Right Politics, Clean Politics and Is this a Right and Clean Political Strategy?

Fixing and discrediting the oppositions are always the strategies of the PAP. Is the recent PAP right and clean political strategy any difference from the past?  Will it work this time?

Microsoft is more creative but less fortunate than the PAP. Its Window OS for smartphones is fighting for  thrd position. www.docstoc.com 

The Prime Minister had issued statement on right and clean politics and we can claim that it is now the official PAP political strategy on the matter of ceiling cleaning at hawker’s center.  This is not a new strategy.  However, it did work in the past and had successfully discredited politicians like JBJ and CSJ. Will it work this time, especially the aim of the strategy is to discredit the whole party, WP and not individuals.   

Perhaps, we have to ask why the whole party. For this, we have to think of several ‘no sure wins’ of the PAP:

• In any future elections, there is no sure win for PAP against WP.  It is an even fight, especially in the eastern part of Singapore and those seats that WP had contested before.  

• There is no sure win voters will believe the PAP is an honest and clean party.  It has failed to explain many issues (in a clean and right way) like the AIM, management of reserve, population, and haze etc.    

• No sure win, of course, also touches on the economic front. This mighty power of the PAP is not able to solve many of the social and economic problems, like housing, medical, education, and jobs etc.  

The three just named ‘no sure wins’ will certainly cost more votes lost to the PAP in 2016.  And the number one enemy is of course the WP. The more seats WP contests in 2016, there will be more seats lost to the PAP.  

Under this circumstance, the PAP should come out with new and creative strategies, be it be more transparent or creating more quality jobs for Singaporeans.  Unfortunately, it is using old (and outdated) strategy to fight a new war.

PAP is less creative than Microsoft

Microsoft just announced they are restructuring their business to face the changes and challenges.  Microsoft knows they cannot forever Window OS for value creation.  The Window OS will not bring in value and profit as before.

What are the changes and challenges? People are buying more I pads, IPhones, smartphones, and less PCs. Window OS is not suitable for the new change and challenge. Microsoft is fighting very hard for the third position after Android and Apple’s iOS.  It is competing with Blackberry OS and other competitors for third position in the smartphones market.

What a mighty Microsoft has to be contained in a new profitable market (smartphones and iPads) for a less favorable position?  Can it beat others and be No.3? We don’t know.

Now look at the situation in Singapore, especially in social media. Is the PAP a favorable brand in the social media? Like Microsoft, it is fighting for third position after WP and SDP.

PAP is more fortunate than Microsoft?

Instead of facing competition and restructure itself, the PAP chooses the opposite. They go back to the old way – fixing and discrediting the oppositions. Microsoft is less fortunate.  They don’t have the privilege to use government resources to fight their enemies. Microsoft has to face the real challenge.  

But the PAP chooses not to face the real challenge. They choose the easier way.  They choose to restrict and control the social media. The new ruling on social media in Singapore is certainly using authority’s power to restrict competition.  This is why international internet giants have to show concerns about this development in Singapore.

As a proof, this is why the PAP is less creative than Microsoft but more fortunate than Microsoft (temporarily) in controlling a new profitable market (social media and smartphones).  How long can the old strategy and government control work for the PAP? Microsoft knows the future of Window OS for PCs, how come our million-dollar ministers and talented all over the placed PAP does not recognize the market change?

The PAP is so comfortable with the old strategy and it refuses to change. It knows it is losing in the new market of social media.  But the traditional market is still big enough to make a profit and pay million-dollar salary to ministers. So, it has to strengthen its position in the traditional market (mainstream media MSM).

Using MSM to maintain 60% votes

Regardless of whether the new ruling will affect the PAP’s position in the new media, there is one thing for sure: MSM is controlled by the PAP.  And people who read MSM are the majority of the 60% voted for the PAP in 2011.

The PAP has to discredit WP and other oppositions in the MSM so that this 60% will continue to vote for the PAP in 2016.  The PAP knows they will lose some or more votes even in the MSM but it is important to restrict and arrest the sudden drop of votes.

The current (old and repeated) PAP strategy is still working with voters, especially those die-hard PAP supporters; those never read social media, and new citizens.

It is a political strategy to maintain the 60% votes or at least when facing WP candidates to obtain 51% votes.   

The ceiling cleaning dispute after all is not that clean and right from the strategic point of view. However, the fact is Microsoft is facing an open market and subject to open competition. However, the PAP is still able to operate under a monopoly competition environment.

So, the right politics and clean politics that the PM is talking is not an open competition.  It is interesting to see how and what strategy will the PAP apply in an open and transparent environment.

Do they have the creativity and innovation to face the real challenge?