Landslide Win For PAP

I am always been on the side of ruling party since the day I am allowed to vote.  PAP has been too domineering and in the early years, I can still remember when election was called, they were immediately returned to power as more than half of the seats were not contested by opposition parties.  It happened not once but I think at least twice.  Lives were much simpler then.  People were content with a roof over their head and enough to eat.  Without a hinterland after gaining full independence, the government under LKY were focused on making sure the 'needs' of the people more than the 'wants' were met.  We were a rapidly growing economy. We were named the 'Four Little Dragons' of Asia, an accolade we shared with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.

Lives are so much better now than before though we complain about high cost of living here.  Our people are better educated now and have travelled to many places.  Then, we were mostly relying on mainstream media to be kept informed of current affairs but news can be embargoed, rightly or wrongly.  With social media in present times, we receive uncensored news almost instantly.  The word, 'embargo' has become passe now.  In a short span of five decades, we have become an affluent society.  Those who are unable to keep pace have unfortunately fallen behind and they need help of sorts from the private and public sectors to get by.  We are not a welfare society like many Western countries where big handouts are given and medical is almost free.  We cannot afford to do so though some insist we can because we have accumulated huge reserves over the years. We have to be prudent and be always ready if a recession were to hit us time and again.  This is what a responsible government should do.  

Sometimes, I do relish on the slower pace of lives then, cost of living was so much lower and I must admit, we worry lesser.  Had we remained stagnant in growth, can we, a small dot on the world map survive on own while the rest of the world continue to evolve?  Like it or not, we have to progress and not just progress but to punch above our weight if we want to stay ahead of competition.  Nobody is going to take pity on us if we fail.  We may even end up seeking refuge elsewhere had the government of the day failed to deliver. Fortunately for us, they did not disappoint - give credit when due.

PAP has been so domineering that many felt they are not listening to valued feedback from the ground.  This proved to be their Achilles heel and perhaps, it was so.  The election in 2011 did send a warning sign to them when Aljunied GRC was lost and their win majority dipped too. Some may say government are more receptive to feedback and it is all thanks to the opposition - I agree somewhat.

The political landscape has changed.  The expectations of people in the past and now differ greatly. People are not content living in HDB, they yearn to live in condo or landed properties if they can afford to.  Even HDB has to transform.   Some HDB flats look almost like condo.  I have to say I do not envy the present government.  They have to work really hard to appease the wants of many. Failing which, they will be blamed for the slightest of mistake or oversight.  Yes, we are complaining more something some may not agree with me.  Singapore is seen like a well-oiled machinery that cannot breakdown.  Fact of the matter is machine does break down sometimes.  We are not perfect, can never be.  We are still a work-in-progress.

When PM called for election this year, I do fear the worst.  I do fear freak result may see PAP not in power.  We need to have stability in our government to give assurance and confidence to overseas investors.  We need that or we will sink.  General consensus wanted PAP to remain in power but at the same time, wanted more opposition in.  However, nobody can control which ward will go where and then decide how many seats to be distributed between PAP and opposition parties.  A freak result may be possible, however remote it may be.

When the final result was revealed, I am happy that PAP has regained some lost ground.  A 69.9% win is simply too good to be true and on this note, I can conclude majority of Singaporeans still want PAP to be in power - a sensible decision indeed.  I hope to give one message to PAP.  Be humble, continue to listen to the people and work to bring stability and progress to our country going forward. Majulah Singapura!