I refer to The Online Citizen GE2025 news report, “Lee Hsien Yang: Is a Parliament full of PAP MPs really better for Singaporeans?” – (April 14), and “The Straits Times’ report, “GE2025: Singaporeans will go to the polls on May 3, Nomination Day on April 23” (April 15), and The Online Citizen GE2025 report, “RDU
criticizes election timeline, claims ruling party benefits from short campaign period” (April 25).
It’s worth noting that in a recent Facebook post on Sunday, 13 April, LHY emphasised the importance of enhancing greater political diversity, accountability, transparency and opposition representation within Singapore’s political landscape.
We can easily notice that in the past parliament sittings, quite a number of the ruling party’s Members of Parliament seldom spoke for his or her constituents’ concerns, difficulties in their living and aspirations (in terms of the frequency, number of questions/issues asked/filed in the parliament and their in-depth in debating).
Beside this unhealthy drawback, when they come to voting for some controversial and difficult issues of the proposed bills or the amendments of the constitution law (such as the issues of: raising the GST from 7% to 9%, debates for the increases of electricity and water tariffs bills , and all PAP’s MPs voted in favour of the move to repeal a decade-old law 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises gay sex while endorsing changes to the Constitution to protect the current definition of marriage from legal challenge), almost all the MPs from the ruling party have to toe the line with their party’s stance. This is commonly perceived as the strict restrictions of the ruling party’s whip and it cannot be violated.
On the contrary, opposition party members have less political baggage (by choosing and voting for the opposition candidacy). They dare to directly respond to and convey the opinions and wishes of their constituents or voters, such as the difficulties they encounter in life and their demands for a better life in the parliament more often.
That is why make a distinctive or big difference between choosing an opposition candidate and the ruling party’s candidate.
Guiguzi, a thinker and military strategist during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China, He repeatedly stressed that if one wants to understand the world, one must understand the national conditions and the people’s wishes in order to infer whether the country will prosper or decline. Let us review his warm reminder.
As we know, the first Cooling-off Day was implemented for Singapore’s general election in 2011. No campaigning activities are allowed on Cooling-off Day (which is designated as the day before polling day to give voters time to think rationally and reflect on the issues that were raised during the campaigning period).
Since then, the political campaigning activities for the respective parties have left a tiny range of nine days. Obviously, it is too short and unfair for the entire opposition, because the ruling party has the clear advantage – mainstream media (including all the Television and Radio Stations) is widely regarded as the mouthpiece of the ruling party for donkey’s years. This has provided wider and deeper media coverage for the ruling party.
Hence, the respective opposition parties should walk the ground/their constituency thoroughly(preferably days and nights) to address their party’s manifesto and advocacy. And, most importantly, to rally the support from their constituents.
Beside, they have to focus upon and summarise what they really want to advocate and address their voters. These advocacy can be nimbly presented in many ways/forms. For examples, making live Facebook videos, YouTube videos, TikTok, Instagram and getting presentation on social media interviews to propagate and put forward their manifesto, proposals and ideas.
In this direction, Dr Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore’s Democratic Party (SDP) has done a good job by clearly summing up his views and position on why it is vital for voting for the SDP, and also systematically summed up ten shortcomings of the ruling party in his Facebook’s videos.
In any case, it is more effective and economically to reach and communicate with the vast young voting group through videos on online social media platforms, which can better interact with them and touch their hearts.
This is rightly combined with the principle expounded in Sun Tzu’s Art of War: Going to war with a just cause, and how to seize the right time and place.
Teo Kueh Liang (Mr)
