GE2020 - Swearing in ceremony.

They have been sworn in and confirmed. All 93 of them with the cabinet and the opposition WP. 

Addressing President Halimah, PM Lee said: “Madam President, I have spent my entire adult life in public service. I will continue to devote myself to my country and people, drawing strength and purpose from the support of Singaporeans, young and old.”

Now, the work is all cut out for them, especially with the Covid pandemic and how the economy is reeling from it. The acid test of government is really about transforming that social contract with the people into a social pact or covenant that transcends race, language, religion, and economic privileges, and thereafter brings about a unity that joins minds, hearts and souls together against one’s common foe. 

As a citizen, I wish them the best, both the leader of the ruling party and the leader of the opposition.

Lesson? I have three metaphorical lessons, and they are from the teasing words of the speaker of the house, Tan Chuan-Jin. He posted a “rueful shot of himself adjusting the strap of his mask, which appeared to have snapped,” with this remark: - 

“Lesson learnt: Don’t fiddle with mask. Make friends with cameraman. Always practise your knots.”

1) Don’t fiddle with mask. 

To me, this means, let’s stop playing politics. We can’t end the misgivings or the disappointments, or salvage the lost opportunities. And we can mourn about it and criticise it. But as a nation, we will have to find our own ways to move forward. 

Some will need more time to do so, and others may be swifter in taking that first step. Yet, there is still a difference between a healthy critical mind, open to ideas yet skeptical for the right reasons and with the right attitude, and a soul bitter at almost everything, with hearts hardened and fists clenched, always looking at the worst in every action and situation. 

In the same way that you will never see a vulture swooping in to fan her wings out to protect a dying victim grasping for air, such mindset has only one thing in their mind, that is, to view everything as a dead carcass ripe for the picking. 

Alas, the season for choosing is over. It is done. It is now the season for healing, for advancing together, and for building trust, hope and resilience. 

2) Make friends with cameraman.

Ultimately, the people matters. PM Lee said: “We aspire to be a fair and just society, with opportunities for all. We wish to fashion an inclusive community, where we look out for one another, reach out to those who need help and show every Singaporean that they have a stake in our future.”

To be honest, this reality is far from the ideal. We still judge people not so much by the content of their character, but by the make up of their resume. We still polarise towards convenient categories like race, religion and social status/privilege. 

The recent video made by the unwitting and unthinking calling the LGBT community an “agent of satan” is an example of seeing people not by the struggles they have gone through, but by the fixed labels some segment of society have arbitrarily thrown at them. 

The label is our rule of thumb. Our security blanket. It is a convenient way to just lasso one category up, and indiscriminately discriminate. By doing so, we readily reduce them into “not us” and thereby making it easier to fight a cause either for their segregation or redemption, both of which comes from the same source, self-righteousness. 

So, yes, make friends with cameraman, be authentic and real, tell it as it is, don’t pretend to be what you are not, and if you need time to change, be sincere about it and get on with it. 

We can understand and support a person on the road to redemption, determined to make amends, but not someone who takes hypocrisy to new heights by weaponising what is good and pure, and turning it into a cause for self-promotion and attention. 

And...

3) Always practise your knots. 

I guess practise makes perfect, but it also depends on what you are practising. Does it make you more human or less? Does it move you towards becoming a better you or a more hypocritical you? 

Addressing WP, PM Lee said: “I hope our colleagues across the aisle will step up to play their role of a responsible and loyal opposition.” I trust by loyal, he meant loyal to the people. 

“Their duty is not merely to raise criticisms and ask questions of the Government, necessary as these functions are. But also, more importantly, to put forward serious policy alternatives to be scrutinised and debated.”

Well, Pritam is the Leader of the Opposition and I trust he will practise his political knots by making sure they are not dead, fixed or immovable, and at the same time, are also able to hold on firmly at the right places so that the reason for which they are voted in is not undermined. 

In any event, I believe we are entering into a new era of political leadership in Singapore. With ten seats out of 93, and two GRCs, leadership in the midst of a crisis is not about rallying together out of fear, but one out of courage, confidence and sacrifice. 

The reality is, we can no longer surf on the waves of the old guards led by the iconic LKY, but we can ride on the wings of diversity, regardless of political pedigree and meritocratic privilege, with the aim of fostering enduring unity and resilience. 

So, indeed, I wish them all well, with the support of and from the people, as we all move forward together against our common foe.