Monday, September 6, 2010

Singapore Elections, don't hold your breath.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It never fails to amaze me, that even after election after election in Singapore since 1959, where Lee Kuan Yew predictably like clockwork wins 82 seats, give a take 2 seats, and the opposition winning 2 seats, give or take 2 seats, but yet, the people even bother to look forward to it.

Read my lips, I won't say it again. Lee Kuan Yew and his son are going to win again. Although I have always suspected they stuff the ballot boxes, I will tell you this time, they will never lose. And if stuffing the ballot boxes is the way to go, then that is what is going to happen.

Low Thia Khiang of the Workers Party will win again, not because anyone voted for him, but because Lee Kuan Yew wants him to win. He is on their side, if you did not know. So will Chiam See Tong, and if he is dead, his wife, for the same reasons.

This time, newcomer Kenneth Jeyaretnam of JB Jeyaretnam fame, will win, not because anyone voted for him but because Lee Kuan Yew needs him like he needs the other two. It is now established very clearly that he is another Low Thia Khiang or Chiam See Tong. He will make big speeches which Lee will promptly ignore, and that will be that. You know what I mean. Another reason why Kenneth, lets call him that so as not to discredit his august father, will win is because it is a good photo opportunity for Lee Kuan Yew to tell the world that he now has three opposition members in Parliament. Two is a bit low.

I hope as a betting man, others will honor my prediction and pay up when the time comes.

So, don't hold your breath about the elections. Get one thing straight. Lee Kuan Yew is determined to win no matter what.

But the good news I think is this. Really we don't need the elections to bring this government down since they are already doing it to themselves. Their policies of immigration, the massive brain drain, arresting Shadrake, suing and bankrupting every detractor that comes along, politicizing the judiciary and instilling fear in the minds of every Singaporean, is destroying them anyway. I give it a year for this government to disintegrate. And that too is a bet I am willing to take.

Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/

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1 comment:

mycroft said...

The SPH government mouthpieces are busily crowing over the insignificant dot's alleged superiority over 'lesser nations' like the USA. For example: Singapore beats US in best countries for business rankings! and Singapore currency hits new record high against US dollar! Strangely, the headlines do not scream, "Hong Kong #2, Singapore #5!" and question, "How did HK out-perform Singapore without abrogating civil rights and becoming a tin-pot tyrant's fiefdom?" Nor do they stop to ponder why a thundering herd of Singaporeans are fleeing the ship permanently when the vessel is such an outstanding performer. Heh.

Today, all that sustains the Foreigners Action Party claim to the right to govern is economic performance. They must be priming the feel-good pump so that the hopeless frog-citizen will forget that the temperature of the water surrounding him is inexorably rising. As soon as the pork barrel is rolled out the election will be imminent but will there be quite as many eager snouts in the trough this time? No question that FAP will proclaim its usual hollow victory since the rigging is too deep to be overcome in a single election. And the two officially-approved opposition parties will also be allowed to provide the fig leaf of democracy for a barely-concealed Fascist state in exchange for loadsa money and the quiet life.

But FAP have been tried, tested and found wanting in every other measure. Greed or fear? We will see how much pain the Singaporean voter is willing to endure before self-preservation finally kicks in. I really think it's 'money no enough' this time around. We hope a strong signal of disapproval, like the loss of its 2/3 majority as happened in Malaysia, will force humility upon a political party that has well and truly lost the plot. That will mark the beginning of the end.