SDP - From strength to democratic strength

[LaMei]

<table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody><tr><td class="contentheading" width="100%">http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/2687-from-strength-to-democratic-strength

From strength to democratic strength </td> <td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%"> </td> <td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table class="contentpaneopen"> <tbody><tr> <td class="createdate" valign="top"> Thursday, 17 September 2009 </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> Singapore Democrats

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. This one says it all – a party brimming with confidence and, more importantly, growing in number.

And if one takes into consideration the fact that the Singapore Democrats have been at the receiving end of the PAP's lawsuits, prosecutions and negative media, the expansion of the SDP family, members and friends, is all the more remarkable.

We can confidently say that the expansion is due to the fact that ours is not a party of opportunism and individual interests. Our platform is one firmly grounded on the wisdom of democracy and justice – social, political, and economic justice. It is this principled fight that has attracted many.

Expansion, of course, is not enough. The real test is what we do with our increased numbers.

With newcomers, come new skills. And with new skills, come new capability – the capability to reach out to even more Singaporeans, both online and off.

Our current activities would not have been possible just a few years ago. We have, among other things,

• put out a revamped and more powerful website,
• added Chinese, Malay, and Tamil sections,
• enhanced our communication through a stream of video presentations,
• rejuvenated our youth wing,
• increased the number of Women Democrats,
• and, most importantly, continued to propose alternative policies.

These developments have been possible only because of the enhanced capability of the SDP stemming from our expanded ranks.

We even have a group of activists who have set up the Friends of SDP to network with Singaporeans on a more casual basis. We get together during our monthly pow-wow at various locations in Singapore.

We recently visited an old folks' home which we intend to continue to do on a regular basis.

We are re-starting the sale of our flagship publication, The New Democrat.

No one individual, or even a group of individuals, can do all the above in such a short span and with such limited resources. Such effort requires competent and effective administration. Without a functioning organisation, one that is alive, responsive and constantly on the move, none of the above would be possible.

We not only fight hard politically, but we are also developing the party to become an efficient and innovative administrator. We do all this with one and one objective in mind – to become an alternative to the PAP and, in due course, the government.

We are on the right track.

What we need now is support from you, Singaporeans who are following us on the Internet. We need more expertise, skills, and funds to add to the momentum of our expansion. We need to hone our competence and efficiency to an even sharper level and expand our capability to even greater heights.

For this to happen, your participation is vital. This is especially relevant for the Singapore Democrats because the PAP-controlled media are blacking out news about us.

The next elections is around the corner. Now is the time to step forward, now is the time to get involved. With your active involvement, we can build the democracy that we yearn for and ensure prosperity for all.

As we push forward to fulfill our dream of a democratic Singapore, give us more than just your hearts and minds. Lend us your skills, contribute your time, and make your donations (please click here).

Come, join the growing family. Contact us now: <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"> <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy3584 = 'sdp' + '@'; addy3584 = addy3584 + 'yoursdp' + '.' + 'org'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy3584 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy3584 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n </script>[email protected] <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"> <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //--> </script>This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"> <!-- document.write( '</' ); document.write( 'span>' ); //--> </script> and together let us bring pride back to our country and feel again what it truly means to be called a Singaporean.
Chee Soon Juan
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[TeeKee]

this looks promising...

yeah bring in more young blood...

find some heavy weights to anchor your party...people with good qualifications....

you are all set....

one thing oppositions lacked is unity...unity is very important to change the Hakka Lee Regime...

give him the last battle he deserve.....让他输的心服口服!

SDP will get my vote if you can find someone to take on Lau Lee at my constituency...Tanjong Pagar!

Please seal the back door when you get it okay?

Remove the dragon's den, the regime will collapse!

p.s. you paypal link doesn't work leh!

 

[LaMei]

...

...people with good qualifications....

I don't quite agree on the above..

we have a bunch of useless scholars from papies..that says alot about good qualifications ya.. :-)

 

[TeeKee]

I don't quite agree on the above..

we have a bunch of useless scholars from papies..that says alot about good qualifications ya.. :-)

no lah, what i meant is just degree will do lah...no need PHDs from elite unis lah...someone with visions for the country.

you must think of running the country after taking over from PAP....so the bottomline is must have at least professional qualifications..very hard to lead the country of professionals if you can't find someone who could understand the situation...like healthcare, trade & finance, economy, transportation, welfare and infrastructure building....etc..

most important must have a heart for the people....regardless if they deserve it or not...

 

[Ramseth]

give him the last battle he deserve.....让他输的心服口服!

很难。他，死都不要倒，派头要更好，棺材直直埋，死后站起来。

 

[TeeKee]

很难。他,死都不要倒,派头要更好,棺材直直埋,死后站起来。

hey what to do?

you got to respect their decisions....

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Tee

Agreed, world of difference between "good enough " as defined by the PAP and " good enough" as defined by electorate who are at the end of the day the final arbiter.

The SDP has plenty of passionate people who are "good enough", but as you stated there is no need to look down on professional qualifications and degree's just because some idiots with degree's have screwed it up somewhat



Locke

 

[singveld]

good luck to you all, in your hopeless suicidal crusade.

 

[phouse3]

Don't forget John Tan, Jaslyn Goh, Ng Ejay, Jufrie Mahmood and Ambalan Gandhi can still run. And there are probably a few wild cards. There are quite many others not in the photo.

Success begets success. I think more will join.

 

[cleareyes]

Don't forget John Tan, Jaslyn Goh, Ng Ejay, Jufrie Mahmood and Ambalan Gandhi can still run. And there are probably a few wild cards. There are quite many others not in the photo.

Success begets success. I think more will join.

You said it yourself: Success begets success.

But... failure begets failure too.

The point to win is from the voters and not come on cyberspace to boast and brag among other opposition supporters.

Showing some concrete results will attract people who would be interested to be part of this success. But when there is no result to show, or worse, with constant failure on list, you attract few with passion and none with intent.

 

[leetahbar]

<table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody><tr><td class="contentheading" width="100%">http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/2687-from-strength-to-democratic-strength

From strength to democratic strength </td> <td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%"> </td> <td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table class="contentpaneopen"> <tbody><tr> <td class="createdate" valign="top"> Thursday, 17 September 2009 </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> Singapore Democrats

>

wow! someone is getting to be the "closest" to messiah chee but she ain't mary magdalene. mrs chee is missing and so is the 1/2past6 lawyer. she can't be the next to the abc troll and it seems ah chin is now ranked #4 (according to the closeness to master chee).

wow again!! FLIRT&DESTROY is definitely the name of the game here.

2nd front row, 3rd from the right. is the nerd ngejay now confirmed as a SDPPY? was that why he left RP in a hurry cos his plot had failed miserably?

ng teck siong is also missing from the group pic. or is he hidding at the 4th row, 4th from the left?

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

Dear cleareyes,

The universe is in constant change, impermanence is the only rule of the universe. While SDP has not been very successful for the past decade, it doesn't mean that it will not succeed in future. Just like SDP has been successful in the early 1990s, doesn't mean that it will continue to be successful thereafter. What goes up will come down. What comes down, may go up again. Never say never in politics.

In politics, perception is everything. Anyone who is a corrupted crook but perceived as a honest and clean person will win the game. There are just too many examples of such in past and present, and I believe we should not be lack of it in future too.

Passion is the first most important thing you need in politics, especially opposition politics. The rest could be trained or taught along the way but nobody could teach you passion though they could ignite it within you. Passion will always come together with purpose and intend. I have never ever underestimated the Power of Passion especially in opposition politics.

I have told many people, in opposition politics, you could lose on all aspects when compared side by side with PAP candidates, be it CV, education, caliber, working/political experiences etc., but there is one thing you must not lose, that is PASSION. The one and only one thing you could and should win is the PASSION.

But many people mistaken Passion as having an angry face... well, I will leave this for another day.

Goh Meng Seng

You said it yourself: Success begets success.

But... failure begets failure too.

The point to win is from the voters and not come on cyberspace to boast and brag among other opposition supporters.

Showing some concrete results will attract people who would be interested to be part of this success. But when there is no result to show, or worse, with constant failure on list, you attract few with passion and none with intent.

 

[Ramseth]

PAP more passionate then you. They passionately believe in walkovers and high salaries. They passionately believe that they're better than you and and the votes you get are just "protest" votes or "sympathy" votes. They also passionately believe that if the votes you get cross the 50% mark, it's a freak result. Don't know what they actually mean by that, maybe they mean you're a freak. Maybe SAF Cpt. GMS maybe ordered to shoot NSP candidate GMS in case of a freak result.

 

[leetahbar]

alamak, ah seng!

the winning of SDP was due to chiam see tong and NOT traitor chee. when he took over, everything SDP won collapse. the record now with chee in charge always get the lowest votes.

in the next GE, chee might not be around to erect. he's permanent ED-ed. now with the influx of the geylang cheongster, the abc desperate disloyal wife and a 1/2past6 lawyer, SDP is permanently doomed!

SDP might face a close-shop warrant soon with so much leegal suits haven't settled amicably or properly.

please descend from your tranquil mountain once awhile and eavedrop on what peasants are talking about SDP. it has never been good and now it has gotten even worst!

 

[TeeKee]

From Failure to Gratitude
Dr. Neil Chadwick

At the age of seven, a young boy and his family were forced out of their home, and the boy was forced to go to work. When the boy was nine, his mother passed away. He had a job as a store clerk, but lost it when he was twenty. The young man wanted to go to law school, but had no education. He went into debt when he was twenty-three, to become a partner in a small store. It was only three years later that his business partner died, and left him with a debt that took years for him to repay.

He dated a girl for four years and, at the age of twenty-eight, decided to ask her to marry him. She turned him down. Thirty-seven years into his life, he was elected to Congress... on his THIRD try. He then failed to be re-elected. This man's son died when he was only four years old. At age forty-five, he ran for the Senate...and failed to be elected. He persisted at politics and ran for the vice-presidency at age forty-seven, and again lost. Finally, at the age of fifty-one, this man was elected President of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln.

And then, President Lincoln did a very unusual thing. In the midst of the darkest day in American history, in the midst of the Civil War which claimed more American lives than any other war, in the midst of great trial and tragedy, President Lincoln issued the following proclamation: "It has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

Abraham Lincoln had a grateful heart. He knew, that even in the midst of great tribulation and hardship, there was much to be thankful for. And he took the time to express his gratitude to God, and invited the American people to join him in giving thanks to the Holy One.

 

[yellow people]

alamak, ah seng!

Stop Spamming cheebye kia Bob!

 

[Ramseth]

Abraham Lincoln had a grateful heart. He knew, that even in the midst of great tribulation and hardship, there was much to be thankful for. And he took the time to express his gratitude to God, and invited the American people to join him in giving thanks to the Holy One.

You forgot to add, someone disagreed with him and pumped a bullet into him.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

i first pasted this insightful TOC article in another thread but perhaps it may be relevant to note in here as well...

International journalists, students, officials, bankers and representatives from established institutions gathered at the National Museum Gallery Theatre yesterday afternoon. They were there for the inaugural Asia Journalism Fellowship (AJF) seminar organized by the Temasek Foundation, Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

The session was chaired by Cherian George, a researcher at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information,NTU. The seminar was titled, “Singapore Beyond Lee Kuan Yew: Institutionalising The Singapore Way”.

The event brought together two distinguished guest speakers, namely Kishore Mahbubani, Dean and Professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree Holdings; Chairman, Singapore Management University; Chairman, MediaCorp Pte Ltd.

Mr Mahbubani raised three pertinent issues. Firstly, whether it is legitimate to pose the question of Singapore’s prospects beyond Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. Mr Mahbubani acknowledged that many internationally had raised similar concerns, some expressing pessimism over Singapore’s future after MM Lee; one being Professor Samuel Huntington, who had said: “The honesty and efficiency that Senior Minister Lee has brought to Singapore are likely to follow him to his grave. “


Mr Mahbubani feels that the question boils down to MM Lee being an “extraordinary leader”, who is admired as a nation builder, an international statesman, and an effective and persuasive leader.

MM Lee’s legacy

Second, what has Singapore done to ensure that MM Lee’s legacy will be protected? Mr Mahbubani listed seven measures undertaken, namely an “exceptional” education system, national service, strong public institutions, a political party who had “learnt the art of winning elections”, ethnic harmony, meritocracy, and stamping out corruption.

However, when it came to the question of a Singapore after MM Lee, his take was that no one can be sure what this will be. He speculated three scenarios, one: a seamless transition, second: a significant reversal of the legacy left by MM Lee, and third: PAP continues to rule Singapore, but with a strong opposition force.

Mahbubani emphasized that Singapore must be able to conceive the notion of failure, so as to prevent the country degenerating. This was something which former Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Goh Keng Swee, had told him, after the PAP’s monopoly of Parliament was broken in 1981. “As (Dr Goh) has wisely told us, failure happens when we fail to consider the possibility of failure,” said Mr Mahbubani.

Mr Ho Kwon Ping felt that MM Lee had already passed the first test all great leaders faced, which is to personally engineer the transition to the next generation of leaders. However, whether MM Lee’s legacy would last beyond several generations, to become “enshrined in lasting, sustainable institutions”, is still unknown, Mr Ho said.

Singapore “stable, but static”

He is, however, confident that Singapore will see a new generation of leaders coming forth in the self-renewal process. But Mr Ho raised doubts over whether the PAP will continue to advance its current one-party dominance by producing its future leaders in which Singaporeans may or may not support in the future. His other concern is whether tomorrow’s generation can weather a change in the political climate which may see more opposition entering the scene.

He described Singapore’s political equilibrium as “stable, but static”, and feels that a multi-party political system would serve to benefit Singapore. He, however, maintained that “intentionally dividing the

PAP into two sister parties taking turns at the polls to lead the country, is an artificial, unworkable idea.”

Singapore vulnerable to PAP’s internal self-renewal

He cautioned that though Singapore has enjoyed good governance in the past 50 years, it has inevitably also made us particularly vulnerable to the “internal self-renewal of the PAP itself”. Citing China’s political system, he said, “We do not know the process by which Xi Jin Ping, a relatively unknown heir apparent to President Hu Jin Tao, was assessed, tested, and then given the mantle of succession. But a system of internal competition, evaluation, and selection clearly exists. And the system, however non-transparent, is sustainable and meritocratic – and it works.”

Echoing Mr Mahbubani’s stand on a Singapore beyond MM Lee, he concluded, “The only possible answer, since we have not yet crossed that bridge, is that we do not know. But future leaders will certainly not enjoy the huge political legitimacy arising from approval by Lee Kuan Yew.”

Mr Ho expressed uncertainty over the one-party dominance in the post Lee Kuan Yew era, but said that should it succeed, “they will have created a new model of political governance which will genuinely challenge the fundamental assumptions of Western liberal democracy with its requisite two-party model.” He remains confident that the future generation will “rise to the occasion” when the time calls as their “sense of belonging is strong”.

The younger generation

When TOC asked him on his views on the impact of the brain drain in Singapore, Mr Ho said he is not too worried about this, as all Singapore youths want to see the world, but they would return eventually.

Mr Ho disagreed that Singaporean youths are apathetic, as they “may be disinterested in electoral politics, but they are increasingly involved in civil society and community issues.”

The only difference is that the media medium used to air their views is different from that of the older generation. He said, “They seek expression not in Speakers Corner but in alternative digital media and social networking sites.”

The government realizes that it cannot control the new media, and it is good that the government is engaging in discussions at the grassroots level to find out more about it, he told TOC.

Addressing the government liberalizing its hold on the mainstream media, Mr Ho felt that the government has and is adopting a “pragmatic” approach to satisfy the younger generation’s thirst for democracy, but also being cautious not to upset the heartland, nor “endangering” social stability.

Citing the heated debates over gay rights and the Public Order Act, Mr Ho argues that “incremental change is happening.”

“The society Lee Kuan Yew has shaped will not, as Prof Samuel Huntington predicted, follow him to his grave,” he said. “It may not look like the Singapore of Lee’s time, nor may the PAP rule un-interrupted forever, but the people of Singapore, the nation they inhabit, and the society they continue to shape, will thrive so long as our children know that the future of Singapore belongs to them.”

Dear cleareyes,

The universe is in constant change, impermanence is the only rule of the universe. While SDP has not been very successful for the past decade, it doesn't mean that it will not succeed in future. Just like SDP has been successful in the early 1990s, doesn't mean that it will continue to be successful thereafter. What goes up will come down. What comes down, may go up again. Never say never in politics.

In politics, perception is everything. Anyone who is a corrupted crook but perceived as a honest and clean person will win the game. There are just too many examples of such in past and present, and I believe we should not be lack of it in future too.

Passion is the first most important thing you need in politics, especially opposition politics. The rest could be trained or taught along the way but nobody could teach you passion though they could ignite it within you. Passion will always come together with purpose and intend. I have never ever underestimated the Power of Passion especially in opposition politics.

I have told many people, in opposition politics, you could lose on all aspects when compared side by side with PAP candidates, be it CV, education, caliber, working/political experiences etc., but there is one thing you must not lose, that is PASSION. The one and only one thing you could and should win is the PASSION.

But many people mistaken Passion as having an angry face... well, I will leave this for another day.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[TeeKee]

You forgot to add, someone disagreed with him and pumped a bullet into him.

hey that's just a small event....which happend..

Abraham is well known for what he did.....

than what someone did to him....tioh boh?

see they made a huge statue for him...you only lived once...why not make it your best?

 

[phouse3]

You said it yourself: Success begets success.

But... failure begets failure too.

The point to win is from the voters and not come on cyberspace to boast and brag among other opposition supporters.

Showing some concrete results will attract people who would be interested to be part of this success. But when there is no result to show, or worse, with constant failure on list, you attract few with passion and none with intent.

The standing of a party is measured by its usefulness/effectiveness. So we have a an opposition leader who is not in parliament but is recognised by "the world" over. We have seen a party with low scores at the polls contributing more ably to national issues. We have also seen a party with limited financial resources winning an award for its website.

I wonder who is blowing his own trumpet in cyberspace or feeling sore?

Right now, when a tree is bearing fruits, Town Council squatters will sing praises because they are reaping benefits in the form of jobs/contracts. When the tree falls, the monkeys will flee. Is that your definition of "failure begets failure"?

But when people still nurture a barren tree, they are more likely to be longlasting friends than fiends.

I read the picture differently. It says: the ground workers are ready and beckons people to join. Which means potential candidates (including the 5) has 90% of the election resources put in place even before they put down their names. So there may be a few wild cards near election time. This is the definition of "success begets success".