Instead of engaging with voters’ intelligence by presenting policy proposals for consideration, the PAP prefers to go with the politics of kiasuism. ‘Kiasu’ is a Singapore colloquialism for being afraid to lose out.
The PAP has been busy rolling out — with the mainstream media beating the drum for them — glitzy plans for “upgrading” whole constituencies.
Such threats of "PAP=beautiful town, Opposition=slum" are very effective in dissuading most voters from voting for the opposition.
Holland-Bukit Timah will get a new food market, a few neighbourhood parks and a new metro line — never mind that this metro line was announced years ago and is already under construction. To drive the point home that this constituency will be “beautiful” , the current PAP members of parliament organised a photo op wherein they held up toy watering cans to water what looks like plastic sunflowers.
Similarly grand-sounding plans have also been announced for Aljunied, Jurong and elsewhere, with the less-than-subtle hint that if voters do not return PAP candidates to parliament, they can kiss all these “brilliant” ideas good-bye. I’m curious though: What are they going to do with the metro line if Holland-Bukit Timah falls to the opposition — stop work and the leave giant holes in the ground?
But such a tactic is a blatant and cynical manipulation of the civil service, which properly should serve the people independently of the political masters of the moment.
It is so morally indefensible, and so outrages most people's sense of a fair fight, that it tarnishes the image of PAP irreparably.
If PAP is really appealing to the people on its track record, it should cease such blatant dangling of upgrading carrots, and focus on national issues.
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