Many Opposition supporters were former PAP supporters during the 80s, the 90s and the early 2000s.
We once believed in the PAP. We once believed our cost of living will remain as affordable as always. We once believed our country is safe from con men and bullying foreigners. We once believed there is no homeless people in Singapore and elderly carting cardboards are a rare sight. We once believed our transport system is the most efficient without any breakdowns. And we once believed we locals will be given the first priority.
Then we woke up.
We looked outside the mainstream media and newspapers. We experienced and witnessed what’s going on around us. We opened our ears to the taxi drivers, the coffee shop owners and the lower to middle income families. We listened to them as they tell us how they struggled to meet the rising expenses and costs of living while their wages aren’t enough to afford them. We researched and found our ministers are earning million dollar salaries and many of us couldn’t receive our CPF even at the age of 55. We saw how overcrowded our train stations are due to the 6.9 million population policy. We traced foreigners working in the government sector with fake degrees. We saw how foreign talents are able to breeze through universities and be employed in the top sectors while we the locals have to struggle with unemployment and proper education
And that’s when we switched sides.
In the past, the Opposition were weak and do not have any power or support from the people. Now times have changed and we’ve grown so strong we won a single GRC. We had a lot support from the locals and we know what we want.
Because we ourselves are true. blue. Singaporeans. And we’re taking our power back.
I was looking at the line up for the AMK GRC and I cannot help but feel sad & angry for the people of AMK!! By putting Dr Koh there, the PM is effectively saying,
Pok Koon, 我罩住你，我看还有谁能阻止你进入国会！
Loosely translated, it means “Pok Koon, I protect you, this time no one can stop you getting into Parliament!!”
If this type of action is not gangster-like, what is?! There are many problems shown by this peculiar PAP action.
1. AMK residents are “karang guni” men?
Remember, the people have already chosen during the Punggol East by-election and Dr Koh was REJECTED. Dr Koh’s credentials were TEN times better than WP’s Lee Li Lian, but she still won!! Why then does the PM think that a candidate that was rejected by the people of Punggol East will be accepted by the people of AMK? Does PM think that the people of AMK are “karang guni” men and they like to recycle REJECTS?!
I guess what the Ah Loong has failed to realise is SURGEONS are meant to save lives, not politicians. In many countries, if politicians do not wreck lives, that is already a blessing. Just look at our neighbour, and we will be thanking God for there is NO NAJIB in our government!! Do you know what is the biggest problem with these big-time surgeons or lawyers? They simply don’t have the time to serve the residents!! Please, they can’t even find the time to attend parliamentary sessions for God sake!! Thank you, but WE do not need any more part-time MPs in Parliament!!
2. PAP candidates are GUTLESS!!
I know a lot of you will be saying, “Please tell me something that we don’t know!!” YES, all along we know the GRC is a political tool use to CONSOLIDATE their political power. Because of GRC, so many of us lost our “VIRGINITY” at the age of 40 or more!! WHY?? Because of so many walkovers all over Singapore, our fundamental right to vote was not exercised and we became “virgin” voters at age 40!! Statistics do not lie!! More than 40% of SINGAPOREANS said NO to PAP, yet it only translated to SEVEN pathetic seats in Parliament!!
Once again, I digress, let’s come back to Dr Koh. I personally do not know this man. Whether is he a nice guy or not, I do not know. However, the ‘SON OF PUNGGOL’ abandoning his roots to hide inside the PM’s GRC speaks volumes about the character of this person. A true hero or at least a righteous person would have returned to take on Li Lian again. YES, he lost to a girl. There is absolutely no shame in that. BUT, to run away from challenging the girl again… that is a COWARD!!
3. The PM does not understand “NO MEANS NO”
Sorry, Ah Loong. You may have over-estimated your own appeal to voters! This has always been PAP’s underlying problem. They have always liked to “play GOD”. Previously, they said “TWO is ENOUGH” and in view of falling birthrates, they now say, “the more the merrier!!” You are trying to dictate people’s life!! If this is not playing God, what is?!
Let me tell you this, Ah Loong, you are NO GOD. Man proposes, but God disposes. Your GRC is not without a burden. Dr Intan is your biggest liability!! Remember it was this clown who has supported Yang Yin all this while!! Yang Yin the infamous SOB who tried to steal $40 million from an old widow!! Absolutely despicable!! In fact, we have even seen a photo circulating around that shows PM taking a photo with Yang Yin!!
All these reflect very badly on the state of recruitment of PAP candidates. Why is the PAP so “hard-up” on some candidates? If people tell me NO, I will go and find other candidates that may be more suitable. WHY? Because I want to RESPECT the decision of my voters! I do not try to force it down anyone’s throat!! This may be harsh but by putting Dr Koh in AMK GRC, I feel that it is almost like a RAPE!! Why? Because PM is guarding Dr Koh and Dr Intan to make sure that these possible rejects go into the Parliament. That’s why I have always felt that GRC should be made ILLEGAL in Singapore!!
You think the situation is as not as bad as I think it is? No, of course not… it is WORSE!! We are not only talking about Dr Koh here. What about Desmond Choo? He too lost the SMC contest and now have to be hidden in a GRC. Same goes for Ong Ye Kung, the supposed “dai sai” (hokkien for bringing shitty luck) as he had the honour of losing PAP’s first GRC in his maiden election.
Over the years, support for Ah Gong’s son has been waning. The fact that so many PAP MPs are stepping down right after Ah Gong’s death is no mere coincidence. Even someone as good as Inderjit Singh is also stepping down!! I was quite afraid of Mdm Halimah stepping down too, luckily she is sticking around. With all the good men gone and Ah Loong surrounding himself with more YES-men, the support for his regime will continue to fall.
If this was any other country, the government would have pulled out all stops to try to win the support of the people back. NOT this PAP government!! Instead, they have chosen a more radical approach – get in as many new citizens as possible so that the votes of these disgruntled “native” Singaporeans will be diluted!! Tell me which other economy in the world create jobs for foreigners?! US? UK? Australia? China? First world countries’ first priority is always jobs for their own citizens!! This is the reason why PAP is so keen to push our population to 6.9 million!! Only new citizens will vote for them, not us!! This is the real reason why so many KTV hostesses, masseurs, etc who are Singapore PR are waiting to become Singapore citizens!!
Bottom line is PAP’s underlying assumption is VOTERS ARE STUPID. If they allow us to anyhow vote, Singapore will no longer be ruled by the PAP. So, in order to prevent any freak election, they suka suka change electoral boundaries, suka suka implement Cooling-off Day, etc. I want to tell Ah Loong, “WE NOT STUPID”, well at least not anymore. Who is good, who Is bad, we can absolutely tell!!
When I was in kindergarten, I was already exposed to the “lightning” logo. The propaganda is so successful that I actually loved the “lightning” party all this while. Only after finishing my studies in the NUS did I realise that “LIGHTNING KILLS”!! So, please vote in the opposition members so that we will no longer be “strike by lightning”. Let the PAP keep the SIX seats in Pasir Ris-Punggol. Let them taste what it is like to be on the opposition side of the government!! Maybe then, they will finally wake up their idea!!
In other words, the Business Development Director with an engineering company was a prospective PAP candidate for its “suicide squad” in Aljunied until last month. His stepping down certainly raised some eyebrows among politicians and political observers because Kahar had been working on the ground for 16 months.
Former PAP Minister Lim Boon Heng, who announced current PAP candidate Shamsul Kamar’s “take-over” of Kaki Bukit to the grassroots leaders, told the media on Aug 1 that the decision to replace Kahar was “not because he’s done anything criminal or there’s a scandal”. (Thanks for putting this negative thought in our minds, Minister!)
After the sharing of Kahar’s Facebook post on July 31, it has been difficult to connect with him. We suspect it is probably an effort by Kahar to remain low profile for the time being. In fact, he told me that he preferred not to accept any media interviews during the GE campaigning period.
With a sighting of him at a Workers’ Party (WP) event and murmurs that Kahar was “hardworking” but perhaps did not build up rapport with his Kaki Bukit residents, Kahar finally relented and decided to share his side of the story and life after stepping down as a PAP chairman.
Mothership.sg met Kahar last weekend to talk about his previous role as the Chairman of PAP Kaki Bukit Branch, his strategy to reach out to the residents in the Opposition ward and why he is a “Teochew porridge”.
1. Tell us about your previous role as Chairman of PAP Kaki Bukit Branch.
Photo courtesy of Kahar Hassan
As a PAP Branch Chairman in an opposition ward, I do not have the luxury of learning the ropes from an incumbent PAP MP. I was immediately thrown into the deep end of the pool having to make decisions for the Branch and the activists. I have to also raise funds for both my Branch and the PCF to ensure its sustenance.
My priority when I first came to Kaki Bukit, was to increase residents’ awareness of PAP’s presence in an opposition ward. I found out that a good way for me to embark on this, is through organising exercise groups, overseas tours, local outings and events to engage our residents and make PAP’s presence felt.
I also conducted house-to-house visits in my capacity as a PAP Branch Chairman and helped explain government policies and programs such as the PGP, Silver Support Scheme, Medishield Life etc to our residents.
Being a deep advocate of Design Thinking (an innovation process), the key step to innovation is empathy. With empathy, one will naturally be sincere, be willing to listen and be able to come up with the right solutions to solve a problem, or in this case, help the residents.
I restarted the weekly Meet-the-People Session (MPS) on 5 May 2014 at Blk 519 PCF Kaki Bukit to help residents, and was attending to 5 to 7 cases every Monday. In less than 4 months, our MPS cases increased. During my tenure as Branch Chairman, I attended to approximately 30 to 35 MPS cases every week.
I have also launched the “Milk & Diapers Program” to help needy families. From my daily house-to-house visits, I met needy families with elderly or bedridden members, many of whom could not afford consumables such as powdered milk and diapers. Similarly, these consumables are also a huge financial burden on underprivileged families with toddlers and newborns. The program thus helped reduced these families financial burdens and ensured that no one is deprived of such necessities.
Nonetheless, in the midst of showcasing PAP’s presence, I have not forgotten that Kaki Bukit is an opposition ward. Therefore, I also made sure that I gave due respect to the elected MP, Mr Faisal Manap, who has been given the mandate to run the ward by the residents.
17 months ago, when I was told to go to Kaki Bukit, I thought about how I could appeal to the hearts and minds of the residents. I believe “it’s not about doing different things but doing things differently”. I know I would not be able to expect a different result if I were to replicate the same modus-operandi as when Kaki Bukit was still a PAP incumbent ward.
I asked myself 2 questions, “How did WP win Aljunied GRC in GE2011?” and “What is Mdm Halimah Yacob’s winning formula which makes her a household name among many Singaporeans?”.
With that in mind, I approached Mdm Halimah (Speaker of Parliament) to be my mentor which she graciously agreed. I followed Mdm Halimah on her block visits and learnt how she manages her ward in Bukit Batok East. I am not shy to say that I emulated what Mdm Halimah has done as her methods have proven to be successful. Occasionally, I would seek her advice and opinions on certain issues.
Photo courtesy of Kahar Hassan.
Back in Kaki Bukit, I told myself, my aim is to get to know every single resident. As such, after finishing my day job at 5pm, I conducted house-to-house visits 2 times a day (5.30pm-7pm & 8pm-9.30pm) every Monday to Friday. On weekends or public holidays, I would have market or coffeeshop visits in the morning, followed by 1 session of house-to-house visit in the afternoon or evening. These visits are not hi-and-bye sessions. I took time to listen to each resident’s concerns and offered them advice on-the-spot. For issues which cannot be resolved immediately, I would invite them to our Meet-the-People Session (MPS) so that we could explore other ways to assist them.
I have since completed 2 rounds of house-to-house visits within Kaki Bukit and was about to commence on my 3rd round prior to being asked to step down.
I intentionally conduct these house and market visits in my capacity as PAP Branch Chairman with only 2 or 3 Branch activists so that I could have deeper interaction with the residents at their doors and also to encourage the residents to approach me freely at the market to share any issues or concerns which they might have. I do not fancy having a big entourage with me at the coffeeshop or market, as that only creates unnecessary congestion and inconvenienced the business owners and diners.
I also make it a point to attend all wakes in Kaki Bukit to extend my condolences and assistance to the bereaved families. It is very sad to learn that some of these residents who have passed on, are residents whom I have met and spoken to during my earlier house visits.
Besides house-to-house visits, I attend community events and functions to interact and mingle with residents. The residents have grown so accustomed to my presence at these events that they have started asking my former activists why they no longer see me around in Kaki Bukit now.
I must say these outreach and establishment of relationship and rapport with residents cannot be achieved overnight. Most importantly, it requires long-term commitment and it is not something that you can try to outsource.
3. In your Facebook posting message on Jul 31, you mentioned that “the Party leaders have made the decision last Saturday, for me to step down as Chairman of PAP Kaki Bukit Branch”. Did they explain to you the reasons behind their decision?
No reasons given. I was told to step down to make way for Shamsul Kamar (PAP candidate for Kaki Bukit in Aljunied GRC).
4. How was the ground sentiment when residents found out about your departure from Kaki Bukit?
I was told several elderly residents at Blk 509B cried and many residents were very upset that I could no longer be around for them. Residents have posted messages on my Facebook page (both private and public), encouraging me, thanking me for my contributions and telling me that they missed me. Some mentioned that they have written to the Prime Minister.
Many residents who are not internet-savvy have also approached my former Kaki Bukit activists, asking them to help convey to me how much they missed me, with some asking if I could still go on organised tours with them?
I must say I am really blessed to have been posted to Kaki Bukit and get to know such warm and loving residents.
5. Former Minister Lim Boon Heng told the press on Aug 1 about replacing you with Shamsul. He explained that the PAP will deploy who it believes would be able to deliver the “best possible performance” on the ground, and that you could be “placed in a better role somewhere else”. Did he contact you about the role?
No.
6. Have you been tasked to remain and help the current team in this upcoming election?
No.
7. At the press conference of the unveiling of the PAP Aljunied slate, Lim said that PAP “felt that it needed a change, even though Mr Kahar had been a “very hardworking person”. He thanked you for your work at Kaki Bukit and for letting residents know that the party has “not forgotten about them”. We were at the press conference and we didn’t see you. Did the party forget to invite you to the PAP Aljunied press conference or did you forget to attend?
I was not informed about this Press Conference.
8. Did PAP forget to invite you for the launch of the PAP’s manifesto last Saturday?
I was not informed about the launch of PAP’s manifesto.
9. PAP’s campaign slogan is “”With you, for you, for Singapore”. Are you still with PAP, for PAP, for Singapore?
Yes, I have been a PAP member for almost 20 years, and I am proud to be a Singaporean.
10. Anway, it seems like you haven’t been invited to PAP-related events since Aug 1! When was the last time you were invited to a WP event?
I was invited to WP’s Hari Raya event which was held in Kaki Bukit on Aug 2 2015.
11. This event took place 2 days after you announced your stepping down as PAP Branch Chairman, why did you still turn up for the event?
This invitation was extended to me by the MP of Kaki Bukit ward, Mr Faisal Manap, and I had accepted his invitation a few weeks before I was told to step down.
Because this event was held in Kaki Bukit, and also as a form of respect to the MP elected by the residents of Kaki Bukit, I thought it would be rude not to turn up merely because I had stepped down.
There is a Malay saying, “Rezeki jangan ditolak, Musuh jangan dicari” (loosely translated to mean, don’t push away goodwill and create animosity).
As Muslims, we are discouraged from rejecting invitations extended to us. In any case, I sat amongst our Kaki Bukit residents at the event for only 20 minutes, as I had to rush to another event.
12. We ask this question to every person we’re interviewing for this GE — if you were a Singapore hawker food dish, which would you be and why?
Teochew Porridge. I eat this at home all the time as it is one of my favourite foods.
It is a comfort food; plain and simple, and goes so well with any dishes, be it steamed fish, tofu, salted egg, braised meats or fried vegetables. (I have yet to find a halal version of this at hawker centres).
Teochew Porridge reflects my simple personality and people feel comfortable talking to me, as I can relate to just about anyone; whether they are young children, old folks or young adults who have just embarked on their careers.
I got to have tea with Minister Chan Chun Sing a few days ago and over Wang Cafe’s kaya toasts on plastic plates, we spoke about what makes a good politician, immigration policies and everyone’s current favourite topic – the Gini coefficient.
I’ll leave the economics part out (you can take a look at this post by My 15 Hour Work Week if you’re interested) but here are some takeaways from our tea session:
1) HE KNOWS ABOUT THE MEMES OF HIM CIRCULATING FACEBOOK
We started the conversation with the question, “Are you aware about the memes of you on the Internet? Do you plan to do anything about it?”
I’ve got to admit, it’s a difficult question… especially since I’m someone who absolutely cannot deal with people talking about me (the irony of owning a blog, I know) but Chan addressed the topic head-on that personal branding is not his forte (Honestly, he’s not the most photogenic politician around… I couldn’t capture a nice shot of him speaking ) and ultimately, it boils down to “Who do you want to be?” – a popular politician or a genuinely efficient one (I’ll elaborate on this later.)
So while he has accepted these gifs as inevitable baggage from being a public figure, he appears confident that his actions and contributions has/will speak louder than them.
2) HE IS UNABASHEDLY FORTHRIGHT
Maybe it’s those years in the army from a SAF Overseas Scholarship to being appointed Chief of Army in 2010 that shaped his no-holds-barred, we walk the talk approach to his political career and life at large (military wife observation here yo!) but in our unscripted Q&A session, there was no carefully-crafted, politically correct answers to our thoughtful, if not particularly tough, questions and I like how he was real and comfortable in his own skin and forthright with all of us – that he could be a popular politician by declaring “We’ll help everybody” with policies that APPEAR to be helping everyone (e.g. by lowering petrol prices across the board) but through a rather lengthy explanation of government transfers and income inequality, we later learnt that while our current petrol pricing model – and other policies – while definitely unpopular, actually helps the lower-income much more than said popular measures. (It’s a long explanation and you can read it here)
3) HE SEEMS GENUINELY FIRED UP
With all that talk about #GE2015 (though we didn’t actually talk about it during the session), the labour chief seems ready to go. From economics to policies to what’s happening in the heartlands, he discussed these topics articulately without fluff and rhetoric.
4) HE WEARS A CASIO
Not a Philippe Patek, Rolex nor even a Seiko. Just a Casio.
And a pretty basic model at that too.
5) HE IS POISED FOR BIGGER THINGS
Not I say one ah.
But I agree. Chan Chun Sing has had plenty of critics watching from afar since his entrance into politics in 2011 and I think he has managed to defy naysayers with his substance… though perhaps some help’s required in the style department.
If Singaporeans want the People’s Action Party (PAP) to form the government, they have to be unequivocal about it through their vote, said political analyst Associate Professor Eugene Tan. He explained that this could be one of the biggest takeaways from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s speech at the introduction of his party’s manifesto on Saturday (Aug 29).
The Workers’ Party (WP) also unveiled its manifesto on the same day, and Professor Tan said despite its clear stand at not being ready to form the government, the manifesto is the party’s indication that it is growing from strength to strength.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had called on Singaporeans to take the upcoming General Election “very seriously”, and not “wanting one party but voting for a different one”.
Professor Tan explained: “It’s making clear that Singaporean voters can’t have their cake and eat it. So if they want a PAP government, they will have to be mindful of who they are voting for. Because I think he did allude, although without making a clear reference to it, the concern about a freak election result – that people want a PAP government, but believe everyone else will vote for the PAP and that they, in order to put pressure on the government, will vote for the opposition. And then we will have an outcome which they may not have otherwise wanted.”
Professor Tan added that the PAP’s 88-page manifesto is a “self-appraised report card” that highlights the party’s track record over the last 50 years, and of how it has responded to issues raised in the last General Election.
The WP manifesto contains 130 proposals covering areas like the economy and education. Professor Tan said some of these proposals have been mentioned in the previous election, or are refinements to current policies.
“If the policies are very much similar to the PAP’s, we should not be too surprised because very often the Workers’ Party would hope to win voters who would have otherwise voted for the PAP. And so they are trying to say, ‘We are going to build on PAP’s policies but we’re going to make it better’,” he explained.
With Nomination Day on Tuesday, Professor Tan also touched on the slate of candidates of the two parties: “The big questions for voters are, ‘how different will they be? Will they be prepared to stand up and speak for voters, or will they become very much party men and women?’”
) and ultimately, it boils down to “Who do you want to be?” – a popular politician or a genuinely efficient one (I’ll elaborate on this later.)
