Tang insisted that the "shit-pot cover" must be lifted from
parliament to expose the inner goings on.The public for instance
should know how much each MP was worth and where and how he or she
made their money. He said, with PAP ministers getting such high
salaries, what we have in Singapore is "legalised corruption".
Asked about the charges of chauvinism levied against him by the
ruling party, Tang said that the basic problem with his candidacy
was that he was able to move the Chinese ground. Although he was in
social contact with many of the PAP leaders, when he contested in
the general elections, they branded him as anti-Christian and a
Chinese chauvinist.
This
was calculated to push the minorities and the English-educated
Christians away from him. More importantly to also cause dissension
among the Chinese community. From a public relations point of view,
the Chinese community would not want to come out looking like a
chauvinist in multi-ethnic Singapore.
Thus
painting him as a multi-chauvinist was a strategy the PAP adopted
as Tang was perceived as an important political threat to the
regime's hold on power. When asked whether
there are other Chinese leaders that might take over from where he
left off, he said that presently most were scared and were not
prepared to stand up in a public way against the PAP.
Nevertheless, he said the Chinese as well as the other minorities
needed to reclaim control from the PAP, as the ruling party
rhetoric marginalises everyone who explores the ethnic issue as
attempting to sow discord and chaos. In fact by continually
painting the discussion of religion and ethnicity as taboo
subjects, the PAP maintains the upper hand on how it harnesses such
issues for its own political advantage.
http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=43
His opponents had
to search back as far as 1994 in order to find quotes they could
use against him, and even then they had to take his words out of
context in order to frighten non-Chinese Singaporeans from voting
for him.
His views, he says, were
misrepresented in order frighten people from voting for
him.
"They branded me as a Chinese
Chauvinist. Up to this moment, they have spared no efforts in
distracting the public’s attention from my arguments in order to
frighten off the non-Chinese Singaporeans. My candidacy for the
opposition triggered off the PAP’s nerve system. I am a
cross-cultured breed and can cross cultural and language barrier."
Tang speaks English and Malay as well as
Mandarin. "This
touches the core policy of Singapore and the PAP – ‘Divide and
rule.’"
http://singaporeelection.blogspot.com/2006/05/feature-on-tang-liang-hong.html
