the usurping babysitter

in the infamous nanny state, it appears as if a renegade babysitter is attemping to unsettle the long-serving nanny and adopt the kids.

this year's general election looks positively exciting indeed. i know i was once a cynical member of the post-1965 brigade but, with GE2006, suddenly the words "Singapore" and "politics" seem a lot more palatable on the same sentence again. finally, not only is the Opposition putting up a fight, it's putting up a rather credible one for once - a first in my lifetime, really.

i always thought it sad that we had "PAP vs. Opposition". it's rather pathetic that the competition to the ruling party is such a ragtag bunch that no single party can stand out from under the collective tag of 'Opposition'. so, finally, after 18 years of cynicism, the 'Opposition' has given me something to jolt me from my armchair.

i'm quite impressed by the Workers' Party this election. not only are they fielding the most candidates among any of the Opposition parties, they've opted to be rather cavalier and very, very gutsy. firstly, they're fielding a good number of young candidates, one as young as 24! goodness. it's very inspiring, esp considering his background and his firm stance on the casino issue. secondly, low thia khiang has challenged the PAP's "First World opposition" with the entertaining thought that "the PAP is not a First World government". kudos to you, mr low. thirdly [and this takes the hat], they're fighting for Ang Mo Kio GRC! our PM's very own ward. foolhardy, maybe, but brave, very brave. and i admire that tremendously.

i've read commentaries, both local and foreign. they tend to raise interesting and valid issues but feel more like an intentional witch-hunt of the PAP rather than a credible case for dissent in the form of another government. more freedom of speech for the arts, less 'HDB upgrading' election tactics, blahblahblah. the problem is that none of these groups have ever banded together to feasibly challenge the PAP. the sporadic, individualistic protest, perhaps, but never a full-fledged opposition. the issues often aren't big enough to warrant it anyway.

i've bought The New Democrat straight out of Dr Chee's hand too. just for the sake of reading it. that was disappointing too. a handful of reasonable points raised but by and large, a self-indulgent rant against the PAP which i could have come up with myself too. i've stopped by JBJ at City Hall once too. more ranting.

i'm glad the WP is putting up a fight this time around. it's only a pity i can't vote and that they aren't contesting my GRC. i would love to attend one of their rallies to see what it's like. i might decide that the PAP is the better choice after all, but at least i had a choice to begin with. the WP is looking increasingly credible, while not as a proper ruling party yet, but as a worthy wake-up call to the comfortable nanny. things in Singapore could just get a tad more interesting in the next few weeks, and i can't wait to see what happens :)