THE PAP ‘SOUL-SEARCHING’
There is a danger that in its soul-searching, the PAP wants to be everything to everyone.
It must not.
As a centre-right, conservative party, the PAP’s rival is an alliance of two distinct groups.
The first is the progressive, liberal demographic whose views are now trending on social media.
They now believe that the improved performance of the Opposition is due to their power in rejecting what they perceive to be conservative, authoritarian policies of the PAP. They perceive the incumbent to be unfair and anti-democratic.
Their opposition to the PAP is ideological.
They want alternatives and diversity in Parliament, even if they acknowledge the PAP has governed well on bread-and-butter issues.
The second pillar of the the opposition alliance is the working and middle-class who have been left behind economically.
They are angry that even as the country prospers, their dreams are thwarted. They believe that foreigners have unfairly stolen their jobs.They are worried about their CPF and rising costs of living.
Their objection to the PAP is practical, not ideological.
The internet world would have you believe, without a shred of evidence, that it is the first group that swung a better result to the Opposition.
But let’s leave that aside, because this post is not about analysing psephological trends, but what the PAP should do.
The temptation is to now try to court the young ideologues, and the pseudo-Western liberals.
I would caution against this.
Is this group saying that if the PAP and I had been gentler on Raeesah Khan, if POFMA is repealed, and if the ELD is made independent etc, they would vote for the PAP?
Come off it.
The main desire of this group is for Singapore to become more like Western democracies, to have a two or multiple-party system, and to have more alternatives in Parliament.
The only thing that the PAP can do to fulfil this desire is to intentionally lose, or to gift seats to the opposition.
This is of course ludicrous.
In its soul-searching, the PAP should regard this faction of opposition supporters to be a lost-cause.
Instead, they should focus on the second group.
Thankfully, the PAP is one of the most adaptive and efficient parties in the world in solving bread-and butter issues.
Focus on fulfilling the promises in its manifesto.
Create jobs.
Help the poor and struggling.
Empower Singaporeans to compete effectively in a globalised economy.
Re-double efforts to uplift the 40-60 year old PMETs in most danger of losing their jobs in the upcoming recession.
In other words, continue doing what it has done well that made it one of the longest ruling parties in the world.
This is in fact the strategy successfully taken by right-of-centre parties across the world, in eviscerating their left-liberal rivals.
The alliance between the champagne socialists and the struggling working class is an inherently unstable one.
If the PAP can show its competence in helping the working class, the alliance will break.
The liberal ideologues by themselves cannot win elections.
In the UK, the Conservatives annihilated a Labour party taken over by Momentum, mostly young, progressive ideologues.
How?
By winning over the traditional vote bank of Labour, the working class.
Like in business, political parties must know its core competency. Trying to be everything to everyone will fail.
If the PAP sticks to its strengths and continue to focus on solving bread-and-butter issues, it can slow and maybe even reverse losses in future elections.
This will leave mainly the intelligentsia, the well-to-do progressives, and the young idealists as the main supporters of the Workers’ Party.
The Workers’ Party will become the party of the liberal elite.
And, in a great piece of irony, conversely, the only thing that can strengthen the PAP, is to help the workers.
The PAP must become the workers’ party.
- Calvin Cheng
There is a danger that in its soul-searching, the PAP wants to be everything to everyone.
It must not.
As a centre-right, conservative party, the PAP’s rival is an alliance of two distinct groups.
The first is the progressive, liberal demographic whose views are now trending on social media.
They now believe that the improved performance of the Opposition is due to their power in rejecting what they perceive to be conservative, authoritarian policies of the PAP. They perceive the incumbent to be unfair and anti-democratic.
Their opposition to the PAP is ideological.
They want alternatives and diversity in Parliament, even if they acknowledge the PAP has governed well on bread-and-butter issues.
The second pillar of the the opposition alliance is the working and middle-class who have been left behind economically.
They are angry that even as the country prospers, their dreams are thwarted. They believe that foreigners have unfairly stolen their jobs.They are worried about their CPF and rising costs of living.
Their objection to the PAP is practical, not ideological.
The internet world would have you believe, without a shred of evidence, that it is the first group that swung a better result to the Opposition.
But let’s leave that aside, because this post is not about analysing psephological trends, but what the PAP should do.
The temptation is to now try to court the young ideologues, and the pseudo-Western liberals.
I would caution against this.
Is this group saying that if the PAP and I had been gentler on Raeesah Khan, if POFMA is repealed, and if the ELD is made independent etc, they would vote for the PAP?
Come off it.
The main desire of this group is for Singapore to become more like Western democracies, to have a two or multiple-party system, and to have more alternatives in Parliament.
The only thing that the PAP can do to fulfil this desire is to intentionally lose, or to gift seats to the opposition.
This is of course ludicrous.
In its soul-searching, the PAP should regard this faction of opposition supporters to be a lost-cause.
Instead, they should focus on the second group.
Thankfully, the PAP is one of the most adaptive and efficient parties in the world in solving bread-and butter issues.
Focus on fulfilling the promises in its manifesto.
Create jobs.
Help the poor and struggling.
Empower Singaporeans to compete effectively in a globalised economy.
Re-double efforts to uplift the 40-60 year old PMETs in most danger of losing their jobs in the upcoming recession.
In other words, continue doing what it has done well that made it one of the longest ruling parties in the world.
This is in fact the strategy successfully taken by right-of-centre parties across the world, in eviscerating their left-liberal rivals.
The alliance between the champagne socialists and the struggling working class is an inherently unstable one.
If the PAP can show its competence in helping the working class, the alliance will break.
The liberal ideologues by themselves cannot win elections.
In the UK, the Conservatives annihilated a Labour party taken over by Momentum, mostly young, progressive ideologues.
How?
By winning over the traditional vote bank of Labour, the working class.
Like in business, political parties must know its core competency. Trying to be everything to everyone will fail.
If the PAP sticks to its strengths and continue to focus on solving bread-and-butter issues, it can slow and maybe even reverse losses in future elections.
This will leave mainly the intelligentsia, the well-to-do progressives, and the young idealists as the main supporters of the Workers’ Party.
The Workers’ Party will become the party of the liberal elite.
And, in a great piece of irony, conversely, the only thing that can strengthen the PAP, is to help the workers.
The PAP must become the workers’ party.
- Calvin Cheng
