The 2015 budget estimates allocated to The People's Association (PA) reflect a higher level of commitment by the government towards promoting social cohesion and racial harmony, Lim Swee Say, Singapore's Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, said on Monday.
In a written reply to queries over the 51.3 per cent jump in the PA's expenditure estimates to more than S$1 billion for FY2015, Mr Lim said the PA "promotes community bonding in Singapore".
Of the S$339.6 million or 51.3 per cent increase in the estimated Financial Year (FY) 2015 expenditure of the PA, S$239.3 million (70.5 per cent) is for the development of facilities for residents' use.
From businesstimes
We know that a very large number of uncles and aunties (55yo and above) in Singapore are completely uninterested in politics. They've no idea about what check-and-balance is and why it's good for us to have the opposition. To them the impression of opposition may stop at hhh and roy protesting at hlp.
Heck, they prob don't even know who their MPs are.
But, if you offer them fun and community activites like line dancing, karaoke, etc, they'll gladly go, to fill up the boring and lonely hours. They don't have or have very few political opinions (which they form by listening to the msm). They also tend to vote the way their friends vote.
This is where the PA machinery comes in.
It is a well-known fact that the PA has been used (the better word is misused, and an even better word is abused) by the PAP for political purposes. Eg, the opposition elected MPs have no access to the facilities under the PA, and the PA staff are used by the PAP MPs to help run the PAP constituencies.
In order to capture this group of voters, it's simple: the PAP just needs the PA to 'promotes community bonding in Singapore, as LSS said (I laughed so hard at this). Under the banner of the PA and the PAP MP, the residents get to know the PAP and vote for the PAP eventually. They voted for PAP because this is all the politics they know or care about, and they did so because their friends did, too.
Is it a coincidence that the budget for the PA went up by more than 50% in the election year? We know the answer.
Do not forget that the AGO expressed concerns about the lapses in the PA's account during this period. The budget went up nonetheless.
My view is we should not underestimate the power of the PA and overlook the impact of the billion dollar budget.
In a written reply to queries over the 51.3 per cent jump in the PA's expenditure estimates to more than S$1 billion for FY2015, Mr Lim said the PA "promotes community bonding in Singapore".
Of the S$339.6 million or 51.3 per cent increase in the estimated Financial Year (FY) 2015 expenditure of the PA, S$239.3 million (70.5 per cent) is for the development of facilities for residents' use.
From businesstimes
We know that a very large number of uncles and aunties (55yo and above) in Singapore are completely uninterested in politics. They've no idea about what check-and-balance is and why it's good for us to have the opposition. To them the impression of opposition may stop at hhh and roy protesting at hlp.
Heck, they prob don't even know who their MPs are.
But, if you offer them fun and community activites like line dancing, karaoke, etc, they'll gladly go, to fill up the boring and lonely hours. They don't have or have very few political opinions (which they form by listening to the msm). They also tend to vote the way their friends vote.
This is where the PA machinery comes in.
It is a well-known fact that the PA has been used (the better word is misused, and an even better word is abused) by the PAP for political purposes. Eg, the opposition elected MPs have no access to the facilities under the PA, and the PA staff are used by the PAP MPs to help run the PAP constituencies.
In order to capture this group of voters, it's simple: the PAP just needs the PA to 'promotes community bonding in Singapore, as LSS said (I laughed so hard at this). Under the banner of the PA and the PAP MP, the residents get to know the PAP and vote for the PAP eventually. They voted for PAP because this is all the politics they know or care about, and they did so because their friends did, too.
Is it a coincidence that the budget for the PA went up by more than 50% in the election year? We know the answer.
Do not forget that the AGO expressed concerns about the lapses in the PA's account during this period. The budget went up nonetheless.
My view is we should not underestimate the power of the PA and overlook the impact of the billion dollar budget.
