The headline which irked

Opposition wards to remain at the back of upgrading queue, says Mah

-Today, 7th May 2006, Page 8

Mah = Mah Bow Tan. He's the Minister of National Development so he will have a say in such things. I'm getting pissed la. How can he do things this way?

"The people of Potong Pasir and Hougang have decided they want the incumbent Members of Parliament to be around and serve in whatever ways they've done and aren't interested to have the upgrading that has been offered by the PAP MPs.

So be it. That's the decision. The voters have spoken. We must respect that decision." - Mah Bow Tan

I've been to a part of the Potong Pasir ward which is Toa Payoh. I've seen the environment there, you can put it that it's older than the Tampines estate. There are still the smell of the old lifts in the lifts (duh) and those lifts don't stop on every floor. And I see a lot of the elderly there. My late grandfather used to live in Toa Payoh Lorong 8, so I know.

Another thing is, Hougang has the highest average age among all other wards. Meaning Hougang has got a large proportion of the aged.

Morally, we will conclude that the opposition wards, Potong Pasir and Hougang need the upgrading of lifts most. But in the end it's other wards under PAP that get it, no matter whether they need it more or not! I'm rather disapointed at PAP having to make such decisions lo. I thought they ought to be more responsible. How can the overall Singaporean's needs and well-being be tied up with the votes that PAP get? This is very very unfair. They are being very narrow-minded.

"We've to stick to what we've said. Our credibility is at stake. We do believe upgrading is something we'll be able to do for everybody, including the opposition wards. But like all things where resources are limited and where we've to allocate scarce resources, we've to give the scarce resource to those places or those people who've actively supported the programmes and actively given us the mandate. That's the position we've taken consistently over the last few elections. I don't think we should change this policy so easily because it's a policy our supporters feel is fair."

I mean, it's true that since the people of Potong Pasir and Hougang still voted for the incumbents and not your party, and so you respect their decision and thus put them in least priority since it's not your ward. You have to account for the Singaporeans who supported you. It's PAP's credibility. But it's still the government's contry! Wah lao. To think that they keep saying Singapore is a First World country. The standard is dropping, really.

Ya, and by the time you wanna upgrade Potong Pasir and Hougang, it may be time for another election. Money for the government needs to be generated over time, and upgrading for so many estates also take time! How can you ensure that the two wards will get their necessary upgrading? And since you said there are scarce resources, will the wards get the lifts of the same quality as the other PAP wards? How do we know if the people in your PAP wards just want the lifts or they really need the lifts? There are limited resources but people have unlimited wants. People can just vote because they want this and that. You can just be spoiling your voters like how a parent can spoil his child.

Voting is a very dry thing to me. How do you know if swing voters actually just flipped a coin at the polling station, or drew a lot, or votes were just sympathy votes?

Even if the PAP gets to own the whole government altogether, with no opposition member at all, we also cannot say that the minister will have upgrading for Potong Pasir and Hougang first.

The PAP won its wards by only a small margin to me. 66.6% on average. SO? It's like for every three blocks of flat you have a block which did not vote for you. And that block can number to a lot! Call yourself winning the majority votes! But majority is still not good enough.

It's like they're being sour grapes and it's like, oh since you don't wanna vote for me then serve you right. How can? PAP really want too much power. They're trying to make the residents in Potong Pasir and Hougang regret that majority of them didn't vote for PAP.

I'm really very disappointed and angry that a party I quite respect as a whole can carry out such decisions. It's the government, yes. Then I'll say, oh then I'm lucky I live in Tampines, since I moved here I've been enjoying lifts on every floor. And then those people living in the incumbents' wards can just climb stairs with their wobbly legs. What sort of example is the PAP trying to be to the young Singaporeans? It's like I'm feeling bad I get to enjoy the lift stopping on every level when it's like, there are the old people and probably handicapped too who need it more! I can just climb down the steps for a few storeys every time I use the lifts, though I would not want my parents to climb up or down along too. I'm young. I am still active. But spare a thought for the people who need it more.

Yes, yes, you need to carry out your promises and live up to your reputation. If not PAP will be extinct. Yes. PAP's credibility is more important than Singaporeans.

Pissed.

And to think that Mah Bow Tan is an MP for Tampines! Where I live! Lucky I live in Tampines Changkat, it's Irene Ng that is in charge here. I need not see his face that frequently then. I don't want him to be knocking at my door. I'll say, 'Mum and Sir are not at home!'

Or I'll talk to him about this issue.