It's been a long and exciting day for me.

Went out with pauline, subby, jo, issac and ben for dinner. Great food, great company. Headed over to pauline's house to watch the tv show of the year - GE2011 results.

Even though I'm not from Aljunied or Hougang, I felt really happy for the opposition for winning the constituencies. Aljunied was a rather shaky win, but that was understandable given that GY was contesting too. If I were from that constituency it would really be hard for me to make a decision.

Many people have lamented the loss of GY as a foreign minister, with some even saying that Singaporeans are not using their brains, and wasting talented people just because they want "change". As much as I agree with them on the loss, I find it insanely stupid to make such comments.

Are Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang not people deserving of a seat in parliament? Have their talents gone unrecognised? If GY managed to get into parliament, would you have lamented for the loss of these 2 people? I think back to the very moment when SL, as an NMP, made a speech opposing the salary hike of ministers which I thought was a very fair and just opposition, and brilliantly spoken. Although LTK is not my MP, he has impressed me with how he really tries to speak up and fight for his own constituency. To a certain extent, this win for WP is not a "trendy" phenomenon as some people may think. I do not think that to vote for LTK and SL over GY is a stupid thing to do, nor does it signify ruin for the country, because they are people who are equally deserving of that seat in parliament.

People may say that Aljunied voters are not seeing the big picture. Yes I agree, losing a capable foreign minister is a heavy loss for Singapore. But gaining 2 more capable ministers in the parliament of my country, that actively fight for the local populace on bread and butter issues is so much more, especially in a crucial situation that Singapore is in right now. (foreign influx, problems in transport, income gap) If we are not going to elect people to address these pressing concerns, then we are not seeing the internal "big picture" too.

I am not saying that I am anti-PAP. I respect the party for what they have done, and for that I support them too. There are several MPs from the PAP who also rightfully deserve a seat, like Dr Lily Neo and I'm glad that they have won and will continue to serve in parliament. I support GY, I support LTK and SL, but it's not like Aljunied voters have a choice to keep everyone when they are all contesting each other right? Already, this is reflected in the close % of votes - that people do want to have all 3 of them into parliament. So stop the needless flaming. It is sad to see GY go, but I believe if there's a will, there's a way. He will definitely continue to serve Singapore even from the sidelines, just as how opposition candidates have continued to actively campaign despite defeat.

If Singapore is a truly meritocratic society, GY would not have been a sacrificial lamb in this year's elections. Don't give the voters a hard time if you truly mean well for us, for Singapore's progress, because you jolly well know who the capable people are and everyone is aware. That's all I want to say.

Labels: thoughts

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