Saturday, March 19, 2011

Dilemma of the Poor

Dear Mr Tan
Hope you can publish my experience for comment.

This morning I was at a food centre and an old lady in a wheel-chair selling tissue paper told me, "I saw government people giving presents to foreigner workers. Here I am struggling to survive."

I said with the election coming, shouldn't you vote opposition to change things."Can I vote opposition?" she asked with a searching eye. I said assuringly that government agencies that helped her would still be around if the PAP lost.

"I would vote PAP. I will have to vote for them till my dying day. I only hope they do more for us disadvantaged folks," the old lady answered with a sigh of resignation.

Herein lies the dilemma of the poor. They depend on the government for handouts, but are afraid a change will be for the worst. Better the devil you know than the one you don't.


TCH
Posted by at

3 comments:

Lye Khuen Way said...

The ruling party have known this all along. They have been selling this " would you trust the unknown ?" boggyman tricks so well, that it has been ingrained into the older generation mindsets.

March 19, 2011 12:40 PM
Wealth Journey said...

That is my experience with middle income folks as well.

They are the one disadvantaged by policies but they are also the ones who tell you PAP are the one who give them jobs, wages are at this level because we need to remain competitive etc etc.

So, I have also stopped bothering about policies that don't even affect me the least bit. If the ones who need help don't even want to help themselves, it's fine by me.

Selfish thought? Perhaps.. But you will feel this way too when they treat you like an outcast if you speak abt sensitive issues often enough.

March 19, 2011 3:40 PM
AB said...

It may sound harsh, but I would rather donate to opposition parties than to donate to the poor who vote for pap.

March 21, 2011 11:24 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Blog Archive