Fellow Singaporeans, welcome and thank you for coming. I am Lee Li Lian, the candidate for Punggol East SMC. We have come to the 2nd last rally for GE2015.
With every General Election, every candidate and our volunteers from our party put in our best over the 9 days of hustings. It’s not a long period of time, but of course the work is never done just over 9 days. We prepare for years. From right after the previous election, we are out doing house visits, market or hawker outreach. We have our duties on the ground as well as in Parliament. This is not just to win an election, but to get to know you and understand your needs, and to serve you in the long-term. After the 9 days of hustling, every Singaporean will go to the polls to cast their votes. You may think that your one vote does not make a difference. Do not under-estimate the power of your vote. Do not overlook how your vote will empower your future. Tonight, I want to reiterate the power of your vote. What does voting for the Workers’ Party means, even if it is a single seat.
Better balance in Parliament
Our current situation is lop-sided. The ruling party can pass any Bills, legislation, and constitution, anything they like in Parliament despite rigorous debates. This has been proven in the population white paper. This was proven before when the government decided to legalise casinos despite the social ills and much public disagreement. Many PAP MPs spoke about the concerns they heard on the ground on the white paper and how the government should take it back to the drawing table. But none of them voted against it. There is a party whip that MPs of the same party have to abide to. When you have close to 100% of parliament from the same party, can they really represent your voice?
With your vote, you can create better balance in Parliament, and safeguard your needs.
Just in case
I learned this from a motivational speaker I once heard from and I thought he made very good sense. In life, we need a ‘just in case’ in anything we do.
Just in case plan A fails, I have plan B.
Just in case my tyre punctures, I have an additional one in the car boot.
Just in case my phone battery goes flat, I better bring my portable charger.
Just in case someone gets sick at home, I have some panadol at home.
It is the same politically.
Just in case the government does not hear me when it makes laws, I have a voice to speak up for me.
Just in case the government fails, I have another political party to depend on. This other political party cannot just spring up from nowhere, it has to be entrenched now as a credible one.
Your question might be, will the government ever fail? I do not know, you do not know, we do not know, no one knows.
The Prime Minister says this election is about finding the next leaders. Ask ourselves a simple question. If the Prime Minister steps down, can you think of who amongst the newer MPs could take his place? Are you confident about the next leader of the country?
In life, only death and taxes are certain. So don’t be complacent. We cannot assume that we will always have good governance. We have seen situations where there has been poor governance, where bills have been pushed through without regarding the people.
Don’t count on any one political party to bring us forward.
- Competition is good
I don’t think anyone will disagree with this. The concept is very simple. It’s a principle in economics – competition is good. If you are the only party in power, and you have no competition, you get complacent.
There is a lesson that many of us learn in school in Social Studies. It is the case study of Venice. Venice was a thriving city at its peak. However at some point it declined. One of the lessons for Singapore highlighted in our textbook was the concept of complacency. Leaders in Venice were complacent and relied too much on their past success. They started to care more about themselves than the people. Does this sound familiar to you?
The only way to get rid of complacency is to keep the PAP on its toes so that it doesn’t take its power for granted, so that it listens to the people and has to keep getting better in order to stay on top.
Some will argue that competition creates divides and gridlock. The WP is a constructive party. We are not here to oppose the government for the sake of it, or debate for the sake of debating. Many of us have said this many times and we have proven it in Parliament. We are here to represent YOU. We are here to bring up ideas, to ask the government to think about its policies differently, to include your voice in the conversation. This is good competition – it will only make the PAP better. Working hard to fight competition has made the WP a better party, a credible party, and one that you should put in parliament and give more votes.
Voters of Punggol East, my volunteers and I have done our best in the last 2.5 years. Conducting my MPS, weekly house visits, organizing grassroots activities with the limited resources we have, listening to you and bringing them up in Parliament be it municipal or national issues. I have tabled them down, printed it out and got it delivered to your doorstep by our trusted volunteers.
Ladies and gentlemen,
On Sep 11, your ballot paper is not just a piece of paper with a cross on it. It is a powerful piece of paper that will shape our future.
On Sep 11, look at our children, our grandchildren, we brought them into this world. It is our responsibility to help shape the country’s future.
On Sep 11, vote for our future, their future and Singapore’s future.
On Sep 11, vote for Workers’ Party, Empower your Future!
On Sep 11, Vote Workers’ Party, Empower your Future!