Laid waste by the mad influx of economic migrants for between 5 years to 10 years, have made all three of us acutely tuned to the political landscape of Singapore today for we now know politics is life and life is politics.
On Saturday, 13th June 2015 we gathered at the Newton Hawkers’ Centre for lunch at 12:00 noon before heading to the SingFirst 2nd public forum; “Can Singapore Succeed Without The PAP?” held at the Hotel Royal on Newton Road.
We have much to be hopeful for having spoken with Tan Jee Say personally on his political game plans ahead after his failed attempt at the 2011 Presidential Election.
He left SDP after GE2011 to contest in PE2011 and have since gained widespread popularity for his deep intellects. He had wanted to form a party with a fresh narrative without any the old political baggage carried by the existing opposition parties.
This was to be our very first interaction with SingFirst since it’s official registration in August 2014 last year.
SingFirst Manifesto – Fair Society, Strong Families and Esteemed People resonated deep in our hearts & minds given today’s socioeconomic realities with our nation in a decade of decline under the current PAP Leadership Team that is unable to see the present for what it is and has lost the character and charm of the earlier generation PAP Leadership Teams.
“Can Singapore Succeed Without The PAP?” was incisively examined and convincingly addressed in the five questions agenda of the forum.
(1) Why even ask this question? – Dr Ang Yong Guan, Chairman, will examine the Singaporean psychic.
(2) How other nations changed and succeeded? – Dr David Foo, Treasurer, will survey cases in Asia.
(3) How can the civil service continue? – Tan Peng Ann, Vice Chairman, will discuss about the professional integrity of public servants.
(4) What is success to Singaporeans? – two young Singaporeans will tell us about their aspirations.
(5) How Singapore can succeed without the PAP? – Tan Jee Say, Secretary General, will outline how SingFirst can transform Singapore into a successful First World nation.
The panel of speakers were eloquent and delivered with substance and conviction touching on the five decades of social conditioning that have gotten Singaporeans in the grip of the psychosis of what Dr. Ang Yong Guan termed the “Singapore Stockholm Syndrome” that Singaporeans have grown to accept even in adversities living with a single party rule.
Dr. David Foo delivered a compelling analysis that this need not be so dishing out generous illustrations of countries in Asia that has rotated political leadership in a multi-parties rule and have in fact progressed with the keen contest of ideas in government.
Tan Peng Ann rightly emphasized on the distinction that needs to be made between the elected political leadership and that of the civil service and in event of a change in composition of the political leadership the civil service must and will be there to ensure the continuity and the functions of government answerable to the government of choice of the people and by the people.
Tan Jee Say, spoke with the intellectual depth of an economist and he laid out new measures to bring Singapore back on track to what’s truly Singaporeans First in jobs, healthcare, education, housing and retirement adequacy.
PAP supporter tries to hijack SingFirst Forum
It was unfortunate that the profound discourse was punctuated mid-way through by an unanticipated squabble when a pro-establishment individual, Leonard Yeo, tried to hijack the SingFirst forum handling the moderator a thumb-drive of slides for presentation to upstage the illustrious panel of SingFirst speakers.
In the vortex of emotions, the participants were in no mood for his antic and promptly castigated him forcing him down from the rostrum flustered.
What came up endearing in this forum are:-
(1) In the entire presentation, little was emphasized on SingFirst as a party and the term “oppositions” was employed at large wherein the participants attempted to reword it as “alternatives” given the negative connotation of the term “opposition” whoever coined it.
(2) It was really towards the end of the forum that SingFirst sought endorsement.
(3) It was touching that Dr. Ang Yong Guan said that members of the SingFirst CEC are fast coming of age and their role is now to engineer a breakthrough in the threshold of PAP dominance and he urged a younger generation to step forward to take this country forward after this is done with.
For the three of us, we left immensely impressed and given the bad hand dealt the past decade, we will want the cards reshuffled, dealt a fresh hand and the bargaining positions changed for to stay with the present government is to stay with perpetual rot in the massive flood of economic migrants.
We look forward in anticipation and in earnest to more of SingFirst forums in the run-up to the next general election. This is a party to watch and a party worthy of our support.
It is therefore an emphatic “yes” that Singapore will succeed without the PAP.
The Three Musketeers