Straits Times: WP and its supporters fanning the anti-foreigner flame?
In a poorly written article dressed up as impartial analysis designed ultimately to promote the PAP, Straits Times reporter Tham Yuen-C made the insinuation that WP and its supporters were fanning the anti-foreigner flame:
"...despite the WP’s best efforts, comments by some of its supporters online show that the nuances have either been missed or just ignored. For example, it is not uncommon for xenophobic rants online to be combined with a threat to “vote for the WP instead of the PAP”, as if the WP themselves were the purveyors of such views."
Tham Yuen-C needs to use more of whatever little brain she has to think when she writes.
First, where is the evidence that "xenophobic rants" are being expressed in conjunction with the call to vote the Workers' Party? In the first place, what qualifies as a "xenophobic rant"?
Now, assuming that Tham's claim is true, why would that be construed as meaning that voters see the Workers' Party as a party that will stop all foreigners from coming into Singapore?
Why wouldn't it mean that voters have given up completely on the PAP, want it out and see the Workers' Party as a viable alternative to usurp the PAP's dictatorship?
Supporters of a political party come in many stripes and may hold conflicting opinions.
As an example: WP recently clarified that it did not issue a definite statement on the movement to repeal Sect 377A because there was no consensus among its CEC members.
As this shows, each member of the Party may have his or her own stance on certain issues. A small group of supporters expressing strong opinion on an issue does not mean the Party endorses the issue.
In fact, WP had repeatedly stressed during election rallies that they wanted a more calibrated foreign workers policy with foreign workers entitlement calculated based on needs of each industry, as opposed to the PAP's crude one-size fits all approach.
If we follow Tham Yeun-C's logic, can we say that the PAP is stridently anti-gay based on Lim Biow Chuan's recent vocal criticism of the Health Promotion Board's FAQ statement that "A same-sex relationship is not too different from a heterosexual relationship"?
Can we also say that PAP endorses the sordid, unfounded and ad hominem attacks made by its supporter Jason Chua Chin Seng on PAP's critics?
Tham Yuen-C the lapdog can be contacted at email: yuenc@sph.com.sg
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