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Tuesday, Aug 23, 2011 - 00:09 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

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PE Updates

Physical Exertions

Went for the 6km fun run event at RunNUS, and discovered that I have a long way to go towards any semblance of cardio fitness, with a 40-odd minute finishing time. It did allow me to take in the new University Town surroundings, and the organizers' thoughtful gesture of including safety pins with the tag made me happy. I'm easily pleased like that. Running in a group is a good motivator, I must say.

Additionally, the corn on my right foot appears to have been banished by liberal application of plasters, and I have to commend the improved design, with thinner flaps that paradoxically improve adhesion by being able to conform more tightly to the curve of the foot. Punting Mr. Ham to the other end of the room after he remarked that it looked "corny" felt great too; and if the SPCA/PETA is reading this, it was just metaphorical, honest.


Popular Entertainment

Ever knew that there exist Cantonese adaptations of I Hate Myself For Loving You and Rasputin? I didn't either, until the neighbourhood getai blared the tunes out loud.

In sad news, Borders' flagship Wheelock store has closed. Chew On It! in the Sunday Times put it down to customers browsers treating it more as a upscale public library than, you know, a bookstore, which may not be too far from the truth.

And from twm, DOTA2 is out - soon, anyway. I can consider getting back into it occasionally, if they manage to fix the game-waiting and leaver problems.

Also, Facebook quietly added a live sidebar, so users can know exactly when and what games their friends are playing. Last month's prediction on gaming becoming the backbone of Facebook already coming true? And the sidebar is fixed, so it seems as if we have come full circle back to the days of frames, which were massively popular like a decade ago.


Presidential Elections

And we come to it.

But before continuing, one thing should be set straight: our President is basically powerless, especially against a majority in Parliament. Therefore, despite all the hype, the elections are actually not that consequential. I suppose it could be seen as a second referendum for or against the ruling party, who however have (unconvincingly) hedged their bets by not officially endorsing any candidate, instead relying on personal praise for a certain former member of long standing.

Excluding all the feel-good community-building, racial-harmonizing, lets-all-hold-hands-and-say-the-Pledge-together cookie-cutter proclamations made by everybody, here are the highlights of the campaign thus far:


Rebus Of The Day
(Source: msn.com)


Dr. Tony Tan, "Confidence For The Future"
  • Got loudly heckled on Nomination Day, purportedly mostly by supporters of Mr. Tan Jee Say. Not only was it extremely ungentlemanly, it was a stupid move that likely won Dr. Tan some sympathy votes - if you don't like him, just don't vote him lah, no need for this
  • Picked his spectacles as his symbol, which it has to be admitted is his most striking trademark (other than the hairdo, that is)
  • By far the most publicly-displayed banners and posters
  • Leading by a mile in the random union/association/federation endorsement race
  • Appears to think that a ceremonial President can steer the economy more effectively than a chair of the GIC
  • Generally toeing his (former) party's line - tried, tested, true, dark storms ahead, hold the fort, stay the course, too much at stake, be pragmatic, etc. (what a coincidence)
  • Seems slightly more media-shy than the others
Dr. Tan Cheng Bock, "Conscience Be Your Guide"
  • Picked the palm tree as his symbol, representing multiracialism
  • Mailed his brochure to each of the 800000-plus voting households, personalized with their names
  • Called for Prime Minister's Office to be moved out of the Istana to better fulfil separation of powers
  • Wants to merge racial-based community groups
  • Oh, and football
Mr. Tan Kin Lian, "Voice Of The People"
  • Created the Hi-5, an open palm in a speech balloon, as his symbol. Gets some marks for attempted creativity
  • Suggested a pension for the extremely elderly (after starting the self-imposed paycut ball rolling)
  • Attempting to position self as non-partisan
  • Claims "many people" behind him, support is about even, and he has a fair chance of winning, but is not concerned about losing his deposit [N.B. As far as I have read, he happens to be the only candidate who has had this eventuality put to him]
  • Does however live up to his "Voice" branding, being a pretty fluent Mandarin speaker, especially compared to the Dr. Tans, one of whom butchered it, with the other at least sparing listeners the agony with a dub. Even gave Tamil a go.
Mr. Tan Jee Say, "Heart Of The Nation"
  • Adopted the heart symbol that former Elected President Mr. Ong Teng Cheong used (which looks suspiciously similar to the one in Photoshop's Custom Shapes tool - which reminds me, I should release a Presidential Election expansion for Party In Power someday)
  • Running on checks-and-balances platform, not even pretending to be affable in this regard
  • Upped stakes in the who-can-give-up-more-of-the-salary game
  • All the old SDP positions, for example on the death penalty and ISA, coming out
  • No further luck on the endorsement front though, with the Hainan Hwee Kuan just happening to be barred from politics by its constitution, unlike so many other clan associations

To be frank, "uniting the nation" is a pipe dream at this juncture, especially if the winner is Dr. Tony Tan or Mr. Tan Jee Say; a significant minority at the ends of the political spectrum will unavoidably feel alienated. A pity, as the candidates' taglines would make for a swell superhero ensemble (I can just hear the adapted Captain Planet theme - "Confidence!" "Conscience!" "Voice!" "Heart!" "Our powers combined... we are President Singapore!")

But what is the role of this office anyway? Our Law Minister has been especially vocal about this in recent weeks, with the short of it being that the President has to follow the government's lead but not be a mere figurehead (or not?). I now understand the stringent requirements for even qualifying to run, given how challenging the job description is.

Which begs the question, why elect the President in the first place, if he's not supposed to do much of anything? One might recall Mr. Ong Teng Cheong's travails:

"May I know what our reserves are actually worth, because, like, it's my main function?"

"No."

The proper response at this point, according to my understanding of the official stance, is "Oh well, alright then!" - not that it would have mattered anyway, as the sale of POSB shows. As if that were not enough, the post's already-limited purview has been preemptively diminished over the years, to the extent that one wonders whether the President should properly seek Parliamentary approval to help an injured kid.

Some of the candidates have rightly pointed out that the President has no power to introduce policies, but one then wonders how experience and a track record can come into play; why not just install a regal-looking fellow, fine of face and firm of hand, and surround him with an extremely competent coterie of advisors then?

From my amateur efforts at soliciting (a few dozen) opinions, I would put Dr. Tony Tan there and thereabouts, with his supporters mostly motivated either by: a) desiring stability and b) not liking (to put it mildly) Mr. Tan Jee Say.

However, this is mirrored by a significant anti-TT cohort focused more on not electing him that being for any other particular candidate, whose reasons range from disliking the government, to simply wanting an independent check on it (and not appreciating being made to feel like a traitor for that). I wouldn't discount the effect of blanket media coverage, which should be worth a few percentage points among the apathetic.

I would revise Herr Ahm's projection of Dr. Tan Cheng Bock's chances, though, upwards from 20% to the upper range of 25-30%. He appears to have received the least negative feedback thus far, with the only knock on him being his past support for the Internal Security Act, which he admits may have been incorrectly applied. Among the undecided, TT/TCB and TJS/TCB are popular combinations; however, his initiative to move the PM out of the Istana may have backfired, with those not acquainted with the principle of separation of powers (probably most of the electorate) often viewing it as a sign of selfishness/arrogance. Still, he is probably the best bet for the centralist position, and some degree of unity.

I wish Mr. Tan Kin Lian good luck. While he insists he has many supporters, I have yet to encounter them. Perhaps my survey population is not representative. Unfortunately, this seems to be the public perception too, which could well have a negative knock-on effect.

Ah. Mr. Tan Jee Say. For someone who probably thought that he would not be approved by the PEC, he has done quite well, even considering that a large chunk of his support would have backed about anybody with an Opposition background with equal fervour. He has played to his strengths, courting the anti-establishment vote nearly exclusively.

Question is, how solidly are Opposition voters behind him? If he can gather the full 40%, he is likely to win - though of course that is unlikely, given that some parties like the WP are actually closer ideologically to the PAP than the SDP. Some 20-25% of hardcore support at a bare minimum seems likely, though, and a lot will hinge on whether Dr. Tan Cheng Bock takes votes from him or Dr. Tony Tan, and how freely the people will vote when freed of General Election carrots. As of now, it's still far too close to call.


Someone seems to have inadvertently made a prediction
(Source: singapore-elections.com)


The eventual President having a compromised mandate due to not getting a majority is a given, and suggestions for multiple rounds, or more realistically approval voting have been made. Worth a look for the future, that is if the post isn't abolished...


Punting Excursion

One of my low-priority projects to comprehensively analyse the science of football betting has not found its way up the list yet, so for this season, Mr. Ham and FAKEBERT will be the resident tippers! The currency will be sunflower seeds, and each will be given a hundred each week. They will begin with the United-Spurs match:

FAKEBERT: No need think so much, fifty seeds on United Draw-Home at 3.90, and fifty seeds on 2-1 at 6.50.

Mr. Ham: Huh. Everything on the Hamsters to win at 4.60!



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