“You can’t stop the change, any more than you can stop the suns from setting. “ — Shmi Skywalker
10th July 2020 was one of the longest days I have had in a while. But it was also one of the most fulfilling. As Singapore took to the polls and I did my duty as a polling agent, the whole nation stayed up to the wee hours in anticipation and emotional anxiety, and I would like to believe, woke to a better Singapore.
Hope prevails after all, and it resides in each of our voices that we amplified with our individual voting slips. The people have spoken, and boy did they speak loud and clear, affirming us noisy ones that we weren’t living in our echo chambers and filter bubbles after all. The simmering and rising discontent is evident. Thank you to all the alternative parties who bravely stood up to contest all the seats, to give us a chance to speak our truth through our votes.
Integrity and humility vs outright bullying
Sometimes all we need from our politicians is for them to be decent human beings. When you have integrity as a political candidate and a leader of a party, it really shines through for the people. I have nothing but admiration for Mr Pritam Singh, who has fronted the Worker’s Party since his inception as Secretary-General of the party in 2018, and rose to the occasion as a respectable leader for his party members countless times through this elections. The weight is heavy upon you and your sombre thank you speech speaks volumes of your foresight and wisdom, Mr Singh!
If anyone has a strong mandate, it has got to be our well loved Tharman Shanmugaratnam whose integrity and consistency to not speak ill of anyone in the opposing parties while still dazzling in his brilliance, won our hearts deeply. If the vote percentages were anything to go by, the love and support for him is evident and in stark contrast with the other GRCs, as we see how he has behaved with integrity through the whole elections process.
I think all of us who volunteered with the alternative parties as polling agents and counting agents can also attest to the fact that the candidates of the parties we volunteered for, truly cared for our well-being, and showed their gratitude to us with their little kind and thoughtful acts of service. Just like when they personally brought food and drinks to the various polling stations to ensure we were fed and that we took our breaks, warming our hearts with their sincere gestures. They knew who really matters at the end of the day on polling day, and showed us they are in it for the long haul by choosing to act with integrity and not stand at entrances of polling stations to bow and greet voters in seeming canvassing, instead.
Be a decent human being, be kind, have integrity, and stand your ground. Sometimes that’s all we really desire in and ask of political leaders (above the intellect and foresight to lead) as the shining examples of every single one of the stellar WP candidates, Dr Paul Tambyah of SDP, Dr Tan Cheng Bock of PSP, and Jose Raymond of SPP, have illuminated to us through the years, and sometimes decades.
This is what hope looks like
Much as I am deeply anguished by the loss of both East Coast and West Coast (all too close!), I know hope prevails and evidently, people are really tired of the growing inequality on the ground. A growing disregard for the environment and biodiversity notwithstanding. No, we are not that interested in economic growth. We want you to see, listen and acknowledge that there is a growing problem of social inequality and unfairness in Singapore and recognize the knock on effects it has on the nation at large. We want you to address it together with us, and not for us, in your own high-handed ways. These are certainly some problems that the older alternative parties have certainly done a very good job of pointing out in their manifestos.
Hope lives in the causes that we constantly battle for day after day, and I would like to believe, will get a better chance at living on vicariously in the next 5 years. May we continue to soldier on and hold the political candidates accountable to their campaign promises of fighting for social and environmental justice. (Here’s looking at you, Nadia, to amplify marine conservation in the wake of your term, as promised! ;))
It has been such a long time since all seats in parliament were contested and I am so so heartened that the whole of Singapore had a chance to exercise democracy this GE2020. Thank you to all to the parties for giving us a chance to do so, and in the process, raised the political literacy of the population. Thank you for your relentless hard work of walking the ground by day and captivating our hearts through various modes on social media by night in this unique pandemic elections. I have missed the physical rallies much, but you have striven hard to maintain the spirit of the rallies we dearly love and miss, online instead.
To all the dear friends who worked tirelessly in the civil service this elections, thank you for your neutrality and for upholding the integrity of the elections (I do miss doing it, actually! Tiring as it was, I was proud of the national duty and the excitement that came with it for me). To all the dear friends who stepped up and volunteered for the various alternative parties to help and support in campaigning, social media communications; taking up roles as polling agents, counting agents and everything in between; I am so so proud of you for upholding democracy. I am just as proud to have served not as a civil servant this time round, but for an alternative party’s candidate whom I deeply respect and admire. (I think I was fighting back tears when you brought lunch for us at the polling station, Jose!)
Here’s to a more vibrant, compassionate, inclusive, civilly-engaged, advocacy-centric Singapore, moving forward. Alternative parties, you have fought well, please stay with us for the long haul and keep doing better. We appreciate you for listening to us, and for showing us that it is important not to fear. Friends, don’t stop fighting the good fight now. We are all in this together for a better Singapore in solidarity, ahead of us.