This GE 2015 we have 9 opposition parties. Looking at the line
up of opposition parties, 7 out of 9 of them obviously don't
qualify. Apart from the SDP, none of the other opposition parties
have ever proposed an appropriate plan of action, or they make
proposals that even a layman can see is highly impractical. Most
opposition parties have done nothing but slam the PAP for its
perceived shortcomings without putting forth proposals of their
own. "Opposition for opposition's sake" is a
dangerous idea, and in order for an opposition party to be
seriously considered, they must at minimum fulfill three criteria -
they must have an alternative plan, they must be of good character,
and they must have good leadership.
Let's be honest, the PAP is not perfect. Even under their rule,
we still face difficulties as a nation. By no means am I suggesting
they are doing a bad job, but comparisons are always going to be
made between Singapore and other countries, whether it's "Look at
the housing prices in Hong Kong! HDB is not that bad." or "There's
free health care in Canada, why can't we have the same here?" The
PAP's approach has worked relatively well up till now, but there is
always room for improvement. Our Ministers can say policies like
minimum wage isn't viable, or that HDB prices are the lowest they
can go considering the limited land, or that the cost of health
care for our citizens can't go much lower. But the SDP has proposed
some alternative policies that may ease the burden on our citizens,
and while some may seem like a long shot, wasn't the success of
Singapore itself built on questionable odds? Yet under the
leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, we defied the odds and are now among
the most developed nations in the world. The question we should
always ask is, "Maybe no one has done this before, but can we do
better?"
We don't need some people-pleaser opposition that merely tells
us what we want to hear during rallies, then sits in Parliament
silent as a mouse instead of contributing ideas. If this is the
kind of opposition we have, we really are better off with a
one-party system. What we need is an opposition that hears the
problems we have, and then translates it into actionable ideas that
can be discussed in Parliament. We should not discount the
contributions or the strengths of the PAP, for without them we
would likely have crumbled a long time ago. Instead what we need is
a capable opposition that's willing to work WITH the PAP to
introduce fresh ideas and implement policies that benefit the
nation as a whole. And so far, the SDP is the only opposition party
that has demonstrated the ability to do so.
