Let it be as you have said...

My previous guess was incorrect... but this new election date was also quite perfectly timed just after 1st May - Labour day and Hong Bao day. Have you ever wondered why is the Hong Bao available to those who are at least 21 years old? What about the 18, 19, 20 years old teenagers who had started working and hence contributing to country economically in 2005? Unfair, right? Blame it on this being the election year lah.

I was damn proud of pleased with the opposition alternative parties when they MOUNT the first serious challenge to the ruling party by contesting in 47 seats on the Nomination day. Credit should also be given to the ruling party election department for making minimum changes to the boundaries - electoral division. The opposition alternative parties are much better prepared this time round. They even managed to come together to discuss and finalized each party interests in which areas to avoid 3-corner fights and hence maximizing the opposition alternative resources. I am glad that they have denied the ruling party returning to power on nomination day.

There are many new faces for this election, with the ruling party introducing the new faces earlier (cos they know roughly when the election will be called) and the opposition alternative parties electing to intro their new candidates after the announcement of the Nomination day. I have nothing to say about the ruling party candidates, as usually they are high-ranking military generals, doctors and lawyers with impressive CV to show to the public. But the fact that opposition alternative parties are able to recruit more educated and younger candidates (and some hot chicks too) and convinced them to run against the ruling party is very encouraging.

Although 1 report I read in the news really emphasize the difficulties and hardships that a person will face if he/she decide to join the opposition alternative parties. There was this man at the age of 30 plus whom last minute withdrew from being one of the opposition alternative team candidates to contest against the ruling party in one area. He was reported (by their Chief) to be in eyes swollen with tears when he explained his reasons for withdrawing. The reasons were that his 67 or 69 years old mother has strongly disagreed to him standing as an opposition alternative party candidate and his family and relatives have also advised him not to join the opposition alternative party as it may affect his brother-in-law "career advancement". Very sad hor... but is this the true situation here?

One other thing about this election is that many high profile candidates in the ruling party have being using analogy in their speeches. Like the one who choose to warn his voters about the consequences of choosing the wrong candidate. He said in Mandarin that choosing a candidate is likening to choosing a DURIAN. If the voters chose the DURIAN that is spoilt, he/she will have to throw away that DURIAN. So they must chose the Good DURIAN. Up till now I still cannot understand what is the connection between choosing a durian and voting for an MP...

Then recently we have the minorities certificate saga that was running the newspaper for many days. One opposition alternative candidate took a minorities certificate application form but forget to submit it and then proceed to question the election department for mishandling his form when he did not received his minorities certificate. Apparently, the ruling party took big issue with this mistake of his and questions this opposition alternative candidate's INTEGRITY to stand as a candidate. The election department also very eagerly offered their version of the story, completed with a full detailed telephoned conversion between them and the opposition alternative candidates plus the video evidence that he took the form and kept it inside his briefcase failing to submit it.

And the media has been using the video many many many times (almost everyday) when the ruling party's candidates took turn to question the opposition alternative candidates silence over this matter. And even when the opposition alternative candidate has openly apologized at their rally, the ruling party still insist that the chief of the party answered to the public for that mistake - even to the point of hinting that the opposition alternative candidate be sacked and withdrawn from standing as a candidate. And this is the first time I heard that it is perfectly ok to run a 4-men team against a 5-men team in a 5-candidates GRC!!!

I think I remembered that I once read in the news that there was a drawer minister from the ruling party, who was once caught leaking some high class information out and he was charged and fine some money, shipped out of that organization for a few years then rejoined back after that. Correct me if I am wrong, please.

And of course, there must be another smart alex ruling party candidate to voice out at this saga with ANOTHER analogy - stealing getting caught taking a BIG item, putting it in the bag and walk out of a supermarket. Can someone please tell this fellow the differences between stealing and forgetting to submit a form that was given freely to anyone who asked for it? Why can't he say that it is liken to a student who forgets to submit his answer papers during his exam and later questioned the school when he found out he was awarded zero marks in that paper?

Several tactics by the opposition alternative parties were quite naive as well. Touting as a 24/7 MP is one thing but to the extend of offering instant access to either 1 of the 5 MPs 24/7 via a mobile phone number is suicidal. You will be bombed with nuisance calls 86400/1440/24/7 loh. The call for Economic union with our neighbour was also not the cleverest thing to do. As rightly disputed, we can't even build a bridge together, how to talk about economic union?

Where have all the eloquent speakers of the ruling party gone to? All retired? Till now, most that I have read and hear from the newspaper and tv is poor speeches completed with irrelevant analogies. The PM is one that makes excellent speeches - especially the National Rally last year, it was an excellent speech. The rest of his members simply cannot make it. As for the opposition alternative parties, the new lady chairwoman seems to be struggling when she was reading out her speech in mandarin. I give her poor marks for that. However, judging from the reactions of people who attended the opposition alternative rally, the opposition alternative parties have much better speakers who make an effort to connect with the people. BUT whether they can be better MPs remain to be seen, that is, provided that they are elected as MPs.

I noticed that many candidates of the ruling party are getting more arrogant, especially in the way they denounce and criticized the opposition alternative parties. It seems even more arrogant when those newly joined candidates jump in to criticize the other parties’ candidates. I thought they should be working to prove themselves in their sincerity and willingness to serve the residents first before they can criticize another person? If the ruling party is serious about the integrity and character of the opposition alternative candidates, why not used the same trick policy deployed in the Presidential Election where all candidates were screened through by a high-level committee before they were give a COE - Certificate of Eligibility...

I thought they should appeal to the voters through sincerity? I just hope that they will stop nitpicking on each other and start to show to us the voters that they really have our welfare in mind when they choose to stand as candidates for election.