas. The mass media has brainwashed the people into thinking we are talentless, needs foreign talents etc… it is a vicious cycle. Think of it as an abusive parents who everyday scold their own children useless and say other children are better. If you have such a parents, won’t you just keep quiet and “proof” that your parent is correct (”You say I useless, I useless lor…”)
2. It depends on what do you mean by “shit hits the fan”. PAP bring in army? PAP does another operation coldstore?
3. I hope to see (assuming two elections has passed) that we have about 25% to 35% of MPs in parliament to be opposition. If PAP wakes up, they will truly know we the citizens are pissed and work hard to please us, not the foreigners, not themselves. With more opposition MPs, their voices will not drown out. I hope to see a shadow government by then, ready to take over. I hope to see opposition’s plan on how they can take over as government if we the voters chose it. If PAP still use their old dirty tricks to sue and jail opposition MPs, we the voters have to vote in MORE MPs. PAP cannot jail every opposition MPs without incurring wrath from their western allies. Unlike Myanmar, Singapore cannot ignore the world.
By then, if citizens have complain, they can voice out through PAP or opposition MPs. The competition will ENSURE they will listen to us and do something. Anyone who has deaf ears will earn less votes. I’m sure opposition with something to lose will wake up. Also, more able people will join opposition if it becomes less of a stigma and more of a choice. Fewer yes-men can also join PAP and change that party to become what it was originally like. The People’s ACTION Party, not the Pay-And-Pay party.
i support btan’s proposals
pap is like blue chip but this blue chip revenue and profits are dropping slowly.
opposition is like small cap company, unknown and unstable revenue and profit but with potential for growth.
a two party system would be like having two stable blue chips which can grow revenue and profits for us the stakeholders
@btan,
1. The existence of any Opposition needs the silent approval of PAP,even if it is 25% or 30%.
PAP needs to be comfortable, confident that an oppoisiton will appease the public, will improve its current standing.
- At the current political atmosphere, even if there is talent, they will not risk their careers in opposition party.
- The current rules of the game (election terms and conditions and also the current judiciary) are set by PAP
- They will not sue the pants off each and every talented opposition leader.
2. The Role of the Oppostion needs to be clear – an alternaive voice and check and balance. NOT to get rid of PAP.
3. PAP themselves will improve (complacency, clarity of roles and people policies) with the emergence of a credible opposition.
@坡仔哥哥
I disagree with some of your points.
1.) 25% to 33% of opposition needs the approval of the PEOPLE (i.e. us), not PAP. We have to break away from the mentality that PAP is the ruler.
2.) PAP sueing pants of talented opposition leaders is the reason why talented individuals do not dare to step up. That is why I advocate numbers. If you vote in 30 opposition MPs, how many do they dare to “fix”? All of them. Vote one in, they can sue one. Vote 30 in, if they dare to sue all of them, it would be considered a “massacre” and PAP will get spit on by citizens and international community at best. Something like operation coldstore can never happen without repercussion in this connected world.
3.) The role of opposition is to form shadow cabinet to check on the ruling government. Yes. However, who will be the opposition and who will be the ruling government will depend on performance. If PAP wakes up and perform, they can be the government but never the overwhelming govt like now. At best give them 55% to 65% of MPs (they only have 66.6% mandate as it is and too many MPs). However, if the opposition alliance is a better performer, then naturally they should be the next government. I don’t see what is wrong with this. PAP can then be the new opposition with 45% mandate.
4.) I want to be very clear, so you can understand. We should strive to have 55% govt, 45% oppos. This could be :
a.) 55% PAP, 45% alliance OR
b.) 55% alliance, 45% PAP
By the way, all these talks are too premature. The very first baby step is for supporters to do something (donate, spread awareness) and for opposition party to form alliance and capture 1 or 2 GRCs.
btan has potential, we should tell Chiam about you or you need to go and find him. (j/k aside but you are right both sides should try to reach out to people more)
For starters we need a shadow cabinet. we do have one, formed once by LHL current one status unknown. Worse, who is in it is a mystery. Hell I do not expect them to be able to take over, I just want to know who is who and what kinds of ideas they have regarding the country. Its terrible form not being able to know, as the name implies the current shadow cabinet (SC) really “shadowy”.
If the opposition were to be setup I think we can start with one leader (mark PM), sMinister of Finance, sMinister of Manpower and sMinister of Foreign Affairs. If there are enough ppl add one for Defence/Education. The benefits are actually two fold, the shadow ministers will show people that there are more than 1 way to do things.
It also allows them to focus on one area at a time. LTK as good as a MP he is, when it comes to issues like Home Affairs he is in uncharted waters. Wang Kan Sen’s reply to his questions made him swallow his pride and stay quiet.
Exchanges will be more common place given the one-on-one marking and will make policy making more robust. The balance is key, too much debate becomes red-tape and too little is rubber-stamp.
@csl
Thanks but I’m not interested to serve. We all don’t have to be generals. Even the lowliest soldier can help the country by doing his part.
Regarding opposition alliance, we need to write to the following people.
1.) CST of SPP (SDA)
2.) CSJ of SDP (a bit tough for these 2 to make up but powerful symbol if they do)
3.) LTK of WP
4.) Ken Sun of NSP (ask them to rejoin)
5.) KJ of RP (heard they are joining up anyway)
It cannot be just me or you to write to them. All supporters of all parties must write to them to join up. If 10,000 letters received tells you to join up, would you be able to ignore these letters?
Regarding debate between red tape and rubber stamp. I agree. That is why there is a beauty in opposition alliance. This means opposition parties in an alliance need not vote along party lines. WP and NSP are pretty close to PAP, so on some policies, they may give them the 2/3 majority but in cases where PAP comes up with stupid rules like one-man vote, then I am sure all the opposition parties will vote no.