This is my second time voting. Am I excited? Yes. Am I worried. Very. I am not worried for any party. I am actually worried for Singapore.
I find it interesting and equally disturbing sometimes to read the comments on many sites, including those left on blogs and friends' Facebook accounts. Yet, I pressed on. I stayed up till 3-4 am nightly to read one piece after another. Some are brilliantly-written and well-balanced views but others are just fueled with anger and biases, in my opinion.
I am not pro-PAP nor am I pro-opposition. Though I have my Likes on my Facebook account for many candidates, it doesn't mean that they have my vote.
I have been listening, watching, reading up and thinking. A LOT of thinking. Though I have rarely expressed my views of local politics prior to GE 2011, I always have my views.
Having lived overseas for a short period myself and married E who lived all his life in another developed country and surrounded by friends who lived/are living overseas, I like to think that my views of Singapore and our lives here are pretty balanced.
I used to work for conglomerates which hire high % of foreigners in almost every department. Having to hire the best resources myself to fill posts and deal with competition globally opened my eyes. So I can say that I have personal experience in some of the issues raised.
But still, I want to vote rationally. To make an informed decision and stand up for my own decision with my views and arguments.
I don't want to be blinded by the emotions at rallies, or affected by publicly shed tears, apologies and finger-pointing.
Of all the articles I've come across, I like to share this brilliant piece, which I find to be very enlightening and well-balanced. The writer tackled almost every issue raised in the rallies with rational arguments and clarity. I urge you to read it before you enter the polling station on Saturday.
Each of us has only one vote. And EVERY vote counts.
To make a real difference to the future of Singapore, we must vote rationally.
9 comments:
The piece totally misses the heart of the matter - the lower income group. You can argue that the middle income group can make an effort to upgrade and do better, but the lower income group has very little chance. Take a walk through the poorer estates. Go to the hawkers often enough and you will see people eating others' leftovers on the tables. You will notice old cleaners standing quietly at the side of mixed rice stalls anxiously studying the prices; sometimes kind stall keepers giving free packets of food to them. You will see worn out mothers with children who should be in childcare or at least at home, but instead are tagging along as the adults collect cardboard boxes. If you are not convinced, take a look at our Gini coefficient that shows a widening gap between rich and poor.
Many are NOT voting against foreigners and casinos. They are voting against a government that has ignored the poor and downtrodden, and they are there not through their faults, not because they don't want to upgrade themselves. There are people and children trapped in the poverty cycle. Talk to school teachers from NEIGHBOURHOOD schools, they see these children. Children who can't read or write at 10. Children who has been babysitting their siblings through the night and sleep in class because their parents have to do the nightshfits. Children who can't afford spectacles, or proper shoes, with parents who can't afford proper bags. They exist.
I agree with you that the lower income group exists and I personally know people from the lower income group. In fact, amongst the disadvantaged group that I personally know, majority of them have received fairly generous and consistent help in their daily lives in the past few years and they are not living in Hougang or Potong Pasir. And I am not referring to the handouts that come before elections but help on a daily and monthly basis. Can they get more help? Of course! Who doesn't want a bigger subsidy, or handouts or other forms of help? But a line must be drawn too.
While many have said they want a government with a heart, the question to ask is to what extent should the government go to help in order to show that they have a heart. I agree, they can always do more. The thing is, no matter how much one government (whether it is the incumbent or the opposition) can and will do, there will always be MORE that can be done and there will always be people that need more help. And people who have gotten some help will want to get bigger help, faster help etc. Let's get real here. In a capitalistic society which we are, there will be winners and losers. The income inequality will be here to stay. There will be some who run faster and win bigger and some who get left behind. Should we stop the ones who run faster or slow them down? No. We should provide opportunities for them to thrive, so that they can contribute to the growth of the nation. But yes, we want to take care of the ones who can't run as fast too, without turning the society into a socialistic one.
Many I know have big qualms about foreigners stealing their jobs, increasing competition in every aspect of their lives, casinos creating social issues that impact them etc. Others are upset because they have lost jobs during the recession and they blame the govt for not doing more to help them recover the same level of incomes as before or not helping them fast enough and they want quick solutions to their problems. So this group exists too and is it really a small group? I am not that sure.
Adding on to my earlier comment, there is another group, which wants to 'stir the kopi a bit' as a friend said in her facebook account just to show that Singaporeans should be listened to. And one stirrer is not enough, so she will stir just for the sake of stirring to teach a lesson. These people have no real issues that they are unhappy about.
It's easy to dismiss the large support for opposition as due to unthinking voters who just want to stir the pot because it justifies the status quo. It's also the same stance the PAP has been taking, calling opposition supporters "footloose", in the words of MM.
In reality, most people are logical and this rebellion now shows that something has been wrong for a long time, it's not imagination. I don't know where you see the poor having fairly generous handouts but I go door to door in 1 room flats and some of these folks have hardly enough to get by.
There will always be irrational voters but the same argument can be made that there are an equal number of irrational voters on the PAP camp who vote the incumbent blindly.
Interestingly, the low income folks I mentioned also live in 1 room flats. Do they have as much as majority of Singaporeans? No they don't. But do they get help? Yes, in the form of subsidies, monthly handouts, arrangements of different forms to help them cope with daily lives. Are they happy? It's hard to say, but they are grateful. Do they want more? Of course! Who doesn't?
It's just as easy for opposition supporters to call supporters of incumbent as fearful, selfish and unthinking folks who blindly support the status quo. Again, the reality is there will be always be rational and emotional voters in both camps.
Some will strive to vote with their heads, but there will always be those who get swayed by a few tears and allow their views be clouded by emotions. There are always two sides to a story and things may not always be what they seem. It is not just in local politics. It exists everywhere.
Anyway, we all have one vote each. As long as you and I are voting with our heads and a clear conscience, there is no need to justify our reasons to others.
Now it's not the poor really need more help, they're just greedy for more?? Keep telling yourself that if it makes you sleep better at night. That's why there is so much unhappiness on the ground. That article you posted is full of holes but you conveniently believe what you want to believe.
Anon, when did I mention the needy are greedy? Obviously you are the one who isn't capable of reading a message objectively and prefer to interpret what you read based on what you believe.
The article I posted may not be perfect, but I dare say the same for everything else that has been posted related to this election or the past. This article is at least an argument that the writer has put forward bravely, UNDER HIS NAME, that tackles many issues on many voters' minds.
Unlike people like you who only dare to comment anonymously online, yes I can sleep well at night because my conscience is clear. I don't need to belittle others just because what they believe in is different from mine.
So before you pretend to be all high and mighty and assume you know everything, I urge you to be more productive and do more for the needy instead of wasting time reading and commenting on personal blogs.
Hi,
Have been a silent reader of yr blog because I have 2 boys too. :)
And I understand and agree on the points you shared. Sadly I see alot of anger and bias opinion around me too. I am not sure how "satisfied" they want to be... and yes am worried about Singapore now especially both MM and SM are stepping down. :(
Hi Celyw, nice of you to come out and say hi. :>
How old are your boys?
Though MM and SM have stepped down, they can and will continue to contribute in some ways. I've faith that they will not let Singapore fail no matter what and I'm confident that our PM and his new Cabinet will be able to lead the country towards progress. The area of concern is in our foreign relations, having lost George Yeo, MM and SM at the same time.
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