does our govt need upgrading?
Apart from the James Gomez fiasco, the most talked-about issue in this year's elections is HDB upgrading. In almost all the contested wards, upgrading is being held up as either a carrot or a stick (i.e. either a bribe or a threat), depending on how you want to look at it.
With about 86% of the population living in HDB flats, the PAP is hitting voters where it hurts. Lifts on every floor, better lighting, more estate facilities - these daily conveniences serve as immediate and tempting alternatives to the admittedly nebulous concept of democracy and an opposition voice in Parliament.
So how come the PAP can guarantee upgrading while the opposition can't, thereby giving the PAP ample opportunity to point fingers and laugh at the opposition's upgrading promises at every rally? In Potong Pasir, SM Goh is dissecting the town council accounts and staking his reputation as MAS chairman ("If I cannot read accounts, I think it is very troublesome for me and for Singapore") and PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin's reputation as a certified public accountant ("If Sitoh is wrong, and Chiam is right, Sitoh's certificate of public accountancy will have to be deregistered") on proving that Potong Pasir's incumbent opposition MP Chiam See Tong cannot afford to upgrade the lifts in every HDB block, as he has promised.
SM Goh is probably right, of course. (Sekali he wrong then Chiam See Tong end up being MAS chairman.) But if the town council funds are insufficient for Chiam to provide upgrading, how is Sitoh going to deliver on his own promise for upgrading?
Two ways - one, through an $80 million upgrading package fund that he last night said Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan had approved for Potong Pasir should Sitoh win the ward. Apparently the National Development Ministry can arbitrarily (at least, that's how it seems; must qualify before kena sued) decide to give millions of dollars' worth of cash handouts to selected constituencies, during an election period and by announcing it at an election rally as a campaigning tool.
The other way is by Sitoh going through HDB itself. Under the HDB's Lift Upgrading Programme, the government will pay for 75% to 90% of the costs involved in lift upgrading, while the town council and the estate's residents co-pay the balance. Theoretically, any opposition MP should also be able to apply for and enjoy the benefits of this programme - it's a nationwide programme provided by HDB, after all. But at least one PAP MP has said that he is confident of getting approval for this programme if he wins the ward, while his opponent, who can also apply, is less likely to be approved.
What's wrong with this picture?
I've taken to asking cab drivers what they think of the elections. Many say they will vote opposition, but some profess loyalty to the PAP. And whenever they talk about supporting the PAP, they always say the same thing - "Me, I will vote gahmen."
But "gahmen" should not automatically be translated into the PAP. If you were in the US or UK and someone asked you how you were going to cast your vote, and you said "Orh, I vote gahmen lor", you would look damn stupid lah. Civil servants are government slaves - but not instruments of the PAP. Similarly, governmental institutions should simply be that. Since when did they become PAP-linked organisations?
The Ministries, the Housing and Development Board, the Elections Department (which operates under the Prime Minister's Office) - if we can't count on our government to be objective and unbiased, then what's our recourse if ever we want to go against the PAP? (There's nothing wrong with wanting to be anti-PAP; it should not be taken to mean you are anti-Singapore government.) The problem with Singapore is that there is no state-party divide. That is why government funds (government! as in taxpayers' money!) are being deployed towards party election campaigns; and not paltry amounts like a couple of thousand dollars, but $80 freaking million. Think of how many Furla bags that would buy!
The problem of upgrading is one that is easily solved. The PAP is threatening to put opposition-controlled wards in last priority for the upgrading queue, because for some reason if you vote against the PAP, you also offend HDB. But it's not hard to decide, based on objective criteria such as age of estate and condition of lifts/wires/water pipes, the order in which HDB blocks should be upgraded, independently of which party you vote for. Upgrading should be a public service provided by the government, not an election sweet dangled by the PAP.
So, remember - it is not the Singapore government that is holding upgrading back from opposition constituencies. It is not the Singapore government that is hounding James Gomez to death and charging Chee Soon Juan a thousand dollars for every word that comes out of his mouth. It is not the Singapore government that is demanding you vote against the opposition. It is the PAP. And the sooner everyone makes this distinction, the better.
* * * * * *On a lighter note, what do James Gomez and Tom Cruise have in common?
-- They've both starred in three movies with the same title: Mission Impossible, Risky Business, and Minority Report.
posted by zyn ::
12:07 PM ::
7 Comments ::
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