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| "they know what they want" |
Never has journalism sunk so low.
There was Teo Chee Hean on the televison screen, calling out again if there were any more questions, obviously desperate to end the humiliation of facing the reporters after a landslide defeat. Candidate Choo, probably still trying hard to tear up one last time for the aunties, was just as anxious to get it over with. There was Low Thia Khiang at the victor's press conference, getting warmed up as the questions built up, only to be interrupted mid-sentence for a special cut back to Teo and Choo to respond to Low's annunciation of what is open knowledge: a campaign stained with old style tactics of character assassination, veiled threats and baseless attacks. Even the supporters from outside Hougang were not spared - traffic directions were warped to prevent them from reaching the political rally of their choice.
"I was hoping to see that as a society, we would move closer to our vision in our national pledge to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality.
But I feel disappointed that there were several calculated moves to discredit the candidate and attack the Workers' Party (WP). This by-election was characterised by baseless attacks, distractions, character assassinations, and veiled threats of using government resources as a carrot and stick to coerce voters."
Low rightfully credited the Hougang voters, who gave Png Eng Huat a convincing 62.1% majority, to "have a clear mind and they know what they want." Despite PM Lee Hsien Loong's professing the embrace of an inclusive society, the ward has been denied upgrading for the past 21 years. It is time the government approves the WP's improvement plans under the Neighborhood Renewal Programme and the Home Improvement Programme - both are funded by the taxpayers, not from money raised by two-time loser Demond Choo or the Rotary Club. Grasping at straws, Teo says he doesn't think Hougang is representative of Singapore as a whole. Oh yeah, so what is it about "inclusive" that the scholar Minister doesn't understand?
Posts
All other opposition parties ought to be applauded for standing firm and prevented a three corner fight in Hougang
ReplyDeleteHear hear ! That is the way to go forward.
DeleteStop the bickering among the Opposition Parties. Better still, form alliances.
"piak, piak, piak" ... so shiok !
ReplyDeletevery happy indeed !!!!
DeleteThis is a time for Singaporeans to reflect on the type of leadership it wants. In the heydays of the PAP, rather LKY, the leaders each had their political clout -Devan Nair, Toh Chin Chye, Goh Keng Swee and Ong Pang Boon . They won the hearts and minds of the populace mainly through arguments and their abilities. Then LKY started to annoint successors who were not "real" politicians responsive to the demands of the citizens, with suspect abilities. The only way for them to remain in power is the raw exercise of power. Upgrading of estates under their control to the detriment of opposition wards, unashamed use of public funds as carrots, putting losing PAP candidates as "advisors" etc. The citizens of Hougang has shown us their true mettle. The rest of the country hopefully will follow.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pity that PM Lee and PAP did not make this a perfectly clean,fair and transparent election,PM Lee and PAP have lost a golden opportunity to show that they are serious about reform and want to build a really inclusive society in Singapore.
ReplyDeleteThe road ahead does indeed look longer.
"The limits of tyrants are defined by the endurance of the people they oppress."
ReplyDeleteFrederick Douglass
If in other really democratic governments, leaders with these type of qualities (or lack of) like LHL or TCH wouldn't even last more than one term of office.
ReplyDeleteOurs seems to know how to manipulate the whole political system to favour their own interests only. It's about time that all Singaporeans start to think for themselves & vote for their own future interests.
Congrats to WP & thanks to majority Hougang residents who maintained their principles. Hope the Hougang spirit will spread to all corners of Singapore for the better future of all Singaporeans.
Some survey company should come up with a list of National Shame that Singaporeans are bothered about. I bet ST will top that list of Singapore's national shame. This whole BE just showed once again, 1 year after GE, the only change is NO Change. They have learned nothing, other than change the colors, font and layout design. A malfunction medium.
ReplyDeleteNow that was a shrew observation! Yes, they had a 'makeover', but the ST is like the PAP, too self-centred to effect any meaningful reform.
DeleteAre the PAP/Desmond Choo Loving aunties in Hougang celebrating?
ReplyDeleteOr, are they crying liked their cute boy, when the Result was announced.
Anyway, my salute to the VOTERS OF HOUGANG for your fortitude and sense of JUSTICE!
Thank You too Tattler and the many other Bloggers who have been exposing the myth created by the MIWs. Credit much be given to all the other Alternative Parties for making it a straight fight for Workers Party.
BUT, shame to the State Medias and those that resorted to wicked strategy.
patriot
Two take-aways from DPM Teo :
ReplyDelete1) Not Happy, Sue Me Lor
2) HG speaks for itself, not Nationally
Machiam local election is not national election. They/he's doing it again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWRB6dfME7Y&feature=relmfu
Is Desmond Choo from RI? Yaks!!!
ReplyDeleteTeo Chee Hean speaks for himself too!!! Or is he the reincranation of LKY?
ReplyDeletehougang eh lang meng, kamsiah kamsiah
ReplyDeleteresidents of hougang, thank you thank you
Let's see the stats more clearly and lay it out to the readers.
ReplyDeleteEric Low 45.0% (2001)
37.3% (2006)
D.Choo 35.2% (20011)
39.7% (2012)
So, Eric actually got 82.3% of total votes in the 2 elections combined.
And Choo actually got 74.9% of total votes in the last 2 elections.
So not only is he not the best man, he is not even better man.
Yet, PM Lee said he was pleased that % was improved vs the last 2 elections (ie. 2011 & 2006)!! Factually he is not wrong. But selectively, he has not compared candidate to candidate, and the overall -8% decline from the previous GE candidates sent by PAP...
Statistics can actually be mal-presented to give you a different picture isn't it?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p206QVHohdw
Is all laughable. That 3% increase really only translate to 145 extra votes for DC. All that hype about this 'inroad' and 'change' yada yada, is like how DC had hyped about working his ass/socks off, making laundry list of things he has achieved in short span of time etc etc.
DeleteMost of us expected a big swing frankly - at least 5-10%, but that is hardly something to shout about.
Deliver over and over again?! Yeah right.
Maybe that 145 votes can be gap-filled by overseas votes?! Has it been counted?
Delete@ anon 4:46pm ...... note
DeleteD.Choo 37.9% (2012) ....... not 39.7%
and Choo actually got 73.1% .........
Thanks for pointing out the error. You are right is 37.9%.
DeleteSo the % difference when compared to Eric Low is -9.2% !!
Enough said.
The PM, very brave man trying to put on a brave act.
All because they wouldn't concede, and wouldn't want to lose face.
At the end HG stands up proud. Well done! PAP should learn (unfortunately they did not) that HG residents had endoured 20 years without upgrading, don't you think will vote for PAP because of suggestion that immediate upgarding is possible if DC wins? Hello, do they think HG residents are greedy? Sorry, the porridge just go to waste.
ReplyDeleteLets make no mistakes - voting for opposition is not being disloyal to the country. It is part and parcel of democracy. Government does not belong to one party. We are Singaporeans and we all love this country. Again it does not mean we must love PAP. Americans are patriotic but they do not belong to one party. Get it PAP.
as a a pro-singapore singaporean i would love to see WP campaign HARD in parliament for upgrading in hougang. on the grounds of inclusiveness of course.
ReplyDeletemeanwhile, plse pass the porridge. oops, the flow has stopped? dear me. and the hearing aids have run out? oh.
wasn't it ironic that they had someone translating PAP rally speeches into sign language for the deaf...
As a pro-singapore singaporean, I would like to see more diversity in my parliament. There are still room for another 10-20 opposition candidates and still not upset the stability while keeping PAP as majority governance. More constituencies should start to give other good talents a chance and not leave it till too late.
DeleteI hope WP will take the oppty to regroup, reflect and rejuvenate their team and performance again. Same for other parties, they need to start recruitment and prepare the ground. This is not the time for ego. Non-teamplayer should not apply. We need serious talents (overseas or local) to come forward. There is no better time than now.
Times have changed.
ReplyDeleteVoting Opposition is an act of loyalty to Singapore and our fellow Singaporeans.
Opposition Parties stand for all Singaporeans.
Pro Alien Party?
Who knows what they stand for any more?
Other than money.
Lets wait & see whether that Law clinic will materialise or not ?
ReplyDeleteIf yes, then ask them for help to sue our DPM ?
If not, then we know one thing for sure that our Law Society has been politicised, isn't it ?
See how things can backfire on themselves !
Singapore is a small island.
ReplyDeleteAll local issues are national issues.
When the flood waters started pouring into Tanglin Mall, VB showed up to look see, look see.
Minister shows up means National issue.
DPM Teo and PM Lee shows up at Hougang elections.
Means national issue.
Congratulations to WP and Hougang. You have demonstrated your brave hearts again.
ReplyDeleteMost housing estates have already been upgraded. So what are we waiting for in 2016! Vote alternative parties because they cannot dangle this carrot anymore. More seriously, we want change, we want a true democracy based on justice and equality, not authoritarianism wrapped up in a pseudo-democracy.
DPM Teo said “I think residents of Hougang are special. I don’t think they’re representative of voters in Singapore as a whole.”
Good, continue to hide your head in the sand - obviously you choose not to see the representatives of the whole of Singapore at the rallies. Hougang is only a tidal wave, a precursor of the tsunami that will wash you away. The spirit of Hougang will permeat every nook and corner of Singapore.
Ms Chua of ST speaks, but for DPM Teo only.
Deletehttp://www.news.com.au/world/singapore-rebels-in-landslide-vote/story-fn6sb9br-1226368056171
DeleteWell, let the international media put some spotlight into how our PM and his Govt practice discrimination against the HG residents.
In fact, if HG voters want to make use of the legal clinic provided by Subhas, they should, like Mdm Vellama, file an application to the court and see if they have a civil case to bring charges against such discrimination.
Pappy Tan's Election Result Analysis:
ReplyDeleteDesmond Choo - 8,210 (2012 BE)
Desmond Choo - 8,065 (2011 GE)
_____________
+ 145
Desmond Choo only got 145 more votes in 2012 BE
The main result of WP 2% votes drop is due to...
Turn out - 23,176 (2011 GE)
Turn out - 21,951 (2012 BE)
_________________
- 1225
Possibility to non-public holiday and sudden announcement of By Election 2012, travel arrangement may already made before hand, voter turn out reduced by 1225 people
Yaw Shin Leong - 14,850 (2011 GE)
Png Eng Huat - 13,447 (2012 BE)
______________
- 1403
The main reason of 2% drop maybe due to reduce of voter turn out due to non-public holiday and sudden announcement..
2% drop may be due to..
but reduce of voter turn out
not Yaw's incident..
The support of WP did not reduce because...
1000 odd voters were enbloc since GE2011. The market was demolished too. These voters are historically known to be pro-WP and BE2012, they were gone.
This is why voter population dropped between GE2011 and BE2012. One of PAP dirty tricks I suppose.
Desmond Choo and PAP made no progress at all considering the enbloc voters, the 2 weeks of smear campaign, character assassination, refusal to discuss national issues, media smearing at WP for 2 weeks, ministers endorsements, Grassroots endorsements, NTUC endorsements etc.
If WP can survive all these and still won handsomely, WP is destined for greater things.
To quote DPM Teo - We are just laying out the facts and let people decide for themselves.
DeleteAll that amount of circus and little productivity gained. We should start asking NTUC to not just demand productivity enhancement from low-wage workers, but our own leaders and their agencies too.
good analysis.
Delete1,403 that did not vote amounts to ~ 6%
which is quite significant.
i think it is reasonable to surmise some underhand tactics involved considering how the PAP campaigned.
Our problem is why are there still 8000+ voters (good men & women) fellow singaporeans that the opposition did not manage to convince.
ReplyDelete“Let us get down to fundamentals. Is this an open, or is this a closed society? Is it a society where men can preach ideas – novel, unorthodox, heresies, to established churches and established governments – where there is a constant contest for men’s hearts and minds on the basis of what is right, of what is just, of what is in the national interests, or is it a closed society where the mass media – the newspapers, the journals, publications, TV, radio – either bound by sound or by sight, or both sound and sight, men’s minds are fed with a constant drone of sycophantic support for a particular orthodox political philosophy? I am talking of the principle of the open society, the open debate, ideas, not intimidation, persuasion not coercion…”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysian Parliamentary Debates, Dec 18, 1964
Oh btw, is it true that another by-election is in the making?
Come on, do you expect Desmond Choo and family to vote WP also? Plus there are many, many others who get lucrative jobs from PAP and/or PA, do you expect this group to bite the hand that feeds them? Even Adolf Hitler got lots of supporters during his time!
Delete"The beauty and the burden of democracy is this:
DeleteNo idea prevails without the support of the majority. The people decide the moral issues of the day, not a majority of one.
Majorities do not decide what is right or wrong. Your conscience does. So why should a citizen
surrender his or her conscience to a legislator?
No, we must never, ever kneel down before the tyranny of a majority."
All the above, not I say one...even the movies(wayang) know how to say this. So what it says about our dearest of dear 60% fellow singaporeans. You tell me.
We really need a breakdown of those 60% who voted for our greatest party of endtimes, pap.
1. how many are the pap candidates themselves & their families & their extended families
(they know who they are & we know who they are)
2. how many are the giang png &
hardup pap members...still panting after bread crumbs that fall off the dining tables of their masters with their tongues sticking out, their families & their extended families
(they know who they are & we know some but we know not all whoever they are)
3. how many are the salivating yet to be noticed potential candidates throwing themselves at the feet of their potential masters & offering themselves at the pap altar
(they know who they are but we know very little about who they are until they surface from nowhere to contest the next election)
4. how many are the balls carrying so-called grassroots self-serving useless bums...yes you heard me right, useless balls carrying bums...do you need me to repeat
(they know who they are & we know who they are)
5. how many are the ex-office bearers with vested interest
(they know who they are & we know who they are...do you need me to name them one by one)
6. how many are the kiasu & kiasi civil servants...bo lumpar type
(they know who they are & we know who they are)
7. how many are the kiasu & kiasi gic/glc employees
...still struggling to call themselves talents/elites...if you are really that good, then go & get a life & real job...cheaper/better/faster still if you can build a start-up & then break the record for the market cap of apple computer...show me you are that good & then i promise to eat my own words...if not just vanish & stop fuming
(they know who they are & we know who they are)
8. how many are the ignorant masses who are selfish & bochap about national issues & just give their votes away to any crumbs or handouts
(they know who they are & we are not entirely sure who they are)
9. how many are the cult followers or what we call apparatchiks...these are those that have been bomohed for dinosaur years & still counting...they are not even sure who they are or what they are to begin with
(for those, i reserve my comments)
10. how many are the fence sitters
(they know who they are & we know not who they are)
so let us reach out to those that are with conscience but have been misled all these while and welcome them back to the fold & in no time, we can snuff out the flame from the flickering candle of the pap once & for all.
impossible is nothing & nothing is impossible
vote out the pap, wholesale
Anon 5:28 8:03. In essence, a breakdown of the 40% will also be useful.
ReplyDeleteInteresting questions 1-9 which can be a benchmark and asked of the WP.
LTK and his team mates didn't flinch and were actually quite agreeable with how the salaries were calculated? Maybe they were thinking that they will soon be getting this also?
People who do not vote opposition are ignorant masses?
Cult followers? so what should followers of LTK be categorized as?
people talk abt conscience, you talk abt science
DeleteLTK's followers obviously are smart, wise & brave people!
Deletea) sporeans who feel they have been marginalised by PAP policies,
Deleteb) sporeans who feel the PAP do not share their vision of building a nation,
c) sporeans who see the PAP turning spore into a mega hotel,
d) sporeans who do not see themselves
defending their country, but defending the elites and their assets,
e) sporeans who despise and detest liars, cheats and those who help themselves to tax-payers money,
f) sporeans who do not see a future for their children and grand children,
g) sporeans who agree to all the above
ps: the list to categorize followers of LTK and WP is not exhaustive.
Hougang voters certainly have their own mind. PAP doesn't seem to realize this. They're running out of ideas, re-using those same old tactics in every election campaign.
ReplyDeleteThe result is not surprising. Both PAP and WP expects this. It is due to this reason that PAP is really not keen on this by-election. They went into this by-election half-heartedly. If there is a choice, they would prefer to handle it the way they did when they kicked JB Jeyaratnam out of his Anson seat, left it empty and then absorbed it into the surrounding GRC. This time round, the opposition camp is not going to allow this to happen.
Still, I feel glad that WP has successfully retained the Hougang!
Hope the Hougang spirit will spread to other parts of Singapore quickly.
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