Picture Credit: Sin Rak Sin
Let's make it clear once and for all. PAP government set up People's Association for its POLITICAL PURPOSES.
If you go back to history, it was clear that PAP government, after marginalizing its leftist leaders like Lim Chin Siong (who were all detained under ISA), decided that they should strengthen their grassroot outreach (by the English Elites of the PAP) via their own grassroot platform. Thus, People's Association was formed to combat the leftist and/or "communist" grassroot system (they have their own "communication/community centres or points" within each district and village).
This was the first major step of the English Elites of PAP led by the man who cannot be named, made with the aim of cutting down their reliance on their Chinese Elites/leftist faction within their party to mobilize the grassroot voters.
From
Wikipedia:
"According to the Central Intelligence Agency of the US government, the People's Association had its origins as a national building programme 'designed to wean pro-Communist voters away from the opposition'. Besides serving as a communication channel between the government and ruling party at the top and the people below - making way for a more responsive government - it was also intended for the PA to blur the boundaries between the government and the party, such that 'the people tended to praise the party for activities undertaken by the government'.[5]"
From the
Singapore National Library electronic resources:
" The People’s Association (PA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) that was established on 1 July 1960 through the People’s Association Ordinance.[1] [2] Officially, the PA was formed to achieve two objectives: first, to develop patriotic youth leaders who would serve the community; and second, to create a common national identity through organising and promoting community involvement in social, cultural, educational and sporting activities.[3]
Politically, the PA was created to help the People’s Action Party government develop and maintain links with the people at the grassroots level through centralised control over the community centres.[4] [5] Initially, activities organised in such centres were meant to compete with those run by left-wing unions and associations for grassroots support.[6]"
It was the most important political move the English Elites had made which anticipated or led to the eventual break-off of the leftist faction from PAP.
There is no single doubt that PA was and still is PAP's major political tool utilized to prolong its hold on power. The plain fact is that its management board is filled with PAP ministers, PAP cadre members, current and former MPs, under the leadership of the Prime Minister himself.
This is a gross abuse of power and National resources to serve PAP's own political agenda and needs. Nobody in Singapore would believe that all the grassroot organizations under PA are not related or work for PAP's political agenda.
I have volunteered in my own CCC before when I was young and I was immediately passed a form to join PAP's youth wing when I progressed to lead a small interest group within the CCC. I didn't join, of course. And I have seen with my own eyes that CCC personnel have been mobilized to help out PAP's campaign during GE! Resources have been deployed for PAP's electioneering and I wonder why PAP still have the cheek to deny such "politicization" of PA which nobody in Singapore whom understand the workings would believe!
Don't be shy, PAP. You have been abusing your power and the Nation's resources for your political benefits for more than 5 decades. Every true blue Singaporeans know that. It would be too thick skin and shameless to say otherwise.
Goh Meng Seng
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