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 ...
277 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...
51 comments
Read more

对话一定要有共识吗？还是求取多元性来丰富自我？

全国对话喊到现在还一直高喊全国要有共识，尤其是全国对话的结果就是要寻求新加坡人的共识。不然，行动党就会说，我国的政治将会出现分裂，新加坡就变成一个不团结的国家。 全国对话一定要取得共识吗？文明对话的目的难道就是为了取得全国共识吗？如果是共识，那就一定有取舍。是不是说强势的人就领头共识，而落势的就落得一无所有。这不又走回老路，一条行动党独大的旧政治框框吗？看来，行动党对于过去，仍然依依不舍，行动党的共识，就是国家的共识，新加坡人的共识。 对话是要加深双方的了解，尊敬并且互相学习，吸取对方的优点，填补自己的缺点。这就是多元性的好处。然而全国对话的结果，如果只是强求共识，而忽略多元性和不同的意见，甚至否定他人的意见，那么，这个共识，是否具建设性，破坏性，还是分裂性，那就很难说了。 行动党似乎忘记了多元性。文明的对话并不是要把自己的 意见，信仰和理念强加给对方。即使这些意见，信仰和理念都是好的，善的。但是，对方未必会欣赏，未必会接受。因此，对话的结果应该是吸取对方的意见，改进自己的治国方针，然后，交给人民去决定，而这个决定也不过是大多数人的共识，而不可能是全国人民百分百的共识。 （乐观的看，行动党的全国对话，也不过是改进自己的治国方针，通过自己的小圈圈，自我讨论，研究，更新和改良行动党的政治策略，然后，在下一次大选时，拿出来让选民决定。因此，所谓的共识，在全国人民还没有决定前，仍然不是全国大多数人的共识。很可惜，行动党原本应该通过全国对话这个平台，吸收更多对手的意见，不同的观点，将它们纳入自己的政治策略中，然后在大选中让选民选择这个纳入反对意见的新政纲。可惜的是，行动党没有这个雅量，也或许根本看不起反对的意见。因此，它只能企图通过全国对话，硬要说这是全国共识。所以，充其量这只能说是行动党小圈圈的改良版政治策略，绝对不能说是全国共识。） ‘己所不欲，忽施于人’我们不喜欢的，不要强加他人身上。同样的，我们喜欢的，也不可以强加于他人身上。例如，有些人不喜欢吃有些食物，我们却很喜欢吃这类食物，但是，我们要尊重个人的喜好，不要强迫他人接受我们的建议。了解了这点，下一回提供食物时，就会通过多些选择，而不是只提供自己喜欢的食物。这点一般新加坡人都有这个敏感度，我们会了解马来族的要求，尽量避免他们敏感的食物。 为何行动党过去能够了解国人...
Post a Comment
Read more