Hindrance towards Alternatives

Most people would think that the main hindrance against the growth of Alternatives is from PAP. It is true in a sense but individuals within the Alternative camp might pose a greater hindrance to our growth.

I happen to read the following article from SFDonline and I must say, this guy Lim Khee Boon seems to write as an "insider" of Workers' Party but I have checked with the veterans, nobody seems to remember there is a member named "Lim Khee Boon".

http://www.sfdonline.org/Link%20Pages/Link%20Folders/02Ds/061102.html

Anyway, I joined the party during the post-JBJ era and I have no idea what the mini-details about the whole saga. But from some of the veterans' accounts, I do understand some of the basics going on. However, I could see there are alot of inaccuracies in the above letter to SFD online. First of all, it claims that "Hougang celebrates only Chinese festivals. Teochews get preferential treatment at the Town Council". This is an obvious inaccuracy. As far as I know, We do organize events like Deepavali and Hari Raya Malam Aidilfitri. These events are archived at

http://www.wp.org.sg/hgcc/events.htm

It is only in 2003 and 2004 that we lack manpower and we have missed Hari Raya celebrations. But Deepavali was never missed. The Town Council has never side Teochews. In fact, second to the General Manager, is a Malay lady.

Another inaccuracy is that WP leadership is unwilling to take burden of the defamation suit. JBJ, as the Chief editor of the Hammer, should shoulder higher responsibility of the suit. PAP MPs did sue WP CEC and they actually wanted to wind WP up. But due to international pressures, they have refrained from doing so. If WP is unwilling to shoulder the burden of the defamation suit, it wouldn't have reached an out of court settlement with JBJ.

This malicious letter's intent is pretty clear. Its target is aimed at Mr. Low TK. Why is that so? Who else would be interested to target Low TK if he is not a party member?

It is an open secret that agents have infiltrated the opposition political parties, Workers' Party included. We may not know who these guys are but I think their agenda is pretty clear. Knowing Mr. Low personally, I find him sincere in his approach to politics in Singapore. This is fundamentally why I joined WP. This is also the fundamental reason why many other young blood decided to take the plunge into this thankless battle.

If we look at it objectively, WP under Mr. Low has attracted far more people per year as compared to any other political parties. WP under JBJ was stagnant. Though many admire his fighter's spirit, but not many are willing to stand beside him to fight the battle. I for one, admire his fighter's spirit, but wouldn't even think of joining WP if he is still the Secretary General.

Joining opposition politics is just like doing National Service. Would you risk your life for it? Of course, there will always be risks involved but we only wish to take calculated, managable risk. We are not ready to become "heroes" unnecessarily.

The image projected by the "Opposition Fighters" has in fact put off many people from joining the alternative platform. It is impossible to have renewal process when you have projected a "sure die" image.

In alternative politics, there is a danger of being subtlely fanned by those around you. They might be agents or just plainly emotional, but they do sometimes sway opinions within the party. One will need alot of independent thoughts to hold your own ground but at the same time, be open to new ideas. It is a delicate position to take; there is just one fine invisible line in between which we must make our judgement carefully. We do not have a big margin for error.

Goh Meng Seng