Nicole Seah breaks down midway through her speech at the NSP's final rally of the campaign
By Nigel Tan
Chief Editor
In just two weeks, Nicole Seah has seen herself catapulted into the limelight, attracting more than 70,000 “likes” on her Facebook fan page, overtaking Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew as the most popular Singapore politician on the social networking site.
With a combination of maturity, courage and poise that belies her youthful 24 years, she captured the attention of the public, and has even attracted marriage proposals as well as a five-figure offer from City Chain to endorse their watches.
But as the campaign period came to an end last night, she found herself overwhelmed with emotion, and broke down in tears.
Speaking at the National Solidarity Party’s final rally of the general election campaign, Ms Seah related an experience with a resident in the ward of MacPherson, which is part of Marine Parade GRC, where she has been fielded as an NSP candidate. The resident could not afford an $80 deposit for her child’s tuition, and when she brought up the problem to her local grassroots advisors, she was scornfully told: “It’s only eighty dollars, not ten thousand.”
Choking back tears, Ms Seah told the crowd of 15,000 that the incident was precisely illustrative of the problem that Singapore is faced with today – arrogant leaders who have lost touch with the problems facing ordinary people as they struggle to cope with the rapidly rising cost of living and an increasing income gap.
“This is the kind of problem we have. We need a government that has a heart for Singaporeans,” she said.
Urging the audience to play a part in effecting change, she declared that this general election would be the dawn of a new era in Singapore’s development.
“The PAP does not have the mandate of heaven. They govern because they have the consent of the people. We must move forward towards the next phase of nation building, to build a future that comes in more colours than white.”
NSP candidate Hazel Poa feels that Singapore's obsession with GDP growth has caused it to lose its soul and identity
Ms Seah’s comments aptly summarised the NSP’s campaign. The party has charged that the ruling PAP’s obsession with GDP growth has compromised the values of community and togetherness. Hazel Poa, the NSP’s candidate in Chua Chu Kang GRC, has said that while Singapore is currently a country with a turbo-charged brain, it has a heart that is on a hospital drip.
Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, the candidate for Mountbatten, has based her campaign on a plan to rebuild the “kampung spirit” that once thrived within the ward.
The party’s leader, Mr Goh Meng Seng, has been scathing in his criticism towards Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, saying that during his tenure as Prime Minister, he effectively turned Singapore into a corporation because of his fixation on achieving high GDP growth.
Mr Goh also lambasted National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan for having introduced profit-motivated policies during his time as Transport Minister, such as the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) schemes. When Mr Mah moved to his current ministry, he took his profit-oriented mindset with him, allowing HDB flat prices to soar. Mr Goh said that Mr Mah would make a good CEO of a private company, but reminded him that he was in the business of serving Singaporeans.
With compassionate government and community building serving as the two most dominant themes of the NSP’s campaign, the party has managed make itself more visible than at any other time in its history. Though the NSP has been around since 1987, it has struggled to establish itself as a brand. The party was previously a member of the Singapore Democratic Alliance, contesting in the 2001 and 2006 general elections under the SDA banner before coming out on its own this year.
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The author is the Chief Editor of The Satay Club
Only Heaven has a government with a heart !
its evolution of politics , oppostions fight tooth and nail for the people and eventually becomes the government and then they start singing the same song like the ex-government they booted out and another new opposition comes in and start fighting tooth and nail for the people and the madness goes on and on and on …
this madness have been going on since the beginning of time!
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I recently tackled someone on the field in a man’s game and when he saw that the referee did not send me off, he began to shed crocodile tears in front of a television audience. His name is Nani.
Here’s some thoughts.
One Trend
The opposition candidates were of higher quality than that of the pap. By quality you are talking about passion, commitment to serve, intelligence and courage. They spoke fearlessly and won lukewarm hearts like mine. This a is trend reversal – now its the pap which can’t attract talents.
Future Ministers
you can actually see that some of these opposition candidates are of Ministerial calibre. I don’t wanna go into names since the primary hope of citizens is to get a sizeable number of alternative opposition voices into parliament.
Come what may, lets believe again. Please do not cease engaging your fellow citizens that we must, we can, through our votes effect change in our nation. Don’t stop engaging people around you that they should vote for the opposition. For Singapore’s future we must do something, its the right thing.
Opposition candidates of higher quality? What a ridiculous comment. What you actually mean is that the BEST opposition candidates are better than the WORST PAP candidates, which I can concede. But on the whole? Opposition still has clowns like Kenneth Jeyaretnam and his riff-raff teams in West Coast and Ang Mo Kio. And what about the clowns from SDA? And the no-name idiots from NSP, including the guy who is being accused of sexual harrassment? You think these guys are better than the PAP new candidates like Ong Ye Kung, Tan Chuan Jin, Chan Chun Sing, Sim Ann, Ong Teng Koon and Heng Swee Keat? You must be kidding me.
When Lina Chiam is considered one of the BETTER opposition candidates, then you know what I am talking about.. overall, the opposition slate is still a joke!
You want that motley crew to be governing your country?
Yet another CLUELESS opposition supporter spouting nonsense!
Goh Meng Seng really screwed up with regards to the NSP campaign. A good leader must know how to use and allocate resources. What is he trying to do, by sending half-fuck GRC teams diluted with no-name ghouls and phantoms?
He should have fielded Nicole in an SMC. Her star appeal would have won her a seat.
Alternatively, he should follow WP’s approach. Field an all-star team with Nicole, Tony, Hazel and Steve / Jeannette. And spearheaded by GMS himself. Put this team in Tampines, I tell you he got a much higher chance of winning.
With his retarded strategy, it seems like GMS is just aiming for NCMP seats for his party.
Also, why did he spend so much time on Marine Parade when HE HIMSELF is contesting in Tampines? Where the fuck is the fight in Tampines? He only had ONE rally there towards the end. Doesn’t he realise that S’poreans are fed up with Mah and want him out? This was a golden opportunity but he missed it. He should really have focused more on Tampines instead of Marine Parade.
Seriously, GMS has been very disappointing. His campaign management has been poor and I feel he missed a golden chance. He should resign as Sec-Gen of NSP after the election and let someone else take over.. Hazel or Tony would be a good option. Nicole can be Assist Sec-Gen or Treasurer.
FULLY AGREED. Goh Meng Seng should resign. He focused too much on Nicole and the Marine Parade campaign even though he said that he would whack hard on Tampines. Why bother even contesting in Tampines if he is not going to put up a real fight and exert pressure on Mah? If WP fielded a team in Tampines, you can bet that they would exert much more pressure, since it was WP who took issue with Mah’s housing policy first anyway. GMS is not strategic enough to lead a party, even if he might make a good grassroots leader.
If nicole seah is not in marine parade, GCT would go around everywhere lending his fire power.
Indeed, no one expect Nicole to shine, the team was like the Glenda Team in AMK
Mr Mah made his 1st election rally speech last nite as reported on CNA. My goodness! Unbelievable complacency. Apparently, PM and the rest of the pap on different planets. He is taking Tampines ppl for granted. He and the PAP dun want our votes. Forget about people who take you for granted. Vote for all opposition regardless of where you stay.
Mr Mah is one of the most important PAP ministers. Without him, there is no way we will be able to enjoy such low taxes in Singapore. Before you start complaining that taxes are high, consider that in the UK, income tax is 40% and in Denmark it is as high as 60%. That’s right, every $100 you earn, you give $60 to the government. Singaporeans hardly pay any income tax at all. You complain about GST? In the UK, GST is 17.5%, in France it is 22%. So our 7% GST is really peanuts.
How does Mr Mah allow us to enjoy low taxes? Simple, he increases government revenues throw innovative and self-sustaining schemes such as ERP. He is really quite brilliant when it comes to such things. Because they government can earn enough to sustain its own expenditure and even accumulate a surplus, Singaporeans get to enjoy the lowest tax rate in the world.
Please consider this when you go to the polls. I know Mr Mah can sometimes come across as insensitive. But he is a true talent and there is a reason why he is such a key member of the PAP inner core leadership.
Well, Nicole Seah is just shedding crocodile tears in an attempt to win votes. She knows that PM Lee’s apology has swung things back in favour of the PAP. And now she is trying to manipulate voters with her so-called “big heart”. We should look beyond these things and consider what the opposition really wants to do. Their hidden agenda is to make wholesale changes to our meritocratic system that has worked so well. Under the PAP, those who are talented, ambitious and hardworking get rewarded, whereas those who are lazy, unintelligent and complacent get left behind. The opposition parties are trying to implement a system where those who are lazy will be subsidised by those who are hardworking, for example, free healthcare, free transport, minimum wage, unemployment benefits and so on. How is this going to be funded? By cutting back on subsidies for top earners, and increasing the taxes that we have to pay. So, even though average Singaporeans may be jealous or even angry at top earners, ask yourselves this: don’t we deserve to be rewarded for our talent and hard work? If not, why would anyone be inspired to achieve excellence in life? Why would anyone have any incentive to upgrade themselves? The opposition has a sinister agenda of welfarism which will only subvert our meritocratic system. Please vote wisely and ask yourselves if that is what you want for Singapore.. where mediocrity is tolerated and even rewarded.
Don’t give up. This morning, talked to an old uncle. He still remembers the last time how PAP won Aljunied and he fears the same. I told him not to give up or lose hope. People, please keep on engaging your fellow citizens to vote for the opposition. All of us can make a difference. Its not yet voting day, we are not candidates, we can still do our part by engaging our fellow Singaporeans.
The Freak Results of GE2011 will be all PAP win.
If that happens, myself and many S’poreans will voluntarily omit our names from the
electorate registrar and never vote again as democracy and all basic reasons have failed. & SG will not be my country where wolfs in white are allowed to roam and bully all. Singaporeans will decide my fate.
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Nicole is truly an inspirational Singaporean! Who says that our youngsters are apathetic?
Poor Nicole. I think that this campaign has really left her exhausted and overwhelmed. Most Singaporeans her age are still sheltered and spoilt, probably still studying in university and getting an allowance from the parents. Yet, Nicole is out there trying to change Singapore for the better. I think she is really an inspiration to all of us. I know it will be nearly impossible for her to win, but I am hoping against hope that we will see a fairytale come true in Marine Parade.
I don’t think she cried because he is exhausted or stressed, she cried because she identified with the pain that the people in Singapore are feeling – espcially those in the neighbourhood. I personally know of many who are in similar situations – and nobod cries for them!!! The PAP grassroot is even worse – mocks them and treats them like criminals. B*stards!!
Nicole – you have gone up a few more notches in my books with those tears, unlike those from the crocodiles and deaf frogs.
So Nicole Seah’s tears are real, but Lim Boon Heng’s tears are fake? Sometimes I really don’t understand how you people come to your conclusions. Completely irrational and biased. Don’t you understand that Nicole Seah is also a cunning politician who is being used by NSP and Goh Meng Seng to win votes? Her ambition is to win votes. If she is trying to serve the people (which may be true), it is still with the objective of winning votes!!
By portraying herself as being sympathetic, she is just trying to win some sympathy votes.
Nani, you are just a shameless PAP running dog. You are the best balls-carrier I have seen. How much did they pay you?
PAP is using Lift upgrading and giving goodies to its citizens to buy votes. Now he is trying very very hard to buy votes from here too. But the money to pay for the votes is coming from us. How irony?