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decided to unfollow xiaxue on twitter because her george yeo tweets were just pissing me off. tahan-ed for quite long. other friends were pissing me off too but too bad, i really am friends with them in real life so it pointless to fuss over an issue that will blow over in 2 days time.

but seeing her pro pap rants... i dunno what to say (sound familiar?). cant say whether im angry or feel sorry for her ignorance. Regarding george yeo, if he's got to go, he's got to go. please blame no one except the party who has created the unfair system called the GRC. everything works both ways, want good things? then jolly well deal with the consequences. and puh-lease. no man is irreplaceable. if the ruling party maintains so, i will be very worried about the future of singapore. seeing how it cant even prepare for vicissitudes of life. you think he will be around forever is it? besides, i really doubt that when he is not minister of FA, our foreign relations will take a turn for the worse. you really think other countries sign FTAs with us just because they like his face? and respect? i have respect for LKY. but of course, whatever we credit to him, is just ONE of the many versions of history out there. please go and take nation building to find out more. maybe why i secretly did well was because i do appreciate the starting point of it all: that history is not just his story.


call me idealistic. but i would like to think that my vote does not stand for who's going to bring me more carpark space or what not. totally disagree with people tell us to vote for our self interest. hello? self interest is the root of all evil? heard about the subprime crisis? how at each level, each institution only bothered about their bottom line. i mean i do appreciate a nice estate or what no. but ultimately i vote for something more than my self interest, i vote for an ideal that i believe in.

sigh... i have no qualms about ppl voting back the incumbents you know. what frustrates me is that the truth is still out there for many singaporeans. i just want a chance to educate people. about the laws. about how skewed they are. and about how powerless we are. only then can you make a right choice. the truth will set you free. and for people who blatantly shut their eyes to the truth? i hope willful blindness comes easy to you in the future as well. then you can just pretend everything is going on fine on this little sunny island. by all means, please use your imagination. and i'll be happy to pitch in. how's this: nice beach, good weather and a stiff mojito?

i fear for the future of singapore. to me the elections is a very simple issue. in my mind, there is only one question when i decide on which party my vote goes to: do i want a parliament where policies (good or bad) can be steamrolled in?

why is this election so important? for years, i could say: the people of singapore have not given the ruling party any mandate (due to the huge number of walkovers). now, because 82 out of 87 seats are contested, i can find no other excuse for singaporeans. if all 87 seats go to the ruling party, i would be very disappointed, not in the government, but in the people. for they have granted the incumbents absolute discretion. and for the next 5 years, they would have to live with the consequences of their decisions be it good or bad. of course, steamrolling in good policies is efficient. but what is stopping them from steamrolling in less than desirable policies (ie increasing minister's pay yet again?)

so what do i look for in an opposition party. simple: can they function as a check? to allow good policies to go through and to oppose the bad ones. their policies or manifestos only matter to me insofar that i would know their general take on issues. therefore if a party proposes to decrease GST, i will know that if the government is proposing a bill for an increase, they will not assent to it. simple. any other proposals that it makes, i know will be shot down by the ruling party (unless we do have a strong enough coalition). so when people only put their mind to comparing what the ruling party and the opposition party can give, i would say they have put their mind to the wrong question by just focusing on that. the ruling party has the civil service to research on whether HDB prices can be affordable and what not. it has so many tools at their disposal. how can an opposition party afford all that research costs? how can an opposition party afford to dangle carrots? (on another point, the nation's funds do not belong to the ruling party). but if you still decide that your vote is based on this issue alone, vote back the incumbents. because yes, they offer so much more.

my test is an easy one. but not every opposition party passes it. for example, you cant just oppose any policy just for the sake of it. i too want to see good policies passed. however, i don't even need to listen much to what the ruling party has to say and more often than not, i can't bear listening to much of it. i am not anti men in white. i am against the lack of checks and balances that comes with a parliament dominated by one party.

come 7th may, i don't have anymore excuses for singaporeans if they choose (very democratically i must say) a one party state. people who vote for the ruling party have no right to moan and groan about the ruling party steamrolling in bad policies, because this is precisely what you have voted for. but of course, the picture i have painted is the worst case scenario. so by all means balance this against the gain of having the efficiency good policies being passed without unnecessary opposition.

of course, this is all my opinion. a very humble one i must add. i have no experience and do not claim to have any, in matters of sustainability of economic policies or what have you. my slant on issues are very focused on accountability because of my educational background. which is why i have said that if you choose the pragmatic view and believe that it is the right question to ask, i have no counter arguments to that, except to bring your attention to issues of accountability and due process.