I wrote the following a couple of weeks before the 2011 election
------------
someone has said that the workers' party is beginning to look like PAP; certainly in some of the candidate selection procedures, and in the way things are valued, they are following the PAP playbook
in another sense, though in the case of WP less so, the opposition parties are led by authoritarian figures who do not know how to run organizations democratically and build consensus, so that whenever disagreements arise, they disagreements are inevitable, their groups break up. Chiam See Tong, for example, had two major break ups, and despite its short history, Kenneth Jeyaratnam's (yes, JBJ's son) Reform Party has already undergone one.
I say WP is something of an exception in this - I see others members besides Low getting some chance to be publicly voicing views and do not see Low Thia Kiang monopolizing all opportunities to present the party's public face.
do the public distinguish between quasipaps and non-quasipaps? the voting percentages might tell a story; if any opposition party wins a GRC, I would expect it to be WP.
---------
less than a week after the election, the following happened
-------
The Workers Party appeared to be wrecked by bitter in-fighting over the controversial decision made by its CEC to award the last NCMP seat to newbie candidate Gerald Giam instead of veteran Eric Tan who was the leader of the WP team in East Coast GRC.
Mr Tan appeared to be stunned by the decision and quitted in a huff after a CEC meeting last night.
“I am disappointed that Low (Thia Khiang) and part of the CEC have decided to go against the people’s wishes, citing party renewal as their reason. I too, also believe in the renewal of the party but in an orderly manner, with succession plans. But not like this, dropped like a bomb,” he said.
According to party insiders, many were surprised and perturbed at the CEC’s decision as Mr Eric Tan is one of the senior leaders of the party who have been working the ground at East Coast since 2004.
“Everybody expects Eric Tan to take the NCMP seat. He was the one who kept the team going after the departures of Ti Lik and Perry. Gerald should have waited for a few more years. He is still young and should show his seniors more respect,” a WP cadre who wishes to remain anonymous due to the strict media rules enforced by WP told TR.
There were some rumblings among WP members that Mr Giam, who is reportedly close to party Chairman Sylvia Lim, has been quietly lobbying for the coverted last NCMP seat. Some elders were also reportedly unhappy with his ‘arrogant’ and ‘brash’ attitude.
In an interview with Channel News Asia, Mr Eric Tan couldn’t hide his disappointment:
“I have helped build the East Coast team since 2005 and was the only one remaining after the 2006 election. I fought on and rebuilt the team, helping to gain a solid result for the party. I wanted the NCMP post so that I would be able to be the voice of the people.” said Mr Tan, who is also the chairman of the party’s Eastern Area Committee.”
A few WP members may follow Mr Tan and leave WP, but it is unlikely to affect the party as it seeks to build on its success in the election by renewing its leadership with Mr Giam expected to play a key role in the years to come.
-----------
so now take back my previous statement about WP and instead put it together with the rest; my current views
I coined the word quasipap for opposition parties that oppose PAP but copy its methods, in particular, showing lack of transparency and decisional ad hockery
I used to think that WP is less quasipap than others, but this incident shows that it is as liable to copy PAP as anyone else
PAP can now take great comfort, knowing that imitation is the highest form of flattery; even if one day PAP ceases to exist, its spirit will live on
judging from the information in the press, the move to get rid of Eric Tan clearly has the help of Silvia Lim - as chairman of the meeting, she was responsible for deciding the NCMP matter by secret vote; in an open show of hands, I doubt the young majority would have dared; since Eric Tan was an old friend of Low Thia Khiang, I dont see a benefit to Low - even if the two had had a falling out and Low thought Tan might become a threat, the damage of appearing to betray an old associate in this way is simply too great and the deed would haven been done some other way; in fact I believe the next target after Eric Tan is Low Thia Khiang himself; in other words, I expect Low to meet the same treatment Chiam got in SDP - he feels the party owes him too much to manage without him, while the people on the committee feel otherwise: unlike Eric Tan, Low cannot quit WP and start a new one in the next 5 years, since he would be disqualified as MP; this limitation would make his detractors bolder, and how he handles the insurgents from this tricky position will be interesting to see
For PAP, the WP internal dissension is an unanticipated benefit of the GRC system and NCMP system taken in combination.
