George Yeo, the leader of the PAP's team in Aljunied, has hit out at the WP for 'acting against the spirit of democracy' by fielding all its big guns there
By Cheryl Chan
Political Correspondent
Foreign Minister George Yeo has lashed out at the Workers’ Party for acting against the spirit of democracy by fielding all its top guns in Aljunied GRC, where he is the leader of the incumbent team of PAP MPs.
In an incredible tirade, Mr Yeo said that the WP was forcing Aljunied voters to choose between their own self-interest and the opposition cause, adding that this was creating an “emotional dilemma” for his residents. He further charged that the WP has yet to produce any plans on how it intends to improve the lives of residents in Aljunied.
“It’s an emotional dilemma for many people,” said Mr Yeo in an interview with The Straits Times. “I get many people writing on my Facebook wall who feel very uncomfortable about this. They said, because of this, even if they vote for the WP, please do not feel that we have anything against you. I find that it’s against the spirit of democracy.”
Exactly who does Mr Yeo think he is kidding? The ruling PAP has been acting against the spirit of democracy for decades, having gone to enormous lengths to skew the political playing field. In fact, the odds are so unbalanced that voters have never really had a choice other than to accept the PAP as their government. Now that the WP has taken a huge step out of its comfort zone in an attempt to offer the residents of Aljunied a real alternative choice, Mr Yeo says they are subverting the spirit of democracy. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that this is hypocrisy of the highest order.
First of all, the GRC system in itself is against the spirit of democracy because it diminishes the voters’ right to choose their own candidates. It has allowed weaker, unproven candidates an easy ride into Parliament on the coat-tails of seasoned political veterans, some of whom would stand next to no chance of winning an election on their own merit. Former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has admitted as much, saying that if not for the GRC system, candidates might be unwilling to come forward and join the PAP, since they would not be assured of victory.
The presence of the WP "dream team", headlined by Low Thia Khiang, has clearly rattled Aljunied incumbent George Yeo
A perfect example of this just occurred a few days ago – on Nomination Day, a complete unknown was introduced as a last-minute substitute in Tanjong Pagar GRC, and became an MP just 24 hours later thanks to the PAP team winning by walkover. Dr Chia Shi Lu is now an official representative of the residents of Tanjong Pagar, and he was ‘elected’ before even being saying a word to the media, without a single vote being cast.
Does Mr Yeo think that this is in line with the “spirit of democracy”?
Let’s not even begin to go into the incessant gerrymandering of electoral boundaries, the constant smear campaigns against opposition candidates, the use of state funds to entice voters with municipal upgrading schemes and the spate of defamation suits that have been filed against vocal opposition politicians in the past two decades – the latter being the reason why Dr Chee Soon Juan is unable to contest under the banner of his own SDP at this election.
Are any of these things consonant with Mr Yeo’s idea of the “spirit of democracy”?
If he thinks that having an opposition party fielding a strong team is undemocratic whereas the PAP’s heavy-handed and quite frankly unethical tactics are not, then Mr Yeo must truly be living in cloud cuckoo land.
Mr Yeo is simply unaccustomed to the idea that he actually stands a realistic chance of losing his seat – which is an unfamiliar prospect to just about every PAP minister, seeing as they have never really faced a real contest. His latest ramblings are a sign that he might be losing his composure under pressure, because even he himself ought to know that no one would take his comments seriously.
The spirit of democracy is all about giving people a choice. And the WP has chosen to take a massive risk – which could yet see them completely wiped out of Parliament – just to give people that choice, something which has been denied them throughout more than 50 years of uninterrupted one-party rule.
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The author holds a degree in political science from the National University of Singapore and works at a leading multinational research firm.
This is a surprisingly biased account coming from someone with credentials like yours. C’mon, politics is never clean. If the ruling party is so good at skewing the political playing field, it is up to the opposition to outsmart the ruling party to prove that they are worth our votes. The fact that almost all 87 seats are being contested now just proves that your argument is flawed. If there is no spirit of democracy, would the majority of Singaporeans be able to vote now? Don’t blame everything on the ruling party; blame yourselves who don’t know how to pool your resources together. It’s surprisingly to note that being such a small nation, we have so many different opposition parties. Compare with other countries that only have two to three strong parties. It’s good that the opposition are coming together, that’s a good initiative, and I look forward to an even stronger opposition next election, for now, no.
just selected talents from each of the party to form a single party n outsmart them.tats it….
@jy – I don’t follow your argument that this article is biased and your expectations for the writer based on her credentials. You said “politics is never clean”‘, which is exactly what the writer is saying too. You said “it is up to the opposition to outsmart the ruling party……” which is what they’re doing in Aljunied GRC, and George Yeo is complaining about. He argued that the Workers’ Party is acting against the spirit of democracy, by “fielding all its top guns” to contest with him. It seems he’s saying WP put too many strong players against his team. Not fair. However you seem to think the opposition is not strong enough this election. I find your post really unique and interesting!
Who is George Yeo trying to kid?
Look around us, places are getting crowded; buses, trains, cars on roads, shopping malls and even housing & residential areas! We find people with different social behaviour, most of whom are irresponsible – they litter everywhere, some let their kids pee in the public, drive our flat prices up and fight for seats in schools/universities. They contribute to our stress level because they created unconducive environment and unhealthy competition… The list doesn’t end here BUT do they (the ruling party) understand or even bother? Of course these day-to-day issues NEVER bother them or the ministers because their pockets are full (with million dollars income)! They don’t need to worry about cost of living, their kids will have a seat in elite schools, they are chauffeured around and need not worry about transport issues, and they stay in landed or high-end condos… How do we think they can understand us ordinary folks??
Singaporeans are no fools. For so many years we put up with the ruling party and help bring growth to the economy, do they think they can do it all by themselves without the support and hardship bore by the people? If it is true our economy is doing well why this growth somehow never filters down to the ordinary S’porean? Why are we still getting almost the same salary compared to 5 years ago? Why do we see old senior citizens pulling carts to collect old carton boxes, sell tissues in hawker centers and so on? When the government announces the economic growth, they (the top ministers, the top civil servants and the top management of the private sectors) are the ones that reap the fat returns, fat bonuses! And what is left is translated to that few hundreds of dollars each citizen is receiving (as if they will last forever, as if they will help tackle the high cost of living). What kind of government do we want? Do we want a government that only takes care of themselves, their top elites and after they have reaped the best and the fattest of the fruits, pass down the leftovers to the rest of the ordinary folks?
Let’s ask ourselves – are we going to be bribed by these handouts and the promises of “constituency upgrading” in exchange for shutting our mouths and letting them continue to rule in this manner?
Who is George Yeo trying to kid? Who is the government trying to kid? Enough is enough!
When Georgie Boy meets up with an oppo team stronger than his he calls
it “undemocratic”. Well there are other places where the PAPaya teams
are stronger than the oppo’s. What does he call them? Democratic and fair?
Suck it all up and fight like a man, Georgie! And don’t blame it on anyone or
anything when you lose, just blame it on yourself, understand?
In 2005, George Yeo was the one who proposed the Casinos (and used his intellectual cunningness to disguised them as what he called “Integrated Resorts”.)
Now, the collective sufferings of those addicted Singaporean gamblers and their families and the social ills that the Casinos have brought to Singapore and Singaporeans are asking for a pay-back time from George Yeo.
Encouraging moral decay and sins for the whole society is a very great sin, which can go down to many generations for rettribution. George Yeo may look like a nice man but his sinful action of proposing the Casinos is nothing but Ugly!
George Yeo (especially being a Christian), your great sin is coming after you.
Anyway, be consoled that you have already been paid many $millions as a Minister for the past many years!
CcB how many singaporean die in the hand of casino???pple want to go in..$100 dollar can stop them bo???-.-4d play small small n toto play small small for a hope is ok lah,,but Casino Play HARD CASH…enterprise close shop who suffer???report M.O.M got use mehz????tey chaoz liao lor -.-..SWEAT N BLOOD MONEY leh!!!!!some cannot take it Become SUPERMAN or jump MRT…DO u know the POISON of GAMBLE???FAMILYS BRAKE DOWN..WHO SUFFER????gamble leeds to death,Lies,Stealing,robbing,lost of trust,lost of pride…LOST OF HUMANLITY.open 1 not enough somemore open 2…….
Here are some policies which the PAP has passed during their reign, that I can’t agree with:
1) Age for withdrawal of CPF was raised to 62 – The reasoning given is that people live longer now, they will need their retirement fund when they are older. While I agree with that line of reasoning, I don’t see why the CPF may not be transferred to the next-of-kin in cash, upon the death of the person who dies before the age of 62.
2) Raising the GST to 7%. While it is supposed to be a wealth redistribution, I don’t think it makes a difference to the poor, whom themselves are subject to the GST. That argument doesn’t hold water.
3) High pay for ministers. I believe this debate has been going on for a while. The apparent reasoning behind this is that our ministers should not be corrupt. Pause at this juncture. Are we are rewarding them for not taking bribes? If so, are they already not under a legal duty not to accept bribes? Then, a solution: Pass a national legislation providing that any minister who actually accepts a bribe, will be jailed for 30 years, with 10 strokes of the cane. Would any of them still break the law?
4) MPs getting $12,000 a month for their services. Moreover they are entitled to day jobs. 2 problems arise from this: their jobs as MPs are secondary to their Day Jobs; and they are getting paid $13,000 a month as a secondary job. Ironically, we the citizens are paying for it. In any case, even if the MP position was occupied as a day job, why should they be drawing that much money? Would $5,000 not be too generous already?
There are many more, but thus far, these are my key concerns.
cbf..-.- starting it mean well…..NOW ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzSingaporen die much more early now a days..everything ALSO tio CANCER..simi lanjiao cancer also got…every food that we eat is full of chemical!!!!!!we got no farm of our own…zZzZz .if the whole some of $$$ after we had die cant be pass down to our loves 1, DEN WATS THE POINT??????i rather CPF myself….u want to use our $$$$ to grow $$$ its ok BUT theres a litmit!!!!!!!!!!!THERE’s no SUCH thing as SURE win!!!!! EVEN LAU LEE DROP TEARS WHEN WE WON OUR INDEPENDANCE!!!!!!i will always remember that!!!how can SOME of u destory what our forefather fight so hard to get for us today????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????ABT GST..every single CENTS means ALOT to us for POOR SINGAPOREANS…..zZzzZZZzzzzZZ….raise somemore u will burst.AS for corrupt..if a person wants to corrupt…no matter how much is their pay they will still corrupt…if they dare to corrupt..its a good chance to kick their butts.A wise minster will noe that corruption will bring then down fall fo a country…the rest can be claim frm their bank.
Mr George Yeo,
(I do not address you as “Minister” because the Parliament has been dissolved, and you are no more an MP, and therefore no more a govt personnel, only a care-taker in govt at this point in time – a fact which many highly educated people have forgotten or deliberately ignored.)
Personally, I like you very much, because you are one of the very few real gentleman in that bunch of men/women in ‘white sheep skins’.
However, when politics is concerned, personal liking has to be put aside. What really counts is that you, having been a Foreign Minister, have not been able to spend much of your time in Singapore (which is an unfortunate nature of your job), much less being with us people on the ground. If you could not spend much of your time with us, how can you know us fully and take care of us effectively? That is a fact which all of us have to accept.
Sincerely, I do not have any emotional baggage chosing who to vote this time round. I have been supporting the PAP for the past 40 years, but this time round I want a change – a quantum leap – instead of experiencing the same old irony and listening to the same old tunes being played by the PAP leader-sheep. Your lee-ders, by inventing the GRC System, were the ones who have put us in the dilemma in the past 20 years, not the Workers’ Party.
Lee Hsien Loong’s reply to Low Thia Khiang’s analogy of chosing a co-driver to wake-up the driver if he (the driver) falls asleep is this: “Like driving a bus, you don’t need a co-driver, you choose the best driver whom you can trust and put him there …” (or words to that effect). So, taking Lee Hsien Loong’s advice, I and my family have decided to choose the best driver and put him in charge of Aljunied GRC.
You may have been a Minister but sad to say the rest of your team-mates are weaklings. They are not the best. The best team for Aljunied GRC in this GE2011 is from the Workers’ Party.
The PAP’s Aljunied GRC Team, despite being paid millions of dollars of taxpayers. money every year for the last 5 years, what have they spoken up in Parliament for the residents of Aljunied GRC during the last 5 years? Almost a big fat A
ZERO. So, what is the use of having another PAP team in Parliament when you cannot (due to Party Whip) or can’t be bothered to represent our voices in Parliament?
We (my family and I) want nothing but the best!
We want someone who can represent our voices and vote in Parliament with our interests in mind. We also want someone who can keep the PAP on its toes. In other words, we want the best of both worlds.
We (my family and I) want the WP’s Aljunied GRC Team to represent us in Parliament!
Well said my friend. I agree to all your points as quoted. However, I would like to point out additionally that we all run the risk of that rotten government we have abusing their power if the Opposition do not secure at least 50% of the seats. If you recall Potong Pasir which the PAP had lost it’s seat there, you will realize that the PAP has abandoned it altogether. Therefore, it is not only Aljunied, but the many of the GRCs that must accordingly dispose of the PAP, otherwise we risk a backlash.
homak.
homak
I took a brief look through many of the comments on this site and most are venomously opposed of the PAP. You jeer and mock, ridicule and spat on every word that these ministers have to say. Can I ask why?
Is our country in such a dysfunctional state that people are deprived of access to education, healthcare or job opportunities? You want cheap housing, cheap car and easy job no competition from foreigners. In other words, you don’t want to work hard.
Yes you are right, our political scene is skewed. The PAP is not perfect but it has done a pretty good job. There are many issues that have to be addressed, but the WP may not necessarily do a better job. Show some humilty and respect to these people running the show. Thank you.
respect has to be mutual. We are only showing what PAP has been dishing out to us for years!
Your comments, with the uttermost respect to you are generalizations when you talk about mocking, etc etc. Singaporeans are reasonable, they don’t take to the streets in violent protests as in our neighbouring countries. Ever heard of politicianshere being pelted with rotten eggs and their effigies burnt. Well, there was one case of 1 nut case who set an MP alight. That was it. May I humbly ask you to be fair & reasonable to your fellow Singaporeans (i assume you are one).
my friend there R gd guys n BaD guys in PAP the good cant do much anymore….no matter who will become the next king .he must inherit the will of our forefather..tats all.
George Yeo is actually a good minister and if he is placed in a SMC , i have no doubt he will win anyday but …
A person who is humble , a gentleman and with peace loving nature with the patience of Job
i am an aljunied voter and i really put in a fix
Decisions decisions decision , why must it always be so hard
SAD-.- but tink of the outcome..the biggest interest of our people…when there is no pple there is no country
Since GY loves the spirit of democracy so much, will you debate Low on national TV?
C’mon, u guys got all the firepower, what’s there to lose?
I think the Minister is trying to say this; ‘Please be reminded that if you like me to continue being the Foreign Minister of S’pore, please vote PAP’.
i hope that a PARTY is not a GANG…in a GANG whether ur pple do right or wrong u die die will still cover for him…A PARTY should fight for the real interest of his citizen.n admit his wrong doing in a way!
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Spare a thought for GY. If you looked at his body language on Nomination Day you can tell that he was already sibei sian. He must be looking at all his colleagues in the other constituencies and thinking “why must it happen to me?”
Actually after watching the CNA broadcasting LHL and GY, both of them looks ” doubly sibei sian, why is it happening to us!”
Ooopsss….
DONT ASK ME Y muhahahahahahaha
Since time immemorial, the PAP has violated the principles of democracy again and again and again. No man in white has any right to accuse anyone else of being undemocratic. To say that the WP is undemocratic because it send its top guns to Aljunied is ridiculous and just reflects badly on this so-called PAP ‘intellectual’
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I am totally baffled by GY’s remarks.
Is it logical to say that Obama has violated democracy by putting American citizens in a dilemma to choose between electing the first black American President (a breakthrough in American political history and Blacks have no track record of being President) or McCain from the incumbent party? We all know what happened.
Politics is about choice and there will be varying degrees of pain for different people. I can empathise that GY is probably feeling a lot of pain but please let Singaporeans decide based on their own logic.
I am actually comforted and encouraged when GY said that Singaporeans wrote in his FB that they have nothing personal against him if they don’t vote for him. It speaks hugely of the maturity of the Singapore voters.
GY is actually one of the better PAP ministers. He has done a good job. I wish it was WKS or MBT that was being forced to fight against LTK.
there are words that cant be spoken
GY’s is the LAMEST argument I’ve ever seen in my life!! Which planet is he living on? Does he think that Singaporeans are stupid? Those who posted on his facebook page are just being polite. There is no dilemma, people who believe we need more alternative voices in Parliament WILL vote in anyone other than the PAP. It’s as simple as that.
No amount of spin will work, GY. Wake-up, smell the coffee. A new day is dawning.
GY is our foreign minister and it worries me. If he speaks like this on local papers, I dare not imagine what he could say in official visits or functions overseas. Thank goodness we have a certain Prof with MFA.
The new generation of PAP leaders really really cannot make it. Not like before.
George Yeo also said that WP shouldn’t anyhow call voters “secret weapons”. He said that is reducing voters to objects and tools. I think he spent too much time in SAF, so he takes the word “weapons” literally. Come on George where is your sense of humour. Even if you lose, you know that Singaporeans like you more than your venal, morally decrepit colleagues MBT, WKS and Vivian Bala.
Actually i like George ! Boy ! Am I torn !!
Georgie boy is starting to pee in the pants. Losing is not a word he knows. PAP Ministers have been taking the electorates for granted too long. GY is nobody if he is to stand alone.
zZzZzZz
Don’t discount the possibility that GY will pull some last min stunt. Why do you think they introduced this “cooling off period” on May 6. On this day, GY will pull some last minute dirty attack stunt and WP will have no time to rebutt. Maybe he will dig up some scandalous dirt on the 2 low-profile candidates Pritam Singh and Faisal Manap. Since he knows that LTK, Sylvia and Chen are all very popular.
Hahaha, this is quite retarded. Cooling off means no stuns allowed. Pls do some research before you comment?
Very impressed by Cheryl Chan. One of the best writers in The Satay Club and probably the entire blogosphere. Please consider standing for election in 2011 like Gerald Giam did.
George Yeo could be the first PAP minister to dumped out by the voters. Which is a pity because there are others far more deserving of that ‘honour’. Such as WKS and MBT.
maybe it makes him happier hehe
Don’t you notice that the MIWs always say very stupid things when they are under pressure? Vivian Bala was under pressure last week and now GY. In 2006, LHL was under pressure and that led to his “I have to spend all my time fixing oppos” comments.
Why do you think that’s the case? Obviously because they are accustomed to walkovers or contest from “feeble” oppositions. When faced with a real challenge, they dunno what to say!! And we pay millions for these guys?
If he cracks under this kind of pressure, why are we paying him millions. He should be able to handle this kind of heat and competition. He is a politician. This is his job.
i plant watermelon seeds i get watermelon fruit..
Cheryl Chan, you are absolutely right!
GRC system is against the spirit of democracy!!
Gerrymandering is against the spirit of democracy!!
Linking votes to upgrading of HDB flats is against the spirit of democracy!!
Defamation suits against CSJ and JBJ are against the spirit of democracy!!
How dare George Yeo say that WP is against the spirit of democracy when the PAP is guilty of so many undemocratic practices themselves????
we are living in a urban jungle
pls not let the history of korea repeat itself.