Despite what Lim Boon Heng, that minister who has been without a
portfolio for some 15 years, has said, the PAP’s slate of new
candidates are a dud. At least as far as I am concerned. I can’t
remember any time in the past where the scraping of the barrel by the
PAP was so pathetic.
And the signs are already there. Of course, the media is
sugar-coating the dud candidates the PAP is selling. Desmond Choo?
Desmond Lee? Tin Pei Ling? Seriously? When one starts to talk about
one’s own sob story in order to gain sympathy, you can be sure the
barrel is really empty.
But there is a serious issue here which Singaporeans must consider and consider very seriously indeed.
And it is this: With a complicit and compliant media, these duds are
being sold and marketed as people with the genuine stuff. And riding
piggyback on senior members into Parliament. This itself is ironic. I
mean, if they have the genuine stuff, why would they need to coattail
on others?
I am really concerned that someone like Tin Pei Ling, whom I presume
hasn’t had even 10-years of working experience, is going into
Parliament via the easy and convenient back door.
At the same time, someone like Chen Show Mao may not be in
Parliament at all. Chen is expected to be on the WP ticket for the
elections. The man’s credentials are second to none – studied at
Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, Rhodes scholar, fluently bilingual, and with
experience in international mergers and acquisitions, and he also sits
on the advisory board of the Singapore Management University.
PAP's Tin Pei Ling - not even 10 years of working experience
Now, Tin Pei Ling and Chen Show Mao. Which do you think should be in Parliament? I mean, seriously.
Tin Pei Ling is a dime a dozen. You can probably scrap some of her ilk off the sidewalks at Orchard Road.
Chen, on the other hand, is what the PAP would crave for – and indeed, badly needs.
Yet, the truth and reality is that Tin Pei Ling will get into Parliament, while Chen Show Mao may not.
Every opposition party’s new candidates have to go through the
baptism of fire in a contest at every election. Chiam See Tong fought
twice before winning, and since then, he’s had to fight each of the six
elections – and win them all. A total of 8 elections.
Low Thia Khiang too had to fight 5 General Elections – losing his first and winning the other four.
Chiam and Low NEVER had a walkover, or had the “privilege” of entering Parliament by piggybacking on others.
This is what leaders should do. This is what each and every MP must
do – fight in an open contest, and not hide behind coattails and worse,
say if they get into Parliament they want to “understudy” the senior
members.
We pay S$15,000 a month to each MP.
For such a large sum of money, it is incumbent that each MP contest
and win each and every election – just like what Chiam and Low have
done and will have to do in this election as well.
No hiding. No piggybacking. No coattails to hang on to.
WP Chairman Sylvia Lim - may not get into Parliament
But the point I want to make is this:
It would be really really sad and bad for Singapore if someone like
Tin Pei Ling is slipped into Parliament without a single vote cast in
her favour, while those like Chen Show Mao, Sylvia Lim or even Low Thia
Khiang do not get in.
Indeed, the dud slate of candidates the PAP is offering – and if
each and everyone of them gets into Parliament – puts Singapore in a
precarious position, moving forward.
Here’s another scary thought: In the 2006 general election, all 24 new PAP candidates got into Parliament – a 100% success rate.
While only 2 from the opposition were elected.
So, when you cast your vote, think very very carefully.
Via
