Singapore does not need to have a two party system to have a responsive, responsible and effective government. If the party is led and made up of honest, dedicated and patriotic individuals who truly love the country and its citizens it can succeed. The early PAP attests to this observation.
If the party is led and made up of ineffective, self serving and insecure individuals we have what the PAP has become today. All the attributes exhibited by the PAP today can be traced back to these failings:
A. A loss of legitimacy due to policy errors and/or just plain incompetence leads to a complete lack of transparency and a recognition and ownership of failed policies and policy outcomes.
B. A constant reference and harkening to old glory days, historical misrepresentation (Singapore was a sleepy fishing village before LKY!) and frequent threats replace good policy formulation.
C. An utter and complete control of all forms of communication and media to stifle discussion and the truth, muzzling all institutions, organizations, groupings and individuals that could pose even the slightest challenge to its political dominance.
D. A redefinition of the truth (Hard Truths?), of common norms (meritocracy, foreign talents, affordability?) to justify whatever policy decisions they make.
Until and unless the following changes are made to our political system, the one party system will never work again in Singapore:
A. All politicians, ministers and MPs have to declare their personal wealth before and after taking office. The performances and bonuses of all these people have to be made known publicly.
B. The PM shall not hold office beyond two terms. The President only for one term.
C. The media has to be freed from government control.
D. The appointment of the heads of all the statutory boards and government linked organizations shall be based on merit and not on blood ties and/or previous service in the armed forces.
E. Various strategic organizations, like the PA and the Elections Commission are to be devolved from the PAP.
F. Independent assessments and feedback to be collected and discussed publicly on issues such as the number of foreigners to be allowed into Singapore, the real cost of HDB housing, the CPF system, public transportation. Definitely not the previous national CONversation.
Frankly am I confident the PAP will change? I doubt it! They are too deep in the shit hole that they created that they can’t climb out of.
I think it is more likely that they are so highly delusional that they don’t even know a problem exists. They are so convinced they are right and that daft Singaporeans as always are in the wrong. Or they are aware that the game is up and they are determined to destroy Singapore rather than have their deeds exposed. Either way we are well and truly screwed.
Human nature being what it is, even if the WP were to come to power, we should never ever give it the same freedom to do what it wants as we did the PAP.
penyet_generation