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.

 

GE2002 - No Country fields two teams for World Cup.

I recall PM Lee once said that “no country fields two teams for the World Cup. You have one National soccer team, you have reserve players, you have coaches, you can change players, and if need be, you can even change the coach.”

Here is the cruncher. “But you concentrate all your talent, make one team, and give it your best shot whether it is Johannesburg or Rio de Janeiro. I think that is what we should do.”

“We are not so successful in soccer but we are not doing badly in government and I think that we should keep up our winning streak and stay in the championship league in the international contest of nations.” (Speech at Kent Ridge Ministerial Form, 5 April 2011). 

That was the speech before the GE2011 (May) that saw PAP’s vote share fell to its lowest in history, that is, only 60.1%. And for the first time, losing Aljunied GRC to WP. 

If you also recall, that was also the GE where our founding father LKY warned the people that they will pay the price, the hard way, if they should vote for WP (however, according to George Yeo, LKY later emailed to Aljunied GRC and apologised for his remarks). 

That’s not all. 

SM Goh also threw his lot into the electoral ring. He commented on the impact on Singapore should the PAP team in Aljunied GRC be voted out. 

SM Goh said that based on merit, the PAP ended up with a politically balanced, beautiful picture of an Indian as President, a Chinese as Prime Minister and a Malay (Mr Zainal Abidin Rasheed) as potential Speaker of Parliament. 

“You knock out George Yeo and Zainul Abidin. Well, you’ll have to look for another Speaker on the basis of merit...”

He added: “These are the fine points of politics which we in PAP understand, which we try to manage quietly. But the opposition says never mind, George Yeo can be a diplomat. Come off it, that’s not the way you build up a first rate government.”

So, in summary, I believe that “keeping our winning streak” speech, that “you pay a hard price” warning and that “fine points of politics only PAP understands” comment are the old normal of the past era in Singapore politics. 

I also believe the new normal in future election is one where the convergence of variant superbugs, a world in groaning due to climate abuses, and a more media-connected, informed and restless, left-leaning young (and middle income) electoral will more often than not keep (if not compel) our leaders on the narrow path of humility, integrity and soul-searching-self-awareness. 

In any event, the issue with a mature and functioning democracy like ours with a relatively educated electoral is that you give one man and one woman, one vote each, and you can be sure that they, as a collective, will use it to register their dissent and swing the votes to an alternative political team, even if it risks replacing a Speaker of the House or a seasoned MP in the likes of George Yeo, both forming part of what SM Goh so confidently asserts then was a first rate government.

In respect of first rate government, it is true to some extent that, as Lawrence Wong said, PAP still have a solid majority (83 out of 93 seats - that’s super-duper majority). He said that is because “the base kept faith with the PAP, knowing that the PAP kept faith with its base.” And according to Lawrence, that base are “the working class, the middle class, the heartland of Singapore.”

I believe that the base support will still be there even as PM Lee hands over the reins to the 4G leaders with HSK leading the charge. But in a functioning democracy, one should never take anything for granted or be too presumptuous about one’s achievement in government. 

Save for a polarised state like the US led by a narcissist demagogue blindly whipping up populist sentiments to a frenzy or an oppressive regime like North Korea where democracy is just a circus show, our democracy is still sufficiently active, discerning and involved to make a swinging difference should we detect an air of superiority, a trace of hubris or a show of pretension by the ruling superduper majority. 

Mind you, it is signature human nature for the electoral to give short shrift to the dominant status quo, especially when they only get one chance in 5 years to make their vote count. 

But, thankfully, as things turn out, PAP is not a political leviathan that looks at its own reflection through the St James’ mirror and then walks away forgetting how he looks like. On this, Lawrence admitted that “the desire for diversity in Parliament, for checks and balances, is permanent. It is here to stay, and we must be prepared for this new reality.”

In addition, he also assured the people that “the party will conduct a thorough review of the general election, identifying two areas that the party will have to work on. It must better connect with younger voters and address the “real economic pain” that a substantial segment of older voters are feeling.””

Well, we should give credit where credit is due. And that admission and promise to review are the first step to good and humble governance. But words will have to be put into action, and I trust, with its track record, there is hope in the new normal of Singapore politics. 

So, let me end with what I started, that is, PM Lee’s one national soccer team. Then, he said you cannot field two teams for the World Cup. 

Well, maybe in Singapore’s most recent political context, it is still one team of government that is for the people, by the people, and of the people. And the ideal of democracy remains uncompromised with this one team. 

However, like Singapore’s multiculturalism, it is one team culled from different political parties, which for the moment is only WP, and with each working together with humility and maturity for the same timeless goal, that is, for the nation, for their welfare, for the common good. 

This is how Pritam Singh puts it: “Whatever the expectations the PAP has of the WP, the WP’s purpose and approach in Parliament is to advance and achieve better outcomes for Singapore, and to champion the welfare of Singaporeans. We will remain steadfast and fully committed to that cause.”

And here is where WP’s goal overlaps with PAP’s when Lawrence concluded with this: -

“Our policies must always tilt in favour of the less fortunate and vulnerable. This is in the PAP’s roots and DNA. We must never waver in our commitment to social justice, to preserve social mobility for all Singaporeans, and to build a more fair and just society.”

So it is not about fielding two soccer teams for the World Cup, but one united team with each and every player, whether as a striker, midfielder, defender or goalkeeper, contributing their part, and training together, notwithstanding their different personalities, political backgrounds and banners, in order to get the ball into its opponent’s goal post. 

That is the enduring goal of democracy, and this little red dot may just set a new aspiring standard for politics that is fair, transparent, robust, and always people-centred, with diversity working in favour of, and not against, the future of her people.