Get a grip, WP supporters! You’re becoming an embarassment

PAP members and supporters address each other as comrades. Just go take a look at the Young PAP Facebook page. It’s a visit which will bring you back in time – to a period where communists were called “reds”, and when a little book of that colour was all the rage in China. Failure to adhere to its teachings would buy you a little visit from the devotees of one fella named Mao. And these Mao adherents weren’t gonna pray over you with gentleness. They would lay hands on you, no doubt, but not the way you might imagine.

But it is 21st Century now and we’re in Singapore. Even so, it seems wanton mindless adoration is not reserved just for Mao or – some say – his wannabes, the pure white demi-gods of the PAP. The newly-ordained Members of Parliament of the Workers’ Party too seem to attract the same devotion reserved more for followers of religious faiths.

Chen Show Mao, the very well-credentialled worldly-wise gentlemen from the WP seems able to do no wrong. Even the simplest of things that he does makes his supporters’ go weak in the knees, (some have been said to foam at the mouth too) and bend at his every word like lallang in the wind or at every sighting of the man, even if it’s just a picture on Facebook. (Some don’t even need to see his face – just a sighting of his hair alone makes one dizzy, it is said.)

Well, today – Saturday – the PM and the ministers were sworn in at the Istana. And so all MPs were in attendance, including our friends in light blue.

A picture of the WP MPs at the Istana was posted online and… goodness gracious… WP supporters seem to have left their senses and embraced Lady Gaga (and I don’t mean the singer). The reaction from WP supporters make the hairs behind your neck stand in bewilderment and you almost want to tie yourself to the stake and light the match yourself in a merciful act of self-immolation to get away from the mass hysteria of WP-worship.

Have a look here:

And the WP MPs haven’t even utter a single word in Parliament yet! Already, the hero-worship is in overdrive – and embarassing – mode. Here’s more:

From the comments, you’d think some super-intelligent, super-powerful alien life forms have descended upon us lowly homosapiens to save and deliver our pathetic souls from the evil hands of some oppressive megalomaniac murderous rulers. (Well, some actually do think this is so.)

And we express our gratitude for their selflessness with shameless (and shameful) unrestrained euphoria like the kind last felt at Hougang stadium on 8 May which, incidentally, was warranted especially when WP’s Aljunied win is an historic one. But I’d thought that the soaring emotions of that night had died down somewhat. Hmm..

I think lets pause and take a step back. Any kind of blind loyalty and extreme worship is bad. Whether it’s the PAP or the WP or any other opposition party on the altar of hope. But even as I cringe at the wanton and blatant expression of unbridled love (both from the PAP supporters as well as the WP ones), I find it amusing as well. How easily we bow down to the human gods we fashion after our imagination, and lay all our hopes on them, not realising that these human gods are well, human and are imperfect.

I am sure the WP MPs are a little – at least – embarassed at the unrestrained outpouring of LOVE.

Yet, on the one hand there’s this extreme hatred for the PAP (from some WP supporters) and this compulsive love for the WP. It is quite scary.

For me, I think it’s best to wait and treat the WP MPs as we would any other party’s MPs – servants, not masters, or rock stars, or demi-gods, who are there because of our votes and who are there to serve us.

Certainly, we didn’t put them there so we can all bend over, or bow down, or fall over ourselves in worship over their every move, word, action or picture or video!

So, get a grip, WP supporters! You’re becoming an embarassment!