PAP disadvantages itself

In the coming election, PAP has been stressing about voting for the right candidates to represent their constituencies. However, I feel that it is a rather strange proposition coming from the party as the systems it has created seem to have forced the voters to choose political parties over candidates. It's like they have shot themselves in the foot.

Firstly, the GRC system. I want to vote for a candidate that I like. He or she may come from any party but it should not be an influencing factor. However, if he/she is contesting in a GRC, I am forced to look at his/her team members. What if I really dislike most of the other members? Do I still vote for him/her or should I sacrifice him/her? My feel is that the people will turn their attention and look at the party they are representing, thus overlooking the characters the candidates have. This knock-on effect may just be PAP's undoing if the people decide to put any mistakes the party may have done on the candidates' accounts.

Secondly, the requirement that PAP members have to vote along party lines in bills tabled in the parliament. This caused the MPs to lose their representativeness of their voters, unable to voice the concerns their voters may have and act in their best interests or promises. Again, the people no longer see their MPs as individuals but mouthpieces for the party and government. This will make subsequent elections more difficult for the candidates, especially the newer ones.

Our 四大天王 + Our 歌神 in NDP2015

Courtesy of 154thmedia Entertainment

(Click CC to enable lyrics~ ♪)

Stephanie Sun: We Will Get There; One United People

Corrinne May: Song for Singapore

JJ Lin 林俊杰: Our Singapore

Kit Chan 陈洁仪: Home

NDP 2015 Theme Song: Our Singapore (Live Performance by Dick Lee)

Courtesy of NDPeeps

Make public transport operators to be non-profit organisations

After the worst MRT breakdown in Singapore's history, I actually started a petition to the LTA to make public transport operators become non-profit organisations to serve the masses. You can sign the petition here. Below is the details of the petition:

"Granted that the North-South and East-West lines are in use for more than 20 years, train faults are bound to happen now and then. However, the frequency of the recent faults and delays happening is not acceptable. The scales of the incidents are also increasing with the most recent one affecting almost the whole of Singapore.

SMRT, being the operator of both lines, needs to be answerable to the consumers paying increasing fares, and taxpayers if government subsidies are granted. It should not be answering to shareholders or investors, which is the nature of a corporation earning profits that it is now. LTA, being the authority to look after our transportation needs, should not be able to only penalise the operators with just fines.

I think the LTA should dictate and monitor the operators in upgrading the infrastructure and increasing manpower for maintenance. This is possible when the operators are non-profit organisations. They will not have to maximise profits to pay dividends to shareholders or investors. Instead of paying high salaries and big bonuses to executives and managers, they will need to reinvest the revenue on upgrading and recruitment as well as rewarding the ground or frontline staff.

When it comes to public systems, corporatisation and privatisation is not the answer nor the way forward. If the employees of the public transport operators claim ownership or has a stake in the organisations, and that everyone share the benefits more or less at the same level, there will not be a need to have a complex structure/hierarchy and productivity can increase without substantial increase in costs."

［经典］周治平～青梅竹馬