Politics Is A Dirty Word.

With the final lap before the US Presidential Election on 8 November 2016, there are already much mud-slinging going on.  The Wikileaks of Clinton's e-mails scandals versus sex-scandals expose of Trump.  Audiences have much to gloat about in all of these shenanigans.  Everyone is asking what is happening to this Super Power's political system.

Fox-News network (which is pro-Trump) has labelled the mainstream media such as CNN. ABC, NBC, etc. as "corrupted media" in collusion with the Clinton camp.  Words used were "cover-up", "conspiracy with the Department of Justice, the White House, FBI, etc.", "stooges", "banana republic", etc.  A quirky quote from Obama: "If I watch Fox-News, I wouldn't vote for me".

A quote from Hillary Clinton: "Politics is like sausage being made, it is unsavory and it always has been that way, but we usually end up where we need to be."  A quote from Donald Trump: "The system is rigged."  A quote from Michelle Obama about Bill Clinton's sexual indiscretion when her husband was locked in battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Presidential nomination: " If you cannot run your own home, you cannot run the country."

Politics is indeed a dirty game.  What are the lessons Singapore can learn?  Four thoughts come to my mind:

1) We must reject a "rigged system".
2) We must reject a "banana republic".
3) We must reject a "corrupted media".
4) We must reject "inappropriate collusion between Government institutions/bodies with private companies.    

Disgusting Observation: A mainstream newspaper is propagating a "personality cult worship"- this person's photos appeared in this Sunday's publication no less than 6 times in its pages.  It is worth keeping in mind ours is a Parliamentary Democracy, not a Communist country or a Dictatorship.


Note:  With immediate effect please go to my Google+ Account to see my views and comments on current issues of the day. Thanks for your many years of your visit to this blog. 

Brainwashing Moments.

(More photos - Singapore Garden Festival 2016)

Rated 154th

Our MSM juggernaut

A brainwashing machine!

Free-to-air channels

To attract eyeballs in every home

Incessant propaganda!

His rhetoric only matters

Preempt Commissions's report

Wasting everybody's time!

Every few minutes

Constant babble on TVs

Worst than communist!

EP like GRC

Mechanisms to institutionalize

Political dominance!

A Parliamentary Democracy

Bastardize and abuse

Morped to oligarchy!

A near fatal collapse

Time to step down gracefully

Forget succession plan!

First time invoke the 

Name of God, God cannot be mocked

He sees knows everything!

Empty Political Slogans.

(Above photos are for those who have missed the Singapore Garden Festival 2016 - feast your eyes on the beauty).



The American Presidential Election campaign  is now in full swing. The political leaders have imaginatively come up with their respective slogans to capture the electors' votes.  Here are some of them:

1) Make America Great Again - Donald Trump.

2) Stronger Together - Hilary Clinton.

3) Political Revolution - Bernie Sanders.

Our own political leaders have some famous slogans that are identifiable:-

1) Swiss Standard of Living - GCT - Our bottom 10% of population are still struggling with their daily living expenses, etc.

2) More Good Years - GCT - Immediately after this slogan was uttered the country went into a recession.

3) Inclusive Society -LHL - This is currently the trending slogan as the Government now wants to actively engage the disabled and disadvantaged in our society.  What about being inclusive to welcome diverse, opposing and positive viewpoints from all people of all political stripes.

4) Cheaper, Better, Faster - LSS -This simplistic slogan entrap our workers in a spiral of low wages and shrinking jobs.

Moreover these infamous quotes from our leaders will make you sick:-

1) We are our own check - GCT.

2) GST hike is to help the poor - LHL.

3) People support CPF cuts because there are no protest outside parliament - LHL.

4) Our funds are accountable to the Government.  I would not believe that transparency is everything -LHL.

5) Only rich or corrupt people work for free - VB.

Politicians are like chameleons.  They can change, twist and turn their viewpoints in an instant moment.  We citizens need to watch them whether they walk the talk or they just talk, talk and talk.................................

The Power Of Your Vote.

The Brexit has dominated the news lately.  Do you know the enormous power you have in your vote:

a) With your vote, you can tell the politicians to walk the talk and not to just talk and talk.  They need to fear and respect your vote.  You need not fear them.

b) With your vote, you can send a strong message to the elites living in glass towers not to throw stones.  Their smugness and hubris has engineered income inequality, job losses, shrinking the middle class, etc.  Glare at them if you want to discharge your anger.

c) With your vote, you can tell the big banks and businesses not to con us anymore.  Some of them need to be incarcerated for their crimes and misdeeds.

d) With your vote, you can tell the mainstream media to fly kites.  We can vote whichever way we like.  We do not want to fall into their self-serving traps and propaganda. We do not want to be brainwashed.

e) With your vote, you can say "no one is indispensable".  Prime Minister comes and Prime Minister goes.  No dynastic rule for me.

f) With your vote, you can tell the civil servants to wake up and do the proper job.  No need to look over your shoulders to get the bosses' pats.

P.S. - With such an enormous power your vote can muster, do you think Singaporeans will get to vote in a referendum on the 2 contentious issues that the nation now faces:-

1) The Elected Presidency - whether it should be an Elected or Appointed Presidency or a completely new model, etc.

2) The projected Population Target  of 10 million people.

Your guess is as good as mine.

"Trojan Horse" Moments.

An " Invisible" Party

Our Opposition Parties

Need to shadow-box!

This Monster machine

Our mainstream media/pods

To spin capture minds!

Elections time wild

To lie, twist, concoct, play tricks

Slay the dragon!

A trojan horse

Ready to spin, brainwash minds

In every home!

Newsworthy camouflage

Hidden agenda covered up

Subservient to detract!

Boycott, jettison

Stop the dissemination channels

Cut the propaganda flow!

Social media help

Expose the lies, falsehoods all

"Truths must prevail"!

Opposition rise

Lies, fictitious truths to confront

Call a spade a spade!

Rally the citizens

To shut the siren calls

And to stand steadfast!

The battles are long

Hard, treacherous, demanding

Persist to victory!

Truth Moments.

Good Politics

In words, in action repressive

Semantics of shrewd minds!

Politics Policies

One is skewed the other patronizing

Spin wins the day!

Meritocracy

The parody of Democracy

Managed, twisted, fixed!

Capitalism

Corrupted, abused, disavowed

Subsumed under Cronyism!

An ubiquitous face

On mainstream media galore

Primed for cult worship!

Trying hard on world stage

A boy in body language

A clown on parade!

It's the family tree

Not forgiving ever vengeful

It's in the genes!

A Minister

Speaking of grassroots' independence

Joke of the half century!

Honour is pure gold

Not corruptible, not fake

False facade shit!

Insinuations

Distortions, character kill

Stop such detractors!

B. Batok residents

The choice is as clear as stars

Reject the indiscretion!

Spin Moments.

Brain washing machine

Mainstream media camouflage

Minds incarcerated!

Overseas Business trips

Entourage follows to spin

Comeback spitting shit!

Spam Spam Spam and Spam

Day in day out 24/7

Will it ever stop!

Budget 2016

Surplus Deficit Balanced

NIR to play!

Spin misfired

Even daughter disagrees

"Balls carrying" expose!

Minds in captivity

Struggling in sinking mud

Wakefulness to hold!

Aristocracy over peasants

Higher mind overshadows

Beware mind programme!

A Company bleeding

Chairman blaming every one

But his performance!

Sophistry Moments.

Holding court expertly

Judge, prosecutor, defender all

Like a smart aleck!

Black is black surely

White is white definitely

Grey out of the blue!

Facts are truths

Some are half-truths in disguise

Some are twisted truths!

Information deems

As falsehoods with motives

Integrity triumphs!

Information denied

Explanation transpose

Timely news answer all!

Silence is better

Truth crying out for answer

Explanation late!

Silence pretends good

Silence unsettles the heart

No answer from silence!

The sound of silence

Good for the heart  and soul

Mind argues otherwise!

Year of the Monkey - Monkey Business.

It is the year of the Monkey and I think it is appropriate to talk of "monkey business".  Last month at the opening of the new Parliament the P.M. announced among other things he would ask Parliament to amend laws in the following areas:-

a) NCMP (Non-Constituency Member of Parliament): The provision of 9 members will be increased to 12 members in the next General Election.  These members will now have voting rights, etc. I have always viewed these MPs as pseudo-MPs - these are the losing Opposition Parties' candidates who garnered the most votes in the election. Many view the NCMP Scheme as a ploy by the ruling party to ensure "political dominance".

b) GRC (Group Representation Constituency): P.M. has said he is in favour of smaller GRCs.He did give us some smaller GRCs in the 2015 General Election. I wonder when will his 6-members AMK GRC and his deputy's 6-member Pasir Ris-Ponggol GRC be reduced in accordance with his rhetoric.  You may like to know that the following PAP candidates were elected on the coat tails of the GRC Scheme in the 2015 GE:
Mr Ong Ye Kung (Sembawang GRC) - lost in 2011 GE in Aljunied GRC; Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines GRC) - lost in 2011 GE in Hougang SMC; Koh Poh Koon (AMK GRC) - lost in Ponggol East SMC 2013 By-election. Many Opposition Parties view this scheme as one among many "to make life difficult for them" - a mantra that the ruling party is not shy to admit.  Ever wonder why after 50 years our Opposition Parties are still playing "second fiddle".  Sometimes you cringe for them for the many mountains they have to climb.  I salute them for their undaunted spirit and perseverance.

c) Elected Presidency: A Constitutional Committee has recently been appointed to review this institution.  One of the functions of the Presidency is to ensure proper custody of our reserves.As billions of dollars of our reserves have been invested here and overseas, I have a question whether our President has powers to look into how and whether  these investments are judiciously and properly made and whether accountability and liability on the part of those doing the investments are clearly spelt out, etc.

For "good politics" to prevail in Singapore we need the following:-

a) An independent Electoral Commission so that there is no accusation of gerrymandering, etc.
b) Free and non-partisan mainstream media so that every body is free to make and decide issues for himself/herself;  we should not condone communist-like propaganda, grandstanding, etc
c) Grassroots organisations and Government agencies should be open and be fair to all citizens of all shade of political beliefs/colours, etc.

My humble wish is for a more vibrant and all-embracing political culture in this our great country!.

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Chinese New Year of the Monkey Greetings!

 

Wishing one and all a Prosperous and a Blessed Year of the Monkey!