TR EMERITUS

I refer to CNA’s news, “GE2025: Why Singapore's high-flying bureaucrats are recruited into politics” (Mar 28).

It is not surprised to notice that in recent weeks, two NMPs and top ministry officials have resigned, fuelling speculation they could be fielded as potential candidates for the ruling People's Action Party in the 2025 General Election. As, this has been interpreted as PAP’s traditional method.

As everyone knows, PAP can easily enlist able men from its machinery resources, which is against the opposition’s lacking of ability to do it. This has been clearly demonstrated in the Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: “The superior will defeat the inferior: choose the right person and take the right position”.

However, the way PAP selects and deploys capable and distinguished civil servants at its disposal is to an extent perceived by voters as unfair, unjustifiable, disrespectful and lacking certain degree of transparency and integrity.

Anyway, these top civil servants are perceived as the initiators and planners (mastermind) of the government’s policies, so, this recruitment method could work both ways because if some policies are not overwhelmingly accepted by the general public, then it could be a double-edged sword.

The only thing the opposition camp can do now is to adopt the following strategy：“To overcome success with failure: avoid its sharp edge and defeat its laziness“ (Sun Tzu’s Art of War). For examples, Dr Chee Soon Juan is switching to Sembawang West SMC, Red Dot will send its best candidate to contest Jurong Central SMC and The Workers’ Party will continue its layout at the North East region.

PAP has well prepared for the GE 2025 nearly to its deadline which is since its last election. Similarly, this also means more time for the entire opposition to work out, coordinate and deploy their strategies and forces. This has been clearly stated in the Sun Tzu’s Art of War: “Use slowness to defeat speed: He who is well prepared to seize favourable opportunities will win”.

PAP’s redrawing of electoral boundaries has cleverly used the strategy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War: “To win with stability: to win with the right combination and the unexpected”. And, the PSP should stick to its campaigning deployment and strategy on the West Coast GRC and Chao Chu Kang GRC.

The entire opposition should unite and collaborate or merge together in order to build robust strength. Hence, the opposition camp put aside its own political platform, vision, aspirations, agendas and ideology to seek and achieve a common destiny and goal: not to be defeated by the ruling party in each constituency and strive for one-third of the seats in the parliament.

In view of this, the opposition party should preferably launch a two-sided attack from the east (including the northeast) and the west (including the northwest and southwest) to reduce the ruling party's sphere of influence and confine it to the region of center, north and south.

This strategy is imminently highlighted in the Sun Tzu’s Art of War: “To overcome rigidity with change: the military has no fixed position, and water has no fixed shape”.

Last but not least, the opposition should consistently question the ruling party on issues that are vital to people's livelihood. For examples, the soaring HDB flat prices (regardless resale or BTO flats), various restrictive factors on singles for the HDB flat application, high costs of living which include food inflation, increases of health, tertiary and transport expenses, and frequent MRT breakdowns, etc.

At the same time, the opposition should also demand that the ruling party upholds its stance on political openness and fairness. Such as freedom of expression (substantiated by facts and data, of course), rather than restricting or stifling the constructive, rational, democratic and meaningful public discourse.

The above argument is also derived from the Sun Tzu’s Art of War : “Use the familiarity to avoid the unfamiliarity: He who knows when to fight and when not to fight wins”.

Teo Kueh Liang (Mr)

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