General Election - Coming Soon - 11th September

[Barnsley]

In this case it's about maximising advantage. They will win, but they want to win well. I reckon their analysts have factored in the recent events and believe that now is the optimum time to get the biggest share of the vote. Just good politics.

I can't shake the feeling that these people don't just want to win, they want to win BIG and ground their enemies to the ground. It's like a zero-sum game for them.

It's not enough to get ahead of the guy; you have to make sure he doesn't even make it to the finish line or compete in any future contests.

Thats an interesting observation.

Looking through the "quotes" attributed to the Govt in the press , it does seem like they want it all.

Hopefully it makes for an interesting campaign , short as it will be.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Well, you gotta admit, they had a good teacher about grounding the opposition into the dirt and oblivion.

[nakatago]

Well, you gotta admit, they had a good teacher about grounding the opposition into the dirt and oblivion.

In MMA, that's called "ground and pound."

[rajagainstthemachine]

apparently a joke is making the rounds in the office that they chose the date as Sept 11 as it would fall inside the ghost month, thus making it possible for LKY to witness the election in spirit form lol.

[Barnsley]

Well, you gotta admit, they had a good teacher about grounding the opposition into the dirt and oblivion.

Thats from a different era, when Govt in total control of media I think.

Though fair play to the PAP it does look like they are operating like its the 1970s/80s still.

[Barnsley]

What constitutes an election activity that non-Singaporeans can't take part in?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Poll watching or marshaling at a polling station I think is one of them.

[JR8]

I wonder if elections have been called early before...

It is to me an illustration of lack of confidence in running a full term. Maybe they really are afraid of the risk of not getting 100% victory. The downside though (perhaps) is it all looks a bit desperate.

[calugaruvaxile]

guys, for your own good i hope pap will win, and big. i'm not sure if you realize, but the "opo" is far more populist and xenophobic than the pap. actually, the pap has borrowed these from the opos (bismark-style) to trim their sails. not that they wanted to kill the lucrative business (they have no clue what else to put in place).

of course, no matter who wins, sg has to find a new (working) economic paradigm or die. cheap labor manufacturing worked in the 80-90s, Serviced Apartment economy worked until 2 years ago.
pretty much the same economic paradigm shift as china has to make (copy/paste economy doesn't work anymore - as it's no longer cheap).

is there anyone there able to find the new economic paradigm? regretfully, i don't think so.

[ecureilx]

I wonder if elections have been called early before...

It is to me an illustration of lack of confidence in running a full term. Maybe they really are afraid of the risk of not getting 100% victory. The downside though (perhaps) is it all looks a bit desperate.

Actually, in a nearby country, the President there called Elections 1 year ahead, as his Fortune Teller (or Astrologer) predicted a bigger mandate - alas, the incumbent lost with a narrow margin

Not extrapolating to Singapore, but calling Elections early happens Elsewhere.

If I recall, Najib did call for early Elections too, I think

[Barnsley]

guys, for your own good i hope pap will win, and big. i'm not sure if you realize, but the "opo" is far more populist and xenophobic than the pap. actually, the pap has borrowed these from the opos (bismark-style) to trim their sails. not that they wanted to kill the lucrative business (they have no clue what else to put in place).

of course, no matter who wins, sg has to find a new (working) economic paradigm or die. cheap labor manufacturing worked in the 80-90s, Serviced Apartment economy worked until 2 years ago.
pretty much the same economic paradigm shift as china has to make (copy/paste economy doesn't work anymore - as it's no longer cheap).

is there anyone there able to find the new economic paradigm? regretfully, i don't think so.

So the Govt will be run for the "benefit of the masses" , I for one hope the Singaporeans give it a go and see what happens.

[calugaruvaxile]

the countries are never run "for the benefit of the masses". i have already heard this in my youth and i know what this means. bullfrogs .

winning elections is one thing, governing is a different thing. ask carl rove.

i'm not saying the pap is able to govern in the given scenario. let me repeat, i can't see anyone in sg who can. BUT if they start giving in the visceral demands of a quite unwise population, then the path to disaster is clean.

oh, and the anti-white pap propaganda is actually a boomerang. 'cause they are blamed for this.

you see, there is a very, very hard truth no one dares to tell singaporeans: those jobs they want, they do not belong to their kind. the capitals, the brands, the technology, they all belong to the different kind. sg only has some office space (with services) and some workforce.

they say "if you don't (...) just go". assuming that there is a huge queue of companies all willing to burst into sg and do business. clearly if this was the case, the gov't would not have to spend so much in spring-like giveaways. they also very wrongly believe that there is nowhere else to go. and they also wrongly believe that apac is a goldmine, and everyone extracts top dollars from this market (i.e. everyone wants to be in sg).

the only govt able to pull the city out of the slippery mud it's now in, is a govt able to deal with these three hard truths, make the populace aware of them (and make them accept ...) but most important, do something about it.

this is not a time for "governing for the masses" bullmanure

[JR8]

i'm not saying the pap is able to govern in the given scenario. let me repeat, i can't see anyone in sg who can. BUT if they start giving in the visceral demands of a quite unwise population, then the path to disaster is clean.
...
the only govt able to pull the city out of the slippery mud it's now in, is a govt able to deal with these three hard truths, make the populace aware of them (and make them accept ...) but most important, do something about it.

this is not a time for "governing for the masses" bullmanure

---------------------------------------

The people are stupid, and they need to pay people millions to 'lead' them. Uh huh. For the latter they're like emporers, and the people must never criticise, in case they be cast out of the Magic Kingdom. I see it differently. I shan't elaborate as like many, I imagine I am afraid to.

I see ideal political systems like balanced reef ecosystems. Everyone plays an important part in creating an optimally functioning whole, from the coral egg, to the tiger shark. Those down the food-chain, by their hunting (in political terms: 'challenging'), directly lead to a healthier reef and ecosystem. Take a level or two out of the equation and it's doomed, sooner or later.

What do you call a country that doesn't permit an opposition: One that denies natural selection? I really don't know...

[calugaruvaxile]

JR8, there was a movie called "immortal", a french cgi sf. The mayor had a marvellous quote, something like " there is no neutrl, t;here is only the rich and the poor, the winners and the losers, the integrated and the rejected. The whole f*****g world is split". I can't find the exact words now, but i'm afraid it's a much more realistic image of the human society than your peaceful coral reef.

No matter what, any election only change the elites for which the governace runs. Not the system. It never happened in the history.

[nakatago]

JR8, there was a movie called "immortal", a french cgi sf. The mayor had a marvellous quote, something like " there is no neutrl, t;here is only the rich and the poor, the winners and the losers, the integrated and the rejected. The whole f*****g world is split". I can't find the exact words now, but i'm afraid it's a much more realistic image of the human society than your peaceful coral reef.

No matter what, any election only change the elites for which the governace runs. Not the system. It never happened in the history.

It's only that way because douchebags think in extremes.