Despite what Lim Boon Heng, that minister who has been without a
portfolio for some 15 years, has said, the PAP’s slate of new
candidates are a dud. At least as far as I am concerned. I can’t
remember any time in the past where the scraping of the barrel by
the PAP was so pathetic.
And the signs are already there. Of course, the media is
sugar-coating the dud candidates the PAP is selling. Desmond Choo?
Desmond Lee? Tin Pei Ling? Seriously? When one starts to talk about
one’s own sob story in order to gain sympathy, you can be sure the
barrel is really empty.
But there is a serious issue here which Singaporeans must
consider and consider very seriously indeed.
And it is this: With a complicit and compliant media, these duds
are being sold and marketed as people with the genuine stuff. And
riding piggyback on senior members into Parliament. This itself is
ironic. I mean, if they have the genuine stuff, why would they need
to coattail on others?
I am really concerned that someone like Tin Pei Ling, whom I
presume hasn’t had even 10-years of working experience, is going
into Parliament via the easy and convenient back door.
At the same time, someone like Chen Show Mao may not be in
Parliament at all. Chen is expected to be on the WP ticket for the
elections. The man’s credentials are second to none – studied at
Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, Rhodes scholar, fluently bilingual, and
with experience in international mergers and acquisitions, and he
also sits on the advisory board of the Singapore Management
University.
PAP's Tin Pei Ling - not even 10 years of working
experience
Now, Tin Pei Ling and Chen Show Mao. Which do you think should
be in Parliament? I mean, seriously.
Tin Pei Ling is a dime a dozen. You can probably scrap some of
her ilk off the sidewalks at Orchard Road.
Chen, on the other hand, is what the PAP would crave for – and
indeed, badly needs.
Yet, the truth and reality is that Tin Pei Ling will get into
Parliament, while Chen Show Mao may not.
Every opposition party’s new candidates have to go through the
baptism of fire in a contest at every election. Chiam See Tong
fought twice before winning, and since then, he’s had to fight each
of the six elections – and win them all. A total of 8
elections.
Low Thia Khiang too had to fight 5 General Elections – losing
his first and winning the other four.
Chiam and Low NEVER had a walkover, or had the “privilege” of
entering Parliament by piggybacking on others.
This is what leaders should do. This is what each and every MP
must do – fight in an open contest, and not hide behind coattails
and worse, say if they get into Parliament they want to
“understudy” the senior members.
We pay S$15,000 a month to each MP.
For such a large sum of money, it is incumbent that each MP
contest and win each and every election – just like what Chiam and
Low have done and will have to do in this election as well.
No hiding. No piggybacking. No coattails to hang on to.
WP Chairman Sylvia Lim - may not get into
Parliament
But the point I want to make is this:
It would be really really sad and bad for Singapore if someone
like Tin Pei Ling is slipped into Parliament without a single vote
cast in her favour, while those like Chen Show Mao, Sylvia Lim or
even Low Thia Khiang do not get in.
Indeed, the dud slate of candidates the PAP is offering – and if
each and everyone of them gets into Parliament – puts Singapore in
a precarious position, moving forward.
Here’s another scary thought: In the 2006 general election, all
24 new PAP candidates got into Parliament – a 100% success
rate.
While only 2 from the opposition were elected.
So, when you cast your vote, think very very carefully.
