Dear Editors,
This is the first time I’m voting for the elections and there are many things running through my mind. I’m don’t follow much on politics and thus needed to be convinced by both parties for my vote. But I am deeply troubled by the way most parties present themselves and their topics.
Opposition:
Most of them should stop talking bad about the PAP. It’s not like the PAP forms the worst government in the world. They should address current issues, and inform the public about their solutions. One good example would be the speech by Dr Chee Soon Juan. I’m not a fan of the SDP, but at least his speech is made fair and equal and not being biased to himself.
Most of the time I hear them talking about giving out money to elderly and children, greatly reducing living costs, etc. But everything works in a Give and Take rule. If you want something, you have to give something. Where will the funds for all these free policies come from? Definitely not from the children or the elderly, but from the middle-age group. The country still needs funds to operate. A country cannot simply have a few million dollars in it’s reserve. An economic power house like Singapore definitely needs its reserve to be in Billions. And by giving out freebies to Singaporeans, it’ll only increase the pressure for its sustainability.
This can end up in a vicious cycle. If we can’t sustain the freebies, the only way is to increase how much the middle-age group is giving. The government can’t always depend on investments to have an increase in revenue and the middle-age group is a reliable pool of money. Which will see an increment in unhappiness among the people and the demand to have similar freebies. This will not do good in the long run. Always remember, don’t take a privilege as an entitlement.
And if you want to convince my generation of their votes, you have to impress. Yes, we all know politics are all about manipulation and once you get in, we won’t know if you will really fulfil your promises as you won’t have that much experience as compared to PAP when running the country. But still conduct yourself well. Take it like an interview where the people will choose whether or not to hire you. Prepare yourself and not shout out the other party’s name by accident. That clearly shows how serious you are and how much effort you put into campaigning. Needless to say, making a fool out of yourself. And don’t throw mud at others just to make yourself cleaner. Talking bad about others doesn’t solve any issues.
Finally, the PAP isn’t as terrible as you made them out to be. I have to admit that Singapore is safer and cleaner than majority of the countries. Our currency is ever growing in the region. Don’t compare Singapore to another country like Africa. Make a fair and just comparison. So give credit where credit is due.
PAP:
Stop it with the constant reminder of the PAP’s achievement for the past 50 years. PAP did well for the past 30-40 years, but not the last 10. And it’s not the current generation of candidates who can be credited for those achievements. Your education system is improving and with that, the youth will grow wiser and more intelligent. So stop treating your people as if they are idiots. We are no fools. Taking a seat in the parliament does not increase your IQ.
You deserve credits for the success of Singapore in the eyes of the world, for which I am greatly grateful for. And we must give you that. But in return, many of your people are not satisfied with the method of ruling. I understand that bills like ERP, CPF, etc must be implement to maintain the current tax rate, and also generate an income for the country. But do deliver promises you made to the people and not change the policies to better your needs, then convince the people you’ll improve the policies just to garner votes, only to know that it’ll be discarded after polling day.
As stated above, we are no fools and can tell that gerrymandering means you are not confident of the elections. If you have been ruling well as indicated in your constant reminder, why would you not have the confidence? And please stop defaming others to achieve your desired goal. Stepping on others, or worse, countries, is an immoral thing to do. Isn’t that what we learnt during Primary school under your education system? My generation will be the one that can create shocking results as many of us are rebels, but in return, all of us are educated and can tell between the good and bad. So as long as you address the current issues with your solutions, stop bringing up your ancestor’s achievements and stop resorting to “character assassination” and avoiding topics, we will still think through thoroughly with our votes.
And to us Singaporeans, I don’t have the right to tell you your way of life and who knows, maybe 10 years down the road, I’ll probably end up with your mindset. But one example is that some of us insist on the dismissal of National Service, etc. That’s a terrible decision. As much as I hate receiving the SMS from Mindef, it’s still crucial for security. Stop saying that it’s redundant because we won’t go to war. That clearly shows how far your foresight takes you. Those of you who supported the idea is due to your bad experience or your inability to take on hardships. And that attitude of yours is downright selfish. You’re just being selective on what you want without thinking for others or the whole picture. And to those who supports NS and saying that NS builds you to be a better person, fuck you. That’s not a valid political reason. You can still be a better person if you attend some Adam Khoo workshop or go to some church and praise the name of Jesus. Just that you pay instead of getting paid.
This particular election is an interesting one to watch as it is pretty similar to the start of a new era for Singapore. Obviously PAP won’t lose ownership of the government any time soon, but no matter the party, if things don’t change for the better, the people will change it for you.
These are just some of my thoughts about the rallies so please don’t take it personally. I apologise if this was offending as I have no intention of having done so.
Thank you for reading this long rant.
First Time Voter
A.S.S. Contributor
Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com
