Workers' Party Rally
Wow.. I really thought this elections the Workers' Party stood a decent chance of getting a good representation in this election.. went to the Hougang rally on Sunday night, hoping to be convinced to give them a chance.. but alas! The rally left me deeply disappointed, even more convinced that the WP is out to score political points, and not really implement or speak out about policies that they truly feel are unfair.
Let me cite a few examples from the speeches I heard from the rally that day:
1. The Progress Package is merely a bribe from the PAP government to coerce people to vote for them.
HUH??
HUH No. 1:
When Mr Low Thia Khiang talked about this, ALL the uncles and aunties around me were cheering like mad... and ppl at the front shouted 'Workers' Party! Workers' Party!'.
Wait wait wait... when the package was announced.. how many of those aunties and uncles were actually happy that they got money from the govt? and how many of those who were on stage went to the ATMs and gladly pressed 'I accept'?
So if the Progress Package was a bribe, all these people on stage or off stage who took the money are people who received bribes! woah!! that makes them people with no integrity at all larh!! they took bribes that they were not supposed to!
So is Progress Package still a bribe?
HUH No. 2:
Do we have ANY idea how many people out there needed the money badly? To pay bills, to buy food etc.. and here we are saying that they were accepting BRIBES??!! Argh!! The fact that they took money that the govt gave to them has reduced them to immoral, bribe-receiving bastards!! Woohoo!! Wee!!
How can a compassionate man who truly cares for people actually say something like that?
2. That the government intends to use means-testing in the future to make people who can pay higher healthcare charges pay higher rates, and the poorer ones pay lower rates.. WP argues that this is unfair.. but it's argument is not congruent..
First they say that healthcare is something that the Government should provide for all. Then they say that the people should be allowed to pay for whatever class service they want to pay. Wait wait wait..
HUH No 1.
Isnt the WP aware that in ANY country that has a welfarist status, it has crippled and crashed economies and bankrupted hospitals, people who take 9 years to do a Bachelors degree cos edun is free.. and people who refuse to work so as to claim welfare benefits.. we only haf 3 million people.. do we really want that?
HUH No. 2
Ask anyone.. i mean ANYONE.. u'll find out that ALL social service agencies in the world use some form of sliding-scale to charge clients.. erm.. and now u're coming to say it's a tool of oppression by PAP? huh?
3. That all the forms of means-testing used by the Government will be unfair. Ms Silvia Lim suggested some types of means-testing that the Govt might likely use:
'WP chairman Sylvia Lim, who leads the party's Aljunied GRC team, wanted to know what criteria the Government will use to determine how much subsidy a patient will get.
For example, if house size is used, a person living in a three-room HDB flat is not necessarily less well-off than a five-room flat dweller, she argued.
Using mean household income is also not on because family size differs. Pointing out that some people support parents who are not staying with them, she said: 'If we make the same amount of money, it does not mean that we have the same amount of money to spend.'' Straits Times, May 1 2006
Wait wait wait..
HUH:
Why did Ms Lim not mention 'per capita household income' as a criteria for means-testing? hmm.. was it because she just wanted to put her point across that PAP is unfair? That she wanted to rouse the emotions of the crowd? Because if she mentioned per capita household income (which, btw is a very likely tool that will be used), then PAP can't sound unfair anymore? Cos i think per capita household income is a very fair way of testing!! How can she say that not everyone has the same number of people to take care of? There has to be a line set somewhere.
Please don't purposely leave out points in your speech to make people feel good about your party. It ain't very fair.
May the voters decide.
Wisely.
"... purposely leave out points in your speech to make people feel good about your party..."
Hmmm... frankly, I feel that that is a tactic being used universally by all politicians. So it is not very fair to sort of link it with the WP.
~Zhixiang
haha! good observation!
1.one reason the market place is saying that the PP is a bribery because it happened b4 the election.
2.The other reason is for the top 20% or evenmore the PP is more like candies for they do not need this money. What is few hundreds meant to these people? Another restaurant treat. The opionion is why government don't just give to the lowest 20% and as you said was really help them in deed.(This is from the top 20%'s opinion)
3. They could make it an annul event and the fund can help the lowest 20% for another five years.
4. The timing to release the fund and early release is also questionable. It should not tie up with Election period if the government really want to help the people and no political intention.Afterall where's the fund from? Tax payers. :)baabaa
ZX: hmm.. i agree with you totally that it's a political tactic, but to leave it out as part of a plan to whip up the emotions of the crowd ain't ethical. but then again, who said politics is about ethics?
Baabaa: it's not fair to accuse the govt of handing out bribes just because it is near the election period. the budget was near the elections, hence it was announced during the budget. these handouts have always been given during Budget announcements, like the ERS and the earlier Singtel shares. Why didn't people make noise then? The govt also gives CPF topups to people from time to time, but nobody says anything as well. I really think this whole 'PAP is bribing you' thing is not fair larh. U can talk abt lotsa other things, political dirty games, no level playing field yada-yada.. and i think that's fine, but not this one. I just cannot bring myself to say that those who needed the money and accepted it to buy food were getting bribed for political intentions.
hmm...Politic let's just b an observer...n see what will happen next! The people are getting emotional in the arena. Let's pray for everyone who involves in the election...God had approved it.
baabaa
let's not be naive to say that any government that is elected is approved by God. there are plenty of govts around the world that are not. or rather, everyone thinks that theirs is approved by God. sigh.
Even the bad government is also permitted by God just like the Pharaoh of Egypt. Romans 9:17
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh:" I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
baabaa
permitted is not the same as APPROVED. different ok.
Will appreciate if you could enlighten me on the difference between Approve & Permit.
baabaa