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- Apr 23, 2011
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"The PAP and its apologists will tell you that all this (climate of fear) is in the past. There were some regrettable excesses, but things have changed for the better.
In particular, they will cite the watershed election of 2011, where six MPs out of 87 are now from the Opposition. You will see this again and again in the statements by the global media, that the PAP is softening, the Opposition is given more leeway, that something, anything has changed. It is not so.
This is simply the squirrel's PR machine, upping its cute-quotient, and the PAP gaming the system with its approved Opposition (ie. The Workers' Party).
...what you can do is make a distinction in Singapore between parties that want reform in the system, a genuine change, and parties that only believe in minor tweeks.
I mean, the WP has six seats in parliament. The function of the Opposition as I understand it, in any normal democracy, is to hold the government to account.
Yet, the WP votes with government on every issue. I think they believe they are in coalition with the PAP. They might as well be PAP MPs." - Kenneth Jeyaretnam TeamRp*
https://www.facebook.com/edmwlovessingapore
In particular, they will cite the watershed election of 2011, where six MPs out of 87 are now from the Opposition. You will see this again and again in the statements by the global media, that the PAP is softening, the Opposition is given more leeway, that something, anything has changed. It is not so.
This is simply the squirrel's PR machine, upping its cute-quotient, and the PAP gaming the system with its approved Opposition (ie. The Workers' Party).
...what you can do is make a distinction in Singapore between parties that want reform in the system, a genuine change, and parties that only believe in minor tweeks.
I mean, the WP has six seats in parliament. The function of the Opposition as I understand it, in any normal democracy, is to hold the government to account.
Yet, the WP votes with government on every issue. I think they believe they are in coalition with the PAP. They might as well be PAP MPs." - Kenneth Jeyaretnam TeamRp*
https://www.facebook.com/edmwlovessingapore