Met with a long time friend and his mutual friends who are all foreigners this morning for breakfast. It was refreshing as the 3 young people are all well schooled and hold professional jobs. 2 of them had a conversation with a taxi driver on 1 of the trips and learned about the vocal comments on the government of Singapore. So, I decided to comment on the coming GE!

"GE: WP's Chen Show Mao wants to help build strong opposition CNA 10 April 2011

SINGAPORE : He has been called the Workers' Party's 'secret weapon', but corporate lawyer Chen Show Mao said the true weapon would be the votes of Singaporeans during Polling Day.

He wants to help build a strong opposition to provide checks and balances on the government.

Mr Chen made a public appearance at a walkabout in the single ward of Joo Chiat on Sunday.

Moving from coffeeshops to cafes, the Workers' Party eagerly showed off its much-talked about candidate - Chen Show Mao - to residents in the suburban neighbourhood of Siglap.

Even though he has lived abroad for some 30 years, Mr Chen had little trouble connecting with the residents.

Based in China, the Taiwan-born lawyer plans to relocate to Singapore.

The 50-year-old took up citizenship in 1986 and has degrees from Harvard, Oxford and Stanford Universities.

Mr Chen said he disagreed with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's comments that Singapore should pool its best political talents into one team.

Mr Lee had likened this to how countries only fielded their best team to compete in the World Cup.

Mr Chen said: "The team that we are sending to the World Cup is the national team. It is the team that wears red and white, it is not the team that wears white and white. The government certainly has a big part to play on Team Singapore, but they are not all of Singapore.

"We feel that to have the best kind of policy, it is no good to put all of our talent, however limited they may be, into one team and have the rest just watch them warm up, because this team is not going to be able to play matches and improve."

Mr Chen said a team only improves and sharpens its skills if it plays against strong opposing teams."

This GE is indeed going to be a real watershed GE! The opposition parties are turning out some with qualification that matched or even out-matched some of the candidates from the ruling party.

While education and professional qualification does not an ernest and capable Member of Parliament (MP) made, these are some of the critical factors looked at by the ruling party for the past many decades; and they stood by it as almost the golden rule!

Lessons for me are:

1. it is a matter of time when the status quo change. Nothing, no matter how good, can last forever when that good thing mainly come about from a minority of the 'wise people'!;

2. will the new forces, peaceful they must be, make the current good system falls into decline? will they be so destructive that Singapore must be even contemplate having a few more opposition MPs in the parliament? The answer is: Maybe! Maybe the decision will be deliberated slightly longer, the consultation vigorous, and the expressing of for and against robust. Hopefully decisions will still be taken. The key difference will be someone has to defend their policies suggested a bit harder!;

3. for the people who are in the opposition parties, I hope that all of they are really into helping the people of Singapore lead a better life. A life that is NOT only concentrating on economic achievements though many are still at this level. Bread and butter issues pre-occupied them. Will they heed the lofty ideals expressed by this Mr. Chen here? I don't know. Some may. Some may not. Some simly could not care! If we have more opposition MPs in the next Parliament, Singapore will be in uncharted territories. It will define our next 20 years?

May the parties that educate the voters and help the voters become best in class voters win!