it's not true unbridled competition when you have collaborators and or double agents with pre-negotiated immunity (from detention, lawsuits, harassment and persecution) and tokenistic "sharing" of the big pie (for long term greater good, a.k.a. near-monopolistic or cartel-like perpetuation) behind closed doors, in dark abandoned alleys, or on the backstage. yes, i know i speak in cryptic tongues, but that's me. there are some pluses to this arrangement. it provides a more conducive environment for the more moderate oppo do-gooders and less extreme radicals to take the bold "sacrificial" step of going into politics, serve the populace and engage (in a non-hostile manner with) the ruling regime. otherwise, the future of sg is bleak with 100% representation by papsmeared yesmen and yeswomen decade after decade. for "better" quality folks to step forward and willing to act as tokenistic devil's advocates to stick some spurs into yesmen's hides, some mutual arrangements must be made. but of course. strings are pulled and puppets are manipulated. afterall, who cares what goes on in the backstage when you have a good show. and of course, not all in both ruling and oppo camps know the intimate kabuki going on at the highest level. it's a patiently-crafted, long term operation managed by strategically minded and top notch manipulators. can't blame ah liu lian. she's only a pawn on the chessboard. but she's a good pawn for the start of a long fun chess game. never underestimate the power of a well placed pawn. it can backfire on the best laid plans and cum back to bite you.