General Election 2006 came to an end yesterday with the PAP winning majority of the seats except Hougang and Potong Pasir (strongholds of the Opposition) This was probably the hottest and most talk about topic in class besides _____ & _____ which seem to get more and more interesting each day.

well, it is somewhat expected, but i would say that the Opposition did indeed put up a good fight this election. The percentage in which the PAP won as compared to the previous 2 elections is far lower than expected for most of the wards. The PAP was expected themselves to garner 80% of the votes but in the end have to be with contented with an average of 65% of the votes. This was a far cry from the expected 80% and their showing in the previous years. I personally feel that this could be a turning point for the Opposition and that they should build on from here and the next election they could probably win some wards.

The strategy adopted by the PAP in focusing on the James Gomez Incident backfired on them in my opinion as the WP did not take up the bait, choosing instead to apologise and move on from there rather than fighting back the PAP.

I think the PAP expect them to fight back like SDP and was hoping to use this incident as a tool to derail WP Express so as to make sure that the Opposition is in a fluster and would not be able to focus fully on the General Elections. I would say that that this is the strategy used by the PAP for this election. Choosing to focus on the faults on the Oppositions and target it so as to create confusion amongst the ranks. This way, the Opposition would be not be able to put up a good fight as they have internal problems to take care off. The would be too busy taking care of themselves.

Sadly to say, the SDP was not able to withstand this onslaught by the PAP and was emboiled in lawsuits with Goh Cheok Tong and Lee Kuan Yew. Cracks started showing in their ranks as its members were in a way more concern with removing themselves from the defamatory articles rather than to stay united in the face of diversity but we must take into consideration that family pressure and selfishness may have a part to play in it which could cause some of the members to crumble. The thought of paying huge amounts of money simply do not appeal to them, neither would it appeal to me. I would say that this incident cause them quite a few votes as the impression that they generated to the public after the incident was rather negative, this could be partly due to the negative reports published by the Straits Times, a newspaper partly owned by the government. They were seen as a squabbling party with no solid manifesto and no direction for the future of Singapore. I think despite that the SDP have lots of guts but a lack of leadership and direction. This could be seen through Dr Chee Soon Juan who despite having a lot of guts to question the PAP on several occasions, fluttered around like a headless chicken.

The WP on the other hand, took the PAP head on and admitted their mistake and from there call the incident to a close and move on, rather than choosing to answer the questions rise by the PAP which would in fact halt the WP in their tracks. They displayed a strong show of unity among their ranks and were not afraid to take the PAP headon. I think these cause them to earn quite a few votes for their party and even though they lost, they lost with a rather huge increase in percentage of votes as compared to last election. I would say that the WP is a party to look out for during the next few elections. They have stability amongst their EXCO and i predict that the WP is the party to look out for in the future. They have done some internal clean ups and are far better than how they were in the past when they were just like the SDP. Lots of guts but no directions.

To me, this strategy employed by the PAP seem more like the "streetfighter" type that they condemn and it looks more like Third World Politics rather than First World. If you look at it from another point of view, it could be seen as being dirty politics, targeting on the weaknesses of the party or the weakest link in the party and refusing to let go and hoping tht the party will break under pressure and not put up a fight. I personally feel that it is petty with a lack of honour and integrity. If the PAP is so sure about themselves winning, then they should just let it carry on and challenge the Opposition to their defamatory claims, after all for all we know there could be a shred of truth in what they say.

However, though there were more Oppositions this time round contesting in several GRCs, i feel that the challenge is still not there. The Opposition is still not up to the mark of a worthy adversary of the ruling party. it was more like a 1 way fight. PAP vs WP or PAP vs SDA etc. it would be much better if we could see a 3 way or 4 way fight. PAP vs SDA vs WP for example in a GRC. this would provide more challenge for the PAP. on other hand, the Oppositions too have to improve on their directions. To me, they are just fighting for the sake of fighting. Win or Lose it doesn't matter. Instead of just complaining about the problems, they should also provide solutions to solve the problems. Though they did present some solutions to solve the problems, i feel that the solutions suggested seem to take us towards being a welfare state and it could be quite disastrous as it could mean we have to pay more taxes.

I feel that the Oppositions should have contested in all GRCs or at least in Tanjong Pagar and Marine Parade so that they can tie down the 2 most influential figures in the PAP. This way, they would be too busy contesting in their wards and would not have so much time to help out at the other GRCs. Moreover, in view of their advanced age, it would be quite hard for them to maintain the 2weeks of hard campaigning. This could be a possible tactic used by the Opposition. Target the strongholds of the PAP so as to distract the main figures and they would not have much effort to back up the other GRCs. The Opposition should also form alliances between themselves so that they can deliver a 2 prong attack to the GRC. after all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. they should start working together rather than seperately. like that, the PAP would have its hands full with 2 enemies rather than 1 which they can fully focus on. If there is more contesting, they would be too busy and may flattered along the way. I agree with what MM Lee said, win over a GRC first then from there on build on as it forms the foundation of your fight for the majority in Parliament. instead too of spreading yourself widely, you could also concentrate on one and from there work on to win all the GRCs.

In this election, i also saw a display of loyalty from the resisdents to the Opposition MPs through Hougang and Potong Pasir GRCs. I guess the MPs really connected with the people and bought them over not with money or honeyed words but rather with their actions in honouring their promises and their willingness to put all else at risk for the people.

I also think that there should be more Opposition MPs in Parliament to serve as a check for the PAP. I would say that majority of the PAP are "yes" man or woman. always agreeing, never protesting. even if they do protest, ultimately they too agreed with what the PAP says. with Oppositions MPs in Parliament, not only do they provide an alternative voice for the people, they too are able to understand the people. The PAP seems like an elitist party where all its candidates are Degree Holders and above which would put them in the upper income families as compared to the Oppositions like the WP which come from middle income families which the form the majority of the population in Singapore. They are able to understand the people better and would be able to represent them better.

I still have many things to say but they are all politically sensitive issues. so i guess it would be best not to say it on a public blog where i could be arrested by the ISD for being a threat to the security of the Nation. after all that had happened in MI over PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THOUGHTS and the crackdown that follows soon after, sometimes silence is indeed golden.

I do not mind discussing it with you if you are interested. :P after all, i do have a love for politics and i find it rather nice to play coz it is just like going to war and in wars there would be winners and losers. haha i guess i develope this interest in politics especially after 3 years in NCC serving as a CLT. it does develope my interest and my love for it. could say in some ways am a veteran in playing it. it involved manipulation, stategising and tactics and a good PR. Playing politics is just like playing Monopoly or any other boardgames like RISK or GAME OF LIFE. you either win or lose and you must take risks and plan ahead of your opponents.

So Why Not Try It?