The consensus on the ground is that there was hardly any change to the electoral boundaries and thus the PAP could not be accused of election gerrymandering. IMHO there was, tho not so clearly on the electoral boundaries.
Looking closely at the changes it’s quite clear on the surface that not much was done to change the electoral boundaries. The two big changes were the removal of Drs Wong’s and Tan’s wards (to be consumed by GRCs) and the creation of 2 new wards to replace the “lost” SMCs.
Now that the media dust has settled it’s alot easier to peek at the manoeuvres mades by the PAP. The first thought that crossed my mind was how the consensus was reached that not much was changed. Haven’t the people forgotten that the big changes were made in 2001, that’s why nothing much needed to be done this round? It’s like being slapped a million times; the millionth and one slap, really is nothing much eh? In one of PAPs ad nauseum adages, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
The Holland-Bukit Panjang electoral map drawn by ST drew an incredulous grin on my face. The first image that popped in my head was “Israel surrounded by Arabs”. SMCs can draw from the firepower of the GRC eh? Truly… Maybe it’s not new that candidates seek help from other constituencies, but I’d appreciate it if you kept it subtle.
PM Lee “threw the gauntlet” at the opposition to contest all 84 seats. This remark drew an incredulous guffaw! In one fell stroke the PAP made the populace believe that not being able to vote was the opposition’s fault! Hey, if you can’t vote, it’s the opposition’s fault for not fielding enough competent candidates!
The fact that the populace has swallowed all the stories wholesale, shows that the PAP has truly succeeded in gerrymandering the hearts and minds of the people (well, 70% at least). With that, they could “lie, cheat and steal” all they want and they’d still win.
Ok, enough PAP-bashing. Now the opposition party. The news of UncleYap being booted was tres hilarious. Guys, the meeting of parties to mutually agree on avoiding 3-way fights is a good start, but really, if you had the people’s good at heart, then get off your asses and start thinking about forming a single opposition party, for fracks sake!
If you’re willing to sit down and talk about avoiding 3-way fights, and deferring to the “seniors”, why not form a single party? Is it for the sake of power? Everyone wants to be leader eh? I say, form a single party, call for party elections to vote in the key people (Chiam for chairman!) and contest the elections properly! If not, the opposition party will forever remain perfunctory and a sideshow to PAP’s circus.
