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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
One Of The Stories With A Pre-political Party
The LINK to this interview.
March 17, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Voices of the People
Shin Min Interview - General Election
By Tan Kin Lian, 16 March 2009
1. Do you intend to contest in the next election?
I have not yet decided on this matter. I have several business and personal commitments at this time. I have to set them aside or re-organize my priorities, if I wish to be active in politics. My family is quite reluctant to see me involved in politics, especially in opposition to the ruling party.
Many people still think in terms of support or opposition to the current government, but I prefer to see the involvement as providing an alternative set of policies and approaches.
I have carried out several surveys in my blog, www.tankinlian.blogspot.com. The views of several hundred respondents is quite clear. They like to see the following:
a) More active debate of policies in Parliament
b) Members of Parliament to represent and voice the views of the people who elect them
c) The Government to listen more to the people
d) Policies that give a better balance between the welfare of people and the interest of business
e) Lower cost of living
f) More members from alternative parties in Parliament
About 90 percent of the respondents said that they would vote for candidates from alternative parties, if these candidates are credible.
They like to see candidates that are fairly well educated and capable. However, they also prefer candidates to be close to the ground, able to relate to the people and to understand the needs of the people. They do not like to have MPs that behave like elites and are not accountable to the people.
Many alternative political parties have approached me to join them. If I do decide to be active in politics, I hope that my involvement will encourage other capable people to step forward. This will give a better choice of candidates for the people to choose.
2. If yes, what is your preliminary plan on this? Would you contest as an independent candidate? If you are not contesting as an independent, which opposition party would you consider to join? And what is your reason for choosing the particular party?
If I decide to take part in the general election, it will probably be as a member of a political party rather than an independent candidate.There are many things to take care of in contesting an election. A political party, with the experience, is useful for this purpose.
I will probably be part of a team to contest in a GRC (group representative constituency). I have not yet decided on the party to join. I will keep this open for a while. Even my participation is not yet decided
I am in contact with the leaders of a few political parties. I get to know them personally as friends. I will encourage them to work together and eventually, to merge into a larger party. They have to learn how to work together in a team and attract more people to join their party.
It is important for the political parties to be able to communicate to the people about their vision, manifesto and values. They should be able to give hope to the people about how they can make life better for them with alternative social and economic policies. They should communicate actively and regularly with the people using the traditional channels and the new media, such as the internet, you-tube and the blogs.
I encourage strategies and policies to be built on the values of honesty, fairness, public interest and courage. Other important values are freedom and democracy. I hope to play a role in creating a greater awareness of the importance of these values in building a better society in Singapore.
In the past, many people are proud to be Singaporeans. This sense of pride has diminished in recent years. We need to rebuild the sense of identity and cohesion among the people of Singapore. They should feel that Singapore belongs to them, and not to the elites and foreign talents.
3. What is your opinions on the political scene locally? Do you foresee the next election will be held in a closer timeframe?
I believe that the general election will be held later this year or early next year.
4. Even if you may not contest in the next election, you have become popular with all the rallies, educational talks and your open interaction with the govt. Do you foresee yourself to land your feet back in the political ground again?
My main interest is to educate the public about their rights and responsibilities as citizens and the part that they have to play to build a better society.
I hope that Singaporeans can embrace the values of honesty, fairness, public interest and courage. I want to encourage Singaporeans to be considerate about the interest of others, and not focused only on their self interest. We need to build a society that is fairer, especially to the lower income and less educated people. They deserve to have a more adequate wage to meet the high cost of living in Singapore. We should do our best to reduce the cost of living in Singapore by reducing taxes and wastefulness.
We need to have a minimum wage policy, so that the weaker workers are not exploited by the free market. We also need to have some financial protection for people who lose their jobs due to factors beyond their control. This can take the form of unemployment insurance, a relief loan for unemployed people, or early partial withdrawal from the Central Provident Fund.
Even if I do not contest in the general election, I will be quite active in my educational efforts. I hope that some of these alternative policies and ideas can be discussed and, if suitable, be adopted for the benefit of the people.
We also have to listen to the people. We should find out what they really want, and help them to achieve their goals. Singaporeans are realistic people. They know that they have to work hard to get a better future. They only ask their leaders to listen to them and to let them have a voice. They are not lazy or irresponsible people. I hope that we can find the way to listen to their views and get better solutions for the benefit of the people.
Tan Kin Lian
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