For the first time in 3 elections, a credible party emerged from
the shadows, silent and bidding, and when they sprang up suddenly,
created enough panic that even 'lao jiaos' like Goh CT and Lee HL
fumbled with their campaign speeches.
The threat of the WP must have been so enormous that for once there
was genuine fear that 1 GRC might fall. And not just fall, concede
to a party which may just have the quality and goods to deliver a
better town council, better hope and a better future for the
people.
So fearful that the Ruling Party absolutely lost all focus in their
original campaign agenda, or maybe they never had a solid one to
begin with, that they concentrated their tried and trusted tactic
of character assassination on James Gomez, hoping to sink the
fast-riding WP ship with the speed of the titanic.
Unsurprisingly, it may have backfired; the people are wiser now,
less gullible and more educated. Piecing together snippets of a
CCTV and CNA footage and drawing a speculative conculsion was
hardly detective's work. There was less malice in James Gomez's
foolish blunder than JBJ's criminal accusation at MM Lee in the 98
election.
What price has the Ruling Party paid this time?
The 7% increase in Low Thia Khiang's SMC indicates a strong
REJECTION of SGD100mil worth of taxpayer's goodies, and a firm
rejection of the despicable methods to 'buy' hougang voters. Eric
Low's character hardly endears him to the constituents. And Low
Thia Khiang's firm assertion that the upgrading money was in fact
the people's monies being used unscrupulously for one party's gain;
it brings back sad comparisions to the NKF saga.
I'm glad aljunied showed strong support for Sylvia Lim and her
team, even if she missed the 7% cut needed to win majority.
Our people are slowly maturing into a society with higher moral
standards and gracious ethics.
Sadly, it is predominant only in OPPOSITION wards,
where the people that matter have truly EARNED their votes.
