How stupid can I be? I want to document the election fever with pictures. But what good is that intention when one forgets to put batteries in one’s camera? Luckily I got my MP3 player with me and recorded the moods and sounds of the SDP rally.
For at least one third of the rally, it was drizzling away. Yet most people there did without umbrella.
My overall impression is that this Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) rally at the Woodlands Stadium was better attended than the SDA one at Yio Chu Kang Stadium the previous night.
However, I felt the audience was more vocal, less polite and also more distracted. There were many more people having personal discussions, or talking on their mobile phones while speakers were on stage trying to make their points. I say less polite because there were several instances of “PAP bullshit!” being yelled out.
Again, nothing new from SDP. Their focus was very much on the rights of individuals, the worker’s union who is more involved in business (supermarkets, insurance, taxis and caskets) than in protecting the rights of workers, the boastful PAP and their large paychecks. They also spent much time reminding people that the progress package is their money, coming out of taxes that Singaporeans pay.
They claimed that the trade union only represent 15% of workers. True or false, I’m not surprised by the low number. The NTUC after all, is headed by a Member of Parliament so many question the union’s independence. But I think that Lee Kuan Yew has always wanted unions to work with Government rather than work against Government. Strikes are outlawed, if I’m not wrong.
When it comes to this matter, I wish that unions are not headed by representatives of Government. Unions need independence from Government to thrive. At the same time, I’m not sure that I want unions to organise strikes because strikes cause great loses to the economy, sometimes of life, if they turn violent. That’s not to say that all union activities will necessarily lead to strikes.
The Straits Times reported that SDP’s top ranking officials, the main committee members, who are being sued for defammation by the Lees – father, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – were dividing and splitting up as more and more committee members decide to apologise rather than face possible brankruptcy if they go to court against the Lees.
However, Chee Siok Chin, sister of Chee Soon Juan who is already bankrupt and not allowed to run for elections, painted a much more painful and heartfelt picture. She pointed out that being sued doesn’t affect just the individual, but his family and other people close to him. That these members were put under pressure by their own families to give up the fight because of the toll it is taking on their families.
One cannot deny this. It is easy to forget that people who stand up for politics have families. After all, they have to spend much time doing public work. Instead of eating at home with their children like many parents can, they have to attend functions, smile and shake hands. If they’re having a bad day, they can’t take a raincheck like we can when we have appointments with our friends.
You can imagine it is hard for PAP politicians. But at least they get paid to do it.
You can imagine it is harder for Opposition party members who do this for little, expecting to lose at elections, running on passion, often without the support of their friends or family members. Much of their satisfaction has to come in making a decent dent in PAP’s majority at the polls, and little more.
Of course every opposition wants more than just to make a dent. They want in on Parliament, because they want to be heard.
And so goes SDP’s motto this GE: “Your Voice, Your Party”. But I’m just wondering if their actions really backup their motto. For what use is Chee Soon Juan, the Secretary-General of SDP, when he cannot stand for election because he is bankrupt? Where is his voice?
There’s really no point staging hunger protests and illegal public speeches, being jailed or being sued. What purpose do you serve when even your own party members have to stop you from speaking because your actions will get them into trouble?
Yes, it is hateful that PAP seems not only intent on stopping the Opposition, and they also seem to want to teach the Opposition a costly lesson each time they say something stupid. Yes, it is a sad fact that Jeyaretnam is now totally out of politics because he is bankrupt. They’ve made him impotent. But if the Opposition speaks in a public place without a permit, that is required by law, then who’s fault is it if they land in jail? If your tactic is to get red faced and spin accusatory remarks, then you have to ask, what purpose does that fulfill? If you have hard evidence, present it. No one can run away from it, even if you are Lee Kuan Yew.
The SDP says the Government is accountable to the people or Singapore. Well, so are the Opposition. If it’s possible, the Opposition, has to be more accountable, more transparent, more morally upright than the incumbents. This is what the Worker’s Party is trying to do. They’re putting in fresh faces, higher qualified people. I think at least, they’re going in with a fighting chance because they appear credible and sincere.
So far, it appears the PAP has nothing trashy (yet) to reveal on the new Workers’ Party Candidates, which is why they’re focusing on the document boo-boo by Gomez. In my opinion, they’re blowing something very small out of proportion. I wonder if it’ll backfire on the PAP.
The SDP will argue that we have a basic right to free speech. And that means being able to speak openly and freely.
The PAP will argue that a basic right to free speech is a right that needs to be exercised responsibly and within the constraints of the law.
(Okay, I’m guessing at what these parties will argue, because I’m just really a simple minded person who barely made it through university.)
No matter how strong each argument is, the undeniable fact is the PAP is making the rules, so you have to play by the rules. And it is not impossible to have a voice playing by the rules.
They haven’t touched Chiam See Tong. They haven’t touched Low Tia Khiang. (At least not as far as I know.) Sure, maybe these Opposition leaders haven’t been able to turn the tables and changed 80% of what’s going on. But they’re in there and that’s more useful than being outside.
Chee Soon Juan wants a sweeping change. But this is not a country where there’s abject poverty. Things are pretty much stable here and people are not looking for tsunamis of change. A huge defiance and outcry actually makes people more nervous.
What is Chee Soon Juan now? He’s like a sick man having a sore throat. When you have a sore throat, no one can hear you or everyone’s running away from you so you don’t infect them.
Speaking of being heard, I am now convinced that Ms Chee has difficulty with ‘r’s sounding like ‘l’s because she talked of the PAP sitting in their “ivory towels” collecting fat pay checks while old aunties cleared tables at hawker centres and hawked packets of tissue paper.
Hear: Chee Siok Chin wipes the rain off with Ivory Towels.
So the Government seems to be ripping out the SDP’s vocal cords one by one but the SDP will be heard still. SDP’s newsletters were being distributed, photostated, in black and white, stapled together because their printer has decided not to take on any more printing jobs for the SDP. The Lees had also included the printer in their defammation suit and the printers have since decided to apologise. When the NSP was trying to sell it’s paper at the SDA rally for $1 a piece, it wasn’t selling like hotcakes even though it was printed in colour. The SDP’s newsletter cost $2. Not only did many people buy the SDP newsletter for $2. Many parted with $10 and did not ask for change.
Another thing that got my attention at the rally: SDP called for volunteers to leave their mobile phone numbers to help them as counting agents, polling agents or to help out in any way. The SDP admitted that they are short handed and asked supporters not to be afraid. The SDA did not ask for any such help at their rally, except to buy Steve Chia’s book of speeches so they know what he and the National Solidarity Party (part of the SDA) represents.
It appears the SDP really is having a bad bout of sore throat. Or worse. Maybe its the Bird Flu or SARS.
Images of the rally taken from my mobile phone.
ivory towels is funny. there’s also a (new) guy in the SDA who sounds just like Borat.
Which new guy?