Unsurprisingly, as seen in their manifesto, they harped on having an alternative voice in parliament. Based on their definition of "Towards a 1st World Parliament", they urged the residents of Hougang and Aljunied to vote them in such that by virtue of having some blue shirts in parliament as opposed to a sea of white, they would have made inroads toward a 1st world parliament.
They also made the case for checks and balances within the current government using the analogy of a driver and his co-driver; that it's important for the co-driver slap the driver whenever needed. What they're looking to get is a "driver's license" and for this, they'll need the residents of Aljunied and Hougang to vote for them.
More importantly, they sounded a call to action citing the turnout at their rally in 2006 being as good as it was today, however when it came to the voting booths, the support did not translate into votes. As such, they urged everyone to turn their support into action.
Chen Show Mao then spoke, in 4 different languages, Malay, English, Mandarin and Hokkien. Very impressive! His China style of mandarin and Taiwan style of hokkien however seemed to put some people off. Low Thia Kiang then pacified the residents of Hougang by explaining his reasons for leaving(to contest a GRC as he feels the time is ripe) and the audience seemed to be very receptive and supportive of his decision.
Yaw Shin Leong, the candidate for Hougang SMC then exhibited his credentials and explained how in 2006 he led the WP in Ang Mo Kio and managed to secure a good margin of votes. He also spoke of his various roles in Hougang since 2001 up to present day. He mentioned how the Hougang Town Council has done a good job and maintained the area well citing that rubbish isn't stacked up 3-Storeys high. The audience seemed to take to him very well.
Next up, Gerald Giam got up to address the audience but he didn't seem to get as warm a response. Maybe this was because he prefered to use a more logical and rational tone compared to the rhetoric of the previous speakers. The WP proposed to do away with the PSLE in an effort to reduce stress on both the children and the parents to lukewarm applause.
So far, the WP has failed to highlight its plans for Aljunied GRC on a local level and has instead chosen to fight it's front on the national level issues. This begs the question as to whether or not they're in it to genuinely help the residents of Aljunied GRC. Are they instead using the residents of Aljunied GRC to further their own political agenda? Aljunied GRC famously saw the closest contest in the 2006 GE and it certainly seems that Low Thia Kiang and gang intend to ride on the momentum created in the last GE and ride the wave into Parliament. It is their chosen strategy and a strategy nonetheless and I respect that. I do feel for the residents of Aljunied though.
The decision that the residents of Aljunied have to make in the coming week is whether or not to sacrifice Singapore's Foreign Minister and his team for a largely untested group. Take nothing away from the WP team; even FM George Yeo called them worthy opponents. But looking at the PAP lineup for Aljunied GRC, Foreign Minister George Yeo who is arguably the stand-out minister from the last Cabinet. Personally, I can't see anyone who would do a better job than Minister George Yeo in the Foreign Minister post. I'd go so far as to say that in time to come, he's a potential PM. There's also Minister Lim Hwee Hua who has championed women's rights in Singapore and Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed who is well loved by the Malay community. Is Aljunied GRC willing to sacrifice these 3 MPs for what in essence would be an alternative voice in Parliament which effectively can't walk the talk. Furthermore, Minister George Yeo and his team have been working the ground relentlessly since their close contest in 2006. The WP team has only been visibly working the ground in the 6 months leading to the elections. Personally, I don't think the residents of Aljunied will be hoodwinked into believing that the WP are contesting in Aljunied to serve the residents of Aljunied. That's just my thoughts and views for now.
Enjoy the campaigning period! It's going to be exciting!
so what are the plans from PAP on a local level, will you mind state it out? Lift upgrading is does not count becoz every singaporean deserve it and not just PAP's district. Please do not call your a majority when your views are clearly tending towards supporting PAP blindly. the fact that you are hiding behind the facade of a blog makes you all the more suspicious
ReplyDeleteDear Dumbo,(I'd prefer not to call you that, but that's the moniker you choose to go by, and I respect that)
ReplyDeleteIf you were to have done a little bit of homework, the PAP has a local manifesto for Aljunied GRC, which is what this article is about. All the plans for Aljunied GRC are lined out in that manifesto. They're too detailed to list out in a blogpost comment, but I urge you to read it before saying something like "Supporting the PAP blindly", because it sure does seem like you're supporting the opposition blindly.