Aljunied GRC is the tectonic plate

The two men to watch in this tectonically fraught general election are the PAP's George Yeo and the WP's Low Thia Khiang. The one is cerebral; the other a natural-born politician. Both will be reaching out for the hearts and minds of Aljunied GRC voters. Using a simplistic template, the Western educated strategist (Mr Yeo) will be thinking in chess terms; the Chinese educated strategist (Mr Low) will be plotting his next steps along the lines of the ancient Chinese game of Go (weiqi).

Mr Yeo is calling on Aljunied voters to think of their self-interest -- the material well-being of their constituency, at risk if the PAP loses -- and not be persuaded to carry the "national burden" of preventing a 87-0 rout by the PAP (one in which Mr Low exits the political scene). If Mr Yeo can portray the national burden notion as an abtract value argument, and convince the voters that in any case, the next Parliament will still see nine "alternative" voices, he may still carry the day.

He has also cleverly admitted to the possibility of his defeat -- thus playing the same unspoken "fear factor" card that Mr Low is using in upping the stakes by going into Aljunied and forswearing any chance of becoming an NCMP. The PAP machinery will come in to portray him as a hard-to-replace foreign minister. This psychological combination might swing around enough voters to push his team past the 50 per cent point come 7 May.

Mr Low, on his part, has never openly claimed he is using the Aljunied voters to achieve his national agenda, only that the time has come to clinch at least one GRC to ensure that a First World Parliament emerges. And he has also faced the self-interest issue squarely, asking the PAP to be specific about its plans to materially upgrade and improve the ward and which programmes will not be carried out in a WP win. He will leverage on his own experience in running Hougang to assure the voters that they will not lose out or be left with a rundown constituency.

Meanwhile, the motoring analogy continues to be milked by the WP, with talk even of slapping the driver if he is found to be asleep at the wheel! I shall comment no further on this, or on the equally silly use of ladders to "climb up" (if you vote in the PAP) and poles -- "useful only if you want to climb down" (if you vote in the opposition) by a PAP candidate in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.

Polling Day, please hurry up!