Opposition
More fractious, not stronger
After good election showing, it's become more fractious,
some leaders develop big egos, a blogger reflecting street
views.
Jan 9, 2007
2007
and opposition parties
Posted by zyberzitizen
It’s a brand new year and I was thinking about how
the year will turn out - particularly about the political
opposition in Singapore. So, here’re my thoughts on
the subject.
Mr Chiam
See Tong recently mentioned his hope that the opposition
will stay united and avoid in-fighting. I wonder if he is
specifically referring to his own SDA (Singapore Democratic
Alliance), and to the PKMS in particular. (The PKMS has
a court case pending with regards to some internal dispute
among its members.)
Mr Chiam
is quite right in that Singaporeans want to see a more united
opposition. But lately, my view is that perhaps such desire
may not be as strong as it was in the past.
The
recent GE results aside, I feel there is more of a dis-connect
between the parties - especially between the SDP and the
rest. And this has led to a somewhat nonchalant attitude
among singaporeans - vis a vis the opposition parties.
Perhaps
the feeling is that the opposition will never become united
as one single force - maybe under one single banner.
Recent
rumours of a new political opposition party being set up
adds to the feeling that the opposition is becoming more
fragmented, rather than united, as Mr Chiam hopes.
The
breakdown of the parties (as far as I know) is such:
1. The
SDP will be pre-occupied with their court cases, probably
for the whole of this year. Dr Chee Soon Juan will probably
spend some more time behind bars.
2. The
NSP has been rather quiet after Steve Chia stepped down
as sec-gen. From what I hear, I believe they are undergoing
some ‘movements’.
3. The
SDA/SPP doesn’t seem to be doing anything to further
its cause.
4. The
Workers’ Party - particularly its chairman Ms Sylvia
Lim - has been in the limelight and probably will continue
to be in the limelight this year. The party seem to be the
one which is holding steady - despite 2 of its senior members
leaving the party recently. The recent revamp of their website
may be an indication of changes afoot.
My own
view is that the NSP and the WP will be the ones making
changes internally and being more focused on the issues
this year. I believe that the NSP is or will be trying to
fill the desire among singaporeans for a more vocal opposition,
since the SDP will be spending most of its time in court.
The
WP should be more vocal as expectations of them have risen
after the elections. What would be interesting to see is
whether they can stand by their manifesto and even come
up with new alternatives to policies.
As for
Mr Chiam himself, it is really time for him to start thinking
of a successor - if he hasn’t already. But as of now,
I do not really see anyone in the SPP who can succeed him.
It is
not easy to fill the shoes of one who has been in the game
for a quarter of a century - an immense achievement by Mr
Chiam, no doubt.
Opposition
unity will come about - if it comes about at all - only
to a certain extent. I do not see the SDP being a part of
any unity. This is not because the other parties disdains
it, but more because their methods are too far removed from
those of the rest.
So,
any opposition unity will comprise the more ‘moderate’
parties - NSP, WP, SPP, PKMS even.
But
whether they come together under one banner is unimportant
to me, actually. The substance is more important than the
form. And because of this, I believe that there will be
no such unity - at least for the next 2 elections terms.
To conclude,
although singaporeans may have the desire for opposition
unity or even union, the truth is that opposition parties
are still (to a large extent, I feel) filled with people
whose egos might be bigger than their ability to put aside
differences and come together.
So,
the PAP will still be the party which will be smiling at
the end of this year - while the opposition continues to
find its footing.
http://zyberzitizen.wordpress.com/2007/01/08/2007-and-opposition-parties/
