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Punggol East underscores need for drastic reforms
Published:  Jan 29, 2013 10:51 AM
Updated: 9:41 AM

YOURSAY 'The people in Singapore and Malaysia demand drastic reforms; baby steps will not do for the world is moving fast and young voters are impatient.'

Lessons from PAP's defeat in Punggol East

your say Anonymous_4031: Congratulations, Dr Bridget Welsh, you have hit the nail on the head. Voters cannot be bought with paltry sums of cash handouts like as being done in Malaysia.

The people in Singapore and Malaysia demand drastic reforms; baby steps will not do for the world is moving fast and young voters are impatient.

One important point to note is the victory of Barack Obama over Mitt Romney: the former depended on small donations of US$10, while the latter depended on big donations from rich tycoons.

How many votes do the tycoons have? Each has one vote. How many votes do the small donors have? They also have one vote each. But there are millions of small donors, and they vote with their money.

Malaysian PM Najib Razak has appealed to the towkays to support BN. But how many votes do these rich tycoons have?

Ex-Wfw: It is an interesting analysis, though in reality there is no comparison. In Singapore, the people just wanted something different from what they are getting today, whereas here the people have seen enough wantonness to seek change.

The people in Singapore, especially the younger set have seen only the strong dollar and they are getting into the same mold as the Japanese and the Westerners. Soon when their dollars go spinning, we will see whether they love changes just like Greece, Portugal, etc.

If you are at the bottom of the pile, change is a must but if you already at the top, then be careful of change for the sake of change.

Without the last generation's economic pile accumulated by their current government, I certainly like to see how they are going to cope with it. Certainly the writer correctly pointed, PAP still have plenty of space.

Kgen: Ex-Wfw, I think to look at Singaporeans as primarily motivated by materialism is wrong as Dr Welsh has pointed out.

Affluence is no replacement for a lack of civil liberties and democratic space as the high emigration rate of Singaporeans who find the micro-control of the PAP government oppressive attest.

This is a good analysis by Dr Welsh. Would you be interested in doing an article on whether Pakatan Rakyat or BN will win the 13th GE based on issues and voter sentiments?

Of course, BN's massive cheating will make any practical analysis redundant, but at least we want to know which party will win in a fight with minimum cheating.

Onyourtoes: A tale of two countries - PAP losing popularity simply because the party was too successful in transforming Singapore; Umno losing popularity simply because the party was too nincompoop and stupid to do anything right.

Lee Li Lian of Workers' Party got elected because Singaporeans know PAP is still very much in control. One extra seat for Workers' Party is not going to irreparably damage Singapore.

But frankly, what does Workers' Party have for contemporary Singapore? Sometimes I think even average Singaporeans do not know where their good life has come from and how their precarious position is being managed. May be I am old.

Haveagreatday: Reading this assessment by Bridget Welsh stirs up hope anew that change may after all be forthcoming in Malaysia come GE13.

That the Umnoputras are "not willing to substantively transform themselves" is obvious from these five years of posturing since 308 (March 2008).

They have thrown candies and carrots aplenty at the rakyat hoping it will be sufficient to cling to power but there is been no substantive movement towards a more free, fair, democratic and civil society. So, change we can, and change we must.

Fair Play: A good analysis, but I think it's too late for BN. Pakatan should pay heed if they are to provide the alternative that the rakyat is expecting.

OMG!!: It is difficult to draw parallel between PAP and Umno. PAP may be capable of reform but not Umno.

Moreover, the majority of Singaporeans want to experiment a two-party system. The same cannot be said of the majority of Malaysians.

Also, Umno is capable of hanging on to power using dubious means - Project M II, period.

Donkey Kong: Comparing PAP with BN is like comparing Switzerland with Bangladesh. PAP candidates resign when caught having sex with someone other than their wives. BN candidates take pride in screwing someone other than their wives (that is, the rakyat).

Cala: There is something missing in Bridget Welsh's assessment. PAP (the same applies to Umno) takes for granted the old formula always work.

That is why PAP assumes that by selecting the best qualified candidate, it has met the voters demand. By extension, it thinks it has the key to bring success to Singapore.

Clearly, the majority of its voters is fed up with this line of reasoning. Elitism is no longer the gold standard in politics. Now, the people want to decide for themselves.


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