Can Oppositions Unite?

[commoner]

I don't think Singapore's oppositions can unite as into a single alliance against PAP.

We have SDP, RP, WP and SDA. If you look at the current leaders, they all cannot work together. They can be friendly to each other but that ends there.

But can they join up with just one or more party? Maybe? Will the other uninvited party feel left out? definitely.

Can they come to a consensus on a common political platform or ideology for every opposition? No.

I believe the oppositions at best that they can co-operate is to avoid 3-corner fights at all costs. Combined and form alliances when shortage of manpower.

So it would be best for oppositions to come together, pool their resources together to take on PAP on every constituencies, avoiding 3-corner fights,,,, DIVIDE & CONQUER... leave the individual strategy to individual party where they see fit

 

[Sideswipe]

They reaching a understanding to avoid 3-corner fights is good enough for me.

A united opposition camp under one alliance could be more attractive to Singaporeans, some peasants might like that and think - they are serious this time, might give them our votes.

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

they reaching a understanding to avoid 3-corner fights is good enough for me.

but a united opposition camp under one alliance could be more attractive to Singaporeans.

Strategically, having only one single entity to go for elections is unwise. It is just like a big fat aircraft carrier as target without any destroyers as protection fleet.

Imagine that if someone just infiltrate into that organization, create a big scandal just right in the middle of election campaigning, the whole ship with all good and bad candidates just sink.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[Robert Half]

Singapore opposition parties should learn from Taiwan DPP

Victory in 2000 & 2004 ending KMT reign to rule Taiwan, ROC from 8 years

 

[IR123]

Can pigs fly?

Is the moon blue?

If any opposition leader has half a brain, he will know a united opposition is good.

But why rehash an old topic when everyone knows that unity is beyond the opposition's ability?

Besides you are asking indian chiefs to submit to each other. "How"?

 

[kingrant]

I do not believe it is realistic to expect them to unite into one alliance, but I do expect them to come together and plan a grand unified electoral strategy,which should include of course avoiding 3-corner fights.

 

[Hawkeye1819]

If the opposition wins enough seats, the major seat holders will start to talk about forming a coalition amongst themselves.

The PAP might also change their tune and invite the largest holder to form a coalition with them. The lure of power sharing will be very great.

I don't think Singapore's oppositions can unite as into a single alliance against PAP.

We have SDP, RP, WP and SDA. If you look at the current leaders, they all cannot work together. They can be friendly to each other but that ends there.

But can they join up with just one or more party? Maybe? Will the other uninvited party feel left out? definitely.

Can they come to a consensus on a common political platform or ideology for every opposition? No.

I believe the oppositions at best that they can co-operate is to avoid 3-corner fights at all costs. Combined and form alliances when shortage of manpower.

So it would be best for oppositions to come together, pool their resources together to take on PAP on every constituencies, avoiding 3-corner fights,,,, DIVIDE & CONQUER... leave the individual strategy to individual party where they see fit

 

[Hawkeye1819]

Single entities at this stage are impossible due to ideological and personality differences, and frankly, hugely impractical.

A more likely outcome will be that when the opposition wins a certain number of seats, the major holders will start to think about forming an informal coalition with each other so that they can credibly be in a position to actually form an alternative govt should the ruling party continue to hemorrhage more seats.

The PAP will also likely offer to form some sort of coalition with the major seat winner as a form of co-option.

What will really throw a spanner into the works for the PAP is if another JBJ-like character emerges, one who can not only have mass appeal but also really hits hard at the sore points.

Strategically, having only one single entity to go for elections is unwise. It is just like a big fat aircraft carrier as target without any destroyers as protection fleet.

Imagine that if someone just infiltrate into that organization, create a big scandal just right in the middle of election campaigning, the whole ship with all good and bad candidates just sink.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[goh chok tong]

If opposition can unite, I would worry.

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

Single entities at this stage are impossible due to ideological and personality differences, and frankly, hugely impractical.

A more likely outcome will be that when the opposition wins a certain number of seats, the major holders will start to think about forming an informal coalition with each other so that they can credibly be in a position to actually form an alternative govt should the ruling party continue to hemorrhage more seats.

The PAP will also likely offer to form some sort of coalition with the major seat winner as a form of co-option.

What will really throw a spanner into the works for the PAP is if another JBJ-like character emerges, one who can not only have mass appeal but also really hits hard at the sore points.

First of all, with due respect, there is little "ideology" to speak of in Singapore's political context. Even PAP doesn't have any "highfalutin" ideology to start with. WP? NSP? SDA?

Secondly, if PAP ever needs to form a coalition, it will find the smallest or medium party to form the coalition, not the biggest opposition party. It is a norm all over the world. The reason is simple, if you look for a small party, you will only need to give a small token ministerial seats to them. If you look for a bigger party, you will have to give a bigger number of ministerial seats to them.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[Perspective]

I don't think Singapore's oppositions can unite as into a single alliance against PAP.

We have SDP, RP, WP and SDA. If you look at the current leaders, they all cannot work together. They can be friendly to each other but that ends there.

But can they join up with just one or more party? Maybe? Will the other uninvited party feel left out? definitely.

Can they come to a consensus on a common political platform or ideology for every opposition? No.

I believe the oppositions at best that they can co-operate is to avoid 3-corner fights at all costs. Combined and form alliances when shortage of manpower.

So it would be best for oppositions to come together, pool their resources together to take on PAP on every constituencies, avoiding 3-corner fights,,,, DIVIDE & CONQUER... leave the individual strategy to individual party where they see fit

What you said it's wise but unfortunately not new. They have been doing it after 1972.

 

[commoner]

yes, these are not new, but there are still many clowns here that want the oppositions to be united as in ONE PARTY,,,

 

[Perspective]

yes, these are not new, but there are still many clowns here that want the oppositions to be united as in ONE PARTY,,,

True. If we have one party other than the PAP, then I worry. It means there is a lack of people in Singapore who can be party figures.

 

[tanwahtiu]

Before and after

Before any oppositons can unite among themselves, there must be a crack line or crack in the PAP regime. Once PAP is broken up/ cracked, then oppositions will know how to re-organise themsleves to crack the PAP further.

All you need are Voters themselves willing to take charge of their own lifes and dare to change!

 

[Leongsam]

that want the oppositions to be united as in ONE PARTY,,,

"Opposition" is a non countable noun. You don't add an "s" to make it plural.

 

[Ramseth]

"Opposition" is a non countable noun. You don't add an "s" to make it plural.

How did finite and infinite nouns become "countable" or "non-countable"? All nouns can be counted, starting from one noun, two nouns and so on.

 

[Leongsam]

How did finite and infinite nouns become "countable" or "non-countable"? All nouns can be counted, starting from one noun, two nouns and so on.

http://a4esl.org/q/j/ck/ch-countnouns.html

Countable & Non-countable Nouns - ESL lesson
By:Robin Day B.Sc. M.Sc. B.Ed. <Show E-Mail>

COUNTABLE and NON-COUNTABLE NOUNS http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/lessons/index.pl?read=944

This is a standard topic to teach in ESL/EFL classes. Beginner teachers do not do a good job of it and I have seen students get mixed up or confused in Korea and Kuwait. In essense, a teacher's job is to classify and explain two lists of words...

COUNTABLES

apples
cookies
bananas
loaves
people
cubes
cups
packets
boxes
bags
cans
cartons
steaks/chops
slices
spoons
bowls
kg/km/g

NON-COUNTABLES

rice
sugar
salt
sand
flour/powder/dust
jelly
oil
water
juice
chopped vegies
stew
spaghetti
meat
milk
gas
soup
butter
soil



After teacher reviews the two lists with the class the students get the hang of it. Then ask the the class to classify the words into groups by circling them in coloured pen. They will need help. Basically, non-countable nouns are very small things like grains and flour and dust, as well as liquids/fluids and wet or messy or finely chopped foods. Countable nouns are big enough to be seen and counted easily and individually or things in containers like packets, boxes, bags,cans or standard units like kilograms. Note that sugar and ice can be be cubed and made countable.

Ask students to provide more examples of nouns and add them to the board.

The next step is to introduce the following English words which are generally used with countables OR non-countables.

*Some rice (non-countable)
*A spoon or plate of rice (countable container)
*Some soup (general non-countable)
*A cup or bowl of soup (more specific amount and in a countable container)
*A few apples, bananas, steaks, people etc. (countable)
*Many oranges/children (countable)
*Several mangos (general countable)
*A bit of flour/sugar/oil/dust (non-countable)

Note that we can say SOME people and also SOME dust. This special word, SOME, is not definite and can be used with both countables and non-countables.

After introducing this subject to a grade 11 Kuwait class I thought the students had a pretty good understanding. But then I gave homework asking students to use:

A few..., Some.... , A little... , A bit...., Several..., Many.... each with three examples of food. Some students made zero mistakes and others botched it badly. It was necessary to go over examples again and show that these words have to be used carefully and sometimes exclusively together with countables/non-coutables.



Finally I told a little canibalistic joke they liked. I said we can use the expressions "a bit and a little people" only if we chop them finely.
I hope somebody finds this useful.

Copyright 2005 Robin Tim Day

 

[fivestars]

Our voters never go to Hong Ling Park to say what they want but during General Election, they vote for PAP.

Human Right Group sure funding for SDP.

Malaysia Multi Party System Group sure funding for SDA

Socialist Group sure funding WP

Democrat Group sure funding RP

New People Alliance Group sure funding NSP

Everybody had their own funding bosses sure cannot unite. Everybody had the right on their political policy. Sure cannot Unite. Each elected MP will able to plan for unity. You can interview WP and SDA MPs' on unity. You only can blame the elected MP and not the other political party that did not win in GE.

The elected MP had the right to ignore the under dog political party (NSP, SDP and RP). The elected MP behave like PAP had reject the unity for past 20 years. Unity mean share equally as a working committee and not just as a good friend only. Whereby SDP said little bit high class than under dog.

We shall join NSP for more freedom and friendly unity.

Those Ex Opposition Party Member had unite as alliance in NSP!

 

[IR123]

If the opposition wins enough seats, the major seat holders will start to talk about forming a coalition amongst themselves.

But the real question is: if the oppositions unite, can they do better in the polls?



On a theoretical basis, they might.

On a practical basis, they won't.

What they lack are leaders within them of the stature of LKY. If ever LKY is an underdog, he will not need 25 years to become Prime Minister.

That is why, unity or no unity, the oppositions will not fare well.

 

[popdod]

don't go into 3 corner fights oledi bery good liao...
spread their candidates over sinkapore...let sinkies hab a chance to vote.

Thatz all voters asked for...

:o