The Workers Party has Done a Good Job in Making the PAP Work Harder

I refer to : PAP activists in opposition wards gear up for election (CNA, 16 Dec)

1. "You must remember Aljunied was not just the result for Aljunied - it was a result for the entire PAP and it was a national outcome."

Mr. Lye admitted that the PAP lost the last general elections despite forming the government. Why is the national outcome referred to by Mr. Lye not fairly expressed in numerical terms in Parliament? Probably Mr. Lye would do well to propose changes to the electoral structure. 

2. "Otherwise how do you explain very good, committed politicians and ministers not getting enough votes?"

Because the Workers' Party has good and committed candidates as well. Or in the words of Lee Hsien Loong, WP has "doers", "thinker"s and "leaders".

3. "So we must remember what Aljunied means - communication. I was really crying out for what Aljunied was expressing."

It is fatal to continue to think that the PAP's loss in 2011, 2012 and 2013 is due to miscommunication and that all else is fine. His next statement shows that He has problems communicating.

4. "The electorate is changing. We call it the 'teenager effect'. You can't speak to our children the same way we spoke to them when they were three or seven. When they are 12 or 14, the same message has to be delivered differently."

The normal state of affairs: "top-down", "talk-down". Mr. Lye unwittingly gave away his elitist mindset. The electorate are wiser than kids, children or teenagers.

5. "Mr Lye took time out from his full-time job for one-and-a-half years to focus on grassroots work, and he has already visited the over 120 blocks in his ward twice over.

There you have it. Vote WP to make the PAP work harder. 

6. He runs his own Meet-The-Residents sessions twice a month, targeting the core group of PAP supporters as well as new voters and the more challenging group of swing voters."

Can the Workers' Party do the same in East Coast GRC? No. Because the Town Council would not grant a permit for political activities. At the same time, WP would not unashamedly used a kindergarten under a community foundation to conduct such activities. Mr. Lye should be concerned to know of the unfairness inherent in all this. 

7. Mr Lye believes winning back Aljunied is not impossible: "I have faith that people will be able to look beyond the smoke and the fog, and look at why we still do what we do. If indeed we cannot win and it's tough, why am I still here? Why do we still have new young activists who say we are coming to help?

As a member of a political party, Mr. Lye should know that he has to adhere to the party's human resources deployment. The same applies to the rest of his party members. Of course, I hope the new ministers such as Mr. Lawrence Wong can take a leaf out of the stellar example of these "new young activists" and stand in Aljunied GRC. At least I hope Mr. Lye can persuade Mr. Wong to not throw "smoke and fog" in the first place. 

8. "We have had more new members since the GE and I am heartened because these are young people who say we can make a difference, and we would rather step into Aljunied than anywhere else that is currently anchored by other PAP MPs."

I hope Mr. Lye given his calibre and commitment would propose turning Aljunied GRC into five single seat wards and stand in a straight contest with the incumbent, Mr. Low Thia Khiang. Back to the point made in (1). 

9. Mr Kahar conducts house visits everyday, and market visits on weekends, and started his weekly version of Meet-The-People sessions in May.

He said the case-load has gone up about five-fold, to more than 35 each week. and he acknowledges it has been a strategic move by the party to talk about potential candidates early.

Refer to points (5) and (6). Bottomline: Vote WP to make the PAP work harder for Singaporeans. 

10. Mr Kahar added: "We must have heard this many times over right? People complaining 'oh in the last minute you send someone here, we don't even know him'. That has also come from the activists themselves.

This is rather new and disturbing. When the PAP accuses of opposition political parties appearing only when the elections are near, are they in fact referring to themselves?

11. "So I think the party is taking a new step. It is a new strategy to introduce the potential candidate early. This is so as not to surprise anybody, not to surprise the activists themselves and give time for people to bond and understand what is on one other's minds, so we can work together and also allow the residents to get acquainted with the new candidate or new person on the ground."