Breaking The GRC Stronghold

So the votes have been tallied and the results are out. On 8th May 2011, Singaporeans woke up to the reality of a stronger Workers' Party; having wrested the Aljunied GRC stronghold containing 3 Ministers no less from PAP and retained their traditional bulwark of Hougang, their presence in the Parliament has strengthened from 1 seat to 6 (not including any possible NCMPs too). This is also the most number of elected Opposition seats taken up since Singapore's independence.

But the feeling of dissatisfaction is strong in the air and one wonders if PAP will take heed. They have clearly lost ground; the previous election in 2006 PAP having garnered 66.7% of the votes, only 60.14% voted for them in 2011. Two PAP heavyweight ministers, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mah Bow Tan also received poorer scores for their "report cards" this time round, having lost a significant share of votes from the previous election. These 2 constituencies were also notable for their 'wins' due to the slate of fresh candidates offered up by National Solidarity Party. For first time contestants, their share of votes gained were very credible and noteworthy.

But on a whole, what tips could the opposition parties glean from this election?

1) Consistent Messaging

The Workers' Party's communications plan was the strongest and the tightest amongst ALL the parties contesting this time round. Yes, even the PAP could take a lesson or two. Having attended their rallies and watched their videos online, every candidate knew the party's mission and ideals by heart and embodied it. Ending every speech with a consistent "Vote for the Workers' Party towards a First World Parliament", that line became synonymous with the party and in fact, the strongest rallying cry for the election.

I will not go into whether the message itself could have been better, but their consistent delivery cannot be faulted. The PAP recognised and went for the jugular by attempting to tear it apart, with MP Indranee Singh leading the pack. But Mr Low successfully rebutted every attack backed up by Ms Sylvia Lim in the press and the messaging was reinforced credibly by every candidate during the rallies. So not only did they settle on a communications message, but plans were laid for a vigorous defense and strong comebacks to what was a rather predictable PAP challenge.

2) Brand Loyalty

Workers' Party candidates also stand out by having a strong loyalty to the cause, something in which every other political party (besides PAP) suffers heavily from. In this aspect, I actually believe that WP took a leaf or two from PAP's own book!

The leader and "star appeal" from the get go has always been Mr Low Thia Kiang, flanked by the very capable and charismatic Ms Sylvia Lim and the extremely credible Mr Chen Show Mao. Mr Pritam Singh also came into his own with his steadfast delivery but overall, the strongest spotlight was trained on Mr Low and nobody else fought to detract that from him. And it worked for the voters. Mr Low came across as a strong party leader backed by strong lieutenants and the voters bought it. Having stepped out firmly into the unknown to contest for a GRC, the challenge was thrown during Nomination Day and the battle lines were drawn.

PAP tried to play a game of chicken, challenging Aljunied GRC voters if they dared sacrifice Foreign Minister George Yeo for a normal MP like Mr Low but that strategem backfired tremendously. And it went to show that voters were not impressed with titles and fancy sounding portfolios; instead a strong character coupled with integrity was what counted and WP came out the stronger winner.

The National Solidarity Party got off to a shaky start with the loss of their Principal Election Agent and older brother of party chief Goh Meng Seng. From then on, it sadly became the Nicole Seah Show, with attention within and without the party trained solely on her young shoulders with very little else coming from the rest of the party candidates. But what a marvelous job she pulled off, backing Senior Minister to the polls with only 54% of the votes garnered. This was an incredible feat made no less by the fact that she was a political newcomer. Very little was heard from party chief Mr Goh Meng Seng through out (the other Mr Goh) despite Mah Bow Tan's obvious unpopularity and SM Goh's clumsy gaffes. Previously touted star candidates or "A-team" comprising of former scholars and couple Tony Tan and Hazel Poa also failed to impress or garner much traction amongst voters.

But it could have been better. The musical chair of opposition candidates played out prior to Nomination Day did not help the cause overall with personas and egos jumping ship every so often. The Reform Party suffered the worst of this and generally arrived at Nomination Day with an air of having cobbled their candidates from anybody and everybody willing to "have a go at it". Not the sort to inspire faith in a voter from the get go if they knew that your candidate joined you just a couple of months or even weeks / days prior to the elections. The only party that stood above and away from the opposition fray with regard to "talent" was Workers' Party and they have the results to show for it. Voters like to know you are in it for the long haul and that includes your membership to the party. After all, Singaporeans like stability even when voting for change.

I think Alex Au once stated that to argue for the greater cause of "unity" was to be disloyal to the party's cause of gaining more seats and sadly, this has played out to be true. Perhaps it is the very nature of an opposition candidate that makes him or her unable to stay within a party that has a set of rules and regulations he or she can't agree with. After all isn't the hallmark of a PAP candidate one that submits to group-mandate?

I personally believe that in the months ahead, we will see loser candidates leave their current parties and join others or set up new ones.

3) Having A Media Plan

A pleasant surprise from this election was the improvement of coverage allocated to opposition parties this time round. The local press had obviously realised that they no longer had the stranglehold on news in the era of Facebook and the Internet. Unfortunately most if not all opposition were caught off-guard but how nicely the press was playing this time round and were still playing by the old rules i.e. do not trust or rely the local press to get your message out. This in a way, is a sad indictment of the trust our local citizenry has towards the press but that's a post for another time.

So aside from the traditional podium pounding speeches and the clumsy fumblings of urging supporters to "share" links and videos online, the opposition failed by and large to play to the local media, something that PAP has had the luxury of since inception. By the time various opposition figures realised this, it was rather too late into the campaign and PAP has as usual stolen a march on them.

Vivian Balakrishnan's attempted smear campaign on SDP backfired and ironically hit him in where he least expected it; via the local press. Disapproving and unforgiving opinions were published and aired in local papers for once, reflecting the louder disgust heard online and within days, the PAP camp found itself in a position of scrambling to regain lost moral high ground. But the fair play exhibited by the local press was unexpected and to be honest, unprecedented and the opposition failed to capitalise on their gains.

All that said, whether this continues to remain as a normal state of affairs remain to be seen as PAP evaluates the performance of the media under their control and whether hidden repercussions are dealt or felt with after the results are known. The loss of a GRC and a well-liked Foreign Minister is guaranteed to rattle the highest management and as history has shown, PAP is not above changing the rules or altering the playing field to suit itself.

Confessions of a Once-PAP Voter

Originally posted at http://www.facebook.com/notes/nicholas-lim/confessions-of-a-once-pap-voter/210916142266133

I grew up in a PAP household. Mum worked for the PAP & was only one reporting level away from a Minister himself. I even volunteered for a couple of PAP events but was vaguely uncomfortable with something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Election periods while growing up meant losing Mum for those campaigning days where she accompanied the Minister as part of the grassroots team going door-to-door canvassing for votes. I recall one GE in particular where Cheng San GRC was The Hot Seat. Mum allowed us to stay up to watch the results come in and we all burst out in spontaneous cheering when PAP won. The just and right government had won and I was proud of my Mum for being part of that process. I didn't understand what were the consequences of a PAP-dominated parliament; these were matters best left to the adults.

Getting to know friends who stayed in Hougang were like getting to know another species of Singaporean. "What's it like living in an OPPOSITION ward?" was a question asked with much gleeful curiousity. My first glimpse of Potong Pasir disappointed slightly; I was expecting a bunch of HDB dwellers really down in the dumps, probably going about their day with snarls and grimaces. Instead it was just like any other HDB neighbourhood, just with more visible wear-and-tear around the edges. I was so glad my parents chose to live in AND vote for a PAP-led ward; I can't imagine life without lifts on every floor and a thriving neighbourhood hub with its own MRT station! Upgrading being allocated to PAP-held constituencies seemed like a logical extension of things, the way the government explained things. But then again, I couldn't vote and these were matters best left to politically-inclined individuals.

The advent of the Internet changed all that perception. Curiosity had always gotten me into trouble before (another story for another day) and one fine day, for the life of me I can't recall why now, I decided to look up political parties on the Internet. PAP's website was a natural starting point; everything was as you can expect it to be. Information was parsely doled out with the usual tidbits on how successful Singapore was and how PAP being in charge was responsible for this and how you as a Singaporean, was truly lucky to be part of this utopia we were all working towards. It further amplified my sense that if I wasn't satisfied and happy with the state of things, I wasn't a true Singaporean then.

The first opposition website I peeked into was Worker's Party. It wasn't very well fleshed out back then (this was before 2005) and a lot of it seemed statistics based or focused. I lost interest pretty quickly and looked for more.

Then I found SDP's and I was blown away. For the first time, there were questions I had always thought about vaguely & then quickly quashed as undeserving of a true Singaporean. Far from the much-demonised caricature one usually sees in the mainstream press, the figures of SDP were normal and caring Singaporeans with a difference but oh what a large one. They dared question the status quo and refuse to settle for less. They put forth in not so many words that the government should be accountable to the people, not the other way around. They fought against blind acceptance of governmental "edicts" and spoke up regarding alleviating the plight of less fortunate Singaporeans. They told me that I had rights as a citizen, rights which were summarily dismissed and taken away without my knowledge.

From then on, I started to read our local press with a much greater level of awareness and also questioned what I read. SDP updated their website with the greatest frequency and I devoured their insights and arguments with great relish. The mrbrown/mr-miyagi fiasco with TODAY (I can't recall ofhand now sorry) made me realise the government began to regard the Internet with fear. They were losing control on how information and more importantly, the truth was being disseminated and they didn't like it. The rise of socio-political portals like The Online Citizen and Temasek Review began to offer editorialised counter viewpoints to the current affairs in Singapore, albeit amateurish. But information was power and I began to feel empowered. I swore that the next time I voted, it would be with both eyes wide open.

Fast forward to 2011. The issues put forth by the Opposition are the same with one exception; the opening of the foreign labour floodgates. Cost of living in Singapore has shot up tremendously as compared to the previous decade along with housing and transport. The government's refusal to agree to a minimum wage system means the lower-income families struggle even harder just to survive and local Singaporeans across every level have to compete with an indiscriminate flood of cheaper foreign labour, loosely disguised as necessary "talent". The PAP always says that with them in charge, the years ahead will always be good. But this time round, I regard a PAP-helmed future with much trepidation.

Over the last 5 years, I have been marginalised and belittled as a Singaporean. I served my National Service with great pride but I witness stories of how locals are sidelined in favour of cheaper foreign imports. A Singaporean ten dollar doesn't go as far as it used to, even in Johor Bahru. Taking the public transport, shopping in our plentiful malls, eating in our local eateries, I have never felt the lack of our national identity more. If I were to order food, I have to be mindful to speak slowly to the China server. If I were to call regarding local services, I have to adjust myself to a Filipino accent. At work, should I be required to interact with the IT department, I have to get used to the thick India-n accent.

Today though, I had the luxury of an all-Singaporean experience at the Worker's Party rally at Bedok Stadium. A Malay family who had arrived early like me, brought spare mats and spread them out, inviting everyone to sit and share with them. During Somasundaram's rally speech, an local Indian was helpfully translating the gist of it to us fellow non-Tamil speaking folk. A Chinese uncle who had spare bottles of water offered them to us when it was 2 hours into the rally.

The irony struck me that for the first time in years, I felt connected and closer to my fellow Singaporeans at an event that is probably the most grudgingly sanctioned one by the PAP - a rally whose purpose was to TOPPLE the PAP. The outpouring of affection and camaraderie was a hundred times more genuine than any extravagant NDP parade, much less the farce that was the YOG. People all around me cheered, hooted and jeered in perfect synchronicity. Everyone were expressing their joy at hearing the opposition speak out against the silent injustices inflicted upon us by the PAP and how over the years, we were regarded less as citizens and more like statistics and figures crucial only to their ever increasing stratospheric self-awarded salaries.

So as a fellow Singaporean, the upcoming week is a crucial one. I ask that you do not take the PAP's words at blind faith; the information is out there and easily available. For those who prefer to harken back to the days of yore, I can only say this; the PAP of our parents' generation is long gone. The ministers of today are less concerned with our welfare and more interested in meeting "KPIs" and "benchmarks". Pursuing economic growth blindly is not the solution nor the answer. These are acceptable practises when it comes to work but when it comes to managing a country, a nation with our lives and our children's future at stake, it is not enough and should not be acceptable.

We have the chance to make things right. It comes only once every 5 years. Do you dare risk another half a decade with a careening PAP at the wheel?

ADDENDUM - Posted this after a friend's friend queried my stance regarding immigrants.

I have nothing against immigrants who are here to stay; I have Korean blood in me from my dad's side. Mum's family is Peranakan & I've got family in Malacca.

However I do take issue with these so-called "talents" who come here for a quick stint & easy access to a PR status with no intention of staying whatsoever. I am unhappy with a government that has no qualms in flooding our country with transient foreign workers.

The neighbourhood coffeeshops at my area have been taken over completely by PRC workers - from the kopi stall to the chicken rice to the fishball noodles to the zhar cai fan. The single malay stalls had to close down because the malay residents didn't feel comfortable having their meals there IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBOURHOOD.

I recently went shopping at Tampines Mall and nearly every shop I went into were unable to serve me in English. I can only wonder at the business logic that excludes non-mandarin speaking customers. Just because I happen to speak mandarin myself does not excuse anything.

A year ago, the firm I worked in hired a Filipino studio manager. Within 6 months, 3/4s of the original team were replaced with fellow Filipinos; a colleague close to her cited that she found it difficult to work with local designers and hence she made the switch. And they all talk incessantly of the day they get to go back to their own country and buy a house.

I have lots of expatriate friends who have come here looking for work and end up finding love, set up home and settled down. They are no less Singaporean to me than my other friends; but I do take offence at a government that refuses to implement a minimum wage and forces us locals to compete with cheaper imports who don't have to contend with the long term consequences of living here.

The Truth Behind The Bullshit

Patriotism : Blood vs Country?

So by now everyone in Singapore knows a little bit more on how Mas Selamat escaped the authorities and fled the country to Malaysia. Yup, his brother, sister-in-law and niece were in on it. *pause for dramatic gasp of shock*.

R e a l l y? Did it surprise anyone to know that he a) had help and b) had it from FAMILY? Well the fact that he fled dressed as a WOMAN was a cause for some hilarity but honestly, trust a terrorist to once again abuse religion in the name of his own fucked-up agenda.

But it all makes for good reading while the PAP government stumble and blush over their facetiously worded press releases and farcical Q&A in Parliament (what kind of a clown would ask if Shanmugam would ensure that women wearing the tudung would not face discrimination when it came to employment, "entering security areas" etc.?!) Note too, the breathless exhortations by various red-faced figures in the government for the people not to blame the Malay-Muslim community over the latest divulgence in the Toilet-Break case.

Well for a bunch of people who are paid multi-million dollar salaries, they sure are fucking stupid. Nobody and I mean NOBODY is blaming the Malay-Muslim community for this entire bad circus sideshow they have going on here. EVERYONE however is well aware of the monumental cock-up led by Wong Kan Seng in his previous multi-million dollar role as Home Affairs Minister (jog our memory abit, what is he NOW again?!) And everyone is sick of the blame-pushing and "cover-backside" statements (then again, how typically 'government' of them, as anyone who has done NS will attest to).

What would really surprise anyone would be if WKS had the balls to step up and say, "I fucked up, here's my resignation." If he needed help, South Korea's now ex-Defence Minister, Mr Kim Tae Young could give him some tips on how to bow out like a man and with honour. But again honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath. I'd even dare say there are better odds of Mas Selamat saying "Fuck you JI, I wanna be a normal person instead of running around wearing a tudung and planning to blow shit up."

Ok fine, my rant's over. But here's the crux of my post; why on earth did his family, his own flesh and blood help Mas Selamat, an alleged terrorist as proclaimed by the government? According to the sketchy news reports, it seemed that during his 2 day jaunt across the island from Whitney to Tampines, Mas Selamat already knew (or thought he knew) that his niece a) stayed alone and b) would be partial to assisting him further in his escape.

Assuming that his family members aren't raving lunatic terrorists, after all they all seemed to be normal Singaporeans with the niece even working as a teacher for MOE, why did they not take one look at Mas Selamat and go "OMG you're planning to blow up our neighbours and friends! I happen to LIKE Yishun MRT station! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!" (or something to that effect).

Or did he sell his family a different version of his side of the story? Note that while he has been locked up at Whitney all this while, presumably under the ISA act (I cbf to read up on this), he has not been charged and convicted within a proper court of law. How far would one have to go to ignore his/her conscience in order to help a loved one who is so obviously wrong in his ideals and actions? Did they consider an intervention of some kind or did they in some misguided way, believe that his incarceration was wrong in the first place? Note also that his nephew, who although did nothing of substance to assist his uncle further in his escape, was also privy to the information that Mas Selamat was taking up transvestism in his home and did nothing to alert the bungling authorities about it.

In a nutshell, do their actions hint of a deeper seated root of resentment and defiance against the government?

Opposition Parties: Reaching Out To New Citizens?

Decided to just post up my comment / reply to a friend's FB where commentors were anti-new citizen for the upcoming elections.

"Distasteful as it may be, the truth is the floodgates have been opened and they are here. Whether they are here to stay long term or not, they are here NOW for the immediate future and I'd expect, curious if not eager to exercise their new voting rights.

Reaching out to them is a must. The opposition should not, must not overlook this silent bloc of voters.

Right now they may be feeling the heat from born Singaporeans; it's easy to direct anger and place the blame for the country's woes at the many feet of these new citizens and PRs. But we should not forget the original culprits (i.e. PAP) in favour for an easier target.

If PAP is the only political party offering them succor, then you can be sure they will vote PAP. The ultimate coup de grace would be to get these new citizens to vote PAP out along with every born and bred Singaporean."

That said, what would a new citizen like to hear from an opposition party that would convince him or her to switch sides? I believe everyone agrees that the average new citizen would more or less have a strong preference, if not loyalty towards the incumbent PAP. The propaganda has been carefully laid from the very first moment a prospective citizen hears about Singapore. About how Singapore has only had one political party ruling it since Independence and how it has brought Singapore to where it is today.

The many attributes that foreigners love about Singapore are also tied back to PAP; an efficient government bureacracy, political stability, safe streets and an undisrupted economy, immigration-friendly policies. The many fallacies of the PAP rule are unnoticed by prospective citizens precisely because they are new. Aside from the obvious difference being a shorter amount of time spent in Singapore, many of them are not subjected to localised policies like National Service or subjected to "mix & try" educational experiments. Having spent over a year living overseas (in Phnom Penh no less), I can definitely appreciate how attractive Singapore is as a new home destination and how it all links back to the PAP rule.

So what can an opposition party offer to tempt votes over? After all it is only human to abhor change. And we cannot assume that these new citizens who are sharing the same social spaces as born & bred Singaporeans are ignorant or deaf to the rising resentment towards their presence on this tiny island. If anything, I'd bet they view any opposition party as a threat to their long term survivability in this country, not to mention long term plans to bring over more of their family and friends.

So I would definitely advocate against any xenophobic speeches or proposed policies during the upcoming General Elections. Playing to the audience is expected but not to the extent of driving this bloc of new voters further into the trenches of the PAP side. I'm no policy maker so i can't think what would entice or attract new voters but I can definitely say what wouldn't work and anti-foreigners, anti-immigration and anti-new blood policies is not the route to take in the road ahead.

Rising Tensions & Widening Cracks - The Road Ahead To Elections

I had a kinda oddball conversation with someone online recently regarding political communications and its outreach in Singapore. I mean, even the most casual of observers would notice the palpable tension in Singapore these days with the government. Just for a quick recap (and background info in case you were hiding under a rock), the litany of woes run the gamut from bread & butter issues (foreigners, floods, overcrowding in public transport, rising costs of living against lower wages) to special interests (mandatory death penalty, gay rights, soaring HDB prices).

Singaporeans by and large are unhappy and dissatisfied to the point whereby more and more are shedding the facade of politeness or even institutional fear when addressing "those in charge". This could also be attributed to the increased uptake since the last elections by Singaporeans when it comes to social networking and mobile net access. In the past when blogging or posting one's frustrations was done best from behind a PC or laptop, these days anything and everything could be posted on the fly with a 3G enabled camera phone. Point, snap and tweet.

What's also notable this time round for the upcoming elections; the number of PAP administrative flops being served up as very juicy political fodder for the opposition. Again thanks to the high penetration of Singaporeans on the internet, political farces such as the Mas Selamat break-out, Orchard Road floods, general apathy & distaste towards the YOG and many more would be dredged up in all their pixelated glory for delicious sound bites repeatedly. As they say, you can't delete anything on the internet and many PAP stalwarts would find themselves tasting shoe leather with their infamous quotes replayed over and over again.

Even the PAP's previous trump card of having the state media faithfully devoting columns and columns of fawning print to their candidates WILL backfire this time round if they execute the same old communications plan of denying or worse, censoring opposition parties fair play and coverage in the press. Again, the populace is more net savvy this time round and what's more, hungry for alternative news and information. Whereas the opposition parties were relatively new to exploiting the digital platforms during the last election, they have improved vastly this time round, having laid digital footprints and groundwork years before the PAP even started noticing how far behind they are lagging. And oh trust me lagging far behind they are, especially if the recent farce of a PAP facebook page is anything to go by.

And the comical thing about the PAP institutional mind is how much they shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to managing communications. Their corporate communications philosophy is best summed up in three words: Knee Jerk Reactions. The powers that are have an institutional habit of presuming the people to be simple digits or automatons, best managed with a regulation or law. But when faced with people willing to think out of the box (a certain toilet-prison break comes to mind), challenge the status quo with research and facts, economic factors or even Mother Nature herself, all we hear are lame sounding excuses like "we were caught off-guard" and faulting current technology and science for not being up to the task! (I have to include the Japanese answer to that for posterity though) I am pretty sure nobody will blink in surprise when the PAP unveils their updated "gag order" in a desperate attempt to threaten convince voters that credible information can only be gotten by the state sanctioned press.

Another telling difference for this upcoming elections would be the fact that PM Lee has had an entire first term to show what he was able to deliver for Singaporeans and so far the response from the ground is far from happy. Contrary to the often touted "66.6" number, the PAP only got 35.32% of the electoral mandate, thanks to its 'kelong'-rigged electoral boundaries leading to the Uniquely Singapore syndrome of walkovers in the polls. The Singaporean transferred deference (or preference?) to the son of the still-revered LKY might be wearing off, especially with the widely perceived lack of touch that the PM has with our people leading to murmurs that the previous administration under Goh Chok Tong may be viewed as the "good ol' days" now. The on-ground sentiment is now largely wary at the thought of "5 more years under PAP".

And so far the online efforts by SDP, SPP and RP are paying off, based on my personal perception and interaction with those politically active and inclined. Credit also has to go largely towards independent and alternative news sites like The Online Citizen and Temasek Review (formerly the WayangParty.com lol!), along with numerous blogs and forums for creating digital spaces where the airing of previously taboo or unthinkable subjects, issues or even grouses are now posted, read avidly and commented to death upon. These sites also play a crucial role in being regular soapboxes or podiums for political opposition voices to talk about their policies or reactions to crucial current affairs. (I have to admit at being a little curious though non too surprised at WP's lethargy in exploiting the same arenas or forums, given their lackluster engagement as compared to their more vocal counterparts. As a friend pointed out, it does however lend a sardonic credence to my PAP-lite theory)

But the fallacy of the Internet is that it is still at the end of the day, a fetch medium. Short of a possessing a very large media budget (which is silly given the largely free nature of the Internet!), no less amount of effort should be put into canvassing and spreading the word-of-mouth regarding a political party's ideologies and what they stand for ONLINE than say, the amount of resources poured into a walkabout. If anything, I would say the effort allocated should be even higher. After all it is so much easier to maintain constant visibility online vis-a-vis popping up in person to say hi in a wet market and homes every now and then. Efforts must be made to create and studiously maintain a wide digital network of Singaporeans on various demographic levels, especially in the face of how ineffectual the incumbent government is on this front.

And I cannot stress this enough because while it is easy to assume that most if not all Singaporeans are getting their news online now, THAT IS STILL NOT SO. Media research shows that the majority of the heartlanders, the aunties and uncles, yours and my parents are still very much traditional and conservative in getting their news feeds. Which means they are still being fed the same old government propaganda; the same old diet of PAP excuses, doomsday scenarios and threats of how terrible things would be if they aren't in-charge. it is not that they are not online; they are just unaccustomed to thinking or even considering that alternative truths or versions can be had online, contrary to the milk-sopped diet courtesy of the 133rd.

Judging by the tremendous turnout for opposition rallies during the GE2006, it is obvious that Singaporeans by and large are hungry and willing to listen to alternative voices (though whether they get to vote or not is a different matter). Translate that to the ease of reaching out and pulling in these interested audiences online and the oppositions' work is cut out for them. Provided they pick up the pace and act now to put such a huge lead behind them that the PAP has no hope of catching up.

Encounter Of The Rude Kind

So my colleagues and I decided to take the train one afternoon, to a different location for lunch. We were heartily sick of the food around our area and for the heck of it, wanted to try something new.

The train at approximately 1.30pm was PACKED. Fortunately it was only 1 stop, so we just shrugged and boarded the train. There was space barely enough to accommodate the 4 of us. Conversation was mundane, with us just discussing work and what not.

The train had barely pulled out of the station when I noticed that a family consisting of a mother, her 4-5year old kid and grandmother had gotten / stood up from the seats next to the door. My colleagues were pretty absorbed in discussing work and over the clamour of the train, didn't notice the mother's rather abrupt and rude "ExCUSE me!" as she tried to angle for the door with her kid in tow.

However I did and quickly taking stock of the situation, realised that was absolutely no way for us to maneuver anyway. Anyone who takes the MRT would have at one point in time or another understand what I am talking about. You are pressed like a sardine against the door to the point when your hands are almost pinned to the side and any movement on your part had best be executed with ginger care.

I caught the mother's glaring eye over my colleague's shoulder and gave an apologetic smile and said "It's alright, we are getting off the next station." Again, perhaps due to the clamour of the train, she didn't hear me (or want to) and brayed again in an increasingly annoying nasal tone "ExCUSE me!" By now my colleagues had caught on to what was going on. The train however at this point was only at its midpoint in between stations. Given the cramped space we were in, honestly I wonder at what was going through the mind of the annoying mother!

I rolled my eyes at my colleague who was looking at me with a quizzical expression. Now amongst us 4, this colleague of mine H is not local. He's a pretty mild mannered guy from KL with a penchant for polo tees and thick black rimmed glasses. I opened my mouth to tell him, well I dunno what because at this point the annoying mother kinda lunged and tried to shove him aside in a bid to make a break for the door. All she accomplished however was that my colleague was off his balance and pushed into the surprised faces of my other 2 colleagues and instead of facing the door, she was facing all 1.79metres and 80 kilograms of a very cheesed off me (fine I need to lose weight ggrrr). Which to hear it from my colleague was a rather comical sight considering the mother was probably only 1.6m at best.

Ok so I admit it, at this point my patience which was already wearing thin thanks to the hot weather. I bent down or rather, loomed over her a little and snapped at her, "Look woman, what's your problem? We are getting off at the next stop too and the train hasn't bloody stopped! Can't you wait??"

She blinked a couple of times and trained (haha pun!) her sullen glare at me for a couple of moments before retorting "You all are standing there like statues!" to which I arched an eyebrow in a most condescending manner and replied "Well your sour face is enough to turn people into stone too!" I was surprised and mildly gratified at the titters and giggles that ensued around us.

Okok so it wasn't my proudest moment but seriously, I have had it with the increasingly packed shoving masses one finds everywhere in Singapore these days. It's a well known fact that Singaporeans by and large are not known for their social graces and coupled with a rapidly increasing population straining at the seams, you can bet that whatever little civic graces the past few courtesy campaigns have managed to inculcate are vaporizing faster than the flood waters around Bukit Timah after a storm.

So the government wants to further compound the problem by importing another 80,000 foreigners "only" from their initial target of 100,000. The cynical side of me goes "Oh yeah and how many more they gonna bring in AFTER they win the elections to make up for this necessary public relations move?"