Party news!

In the Workers’ Party

So no one wants the job of managing agent. The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East town council put out a tender and there are no takers. Actually, it’s no surprise. Brave is the firm which takes on a job that will be scrutinised left and right by nosey parkers and politicians. I wonder which firms now run the People’s Action Party town councils – only Bishan-Toa Payoh is self-run. Why won’t anyone do the job? Well, if everything in the town council’s finances have yet to be cleared up, you’d be wary of bidding for the contract too. (Again, what’s taking the Auditor-General so long?!) As for established firms, there’s the worry that doing the job for the opposition party  would jeopardise any renewal of its contract with the PAP town councils. In any case, what does the Town Council Act say in the event that no one wants the job, despite repeated tenders? I suppose the Workers’ Party would have to cajole some established firm, or ask a new, nothing-to-lose firm, or ask its own partisans to form a company to do so. If the last happened, as it was with FM Solutions and its partisans, then it might open itself to charges of partisanship. I suppose the party would have to do the job itself. Maybe it should go ask the Bishan-Toa Payoh MPs for some pointers….or maybe not.

In the People’s Action Party

There’s a lot of fuss in the ST about the election of its Central Executive Committee tomorrow although I am not sure why. A short list is put up and there will be a vote for 12 members, after which the rest or most of them will be co-opted. Political observers will be reading closely to see who got elected and who got co-opted, as an indication of the person’s standing in the party ranks. But beyond that, what else? There’s no way the PAP will say who got the most votes or the least. As for who becomes office-bearers, that’s all done within the CEC itself. All very hush-hush but then again, people will see who got what post. The G might want to be transparent but the PAP certainly isn’t. Not that it has to since it is, after all, a political party which reports to its members. Sometimes though, I think of all the “leaks’’ coming out of other parties and making it into the public eye – the dissent ecetera – and I wonder if the media will go digging around the PAP like they do for the others. Actually, the PAP seems to be a pretty disciplined party, unlike other political parties which have ex- or current disgruntled members resorting to social media to grumble. Anyway, let’s see what happens tomorrow. It’s not likely to be like the UMNO general assembly that’s for sure!

In the Singapore Democratic Party

On Jan 10, the SDP will unveil its vision and direction for Singapore, its strategy and campaign activities. It’s starting early because it thinks the polls will be held by the end of next year or early 2016. Now…this is interesting! I’d love to see what it has to offer. Will it be a PAP-lite? Nah, that sounds like the WP. Will it want to overthrow the G or would it be happy to be a check and balance in Parliament? Is it think of forging an alliance with Singapore First party which is helmed by an ex-SDP member and erstwhile Presidential candidate? It has worked on several papers, on healthcare ecetera. I would love to see what it says about the coming changes to the CPF and Medishield Life as party of its strategy or vision. SDP is usually portrayed as more “western’’ oriented and liberal and, as G’s representative in Hong Kong said, “pandering’’ to western media. I wonder how it will respond to these recent charges of dishonestly portraying Singapore in the Wall Street Journal. Actually, I just want to know if it has a catchy slogan….