Saturday, May 06, 2006

Polling Day- Who's Going To Be The Victor?

As I write this entry, it is about five more hours to the close of polling day. With 9 days of campaigning prior to this day, the dust has finally settled and the trucks with the bloody loudhailers have stopped creating a din. Today, the voters will decide who to choose after 9 days of wooing, coercing and threatening.

Who will win? Will there be a clean sweep? What is the future of our nation? Analysts have said that this election is quite monumental due to the rise in young voters. They claim that young voters want an alternative and unlike their parents or grandparents whom have lived through the tumultuous times of Singapore's fight for independence, these youngsters could swing the votes towards the opposition.

Being born into this developed country are the youngsters today being ungrateful? Do we really believe that without the PAP, Singapore can be what it is today? Singaporeans have always been a troublesome lot and it is not only the youngsters. In fact, ALL Singaporeans like to complain. They like to find flaws even in perfection. Just work in the service industry for a few months and you can see what I mean. Singaporeans complain about everything, service too slow, the cashier never smile at me, the free gift run out, the queue so long, the sun so hot, the aircon so cold, blah blah blah. It seems that nothing can satisfy this insatiable appetite for utopia.

And how does this translate to elections? Apparently, the same mentality is adopted when it comes to picking a party that can serve them. Singaporeans complain, Why lift upgrading must pay? Why no alternative voices? Why does the PAP keep suing? Why does prices of goods keep increasing? Appreciation for good things done are hardly mentioned in the run up to the votes. If someone was to step up and praise the PAP for all the great things that they have done for the country, the person would be deemed as complacent or a bootlicker. Is it really true? Or are Singaporeans just to picky?

There are times when the PAP government must be accredited for the good things that they have done for the country. Like the efficency they entail, the need for education, shelters for everyone, affordable goods and services for the lower income groups etc etc. Yet, these issues are hardly mentioned because the Singaporeans believe that increase in prices and the need for alternative voices supersedes the desirable commodities that we already have.

However, I would like to point out that the government takes care to justify every price increase. They make sure that there is value added services that comes with the price increase. Every half baked Economics student can tell you that an increase in price can be justified or in fact required when the quality of the good or service is improved.

Even the issue on alternative voices are addressed as the PAP has implemented the NCMP system that ensures that even with a clean sweep, at least 3 opposition candidates would be in the parliament to raise their objections to questionable policies. And that I can tell you is one of the fairest systems around because I doubt any country's government would actually create space for opposition candidates to be in parliament even when they lose.

Yet, Singaporeans are smart enough or rather most of the population are because they appreciate what the government has done for them that so much so every election so far seems a non issue. Indeed, so many things really go unappreciated because of our foolish mentality. Yes, sometimes the desire to improve must be there but outright complaining for the sake of it is sometimes a bit too much. So dear readers, please vote wisely and may the best party win tonight.

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