The Singapore General Elections 2011.

my take on the Singapore General Elections 2011.

2011 sees a significant year for Singapore's political front. it is also my maiden chance at casting a vote towards the political party i support. unfortunately, i am not participating in polling; neither are some of my Singaporean friends because we live in the United Kingdom and haven't been able to register to vote overseas in time -- not that it matters because we know that however democratic Singapore claims she is on the surface, it is imminent that the government would succeed (once again) in gaining control of majority in parliament.

to be honest i probably don't know enough of the time line of politics in Singapore to leave a persuasive comment but i am one of the many Singaporeans that skim through news fed by the media. in the light of technology in this day and age, social media is one of the most important vehicles in which we gather information and especially for Singaporeans like me who are residing overseas, it is how we keep up with the General Elections by posts from friends.
sometimes i wake up to find myself reading or watching ridiculous statements made from the leaders of Singapore and how they have caused some Singaporeans to be shrouded in a cloud of fear. the fear that if you voted for the opposition, you'd be penalized by the government (well, we don't really know for a fact if the votes are really secret) in terms of say, application for new HDB flats. i can guarantee that they have succeeded instilling fear into much of the voters without the voters realizing that they have been emotionally blackmailed.

cheap tactic?

what these Singaporeans don't understand is that the encouragement of opposition by way of actively supporting and voting for them would cause a domino effect in terms of liberalization of opposition parties, creation of ideas and healthy parliamentary debates which in turn, stimulates better policies and reform in many ways. because of this same fear, candidates of high calibre shun away from joining the opposition for fear of being socially outcasted -- maybe even losing their livelihoods. if we ask why the opposition haven't had stronger candidates? i think you have the answer.

votes for the PAP would continue to quench that insatiable thirst for majority power in parliament and the simple bottom line of building a nation for the people has been severely neglected as a result. what happened to that spirit that freed us to become the independent nation we are today? the PAP have become complacent and also realized that they don't really have to be accountable and transparent to the people at all -- GIC, Temasek: what do we really know about them?
maybe some 30 years ago Singapore needed a rigid government due to the unstable political climate and the initial development of such a young and tender nation. however in this time and age, Singaporeans are far more educated and affluent to be kept on the leash.

Singaporeans have been quiet for too long that they have gotten used to letting the government have their way with everything; ERP hikes, GST hikes, ridiculous CPF schemes... i can go on and on and yet nobody seems to have a chance to say anything.
so what if we have 15,000 Singaporeans turning up for an opposition's rally? on judgement day, in the secrecy of the polling stations, the PAP would still get their vote because the voters think about the $800 they've magically received thanks to the "charitable" government that strangely gives out money every 5 years.

i think we have to start being smarter than that.

if you feel that on May 7 at the respective polling stations, your hands cannot navigate the pen to vote for the opposition, maybe it's time you consider spoiling your vote.