Skip to main content

Can a last-minute press conference save a falling PAP? State of the PAP: Losing Brand Losing Ground


If politics in Singapore is like the business world, the PAP is in the declining state, losing goodwill, losing ground and losing market share.

Omy.sg reported that the PAP would call a last-minute press conference at 11 pm just before the start of the cooling off day of Punggol East by-election.  And apparently, it has coincided with the WP press conference at 7 pm the same day.  The PAP - a falling brand, despite having a rally from 7 to 10 pm, still finds time not enough. So, will a last-minute press conference save the PAP and help it to retain Punggol East?  

The PAP’s market share, in term of percentage of votes, is declining.  In GE2011 it dropped to 60%.  If you considered PE2011 as another indicator, then it was even lower, down to 35%.  Can you imagine in 1968 GE, the PAP got 88% of the votes? Hence, its image and its goodwill in the eyes of many Singaporeans, especially netizens, are no more a trusted and reliable brand.

Punggol East voters when you go to the polling centres on 26 Jan, you have to remind yourself that the PAP is not an “in” thing. It has credible problem. It has lost its brand value and market share.  And most importantly, it is no more a people’s action party.  It is a party driven by money.  It is no more pro-Singapore and loves Singapore as before.

Still remember Lee Kuan Yew’s famous speech: 
“Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up.” 1988 National Day Rally, when he discussed the leadership transition to Goh Chok Tong in 1990. As quoted in The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia: Volume 2, The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
So, you can judge how much he loves Singapore.  This is a unique example that Lee senior shows his love to Singapore and how pro-Singapore he is.  In later days, Lee senior thinks if Singapore is not stable, calling in army may be an option: (this is another way of expression of love). 
11) “Without the elected president and if there is a result, within two or three years, the army would have to come in and stop it.” - MM Lee Kuan Yew
When comes to Goh Chok Tong’s turn, he still loves Singapore as Lee senior but he cannot provide the Swiss standard of living to Singaporeans as promised. But Goh’s mission is still pro-Singapore and love-Singapore. 
My mission is clear: to ensure that Singapore thrives and grows after Mr. Lee Kuan Yew; to find a new group of men and women to help me carry on where he and his colleagues left off; and to build a nation of character and grace where people can live lives of dignity and fulfillment, and care for one another.
http://www.quotesstar.com/quotes/m/my-mission-is-clear-to-91284.html
However, PM Lee’s opinion about Singaporeans is quite different from the other two former PMs.   
Our citizens put up chilies and onions to prevent the rain from falling.2008 Singapore Grand Prixhttp://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lee_Hsien_Loong
No wonder our life is getting difficult as we have to put up chilies and onions to stop the rain.  And chilies and onions make ones cry likes rain.

Even their Punggol East candidate, Dr Koh Poh Koon has to admit and acknowledge that it is no more an “in” thing to join the PAP.  What a change of world it is!  He even hesitated to stand for election when PM Lee asked him to represent the PAP at PE BE.

So, the PAP has a branding problem.  Dr Koh has a confidence problem. Of course, this has to do with the quality of its leadership.

For Singaporeans old enough, as Low Thia Khiang (SG WP) said last night, they will notice the change of quality in the PAP.  From Lee senior to Goh to Lee junior, the quality of the PAP leadership has declined.  Not only the quality standard drops, the moral standard drops too. 

Punggol East voters, this is a golden opportunity to use this by-election to slap the PAP and make them work harder for you. 
“Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to put our lives in the hands of a sleepy driver. Do not put another sleepy driver into Parliament,” he said with gusto, to loud cheers from an estimated 8,000-strong rally crowd, its biggest turn-out of the three rallies. 
 “May this by-election provide the ‘Punggol Slap’ which the PAP will never forget!”http://sg.news.yahoo.com/give-pap-a-%E2%80%98punggol-slap%E2%80%99-they-will-never-forget--wp-s-low-thia-khiang-164620901.html

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sub-standard PAP and the Singapore education system

I make a 'policy shift' when I hear the debate of right politics, constructive politics and sub-standard opposition. My original aim is to discuss about “Su Dongbo, Zhang Juzheng and Singapore education system”. The discussion will end with a sub-standard PAP, in particular from the assessment of the quality of PAP potential candidates. Another policy shift is to discuss it like a play, a drama and make it more entertainment rather than a sub-standard political discussion. Act 1 Gangster’s demand Imagine a sense in the Hong Kong's gangster movie (or a godfather movie), the gangsters' master is shouting at his poor opponent and demand him to give a price for his wrong act. The poor guy without any resources can only offer his body or his service to work for the master. Back in his own chamber, the master is still not satisfied and continues to shout 'don't play, play, you think you are hero, you think you are tiger, or superstar or acting ...
275 comments
Read more

EBRC objectives: Stop “Out of Aljunied”, Stop SDP Breakthrough and “Negative-Asset” Ministers.

First of all, we have to congratulate the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee for creating more competitions, especially, multi-cornered competitions in the East. When making changes, EBRC aims to achieve 3 goals: To prevent “Out of Aljunied” for Workers’ Party.  This is the most important objective. To prevent Singapore Democratic Party making any breakthrough in the North and Central.   To look for a solution to retire “negative-asset” ministers or reduce PAP damages. From the reported claims from different political parties, we will expect multi-cornered contests not only in single constituencies but also in group representative constituencies. The PAP hopes to have a repeat of 2011 Presidential Election. Then Tony Tan won the Presidency when he got only 35% of the votes, a narrow win.However, a win is still a win. He did in even in the very last minute, after recounts of votes.    How to achieve multi-cornered contests? By i...
65 comments
Read more

Is Prism Project Another Central Planning of the PAP?

There are 3 scenarios under the Prism Project#1 of Institute of Public Policy.  However, it looks more like the central scenario planning of the People’s Action Party. From the instructional menu of Prism Project Primer #2, participants were guided to a situation in 2022 and they have to imagine, within the Primer framework, to come out with 3 possible scenarios in Jun-Aug 2012.  2022. What a coincidence! Not long ago, PM Lee declared that he would like to hold the prime minister post for another 10 years. The other coincidence is the similarity between the 3 scenarios and the candidates of PE2011. How competitive and sustainable are the 3 scenarios to the people of Singapore and to the PAP?   Will the scenarios produce competitive and sustainable Singapore, Singaporeans or the PAP?  Perhaps, as what the Chinese say: planning cannot always catch up with changes.   And planning sometimes turns out the wrong, bad and unexpected results, espec...
50 comments
Read more