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PAP-ST slime campaign – small gains today for big loss tomorrow?[/h]
May 23rd, 2012 |
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“Workers’ Party faces allegations of dishonesty” screams today’s headlines, prominently displayed on the Straits Times’ front page. Welcome back to the dark days of what the PAP-ST team knows best – ie Slime Campaign. Doesn’t it truly show that PAP really has nothing to offer such that it has to resort, or rather, revert to this style?
The PAP-ST collusion slime campaign was at its height during the JBJ era. That was deemed necessary because every PAP minister (old man included) was terrified with the very popular former WP chief.
The Straits Times then of course had a field day. Without the existence of the New Media to counter the slime during that period, JBJ was made to look inept, less than honest, and sometimes even stupid by the Mainstream Media. Today’s headlines brings back the deja vu feeling of the JBJ era.
If at all, Png and WP should take this as a compliment. PAP and ST now see WP as threatening as what it once was during the JBJ period.
Workers’ Party faces allegations of dishonesty
Pic taken from ST. Even the photo picked shows ST’s intent to slime. Note how Png sits in between his two superiors with a sullen face, as if to make it look he lost control while the leaders try to control the damage.
My Opinion on the issue -
The Workers’ Party (WP) found itself in a spot on Tuesday as it sought to deflect questions of honesty over Mr Png Eng Huat’s candidacy for a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) post.
After a dramatic 24 hours sparked by a leaked memo showing he was in the running for the post contrary to earlier indications, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the episode raised questions on whether the WP was being ‘honest and upfront’ with Hougang voters.
Party chief Low Thia Khiang refuted the allegations of dishonesty, and called the leak a ‘weak attempt’ to discredit the party.
BACKGROUND STORY
‘SABOTAGE ATTEMPT’
This is obviously a calculated move made at this point of time to intentionally damage the Workers’ Party and sabotage the Workers’ Party candidate in Hougang.
- WP chief Low Thia Khiang
BACKGROUND STORY
‘WP HASN’T BEEN HONEST’
They deserve the best man and it’s not clear that the WP has been putting their best man. And they have not been upfront or honest to voters, and I think they should do that.
- DPM Teo Chee Hean
The controversy began on Monday night, when an anonymous source e-mailed minutes of a WP central executive council (CEC) meeting to the media that contradicted Mr Png’s comments hours earlier on the NCMP post.
Slime Campaigns work both ways. It can help or it can hurt. The difference is that if it helps, it helps you only once. But if it hurts, it would hurt you for a very long time.
Hardcore WP and PAP voters will vote for their favourite party anyway. No amount of slime would change their stand. What will move the fence sitters either way is the slime campaign itself. If they are impressed, you win them. If they are not, they vote against you. The point now is how many fence sitters are willing to be swayed by the slime campaign?
It must be remembered this is a by election. So any gains PAP has will only affect Hougang this year. I doubt it is even enough to win Hougang.
However, there would be a GE in 2016. The 2012 by election will still be fresh in the minds of voters island-wide in 2016. And that’s the problem with slime campaigns. PAP will no longer be able to re-use the slime of 2012 in 2016. But WP and opposition sympathizers in general will be able to remind voters that PAP is a campaign slimer!
Penny wise, pound foolish?
My Conclusion -
The fact that there is a collusion between PAP and ST in the slime campaign is a sign to me that PAP truly has nothing to offer in Hougang. It is also known that slime campaigns work both ways. PAP has taken that risk, signalling that they have nothing to lose at Hougang and even a erosion of WP’s percentage is deemed a “win” for them.
But there lies their foolhardiness. Unknowingly, they are actually trading a vote percentage swing (not amounting to a win) in Hougang, for a risk of a nation wide backlash in 2016.
As mentioned, while the 2012 slime campaign cannot be re-used against WP in 2016, opposition sympathizers will be able to use that against the PAP in 2016 and perhaps even beyond.
Small gains for PAP today, big loss tomorrow. Didn’t the JBJ episode prove that right?.
.
Barrie
*The writer blogs at http://wherebearsroamfree.blogspot.ca/
