Daily Lessons from Life 19 May 2012 - More volunteering to help PAP, WP

"More volunteering to help PAP, WP - CNA 19 May 2012

SINGAPORE: The ruling People's Action Party and the opposition Workers' Party said they now have more volunteers.

More young people have stepped forward to help the parties after the last General Election.

These volunteers help parties make sure campaigning carries on without a hitch.

For the Workers' Party, an online appeal for helpers saw the party receiving some 200 application, maybe of whom were from students.

Workers' Party candidate Png Eng Huat said the evolution of opposition parties in Singapore has made opposition parties more attractive to young people.

"I think they see that normal people like us can get involved, can serve, can contribute to the country."

For the People's Action Party, its Hougang by-election candidate Desmond Choo told Channel NewsAsia that his party has seen a 20 to 30 per cent increase in the number of volunteers helping out in Hougang since the last elections.

"When I do see young volunteers from the JCs, from polys, coming up to step forward to say that, we've heard enough of critiques, but let us understand for ourselves, what are the problems residents face, what can we do about it -- that's when I felt that the work has been worth it," Mr Choo said."

The contest for the by-election has begun. It is a straight fight between the ruling party candidate and the main opposition party candidate.

Lessons for me are:

1. are the unhappniess about the ruling party's policies and the effect of such policies resulting in over-crowding, spiralling public housing, higher cost of living, etc subsiding as the government has taken many steps to ease the stress and pressure for the citizens?;

2. is this by-election an issue of defending the 'bastion' of true opposition and democracy or about the 'bread and butter' issue that Singapore seems not able to 'walk out' of the long shadow cast?;

3. will the 'younger voters' make a difference this time? will this be the beginning of the end for the opposition IF the ruling party candidate win despite the claim of an uphill fight by the PAP leadership?

I await with bated breath for the results come 26 May 2012.