0605'11

hello guys ! (:

it's cooling off day . so i guess i'm not supposed to be typing this now ? so i guess i won't be posting this until tomorrow at 12midnight [ the super exciting polling day 2011 ! ] i mean , i know that my blog isn't popular and all and no one from any government agencies / opposition parties or what ever would find it and read it and deem it as breaking the law but it's better to be safe than sorry .

right , i know that i have been putting back a post of the election cos i have been really busy these days . but i can't miss out on one of the hottest local topics of 2011 , can i ? if i miss it , then i'll have to wait for another 5 more years . and that would suck . big time .

based on the above picture , taken from a tumblr which i'd like to credit , you can tell that this post is going to be largely pro-pap . but that doesn't mean that it's going to be some propaganda crap . it's my own personal point of view :D yes , a fourteen year old who can't even vote . this is her point of view so there's no need to take it seriously or take offence alright (:

The Singapore General Election 2011 is one that decides many things . This year , it is the election in which the most number of constituencies get contested in - yes , if you have been following the news or just listening to the local chitchat - all constituencies are contested apart from the not so surprising walkover of the Tanjong Pagar ward led by our Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew . It is not astonishing as no opposition party would want to take the risk of losing their deposit or having to stand against this powerful man . However , the various other constituencies are all contested by fairly competent opposition parties . 2011 is also a year where the oppositions have made the decision to contest in the Group Representation Constituencies , otherwise known as GRC in short , so as to take a step closer to their dreams of having a democratic government governing this small island . Both opposition MPs , the Worker's Party's Low Thia Khiang , incumbent MP of Hougang & the Singapore People's Party Chiam See Tong , incumbent MP of Potong Pasir have left their Single Member Constituencies which they have been in for at least 20 years each , to contest in Aljunied and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC respectively . Is this a right thing to do ? Not in my opinion . Before I move on to the topic of the most hotly contested seats , let me first touch on my GRC .

I live in Serangoon North , a part of Ang Mo Kio GRC , which is led by our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong . Most of us expected a walkover , but the Reform Party showed up at the Nomination Centre on Nomination Day , resulting in trucks with attached loudspeakers blasting pro-PAP messages going round my house these few days . We know who would win this seat , it's fairly obvious . Even if PM Lee was not the one leading the Ang Mo Kio team , I doubt we would have fallen into the opposition's hands anyway . Just look at the candidates from the Reform Party . I know , I'm not in a position to comment on all these affairs but the team has three candidates below the age of 30 years which is fairly young and therefore less experienced . Their professions are not comparable to that of the PAP's either - we have a pre-school teacher , a film maker - I'm sorry but are these the qualities that a politician would have ? One of its candidates is also on loan from the Singapore People's Party . Isn't this kind of weird ? It goes to show the the Reform Party is not prepared . Due to the lack of funding or other various reasons , I did not manage to see any of the RP posters put up , except for a rare one or two in the busier areas of Ang Mo Kio . If I did not read the news or surf the web , I might not even realize that my GRC is actually being contested .

My ignorance of not knowing if my GRC is contested or not is not entirely the opposition party's fault due to lack of election posters . Apart from putting up posters and having blasting trucks , the PAP in my GRC did not do much reaching out to residents or perhaps it's just my area . This year , our incumbent MP , Mr . Wee Siew Kim has stepped down to give way to new talent . Since she's new , I suppose that she should be doing more of an outreach to the people living here and to get to know us but I do not see that coming . There is no door-to-door visits , or at least not at my block and I do not quite notice her at grassroots events for the past year or so . I might be speaking unfairly as I do not see the full picture but i feel that this is quite unacceptable as she would obviously become our MP due to the Prime Minister leading our team but most of us do not know her at all . This is one of the bad points of the GRC system . It's creating chaos as not everyone in a particular team is favourable but they are all clumped together and this might affect the outcome of the votes to not be that accurate or to the public's preference .

However the rationale behind having the GRC system is also thoroughly valid - to include good minority candidates into the candidates fielded so as to mantain an equal balance and to get a more diversified range of people to cater to needs like what our Foreign Minister George Yeo said that the women in his team is able to relate more to the worries of the women residents etc . I guess we cannot always have a win-win situation in everything .

Speaking of incumbent MP of Aljunied , Minister George Yeo , his hotly contested Aljunied ward is quite worrying . Worker's Party Low Thia Khiang , together with his "A-team" , including the WP's chairman Sylvia Lim is creating quite a buzz by contesting there . The reason why this constituency is put under so much media attention is due to the risks involved . If the PAP loses , Mr . Yeo would lose his MP post , together with his minister post and point is that he is doing very well as Singapore's Foreign Minister , maintaining our good ties with the leaders over the world . If the WP loses , Mr . Low would lose his MP post and previously he announced that he would not take up a non-constituency member of parliament [NCMP] post , and this would mean that the opposition parties might stand a very low chance in projecting their voices in the parliament which would not be beneficial either .

I believe that both teams are equally capable but in terms of sincerity and track record , our Foreign Minister is leading in that aspect . Simply look at how he is able to connect with the younger Singaporeans - he maintains his own Facebook account , something which most politicians don't do , especially the older generation . He shot a video of himself reaching out to them due to requests and suggestions by these young people . At the Aljunied GRC rally held at Ubi on May 5 , he said that he first read from a script but after that he felt that something wasn't right , so he just said everything impromptu . Though fluency is somewhat lacking with his pauses , it just goes to show that everything is from his heart , it's truly from him , what he says is truly what he means . I watched all his rally speeches , not live , but on youtube and I am simply blown away by how he manages to capture the audience's hearts . Unlike many candidates , including those of the PAP , he does not have a script and he presents what he has sincerely . This is what makes him stand out from the other candidates . This is what make him deserve to win this election , together with his team . The first part of the speech he delivered yesterday is truly emotional and heartwarming , it's really touching and there's no reason not to vote for him . Just watch it .

The Worker's Party , however has a great team , I must admit and their strengths would be to draw the crowds .

Really . Just look at the crowds to their rallies . This might be both a good or bad sign from their context . Large crowds might mean that they have many supporters but it might also mean that they are many people that are still unsure of the WP's plans and manifesto and are therefore concerned and interested to know what would their fate be like if their constituency would be taken over by one of an opposition party . All in all , Aljunied is a hot seat and I cannot wait for the results tomorrow / the day after . If George Yeo were to lose , I think I would cry .

Moving on to Mr . Chiam See Tong , I do not know much of Potong Pasir and Bishan-Toa Payoh as I do not live very near that area but Mr. Chiam is quite an old man and though very experienced , he has several illnesses ailing him and I'm not sure if the residents of Bishan-Toa Payoh are willing to accept an MP not of tip-top condition . As for Potong Pasir which is now contested for by his wife , Mrs Lina Chiam , the chances are probably 50-50 since Mr. Chiam has left and the chances might not be as high as that of the previous years .

Mr. Low Thia Khiang left Hougang and in my opinion this has created an opportunity for PAP to take over Hougang . The capabilities of the PAP candidate , Mr. Desmond Choo is shining through and through . WP has often complained of the lack of funding which results in the Hougang estate not as shiny looking as their neighbouring PAP-managed estates . However Mr. Choo actually raised money on his own accord just to help the residents there . It's must of a big amount but it goes to show his earnestness to serve the residents there . Perhaps it's time for Hougang to undergo a transformation for the better .

Now , I would not touch on the individual constituencies that have caught my attention anymore . Moving on to one of the PAP's tactic of gerrymandering . I would like to question them , why are there so many new constituencies carved out suddenly ? I presume that this is a tactic that PAP uses to spread & separate the opposition party supporters in order for the PAP so stand a better chance in winning the election . I heard that it's illegal in various other countries by why didn't anyone raise this matter up ? You mean no one has noticed it ? Even though I'm pro-PAP , i do not agree to such underhand means as well .

Two hours ago , I watched the political party broadcast aired on Mediacorp's Channel 5 . The speech that the representatives of each party is very crucial in this short few minutes which is the only form of promotion the parties were allowed to do on cooling day itself . Some of the broadcasts came across to me as plain awkward while some were strong and made their stand clear .

I have a lot more to touch on about this year's General Election but am going to end here after having spent more than two hours typing this out . Thank you and please take no offence in any of my word I have written up there .

yay haha im done writing my 1889 word political essay , not that it's of any substance anyway . ! ;D

on a lighter & more personal note , i have just changed my braces colour to yellow , to complement sports fest at the end of this month if i'm not wrong . i love visiting the dentist :DD

ohoh and my day was quite horrid with constant cramps ):

so yeah .

ALRIGHT IT'S 12.02 OF MAY THE 7TH - POLLING DAY . meaning it's not cooling day so i guess i'm allowed to post this post ? ;D

love ,

liyinnnnnnn .

P/S: OHMYGOSH MR . GEORGE YEO REPLIED TO ME ! i personal messaged him through facebook to his personal account like wishing him good luck and all and he actually read it and said thankyou :DDDD