Opinions

F1 was held over last weekend. The fast cars and huge names that came for concerts brought in a lot of attendees for the event. The government probably approved the event, closing multiple roads just to put Singapore on the map

However, is it really worth it? So what if we are known for having a formula 1 night race? We were once a fishing village which nobody knew about. We were still able to survive and become successful. So why then is our government approving such a high key event which probably only attracts foreigners to come? Maybe those people in their ivory towers are too blinded by their greed and money. They just want to show off how luxurious their lives are.

But this is not true for the commoners in Singapore. Those who are struggling to make ends meet. I am sure most of these people would want the roads to be open to them for them to get to work easily rather than take a detour. We do not want or need to show off. We just want to make ends meet. As for our government, they continue to spend millions of dollars to show off instead of using the same amount of money in helping the poor and needy in THEIR OWN COUNTRY.

Ridiculous isn't it?

We also just had our first #SGCLIMATERALLY in Singapore on Saturday. People of all ages were there to advocate for action against climate change. People were there to talk about how we can reduce our carbon footprint and stop climate change. It's only getting hotter in Singapore. And with the current haze, things are not getting any better. But here we see a tweet by our very own DJ Joakim Gomez:

Plastic cups, straws, bottles strewn all over the ground. Obviously, the F1 night race is not helping. And obviously, our government doesn't care.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock and leaders of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) issued a rallying call to party members and volunteers to join them on their first ever walkabout to meet fellow Singaporeans next Sunday, 29th September.

The post called on their comrades to stand "united, resilient and steadfast" to achieve their common objective of helping the party win in the coming General Elections (GE), reminding them that the country needs them.

Although it is a new party, PSP is not going about the elections without any directions.

It aims not only to compete in the GE, but to win it as well.

PSP is serious about the elections.

Are you serious about your vote?

Singaporeans are hoping for political change after the upcoming general elections.

Yet a contrarion voice among the opposition supporters believes otherwise.

Going by the name 'Albert Tay' on Facebook, the netizen reasoned that the time is not right yet for a change and that the opposition will not make any further inroads into parliament, apart from the seats for Hougang and Aljunied. 

He also believes that it is to the benefit of the opposition if their optimism is managed:

It is better to predict that only Aljunied and Hougang will win, and then have a result of 1 or 2 more GRCs going to the Opposition, than to have high hopes for Change Of Government, only to see the results of even Aljunied losing.

The latter would be devastating, and I will soon lose momentum and hope, and give up once and for all. That happened to many people during GE2015, and the only mot**f**er who benefits from it, is the PAP.

Yes, optimism was in the air during the last elections. Look what happened.

But to play down the opposition optimism does not necessarily do the opposition parties themselves any favours.

Singaporeans need to be engaged and need to be convinced.

If there is an admission of defeat even before the electoral boundaries are drawn, no one will bother turning up for the rallies.

The PAP must know that they are in a constest. 

They must hear the voices of the people loud and clear.

As we get closer and closer to the elections, there will be more and more things to ponder about.

Ultimately, the most important decision you have to come to is who do you vote for?

We attempt to make the decision a little easier for you.

Today, we present to you three very good reasons to vote for Dr Tan Cheng Bock's Progress Singapore Party (PSP):

1. Dr Tan Cheng Bock

Critics of PSP point to its relative infancy and its lack of track record. They also lament the relatively older leadership and party membership, which allegedly leaves them out of touch from the younger voters.

Are these supposed drawbacks enough to stop you from voting for the PSP? 

What's clear is that in Dr Tan, PSP has a personality that is an asset to the party. It is, his party after all.

Unlike many other opposition politicians, Dr Tan is battle hardened. He has taken part in numerous elections since his first contest in 1980.

He became an MP since that first election and only stepped down prior to the 2006 elections due to PAP's own candidate-renewal process.

He has credibility and track record as an actual MP. In the time that he was a parliamenterian, Dr Tan was not afraid to speak out against party policies or party lines. Do you know that Dr Tan actually voted against the Nominated MP (NMP) scheme, reasoning that MPs have to be voted by, and be answerable to, their constituency? Yes, he did.

And, let's not forget, he also almost became our President in 2011!

Talk about credibility and experience - you can't go any further than Dr Tan.

2. Support from former PAP cadres

When he formed PSP, Dr Tan was also astute enough to recruit some PAP cadres and supporters who bring with them the wealth of credibility as well as experience. 

Among them is Wong Swee Chuan, a former PAP cadre who is now Chairman of PSP. Wong was Dr Tan's campaign coordinator in the 2011 Presidential elections.

Others such as Wong Chow Seng, and Kassim Syed Mohamed, were active grassroots activists in Dr Tan's former constituency 

Rest assured, with these wealth of experience, PSP's campaign will not be haphazard. 

3. Endorsements

For a new party, PSP is making light work of networking and building relationships with other local opposition parties, as well as foreign entities. This is primarily because of the strength of the personality of Dr Tan.

PSP recently attended the national day dinner hosted by the Worker's Party (WP), underlining the friendly relations between the two. It is too early to say if the two parties will enter into an alliance. Nevertheless, minimally, their campaigns will be coordinated, and they will ensure not to enter into any 3-cornered contests that only benefits the PAP.

Apart from local opposition parties, PSP has also engaged important stakeholders and dignitaries. Perhaps none more so than Lee Hsien Yang,the younger of PAP's Lee Hsien Loong and son of the late Lee Kuan Yew. Hsien Yang gave his ringing endorsement of Dr Tan and the PSP, calling the latter a leader that Singaporeans deserve.

Apart from that Members of PSP, including Dr Tan, recently met up with Anita Nergaard, the Ambassador of Norway to Singapore.

A PSP delegation was also hosted by Facebook at its office to learn about social media best-practices.

It is clear, with Dr Tan's stewardship, PSP is a winner with many people.

The lack of track record is a moot point.

Look at the PAP. A good track record just shows that they had good people in the past. It's not indicative of anything in the present, and is certainly no guarantee of future success.

PSP is a steady ship. It's captain and crew are experienced. It's time you get on board.

So you are a Singaporean voter and you can't wait to cast your votes?

Then you should spend three minutes to read what this fellow Singaporean voters want for our future:

I am a Singaporean voter. I want our policies to be thoroughly examined by different political parties in the Parliament.

Candidates have different strengths, weaknesses and abilities but that is exactly the whole idea. A policy paper can be better scrutinized by different people with different perspectives, angles and insights. Ultimately, Singapore and Singaporeans benefit from better policies. Good policies can withstand scrutiny, no matter who came up with them.

I am a Singaporean voter. I want our anti-corruption department to be completely detached from the power of any government, regardless of political party. The department should be a checks-and-balances asset for the people of Singapore, report directly to the people and conduct regular random checks on every single branch of the state and government to ensure nobody plays under the table. Nobody.

I am a Singaporean voter. I want our civil service, army, police and judiciary systems to be independent from any politically-motivated decisions from any incumbent government.

I dislike the practice of parachuting newly-resigned civil servants, army or police officers or judges into the political sphere weeks or days before elections. This presents a serious conflict of interests because these newly-converted politicians still hold networks of influence within their old jobs and that may present dilemmas in crucial decision-making.

I am a Singaporean voter. I understand all policies cost valuable taxpayers' monies.

I am not a rabbit. I don't eat carrots dangling in front of me. I am not a dog. I refuse to be tamed or intimidated by fear-mongering tactics. I am not a crazy person either. I don't intend to bankrupt Singapore or Singaporeans over poorly-planned policies. I am, however, keeping an open mind to alternative suggestions to current policies. I don't mind these alternatives be thoroughly debated in Parliament because there is always a chance to find moderation and suitability in them until these policies can meet the needs and wants of Singaporeans.

I am a Singaporean voter. I want my government to work for me, not against me and certainly not for themselves. I want my politicians to earn their keep, not sleep through in Parliament and just nod their heads in agreement to pass policies into bills which are not clearly understood by the people.

Governments are servants to the people. If they lord over their own voters, they are not governments. They are called tyrants. I understand the need for attractive pay to entice the best talents and minds into a government. However, I want such salaries to be pegged to real performance in their terms of office. This is called meritocracy. Any member of parliament who naps in parliamentary sessions should receive a pay cut for that month. No excuses. Any member of parliament who has contributed no constructive suggestions to any policies in a year should receive a pay cut for that year. Any member of parliament who broke the laws of Singapore should receive a demerit ceremony in public and serve the necessary sentence in whichever way deem fit by the people of Singapore.

I am a Singaporean voter. I want Singapore to survive longer than any political squabble or contest.

If any political party claims that Singapore will collapse or be in ruins if they are voted out of power, that means we have built the country in the wrong way. All political parties face the possibility of total dissolution but as a Singaporean, I want Singapore to possess a robust system where it can survive any change of power from any political party. This means the civil service, army, police and judiciary system must remain apolitical if they understand such a national need beyond political competition.

I am a Singaporean voter.

Vote not for Singapore's past. Vote not for Singapore's present.

Vote for Singapore's future.

In some other democracies, some of these wants or aspirations are guaranteed rights.

It is not the case here.

Hence, the importance of making our voices heard, and our choices count.

Before you vote, ask yourself, what future do you want for Singapore?

We Singaporeans take pride in our green city. 

Yet, we take this environment for granted.

It takes a lot of resources to continue to keep our country clean. 

So, when people started sharing how this Japanese FT named 'Toshi" was cleaning Singapore's streets out of his own goodwill, there was a collective gasp of disbelief.

This was the exchange between a local, Ivan Choong, who witnessed Toshi cleaning:

I: Hi there, may I ask what you are doing?
T: I'm picking up litter.
I: Oh, but why are you doing that? Do you live around here?
T: No. I am from Japan. But I am here for long time, about 2 months. I stay in hotel. Next week I am going home. I like this place. Very green. Very clean. So I just help to pick up the litter.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Toshi. The hero we don't deserve 

What's your excuse for not cleaning up after yourselves?