Tag: SDP

Why Are The WP And SDP Rallies So Popular
News is probably trending about two rallies:
- The size of the WP crowds at WP rallies.
- Chee Soon Juan’s return after 15 years of not being able to contest in elections.
The crowds are huge and much has been said about them. Do the crowds translate to votes? Why are people so attracted to such rallies?

Here are three plausible reasons, though I will not qualify the robustness of these reasons from a logical perspective. After all, with such rallies, emotions tend to run very high. Here are three reasons, why they are not quite sound, and better suggestions (if possible) to achieve said objectives.

1.) I want to know what the opposition has to say; I’ve heard the ruling party too much.

The argument goes: The PAP has the MSM, so we had better go to the rally to listen first-hand to what the opposition has to say so that the media won’t perturb the message.

The issue: you get much more than what you attend the rally for. In rallies, it is a typical routine to get the crowd angry with the incumbent. (The incumbent clearly cannot do this.) With an angry crowd, the rally speaker then goes on to rattle about their suggestions and why said anger with be soothed. It could be about foreigners or political persecution to make people angry. Lines such as “why so many FT stealing jobs” or “why such a dominant party for so long unlike other countries” will anger people. Then even suggestions such as “zero foreign worker growth” and “abolish ISA” sound promising even if they were never actually discussed at the rally.

The solution: if you really want to know what the opposition wants to say, read the manifesto, don’t turn up for the rally. The emotional soundbites are slightly reduced.

2.) I really don’t like the incumbent.

The argument goes: Show support for the opposition by turning up for the rally! Let the incumbent know that we are really angry!

The issue: it would be quite inane to suggest that the incumbent doesn’t know about the anger. Certainly their volunteers, when scolded by irate citizens will know that. Political theory also states that voters can be divided in three blocs: hardcore incumbent, swing voters and hardcore opposition. Clearly the people who fall under (2) are the hardcore opposition.

The solution: Stay that way. Nothing this article will suggest will necessarily be of any impact.

3.) Actually, I don’t know about politics, neither do I know about policy, so perhaps I should go listen to find out what’s going on.

The argument goes: since I know nothing, and apparently this rally seems popular, so go for it.

The issue: in most rallies one cannot learn much about policy. It is simply not the place to have robust discussion over policy. Who uses statistics and charts to explain why a certain number is thought of? Is it arbitrary or derived? Who cares at a rally. The rally is fundamentally one to gather emotional support, not rational support (except if the speaker is very well-known to just put forth rational arguments). Thus if this is the objective, it will backfire.

The solution: the rally really has no place for you. Three good starting points to read policy: IPS Commons, various intellectual thinkers, and the press releases of important documents such as the Budget, white papers and ministry press releases. From there, make a choice on the supplementary material to read.

Source: www.fivestarsandamoon.com
September 7, 2015
Damanhuri Abas Soal Keupayaan Pemerintah Untuk Satukan Rakyat

Calon Melayu Parti Demokratik Singapura (SDP) Damanhuri Abas bagi GRC Marsiling- Yew Tee mempersoalkan keupayaan pemerintah untuk menyatupadukan rakyat.

Beliau juga menuduh pemerintah “melontarkan syak wasangka” ke atas masyarakat Melayu, hanya kerana tindakan segelintir tahanan JI.

Berucap di rapat SDP di Stadium Jurong Encik Damanhuri berkata sistem yang ada sekarang tidak mencerminkan ikrar negara yang memperjuangkan “rakyat yang bersatu padu”.

Rakyat Singapura tegas beliau mahukan kepimpinan yang berjiwa rakyat dan ciri-ciri itu ada pada SDP.

Maka itu, Encik Damanhuri mengajak rakyat beranikan diri menggantikan apa yang beliau sebut sebagai kekurangan yang ada pada sistem sekarang.

“Ia hanya boleh berlaku kalau jika terdapat pembangkang yang ramai, kuat dan berani di parlimen. Selagi tiada suara pembangkang di parlimen betapa kuat kita berteriak di luar, tiada kesan yang akan mengubah keadaan kita,” kata Encik Damanhuri.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

September 7, 2015
Do Opposition MM Politicians Have A Hidden Agenda?

Aiseyman! This GE is so exciting siol~ With all seats being contested, it is a sight to see so many Malay-Muslim opposition candidates standing up to be counted to speak up for Singaporeans, and be the voice of the MM community. For far too long, the MM community has been under-represented in our country’s political conversation that it would be a step in the right direction for our community if more are willing to be involved in the governance of our country.

But with the increasing religiousity within the MM community, it is worth questioning if these MM opposition candidates truly believe in furthering the democratic process of our political system, or are they merely using the various political parties as a platform to air their grievances and further their religious agenda of pushing for a more conservative and Islamic society?

Just look at SDP’s Damanhuri Abas. Even though he represents a party that believes in the ideals of democracy, justice and equality, he himself is not a true believer of these values because he cherry picks who he thinks deserves to be treated as equals and who deserves to be discriminated against. On the one hand, he fights for the rights of Muslim NSmen and Hijabi Muslimahs, but on the other hand, he says that the law should continue to discriminate against gay men by retaining Section 377A.

Another example is NSP’s Nor Lella Mardiiah Mohamed. In the 2011 elections, she represented the party without wearing the hijab. This time round however, she is representing the party as a Muslimah wearing the hijab. While it is her prerogative to wear the hijab, one can’t help but wonder if this change is reflective of her increasing religiousity, and whether this will translate into support for the hijab issue and more broadly, issues that demand for more allowance of Islamic practices in our secular society.

What about WP’s Firuz Khan who appears to be a supporter of former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad? Like Mahathir, is he also a fan of race-based politics and the bumi-policy? If he is voted into parliament under the WP ticket, will he champion for more MM entitlements and privileges that will affect the delicate racial situation in singapore?

These are questions that the opposition parties or the MM candidates themselves must address so that voters know what these candidates truly stand for and whether they are deserving of our votes.

Source: www.aiseyman.com

September 6, 2015
Voter Gives Chee Soon Juan Vote Of Confidence, Heartfelt Note Of Hope And S$100 For Ice Cream

Trending on Facebook: A voter has supposedly written a heartfelt note and pledged a $100 donation to the Singapore Democratic Party’s Chee Soon Juan.

The note is believed to have been written after Chee gave a rousing rally speech at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Thursday night, Sept. 3, his first in 15 years.

The note referenced the buying of Häagen-Dazs ice cream — a topic brought up by Chee at his rally — where he gave an anecdote about how his penny-pinching ways to keep up with the standard of living in Singapore meant that he cannot buy ice cream for his children.

This was what he said during his rally speech:

“I know what it feels like to keep counting your dollars and trying to cut down on expenses. When you need to see a doctor, buy that extra packet of milk, choose a better quality cooking oil, you are always checking the price to see if you can afford it. I understand.

Sometimes I go to Giant to buy groceries, and once in a while, I want to buy some ice cream for my children. So I go to the freezer and I take a look at the prices and immediately I discount Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen-Dazs. I look at Wall’s ice cream and I think of getting a tub. And my wife comes along and says, ‘Maybe it is better if you get it if it’s on sale.’ I know. I know what it is like to count your every dollar. At times like this, the worst thing to have are people who are out of touch with reality and make policies that affect you and how you live. [Applause]

If they don’t understand, if they don’t understand the difficulties that you face, then how can they help you?”

This is the video excerpt:

Alternatively, you can check out the full video or the portion from 15min 48sec to 17min 11sec:

Source: http://mothership.sg

September 5, 2015
Calon SDP Sidek Mallek Akui Kelakonannya Harus Diperbaiki Jika Ingin Yakinkan Orang Melayu

Calon Parti Demokratik Singapura (SDP), Sidek Mallek, mengakui kelakonannya perlu diperbaiki jika ingin meyakinkan masyarakat Melayu/Islam bahawa beliau layak dilantik menjadi suara mereka di parlimen nanti.

Beliau berkata demikian sebagai menjawab kritikan yang diterimanya setelah enggan menjawab soalan dalam bahasa Melayu sewaktu sesi pengenalan calon SDP baru-baru ini.

“Hari pertama saya ditugaskan, mungkin tidak sebaik yang saya harapkan. Namun saya ingin tekankan bahawa saya adalah anak melayu yang jati, oleh bertutur dalam bahasa Melayu.

“Saya juga mempunyai komitmen yang tinggi untuk memperjuangkan hak-hak dan isu-isu rakyat di parlimen, bukan hanya untuk masyarakat Melayu, tapi juga untuk warga Singapura secara am,” tegas Encik Sidek.

Calon kali pertama itu turut membidas dakwaan PAP bahawa parti-parti pembangkang di Singapura tidak berwibawa, tidak ada modal serta tidak mempunyai usulan alternatif atau baru.

Beliau memberikan contoh dua usulan alternatif yang dilakarkan oleh partinya bagi menangani jurang pendapatan yang semakin luas.

Salah satunya ialah penetapan gaji minima bagi para pekerja.

“Penetapan gaji minima akan memastikan bahawa nilai setiap pekerjaan yang dilakukan oleh warga Singapura akan dapat menyara keperluan kehidupan mereka seharian. Saudara saudari, bayangkan bagaimana ini boleh menolong ibu atau bapa tunggal mengimbangi masa kerja dengan masa yang diluangkan bersama keluarga mereka,” jelas Encik Sidek.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

September 5, 2015