May 6, 2011
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Singapore General Elections
An excellent video of Singapore’s second longest political prisoner of 19 years, Lim Hock Siew.
Ex-political prisoner speaks out in Singapore (Banned in Singapore) from sotong on Vimeo.
With Chiam See Tong and Low Thia Kiang leaving their Potong Pasir and Hougang strongholds respectively this time, there is a chance we might have NO MORE OPPOSITION seats in parliament. Tell me, what good is a parliament, if there are no alternative voices for different segments of the citizenry? Not enough opposition to effect good change when it is really needed? Imagine what an utter farce parliament sessions will be – the PAP debating amongst themselves “oh hmmm, should we give ourselves 8 months bonus like last year, or 12 months this time?“
Yes, if you didn’t know, 8 month bonus for our ministers, on top of them being the highest paid in the world. Many many millions we are talking about. I’m all for paying our top civil servants top dollar if they do their job well and it is a method of curbing corruption, but there comes a point when the amount crosses the level of decency for people who have promised to serve the people wholeheartedly and put our interests first.
“Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?” is the response Vivian Balakrishnan gave to the raised parliament request of helping out the needy more. While he can easily afford a private chef, the aged hunched-back auntie, who once worked hard to build the Singapore that we the young generations enjoy today, has to clean toilets for her next $5 meal and could do with a little bit more from our billions of dollars of reserves (Singapore has the 10th largest in the world)… however the money goes to 8 month bonuses instead.
(btw. I am not advocating a more extensive welfare system – the elderly generation were not as educated enough to know they would need to save insane amounts for retirement in such an expensive country, but we younger generations now do, hence it is our personal responsibility and we should not count on government handouts like they can. At the same time they must also address the needs of Singaporeans who are suffocating in a growing economy with rising inflation and costs that their salaries cannot keep up with)
The issue here is why the government is being generous with themselves instead of those who need it?
It’d be great if we have more people like SPP’s Chiam See Tong, who has tirelessly and wholeheartedly served the residents of Potong Pasir for 30 years, from here:
A makeshift cubicle in the HDB void deck where Mr. Chiam conducted his meet-the-people sessions, because PAP refused to give proper offices to the opposition.
This is what I call real dedication. With no desire for frills or monetary gain. Fighting a lone and uphill battle in parliament for most of his life. Facing ridicule and condescension by a sea of white shirts.
In fact every time I see Chiam See Tong speak, his frail frame battered after 2 strokes but his spirit and conviction still unwavering and strong, it’s like turning on a switch to a floodgate of tears.
About 6:00 onwards to the end is the best part. “I’m not a brave person but I love Singapore, I love Singaporeans”
I just want to give him a big kiss & hug.
Mr. Chiam, no matter what happens, no doubt the residents of Potong Pasir who have stood by you for decades will always love and cherish you. Your legacy, courage and perseverance will live on in the inspired minds of Singaporeans.
We need accountability:
Ex-President Ong Teng Cheong’s requests to view our government’s accounts and investments denied –
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/02/president-ongs-interview-with-asiaweek-revisited/GIC losses of $33 billion, Bloomberg - http://bloom.bg/k5Nl87
GIC losses of $41.6 billion, Wall Street Journal – http://on.wsj.com/k0LP8j
What exactly are the Government Linked Corporations doing with citizens’ money? We don’t know because we can’t.
All these are just a few of many possible issues to bring up with the PAP. And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t appreciate it when my government issues thinly veiled threats to me? Vote for us, or else…. what is this, blackmail? Well PM Lee did end up making a public apology for their “mistakes”. But, I’m not here to complain & complain.Because I understand that no government is perfect. There is no utopia.Truth be told, the PAP has *overall* done a good job. We are an exemplary country by numerable standards. There is no need to overturn the boat that has brought us this far; I’m not saying throw them out. But we could certainly do with a co-captain, to keep the PAP in check, to make sure they are not going off course.
If you support the PAP, then you will want them to become better. And to do so we must have a few more opposition seats in the house to push them further!
Voting based on a party’s announced policy plans is not exactly the best idea because they will often say what makes voters happy before the elections. It’s not a given, policies don’t necessarily always go into effect after.
So what else can you vote for?
Vote for a better, improved government. Fairness. Transparency. More freedom of speech for citizens to hold the government accountable to us who voted them in.
There are some excellent candidates in the opposition this year. Who is to say in Aljunied, the very credible Low Thia Kiang, Sylvia Lim and Chen Show Mao COMBINED cannot replace George Yeo, as good as Georgie may be?
Give them a chance to prove themselves. After all, remember – the PAP many years ago was also once the opposition with no track record whatsoever as well.
I wish I could have wrote this earlier to give it more time, depth and thought as I have been terribly busy. It is already voting day. But I hope what I presented here helps at least some people who only read/listen to mainstream media to form a more whole and balanced view before they vote.
Have fun crossing your boxes!
(I might wear all white and carry a blue umbrella with a hammer, just to confuse people
)
Comments (49)
Dawn you are awesome for writing this post!
Well said, Dawn! I’m glad that you didn’t write a whole ass-long entry on this election..it would have easily bored me with all those words. And you kept to your words for writing the entry! Good job!
Thank you so much for writing this!
Nicely written! How good is George when he has made statements like these before: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4tUBcyC8co
Now he asks for change. haha.
People that say pretty women have no brain apparently have not read your blog!
Sorry if this sounds cheesy.
Balanced and open view, to the point! no attacks, no ignorant, baseless argument like some dumb, ignorant blond-wannabe who, intellectually has nothing but her PRIMARY-SCHOOL grades! LOL!
All the points you have mentioned have already been mentioned and discussed by others. There is no need to repeat and highlight your ungreatfulness towards the government. The only thing that I agree with in this post (and probably the only original opinionb of yours) is that there is no depth.
This is much better and have so much substance compared to another so-called popular blogger… Respect!!!
@Disgusted
I guess she just doesn’t wanna attack people like how Xiaxue did. Sometimes I wonder if Xiaxue would ever get hit in the face one day when she goes out.
Beauty and brains! I love you so much Dawn!!! Thank you for this! Our young people need to read this instead of that blonde bimbo bully’s!
@Disgusted -
Learn2spellcheck
Dawn,
I am an occasional writer for TOC and I will readily put it out there that for the past several years, I have always held you in my mind as a superficial, two-dimensional bimbo incapable of conscious thought.
But you have shattered that impression with this thoughtful post. TOC has taken note of this post and there’s much props to you for taking this stance.
Regards,
Davin.
thumbs up!
You are definitely wiser than xiaxue!
So what if her posts are more witty? So what if shes blunt and thats what her fans like about her?
Shes still an ugly dumb bitch, not even qualified to be a bimbo
can’t help but feel that your support for opposition is fuelled by xx’s support for pap. really ar why you girls have to fight so much.
@Davin Ng - Ha don’t play play.. Dawn Yang is from Raffles JC and got some scholarship before. Tend to underestimate beauties in the entertainment public eye, now we know some very rare ones one like her do have brains. Glad we get a chance to finally see her brainy side!
@doubtful -
Dun think so, can tell this post is passionate and from the heart. Hello not everyone who supports opposition is because of xx. I’m very happy she wrote this, kudos!
Thanks for this post and posting the videos, i’m shocked! I want to hug Chiam See Tong too
Wow, it’s good you’re truly speaking from your heart! I believe Singapore needs REAL change because it must be able to survive the PAP. Kudos for taking time to write this.
You guys should also read this too:
http://thinkhappiness.blogspot.com/2011/05/aljunied-resident-on-his-vote-today.html
@rodney -
“Education” can be a misnomer here in Singapore. In the words of a MNC employer in Singapore, he laments that Singaporeans are very much lacking increativity or flexibility in thinking. The education is extremely prescriptive. People in Singapore are taught what to think. In that sense, people in Singapore are not -educated-. They’re -trained-.
I may have come from ACS(I), but that does not make me a better person than anyone by default. My analysis and observations are based on one’s words and actions, not background.
@Disgusted -
*ungratefulness
YAY! Pro-PAP citizens need to know that people who are Pro-opp isn’t asking for an opposition government,
but a better PAP, (with that, we need more alternative voices in the parliament).
I also don’t agree with their justification of high salaries. PAP supporters need to OPEN their eyes and see the bigger picture,
instead lambasting at the rest for not being “grateful” enough.
This is our future we are talking about. (:
In Plato’s Republic, he speaks of the dangers of rhetoric. Maybe you should have a read to help you to understand why control of the press is important for social stability when a country is trying to rebuild itself. Though it is true that Singapore today is different from what it used to be (thank God), history has shown that it is detrimental for a nation to be divided. Furthermore, do you not think that the government could shut down online publications like ToC and TR. (both, contrary to what some might like to think, is as biased or even more so, than the Straits Times) if it wanted to?
The media is not an innocent, harmless victim…but a very very powerful weapon.
Put yourself in the shoes of a leader of a country where, if you look at the facts, is 1.made up of a delicate balance of people from different ethnicities, race and religion…thus, the relative harmony and peace that we see today is something that, if we reach a certain point, can be torn apart faster than we can fix it; and 2. a country whose economy is also not a given (Singapore does not have natural resources or much land, so we cannot depend on local exports) but also carefully monitored and maintained..Singapore, because of its limitations, depend heavily on our dynamic and attractive commercial and business environment. Investment is crucial. However, this can all also crumble away if we do not maintain our social and economic stability.
So would you take the chance and allow multiple voices and (quite possibly) personalities with the gift of rhetoric loose? Some who were “silenced” may have had only the purest and best intentions, but what about the possibility of pot-stirrers who stir up the sentiments of the public for personal gain? If we think about it, is that a consequence that you’d want to risk…for the sake of “freeing the poor, oppressed media”?
Communism sounded nice in theory…but when you factor in the fallen nature of human beings, it just didn’t work. We have to be wary of any theory or ideology that sounds nice but may lead to dire consequences when applied in real life.
I’d want a leader who’s more concerned about the practicalities in a citizen’s life. More than just -up-in-the-air theoretical concepts and ideologies, I’d want a government who, when it comes to basic survival needs and safety needs, the two bottom tiers of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, gets it right.
For instance, where else in the developed world can so many couples with below average to average income afford a place of their own? People just judge the system because the apartments are not handed to you on a platter (that is, it may still be a struggle for some to afford one, but at least many actually dO. Which is more than i can say similar young couples in say, New York, Melbourne, London or Toronto. Most just end up staying in rented apartments), but among friends of mine who are just starting out in their family life, the ones in Singapore have more assets than those in other urban cities.
Also, the articles that was cited on GIC losses…1. both were from 2008-2009, when the global financial crises were affecting investments around the world. 2. Ask any investor, investment values will go up and down (of course, when a global crises hits, it goes waaay down) but serious investors always look at long-term gains…as long as the general trend is up, it’s a good investment. 3. I don’t think even the best investment companies in the world have never suffered losses, especially when global markets are down. 4. Complaints about the government not handling the money well contradicts the fact that our national reserves are “the 10th largest in the world”.
I don’t think PaP is perfect, but look at the standard of living we enjoy (low-income groups in Singapore are better off than low-income groups in other countries…there are people who stay in 2-room flats who, because they wanted to, receive a good education, can still save enough to go for short getaways, and carry snazzy phones. They may not live as luxuriously as the upper-class in Singapore, but different social classes and income levels are a mainstay everywhere in the developed world).
If the opposition were of better quality, i may consider giving them a go. However, if we put aside the rose-coloured glasses that we’ve put on because we like the fact that they’re “opposition”, an objective evaluation shows how sorely they fall short (I’m not talking about a few more outstanding individuals but each party on a whole, the sum of the quality of their candidates).
@Urockmyuniverse -
Do you not really understand her post? She appreciates the PAP despite some of their shortfalls. We want a BETTER government, not a NEW govt.
@Urockmyuniverse -
Do you not really understand her post? She appreciates the PAP despite some of their shortfalls. We want a BETTER government, not a NEW govt.
Thanks Dawn, we need more young influential people like you to speak out.
To Urockmyuniverse: Plato’s Republic? I’ve read part of it. Didn’t he recommend and advocate the usage of eugenics to “strengthen” the human race? As I recalled, eugenics was quite a popular theory at the beginning of 19th century. But it was Nazi Germany which perfected the concept and actually implemented it. And then there’s Singapore of course with eugenics based not on race but on economic class. This would influence certain policies implemented during the 60s to 80s. And what did these policies encourage? University students to breed with one another, in order to produce a master race. They were actually discouraged from mating with lower classes of society. Remember SDU where the grads were encouraged to date one another?
http://www.friesian.com/plato.htm
For those who want to know more about Plato’s Republic
The opposition candidates are of poor quality? Really? When compared against who? Tin Pei Ling? Or many of the candidates who’re touted to have experience in campaigning but only due to “walkovers”? Or against all those candidates who’re paid highly and who don’t show up except at functions or certain meetings? I live in Holland Bukit Timah GRC but have never met Christopher de Souza. I have never seen him knock on my doors and how do I know? I was sick for a few years and had to spend most of my time at home.
I’m done yakking and will let everyone read and think for themselves. =)
Before I forgot, here’s something about Eugenics and Singapore:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sg_Review/message/2609
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/lib/ne/lky/raceculturegenes.pdf
not a fan of yours, but im happy you posted this sensible post. there are many things hidden from the ordinary citizen, too much censorship and fear mongering. yes we need pap, but one with accountability, and only with some opposition can that happen!
have a great day!
Thank you so much Dawn!!
I was really depressed after the xiaxue post.
Thank goodness for young people like you….you give me hope.
There are risks in all investments. Some things may happen that is not within one’s control. For example, you were duped into advertising for a fake branded bag website which resulted in many people being cheated of their hard earned money. You didn’t do it purposely, did you?
Well said. Always knew you were a few times smarter than your other competitor and you write with your head rather than being emotion-filled and turning your piece into an expletive-diarrhea. I want change and I’m not saying I don’t think the founding fathers. But as we progress, somewhere along the line things NEED to change.
Hi Dawn, I’m glad that u are awake and clear about the situation in Singapore! Some Singaporean don’t even know who is Mr Chiam See Tong and don’t know anything the opposition parties had gone through for so many years! Mr Chiam love Singapore and Singaporeans! I love you and god will surely bless you! Love u sweety!! ^^ We are not voting for the sake of ourselves, but the democracy in Singapore!
Marry me!!!
Dawn, YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS!
IT’S SO FUNNY!!! =DDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Somebody made fun of Xiaxue. I hope this is a smack on her thick make-up face!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-kXB2sf1TM&feature=feedu
insightful read, so much better that the other blond bimbo who just keep bashing people who “like” Nicole Seah’s page over MM LKY’s, and from there link it to opposition supporters being stupid or something.
George Yeo lost! Actually I only wanted to see him lose because of some blondie out there. Yes!
I somewhat agree with the presence of the opposition in the parliament, but what makes you think that the opposition will not want an 8 month bonus, will do anything and everything they can to fight for the poor? Singaporeans are asking for utopia- where everyone is equally rich. We all know that that is impossible.
On another note, what have you done for the poor? i know you’re not a minister receiving high pay, but it’s always easier to talk than to actually do something about the situation. You have benefited much from ‘the aged hunched-back auntie’ who once helped to build the Singapore we now enjoy. What have you done to repay that? I always see posts about you jetting here and there. Why don’t you help out with the poor?
And from what i read in the comments, you received a scholarship. Who gave you that scholarship? Who gave you such a good education? The problem with people saying that PAP hasn’t done anything is that PAP has done such a good job that people consider things like shelter and education to be something that ought to be provided.
PAP has done a good job, people want them to improve now. What I feel is that it is (relatively) easy to improve drastically from a 3rd world country to a 1st world country but it is hard to improve from a 1st world country to an excellent 1st world country.
Dawn, I didn’t have a good impression of you before thanks to Xiaxue’s blog. I never bothered to read your blog before. But then someone recommended this entry and now, I have a newfound respect for you as you have shown yourself to have much more intelligence and sense than Xiaxue. Sorry to have misunderstood you before.
I hope you are taking this dumbass stance to spite xia xue, and not because you truly believe in its merit.
You are wonderful, I love you marry me! =D
YOU ARE RIGHT (:
Thank you for helping spread awareness. I only wish you wrote this much earlier. You are very intelligent for someone who doesn’t usually present such an image.
Truly beauty with brains!!!!!
Good for you Dawn. At least you have a view, not like some newbie who has nostrong views on any policies of the government, and also have no need to stoo to crude postings like the infamous blogger who appear to like to flame you for whatever reasons and has a mouth stuffed full of sh.i..
I can’t believe you can post up this crap. I watched the documentary for 3.5minutes and turned it off. Just in that 3.5 minutes, while wanting to condemn LKY for (lack of) press freedom, it already displayed heavy bias and a lack of central facts. Why did LKY announce he came to this decision (publicly back then and again in his memoirs)? Why did Hoffman run away? Why does SG govt explain their lack of concern towards the idea of being so low on the press index? What is the press index based on and why did SG rank there? What a crap documentary, voice-over, and what a crap idea for putting it on to further the opposition. I’m all for the opposition but let’s display a bit of intelligence when we want to discuss issues and put our own values as context, thanks.
Certainly a very well written and balanced piece of writing compared to other blogs that I have read regarding the Singapore election.
Well done and writing as such should be promoted in the local papers. You should be
Very proud of yourself!
@F
Get lost obvious-bimbo-XX fan!
i love you for writing this. <3
how to see u again @ Sands. =)
Hi all, I did a commemorative WP video to mark this historic win!
Workers Party Commemorative Video
This is the first time I am commenting on your blog apart from enjoying your nice photos
I totally agree with you on this and I feel the same as you. I know PAP is responsible for how SG has turned out to be despite living in HK for over 8 years but they do have some credits for what they have done so far. They just need to reflect and improve. Really enjoy reading your recent posts about the election, it has brought insights to me again.
My mom is retired with not much money and because I am able to support her. I know there are folks out there who won’t be able to do so and worry and feel sorry for them. As for me, just like you said, I am saving every penny I can so that I can retire comfortably without needing my daughter to support me when I am old.