Workers' Party (WP) chairwoman Sylvia Lim recently created an Instagram account that was first reported by Mothership.sgon Aug. 12.
And as her first picture, she posted this:
The caption by Lim read, "The taste of Fengshan - heavenly! #reasonstowin".
After missing the scoop, the mainstream media went to town with their speculation that Lim may be contesting in Fengshan SMC instead of Aljunied GRC (here and here).
Lim subsequently put out her 2nd Instagram post - a blank post - to dismiss the speculation.
PAP responds
The chain of events resulted in a response from Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and first assistant secretary of the People's Action Party (PAP) Teo Chee Hean.
Speaking to the mainstream media, DPM Teo said, among other things,
"Now we see the chairman of the town council saying that Fengshan SMC looks quite delicious. What's going to happen? You're going to swallow up Fengshan? For what purpose? To serve the residents of Fengshan? Or is Fengshan delicious because you want to add it to the pot? And help the town council with the deficit?”
The media quickly picked this up as the PAP's first salvo against the opposition.
WP dodges the blow
President of WP's Youth Wing and National University of Singapore Associate Professor Daniel Goh then posted on Facebook explaining the significance of the orh luak:
This'>
is the season of political oysters! So what does Sylvia really mean when she says "The taste of Fengshan -...
In essence, he explained that Lim's Instagram post was simply about enjoying a plate of hawker fare and giving the party one reason to win the ward.
Who's frying the better plate of Orh Luak, according to netizens?
Netizens did not take DPM Teo's comments well. Here are some of the top-voted comments on Channel NewsAsia's post reporting on his salvo at WP:
You can try to spot the one top comment that defended DPM Teo's remarks:
Conversely, both Lim and Goh's posts which focused on enjoying food drew more positive comments from netizens.
WP and Sylvia Lim stay in Aljunied GRC, makes DPM Teo's comments irrelevant
Lim also responded in a lighthearted manner today in Chong Pang when quizzed on DPM Teo's reaction, saying that "It is a pity that DPM Teo did not have a sense of humour" (at the 1:55 mark):
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Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim reveals that the party's entire slate of elected representatives is staying put...
The PAP has had the majority vote since independence. The WP on the other hand, won its first GRC in 2011 after almost 60 years in existence.
If this is a David vs Goliath story, DPM Teo coming out guns blazing with hard-hitting comments at a photograph of Lim eating orh luak, would make PAP Goliath in this story.
Big, powerful, tough, and heavily armoured, the PAP must be wondering why things are not going well for them on the social media front.
But that's the problem. The fight between David (WP) and Goliath (PAP) was always rigged in David's favour.
For the younger generation, the battleground where this election is fought will not be at the rally sites, it also will not be at the kopitiams where Singaporeans gather to discuss politics. It will be on social media.
The PAP has long relied on its strengths - its leaders' foresight and pragmatic approach to problem-solving - to bring the nation from independence to first world. This translated into how DPM Teo fired PAP's first salvo - to point out WP's mismanagement of town councils and its funds.
Any rational and practical person would think that it is cause for concern, right?
It should be . But look at the majority of comments on social media regarding the AHPETC issue these past months. Singaporeans either do not care, or they think that PAP are being bullies. So why is PAP still using the same reason as their main focus?
Look at how WP reacted to DPM Teo's first salvo, much like David, they did not meet PAP head on. They focused on the orh luak and Fengshan market.
PAP tried to win the argument, whereas WP tried to win hearts through the stomach on social media. WP won this round.
How can PAP respond then?
If Goliath wants a fighting chance against David, the first thing he needs to do is shed his stupidly heavy armour. PAP has to fight differently.
With all the benefit of hindsight, perhaps a more appropriate response from DPM Teo would be a photograph of the Fengshan PAP candidate at the Fengshan market with orh luak and a bowl of bak chor mee.
He could say that Lim is not familiar with Fengshan at all, if not, she would have ordered the bak chor mee instead which is what Fengshan market is famous for. Plus points if he adds the fact that the bak chor mee stall at 511 Bedok North Street 3 manufactures the noodles for the stalls at Fengshan market.
Aside from petty orh luak politics, when it comes to bread and butter issues, PAP should stop employing its 'Singapore has no resources, this is the best there is, please work hard and increase productivity to have a better tomorrow' line of argument.
Nobody likes to hear that things will only get better if you work harder. It is a cruel fact of life, everyone knows that you have to work harder to live better. They just do not need to hear it repeatedly.
Voters want a hope of a better tomorrow, at no additional cost to them. PAP must figure out a way to achieve that, or use a better example to help them weigh the trade-offs.
If they repeatedly use their analytical and pragmatic lines of argument to rally the citizenry, they will only see more votes go elsewhere.
Top photo by Mothership.sg team.
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August 16, 01:43 PM 
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