Next GE predictions?

[Wd40]

Since the GE is coming up next year or the year after, what do you guys think is the result going to be?
I just read this article on Yahoo:

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pm-lee-ahead- ... 51077.html

Whats really troubling, is this site is not TRE, it is Yahoo a more general news website that all kinds of Singaporeans read and not just trolls and xenophobes. But if you read the comments section, it really scary. Theres not one supportive comment for the gahmen. Its as if you still reading TRE.

The last 2 by-elections result too dont offer much hope, so its not like they are just trolling online.

[Wd40]

Also I guess, none of you have missed the irony, Putin, inspite of what he has inflicted on his people is the darling of his nation and here we such a prosperous city and yet it gahmen is having sleepness nights. What an ungrateful bunch of people we have here.

[Barnsley]

Also I guess, none of you have missed the irony, Putin, inspite of what he has inflicted on his people is the darling of his nation and here we such a prosperous city and yet it gahmen is having sleepness nights. What an ungrateful bunch of people we have here.

Who is ungrateful?

[earthfriendly]

I have no idea what you mean by ungrateful, WD40? You understand that the present govt has worked very hard and done a marvelous job on the economy. However, their lopsided vision has also caused a lot of issues for Singaporeans seeking for a more balanced way of life. And it ends up creating loads of stress and angst for the citizens. Why? Because it is not healthy to live this way.

And with the millineia and such, the demographics have changed. And was the govt ready for that? Are the younger generations just going to sit back, relax and accept some of the heavy-handedness dish out by the present govt?

[Wd40]

EF, I don't understand what you are trying to say. There is peace and prosperity here, which is lacking in many parts of the world, what stress and angst are you talking about? Singaporeans are the most well traveled lot, I mean most people in my office have gone to places like Japan, Australia, Nordics etc for their vacations. Yet they are the most short sighted people. May be they just go there for few days see the weather and stress free life and then go, oh Singapoh so stresssfoo leh, without understanding you can't have everything, you can either be Bhutan or Singapore, you can't be both.

[earthfriendly]

EF, I don't understand what you are trying to say. There is peace and prosperity here, which is lacking in many parts of the world, what stress and angst are you talking about?

"Peace" as in there is no war? "Prosperity" as in material wealth?

I am thinking of "peace" as in "inner peace" that is built up over time via experiences (both pleasant and unpleasant one and experiencing failures as well as success) in life that helps to build up resilience and a healthy mindsets. A little less emphasis on money (economy) culture and elitism (brand of school, car, neighborhood and handbags) but working on being more tolerant and inclusionary and recognizing people can contribute in a wide array of ways that sometimes do not show up in the GDP or bottomline or certificates.

And also there are so many kinds of wealth out there, aside from $$$$ wealth.

[Wd40]

Well, do you blame the gahmen for that, isn't it part of the Chinese culture to worship money and go behind material wealth? Chinese from mainland and Hong Kong are already known for it. So its not like the gahmen taught them these things, they just helped them achieve it. Also it is the Maslow's hierarchy, people 1st look for material wealth and once they have it they understand, like you put it, there are other things in life aside from $$$. I think current gahmen understands that and they are best positioned to make that transition, if its possible.

[Barnsley]

Well, do you blame the gahmen for that, isn't it part of the Chinese culture to worship money and go behind material wealth? Chinese from mainland and Hong Kong are already known for it. So its not like the gahmen taught them these things, they just helped them achieve it. Also it is the Maslow's hierarchy, people 1st look for material wealth and once they have it they understand, like you put it, there are other things in life aside from $$$. I think current gahmen understands that and they are best positioned to make that transition, if its possible.

The Govt is lost on how to manage the situation they are , just like every other Govt that has run into the issue of a matured economy that has transitioned away from mass manufacturing towards an economy based on value-add whatever that means. They have clearly not been able to explain to the masses this transition and the economy beneath the surface is clearly unprepared for the transition.

The middle class like everywhere is getting squeezed from the top and the bottom , and those that are in the middle have followed exactly what the Govt has said you have to do to have a prosperous life , yet now they are being turned over by the Govt big time.

All economies have gone through this and I a am pretty sure the PAP will lose an election as the number of disaffected increases.

[earthfriendly]

It is always a great challenge and most will probably never achieve it, trying to hit the right balance in life. The governing process in SG is going thru its growing pain and needs to learn to cater to the ever changing demographics. They are many little things lah, does not need to be one big thing, such as more family friendly work environment e.g. vacation time, family leave and more autonomy and decision-sharing with workers on the ground.

As for money culture and Chinese, one can put in place policies and regulations to incentivize and motivate certain behaviors. Once people benefited from the sense of well-being from living a balanced life, do you think they will want to go back to the rat race (which has been a major stressor for many people)?

[earthfriendly]

http://news.yahoo.com/wake-police-killi ... 58080.html

"Mayor arrived at the Brooklyn hospital where the two dead officers were taken, a line of patrolmen turned their backs on him, forming a line of blue in what observers called a dramatic show of disrespect."

In NYC, the police can sulk at the mayor for making their jobs more difficult. It is just healthier to be able to have this kind of two way dialogue rather than have a culture of unilateral decisions lah. And for a start, govt. should learn to stop suing the oppositions. Sure, there are many not-so-stellar characters out there but should they be so focused on "crushing" others?

[JR8]

In NYC, the police can sulk at the mayor for making their jobs more difficult. It is just healthier to be able to have this kind of two way dialogue rather than have a culture of unilateral decisions lah. And for a start, govt. should learn to stop suing the oppositions. Sure, there are many not-so-stellar characters out there but should they be so focused on "crushing" others?

Yes I agree with this. If they are confident in their success they would realise such 'crushing' is totally counter-productive. Let the results speak for themselves, the people are not stupid. In fact you might argue that quite a number of the people seem to be afraid of their government, surely a curious situation.

That said I also believe that governments, where the people at at liberty to freely vote for who they wish, run their course, and then the people demand a change, a change to another party taking power. It happened to Margaret Thatcher who economically rebuilt the UK from the 70s basket case that it had become in something little short of a revolution. She lasted 12 years IIRC, and then even she was unceremoniously booted out (in a coup by her own party).

How many developed free democracies have governments where one party, one family, have been in charge for as long as this one? Not many I expect. How many make electoral ballot papers traceable to the individuals who has cast them... not many... Why is abstaining illegal? How many countries threaten poverty, no funding for infrastructure/improvements etc in specifically the neighbourhoods who dare to vote for the opposition? Is this a government of the people, or a government for the people who vote for them?

As a comment above infers you sense there is no planB. Only essentially total control is tolerated (and much of any opposition has an appearance of toothless 'nominated' fig-leaf opposition).

...and p.s. the suggestion by a party in government that the opposition have 'no policies' is smoke a mirrors. The sole job of an opposition party is to oppose the government; until election time when they (only then) will publish their alternative manifesto.

[Wd40]

Fair points. So, what do you guys think this election outcome is going to be? My guess is, there is going to be some really big bang populist announcements to win back the votes. Something like free healthcare for all. It may screw the GDP, but they should be going all guns blazing, this time, if they are smart enough.

[nakatago]

So, what do you guys think this election outcome is going to be?

SkyNet goes online, it goes rogue and thus begins the robot apocalypse.

[Wd40]

I think I know why the locals hate this gahmen so much, inspite of the fact that they have been thriving so much compared to their neighbours. Its this hatred towards foreigners. I think its very normal to hate having foreigners among you so much so that even if they are benefiting from them, you will still hate them, if they look like they are getting better jobs and better opportunities than you, regardless of the fact whether you are you are capable enough to do that job or not. This happens everywhere. UK is thriving because of immigration, yet many people think immigrants are a problem. Japan is another example. They have such terrible demographics, yet they dont want to import foreigners. If the gahmen here were to truely listen to the locals, Singapore would have been in an even more terrible situation than Japan.

As foreigners we are better judges of the gahmen's performance because we dont carry this stigma.

[thismyvoice]

Wd40, I don't think hatred towards foreigners is the main cause. Skyrocketing housing price, medical cost, congested public transport, cost of education and a general sense of unfairness plays a bigger part. The high salary paid to senior civil servants and the rapid promotion of scholars within their rank seems to have created more problems then solving them. Singapore has a riot, a strike, MRT breakdown, pondings, rats ... like everywhere else. Singapore is becoming normal.

To make matters worse, the government seems to have lost touch with the ground. When people are clamouring that Singapore is too congested, they put up a population white paper for 6.9 million. People can feel the rising inflation, but don't see a corresponding salary increase. All these are recipe for election disaster.

There is generally a loss of trust. Like what LKY said to Nathan many years back, this generation's leader was handled a precious vase. Once broken, it can be pieced back but the scars will remain. The government may say, look, we are better than many countries. But it is hard for the general populace to look overseas, despite the travels and internet. Instead, what is real to them is how they experience better life in the earlier days, when things were cheaper and less stressful. Those were the days when HDB build bigger flats and sell them at a lower price. Lastly, the perceived high salary paid to leaders makes it doubly hard for them to sound convincing.

It is going to be a long hard slog for the Men in White. They may very well prevail but it is not going to be easy.