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By Calvin Cheng

The People’s Action Party’s (PAP) biggest nightmare has come true – for the first time in their recent history, they have lost a previously safe seat. The loss of Aljunied was devastating but not unexpected – Aljunied has been closely fought for several elections, with its constituents being part of Cheng San and Eunos GRCs previously. The loss of Hougang was to be expected; Hougang is the Worker’s Party’s (WP) stronghold where it’s Chief, Low Thia Kiang’s aura is impenetrable. But Punngol East’s loss is going to drive a stake into the very soul of the PAP, the very heart of its inner leadership. It is an unmitigated  disaster that will tell the PAP that it has to change, not tweak itself, but fundamentally change. EVERYTHING that used to work is now not working.

In the past, after Lee Kuan Yew had destroyed the opposition and the PAP settled into technocratic dominance of Singapore, the PAP’s winning formula was straightforward. Crunch the numbers, settle on the best most ‘rational’ policy that the statistics suggest, tell the people ‘trust us this is right’, and just get on with implementation. This clearly does not work anymore.

The following note is from the Cyberpioneer Facebook page on Friday, 25 January.

Dr Ng Eng Hen visited ME2 Jason Chee this afternoon. The good news is that he has made progress and no longer needs ICU monitoring. Here are Dr Ng's thoughts on the visit:

Good news. Jason is now well enough and has been transferred to the General ward. We can all take comfort that he has made progress and no longer needs ICU monitoring.

I visited Jason today. His complexion was no longer sallow and he could speak long sentences without becoming breathless. He shared how his Navy mates ferried his father to be with him every day. His doctors and nurses tell me he has turned the corner and is out of immediate danger. Jason, according to them, has endeared himself to all the staff through his cheerfulness and optimism despite his severe accident. He knows the individual names of the medical team taking care of him. Over the weeks, they have bonded. So much so, that the ward staff are having a celebration for his birthday tomorrow.

By Biddy Low

Like a flash flood after a long drought, elections and the excitement that it brings have descended upon this nation over and over by the heavy hand of fate. By this second by-election for Punggol East, there is almost an embarrassment in getting swept up by the hype, for fear of being viewed as naive or worse, a vapid follower of a madding crowd. So I disengaged at the beginning. I am not a political pundit, neither do I have lofty ambitions to make a name for myself by jumping in the fray at any chance. My reasons for being involved and informed have remained the same as 3 years ago, to be a "kah kia" ( helper) anyway I can in what I consider a fledgling awakening for democracy in this little island I call home. A democratization process that I believe goes beyond what the politicians are doing, and right into the consciousness of every single person here.

By Andrew Loh

"Uniting all the opposition parties is an unrealistic vision and an impossible dream,” said Mr Low Thia Khiang, secretary-general of the Workers’ Party (WP). “Unity must not be contrived, because such a union would not work out well. We will not only not be able to progress, but will conversely end up disintegrating, and Singaporeans will lose faith in the possibility of a credible opposition.”

Coming from Mr Low, who has until now been silent on the issue of opposition unity, such remarks are significant – and they could turn out to be the most important thing from the Punggol East by-election, after the dust has settled.

Following Mr Low’s remarks, other opposition parties’ leaders have differing views on whether opposition unity is a desirable or realistic hope. What is undeniable is that Mr Low is not completely wrong in his opinion. In fact, this writer agrees with him and the WP should walk its own path – at least for the moment.