Is the Workers' Party keeping a low profile?

This is the question which is uppermost in the people's mind, especially Workers' Party (WP) supporters.The Party was so prominent and active during the last General Election that it was no surprise when it swept like a tropical storm  the redoubtable PAP team from the keenly- contested Aljunied GRC.The Party continued to show its prowess in capturing the Hougang SMC in a subsequent by-election. Since then and of late, the Party seems to be resting on its laurels and is seldom heard of on the internet, much less in the PAP-controlled mainstream media.

So much was expected of the Party's star MP Chen Show Mao that apart from a recent charitable distribution of mobility aids to senior citizens of his Paya Lebar ward which was given publicity by pro-opposition websites but, as expected, ignored by the MSM, we do not see much of the display of his formidable talent which contrbuted greatly to the defeat of the reputable PAP team in Aljunied GRC in the last GE.In fact, he has been so quiet that his supporters could be excused for not noticing his existence.

Quite rightly, the WP cannot expect the MSM to give it the kind of publicity that they accord to PAP ministers and MPs. But then the social media has been quite generous in giving publicity to its activities as often as they occurred. In fact the social media has been giving wide publicity to activities of opposition parties as a matter of routine. However, there has been lesser reporting of WP activities by the social media of late, especially since the GE and Hougang by-election, probably because there was little activity to report.

The WP is being looked upon as the vanguard of opposition parties, as it has the largest number of MPs in Parliament, by progressive Singaporeans who want to see a sea-change in the PAP-dominated political landscape of Singapore. The scarcity of WP activities is hardly conducive to its leadership role to bring about this transformation  GE2016 is not too far off and now, which is as good as any time, is the right moment for the WP and other opposition parties to work the ground earnestly to make a real impact on the electorate in order to replace the PAP government, if possible, but nevertheless to at least capture a few more GRCs in the next General Election in 2016. Like the well-known Chinese saying:The gale of wind sweeps away the fallen leaves (狂风扫落叶）, together they can sweep away the arrogant, if not decadent, PAP.

The prerequisite to such a magnificent political objective is unity among the opposition parties to face the formidable electoral  machinery of the PAP. It is a gigantic but not an impossible task for the opposition parties,  but first they, especially the WP, must sink whatever political differences they may have in the larger interest of the public sympathetic to them  to forge an indispensible united front against the PAP in the next GE in order to break its political dominance. Up to now the prognosis is favourable to the opposition and the WP and other opposition parties should not let this golden opportunity slip through their fingers. They should double their effort to ensure and improve the favourable prognosis when GE 2016 comes around.

WP may not agree with the assessment that it is not politically vigorous of late but it is hoped that WP will take it in the spirit in which it is made to spur it out of any complacency.