For Want of a Better Title

Yaw Shin Leong, WP, SDP and PAP

May 26, 2008 at 8:40 am | In But Seriously | 4 Comments

Ok. So everyone has weighed in. I only have a few things to say. Before I start allow me to say that I am not a WP supporter and definitely not a SDP supporter. If anything I would vote PAP. Also I think Yaw is right to do what he did. If you are a rabid anti-PAP type (which usually also means you’re a fanatic SDP type), then don’t read any further. Reason is not for you. Just assume I am a PAP stooge, go drink your milk, take your pills and go to bed.

There seems to be some opinion that the opposition should stick together like as if that was as natural as ducks swimming. If we are to look at our neighbor up North, whenever the opposition tries to form an alliance it has always been a shaky proposition. Eventually the DAP will get tired of PAS and leave. At the last election DAP was warning people about voting for PAS. Similarly the Lib Dems and the Conservatives are in opposition in the UK, but they do not get along. Not at all.

At the current level our opposition is at, it would be too early to talk about a parliamentary alliance. Also the WP has always been a party with a long tradition dating back to Labor. Note that when the SDA was formed, WP was invited. WP rejected the offer, at the time JBJ was still an important part of WP. The SDP and the WP represent to very different ends of the political spectrum. In my opinion the SDP occupies the liberal position, which is all about freedoms and rights. This tends to appeal to the upper middle class which has less bread and butter issues to worry about. A very principled stand. I just don’t quite like their tactics. The WP has always represented the more socialist strain of the spectrum. Generally it has always had the lower and lower middle class in mind when it goes off campaigning.

So if you were a WP supporter your next natural choice is not the SDP. It would probably be the SDA or PAP. Party members may not necessarily vote for their own parties even (that would be odd, but ballots are secret. don’t start that crap with me about it not being secret. i will beat you senseless). However I do not believe that the WP would order its members to vote for other opposition parties. And the WP might also be sore about SDP’s last minute decision to take Sembawang GRC from them. I mean they did work hard there. Think about it. In terms of work put in the WP and SDA work a lot harder in various GRCs and SMCs during the off season than the SDP. The SDP likes to have large national type protests and then travel overseas and bitch about Singapore. The WP and SDA try to cover the ground and meet people.

I personally agree with Yaw. I face the same issues. I vote for the PAP because I think they best represent me best. I do not believe in a spoilt vote. The WP is too socialist for me. The SDA is too much of a personality cult. The SDP is too radical. So that leaves me with the PAP. The least unappealing for me. My order of preference is PAP, WP, SDA and finally SDP. Until the ballot allows write in candidates, that is my choice.

So I don’t think Yaw was wrong to vote for the PAP. He does not believe in a spoilt vote. Also the SDP took Sembawang GRC away from the WP, and then proceeded to do the worst amongst all the GRC teams. Also the candidate that the SDP presented may be unacceptable for Yaw. Now if Yaw admitted he did not vote for the WP then I would argue that he should leave the party, but not voting for the SDP is totally ok by my book. He’s not a SDP member, so why does he need to vote for them?