Does it remind one the how the eunuchs hasten the downfall of decadent dynasties by feeding the emperor with poison-containing 'elixir' and nice words even as the invaders are already at the city gate?
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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - grassroots leaders sabo PAP MPs...</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"></TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89_ <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>May-15 9:48 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right>(1 of 24) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"></TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>51028.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD id=msgtxt_1 class=msgtxt>When grassroots leaders may not provide most accurate feedback
by Ong Dai Lin
04:46 AM May 14, 2011
SINGAPORE - Members of Parliament (MPs) should not just depend on grassroots leaders to tell them about ground sentiment towards the Government.
This is because some grassroots leaders may not give accurate feedback and only highlight the positives, said several People's Action Party (PAP) MPs MediaCorp spoke to.
Their comments come after Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hwa said on Wednesday that the PAP Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) team was surprised that the resentment towards the Government was so deep.
Mrs Lim, who is also Second Minister for Finance and Transport, and her team lost to the Workers' Party team at the May 7 polls, giving the Opposition party their first win in a GRC.
To fully understand residents' sentiments, MPs should have their own feelers on the ground and cultivate various sources of feedback, said MPs.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad, MP for Hong Kah GRC, said Singaporeans are "generally kind people" who might not reflect any negative feelings to MPs during meetings.
He added: "MPs have to be able to go to the ground to get first-hand feedback ... and have your own informal network."
MP for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng, also stressed the importance of having different sources for "balanced and true feedback".
The information MPs get "may be filtered" as grassroots leaders, while "dedicated and committed", might "sometimes choose to tell you more positive things than the negative", said Mr Baey, who visits online forums and holds regular chat sessions with residents.
On Mrs Lim's remarks, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Teo Ser Luck said while candidates must have confidence going into an election, things may change during the campaign and affect the mood of residents.
Mrs Lim's statement could reflect the disconnect of the PAP from the ground and the need to find more ways to understand public sentiment, said analysts.
While he expressed surprise at Mrs Lim's remark, former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin said Singaporeans could be "overly politically polite" and might not "demonstrate their unhappiness to MPs or people associated with MPs".
Singapore Management University law professor Eugene Tan said that the PAP, while aware of the unhappiness of voters with the party, might have misread its extent.
He noted that the PAP had also misread the ground in the past, citing how former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had said in the 1991 elections that the ground was sweet but the PAP then lost four seats and saw its lowest victory margin since independence.
Dr Rueben Wong from the National University of Singapore's political science department said the PAP cannot depend on grassroots leaders for feedback as they were PAP supporters and MPs need to find alternative voices, for instance, through social media.
"The PAP has to understand the rules of the game have changed. You must listen to people, adjust policy and sometimes, question your own party," he said.
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by Ong Dai Lin
04:46 AM May 14, 2011
SINGAPORE - Members of Parliament (MPs) should not just depend on grassroots leaders to tell them about ground sentiment towards the Government.
This is because some grassroots leaders may not give accurate feedback and only highlight the positives, said several People's Action Party (PAP) MPs MediaCorp spoke to.
Their comments come after Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hwa said on Wednesday that the PAP Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) team was surprised that the resentment towards the Government was so deep.
Mrs Lim, who is also Second Minister for Finance and Transport, and her team lost to the Workers' Party team at the May 7 polls, giving the Opposition party their first win in a GRC.
To fully understand residents' sentiments, MPs should have their own feelers on the ground and cultivate various sources of feedback, said MPs.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad, MP for Hong Kah GRC, said Singaporeans are "generally kind people" who might not reflect any negative feelings to MPs during meetings.
He added: "MPs have to be able to go to the ground to get first-hand feedback ... and have your own informal network."
MP for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng, also stressed the importance of having different sources for "balanced and true feedback".
The information MPs get "may be filtered" as grassroots leaders, while "dedicated and committed", might "sometimes choose to tell you more positive things than the negative", said Mr Baey, who visits online forums and holds regular chat sessions with residents.
On Mrs Lim's remarks, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Teo Ser Luck said while candidates must have confidence going into an election, things may change during the campaign and affect the mood of residents.
Mrs Lim's statement could reflect the disconnect of the PAP from the ground and the need to find more ways to understand public sentiment, said analysts.
While he expressed surprise at Mrs Lim's remark, former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin said Singaporeans could be "overly politically polite" and might not "demonstrate their unhappiness to MPs or people associated with MPs".
Singapore Management University law professor Eugene Tan said that the PAP, while aware of the unhappiness of voters with the party, might have misread its extent.
He noted that the PAP had also misread the ground in the past, citing how former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had said in the 1991 elections that the ground was sweet but the PAP then lost four seats and saw its lowest victory margin since independence.
Dr Rueben Wong from the National University of Singapore's political science department said the PAP cannot depend on grassroots leaders for feedback as they were PAP supporters and MPs need to find alternative voices, for instance, through social media.
"The PAP has to understand the rules of the game have changed. You must listen to people, adjust policy and sometimes, question your own party," he said.
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