I was less than happy that the election results turned out that way..yay we won a GRC but now what? 7% representation for a 40% support in opposition parties? Anyway now that we have Michael Palmer, a minority winning in a single member ward, yes please let's do away with the gerrymandering GRC scheme. Yes it is a scheme, to allow people like Tin Pei Ling to be a Member of Parliament though easily 99% of the population would want her out.
So what really happened? A 6% negative swing despite 1.9mil citizens voted with almost all constituencies contested? That goes to show only 3 things...Singaporeans really like to complain, if things are really that bad why did the results turned out the way it is? Secondly, we are still afraid...the fear in civil service, the fear of asset prices collapsing..fear in every corner and crack of our society - how else can you explain why in almost every GRC or SMC, we have about 2% in spoilt votes? Some of which can change the outcome of the results. Lastly, the outreach of new medias, social media isn't entrenched enough...we are not able to enforce change unlike in the USA. Yes, we too have celebrities supporting for opposition, but we do not have independent TV news, TV networks, radio stations etc...in other words - the reach is still limited. Yes, perhaps we should self-fund radio stations, or newspapers etc and all we need is readership, listeners in numbers...but oops our radio waves are controlled, print media too is limited and let's not talk about Television..so we have only the internet to turn to. Until our parents and their parents turn into online news or YouTube for information, we are pretty much limited in our choices.
So what other factors could have come into play? New citizens? Old people who are confused on gratitude with servitude? Old man's words of repent or threats? Whatever the case, we lost the chance for change...seriously come 2016, do you think it will be better? Do you notice the branding issue here in elections? The men in blue attracted all voters from all over Singapore only to have them not listening to their own candidates, and very often you hear people saying - 'Why my area is not Worker's Party but XXX' ; or 'My candidate not so good lar, but if MyLow stood here, I will guarantee vote for him!' Do they even know the party's manifesto, what they are standing for and how about the incumbent? Some do not even know who their PAP candidate is! It has become a branding and likely a marketing issue at the elections. Well, what's done is done, I hope at the end of it all, the incumbent knows the reason for the decreased votes and popularity and try to do what's best. And I won't mind if they steal some of the oppositions' ideas and their detailed manifesto and look into it. In the end, we all want to do the best for the people - be it a million or two difference into the bank accounts. All I can say, I think some things will never change and I am reserving a few 'I told you so' to some friends of mine. I am happy though, on finding out how those closed to me have voted decisively and wisely.
And yes, thanks to all the candidates and their helpers, polling agents etc. Be it whichever party, thanks for giving us a choice and woke up some Singaporeans from their slumber.
Majulah Singapura.
This is the kind of candidates that PAP bring into Parliament based on GRC...and let' not forget Kate Spade!
