Former SAF Lieutenant-Colonel Gerard Ong gives 10 observations on the PAP's leadership before concluding: "So my heartfelt plea to all who read this post is this: vote wisely and don’t be afraid of the person or party you vote for on July 10. Your vote is secret!"
Gerard Ong
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In his interview with The Straits Times on 21 June about the Pritam Singh and Tan Wu Meng spat over Alfian Sa’at, Minister Shanmugam also added that PAP ministers and MPs are subjected to personal attacks all the time.
I found this remark thought-provoking because the PAP believes they always have the interests and well-being of Singaporeans at heart. If this is so, why are people attacking the PAP ministers and MPs?
Even a pro-establishment and pro-PAP good friend of mine recently said to me he that feels a widespread angst of many against the ruling party. Again, coming from a pro-PAP man I find this revelation quite startling. Why is this so?
Here are my top 10 theories:
The PAP
1. has ruled Singapore for more than 60 years and they believe they have been given the God-given right to govern Singapore. They and only those of their ilk know what is good or bad for us. No one else is better educated or qualified to run this country. The fact that ministers on their walkabouts surround themselves with people of this mindset adds fuel to the fire, thereby further reinforcing this thinking.
2. has a monopoly on ideas and are the only ones who can generate solutions for Singapore. Even when opposition parties come up with better proposals, they are simply too proud or arrogant to accept such ‘fixes’ from others.
3. is the party that tells you they’re listening to your problems and gives you the impression they are but in reality, seldom hears you. The minimum wage debate, issues on inequality and foreign worker issues are just some good examples.
4. will go ahead with their intended plans once they make up their minds, even though they know the ground is not in favour. POFMA is a good example.
5. professes to being non-elitist, but gathers its crop of scholar candidates from the top echelons of the SAF, civil service and statutory boards. This results in group think and fixed ideas in the government.
6. high-handedly decides on what is best for Singapore and its citizens even though the general consensus from the ground is overly negative. Good examples are the constant shifting of terms on the age for CPF withdrawals, HDB leases, immigration policies, cheap foreign labour practices, etc.
7. is a party that declares it governs according to democratic principles but its practices and governing principles don’t give this impression on the ground because of authoritarian edicts and policies.
8. ministers do not take kindly to critics or even “loving” critics who are Singapore academics, activists and intellectuals. Good examples are Cherian George, Donald Low, Kirsten Han, Thum Ping Tjin, Kishore Mahbubani, Alex Au etc. Even though these critics speak the blunt truth. Doing so labels them immediately as being unpatriotic or disloyal.
9. only wants its people to play by its rules, i.e. those who say only positive things about the government and all the good the party has done for Singapore. This is illustrated by all the favourable reports in the local news media, rankings by pro-Singapore agencies and articles by pro-government intellectuals. It only wants to hear good news. Anything that shows up deficiencies, defects, weaknesses, warts and shortcomings should not be uttered or reported.
10. professes transparency and accountability but then puts up road blocks when legitimate but inconvenient questions are asked about remuneration packages, competence of ministers, handling of crisis issues, number of foreign workers, etc. Essentially it does not practice what it preaches.
Minister Shanmugam I hope you now understand why people tend to attack PAP ministers and MPs all the time.
Unfortunately, many vote for the PAP not because of their conscience but because they hold government jobs or work in government-linked companies and are afraid for their careers and livelihoods if they support or vote opposition.
Sadly, what many Singaporeans forget is that each vote is secret and the ruling party cannot identify or investigate who they vote for in our General Elections.
So my heartfelt plea to all who read this post is this: vote wisely and don’t be afraid of the person or party you vote for on July 10. Your vote is secret!
