[Reactions at the next elections]
I was listening to a Mr Brown Show podcast titled blame it on somebody and it is hilarious. I can't describe how funny it is, you have to go listen to it yourself. Okay, maybe just one sentence: it is just as funny as the Mas Selamat escape.
They say time changes everything. And I strongly agree. As time goes by, the incident fades from our minds - the posters of Mas Selamat turn yellow, they drop off. So when the hype dies down and the people let down their guard, our dear Mas Selamat can slowly start to disappear. Let's move on.
My brother asked me if I think Wong Kan Seng will lose votes during the next General Elections. I painted two scenarios.
The first, is a fundamental one - will there be an opposition there or would it be a walkover? If there is a contest then there's a possibility. Another factor is whether Mas Selamat is caught by then. Well, if Mas Selamat is caught, there's no case in point. If not, the opposition would likely capitalise on this issue.
The second, is whether Wong Kang Seng would be running in his ward - Bishan-Toa Payoh. If Wong Kan Seng runs, would the residents of Bishan-Toa Payoh want to lose two cabinet ministers (provided there is no reshuffle) - Wong Kan Seng and Ng Eng Hen. My guess is probably not.
I was reading some comments on theonlinecitizen and one comment struck me - there was no evidence to show that Mas Selamat did indeed escape from the detention centre.
Some ideas suggested to show that this was not a conspiracy or a cover-up by the government was to present the last medical report of Mas Selamat showing the condition of his health to disprove that he was accidentally killed while in detention. Other suggestions were to provide evidence of the last time Mas Selamat's family members had visited him to show that he was well and good as well as other eye-witness accounts of people who saw him escape.
Perhaps posting such suggestions here would get some answers. Because I know many people read what I post here. Let's see where this goes.
posted by Ephraim Loy 黎传志 at 6:15 pm
2 Comments:
Hahah indeed, MrBrown's song is very funny, better than MDA's corny rap song.
Well for me as a political realist, I am well aware that it is going to take a long time for Singaporeans especially my fellow young Singaporeans to come in full force.
I asked my China friends and lecturers about China politics. As mentioned before, they are nationalistic and proud of their country although they know the CCP govt is not exactly all good one. There is a lot more behind the scenes power play between the leaders, so China politics is murky, opaque and not really transparent. However for big matters that blow up such as SARS outbreak, then Health Minister Mr Zhang was sacked for the blunder.
The same goes for American politics. Any politician should know that it is a high pressure job with great responsibility and powers, high pay and benefits with Low job security. For myself, I don't know whether I can handle this or not. Personally, I started this independent study about politics not because I want to be a MP or even Minister. Rather, my objective is to evaluate for myself whether Singapore is still for me as my home where I can contribute and live up to my full potential.
If I find that elsewhere is better for me, I might well go elsewhere. Looking at these new generation of Mainland Chinese in my university, somehow gives me hope that China will rise back up again to be great again. I can also see them having a hint of wanting to actively change China for the better when their turn comes. Sadly, I see no such visible signs from my fellow Singaporeans.
Sun Yat sen took all his life to change feudal China. Yet he died with his wishes unfulfilled.
Therefore, if Singaporeans are really fed up with PAP govt like the Malaysians, the next general elections will be shocking. However, my Dad whom I discuss politics often, said that now the Govt still know better to give the people candy to placate the people about rising costs of living. For the time being, the people are still contented for the most part. As for the various conspiracy theories, I have no comments because they are based on weak evidence.
Ephraim, please reply
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 11:36:00 am
Singaporeans want change but not many are willing to make that sacrifice to make the change. I hear people saying that we have a lack of freedom of speech, and freedom of expression. But challenge any Singaporean to make a stand or to further that cause and they shy away. I must admit that as Singaporeans we are quick to pinpoint the mistakes of the government, but we are slow to applaud the government for doing the right things. I am not sure how other countries' citizens are like - perhaps they are so used to the government screwing up that they become numb. For Singapore, we are the direct opposite. The Singapore government has been running the country pretty well for the last 42 years therefore the tendency to pinpoint the mistakes that occur now and then. I am guilty of that sometime as well. But having people comment on such things show that they are not apathetic. The day when people stop commenting and talking about such things is when we evolve into a communist Singapore where fear is everywhere (like the case in george orwell's 1984). Until then I guess we are still pretty fine. If you want to make the difference then stand up and be counted.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 4:50:00 pm
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