17 June 1930 - 29 August 2012
Saturday 29 August 2015
Friday 28 August 2015
OVERTURNING THE GENERAL ELECTION TORTOISE
AND LOOKING AT ITS HIDDEN UNDERBELLY
The Common View
The conventional way of looking at a general election is to see it as a nation's periodic exercise in renewing its political leadership. More pertinently, it is perceived to be a battle for votes by politicians representing different political beliefs and philosophies, with the general public acting as a judge and arbiter deciding whether the country should continue with PAP's proven formula or break with tradition by opting for change. Foremost on the voters' minds would be the calibre of the individual candidates, their credibility, their record, their beliefs, their moral standing and the strength of their respective parties. This common view puts the politicians and their parties in the spotlight and sees their qualities determining the outcome of the general election.
The Deeper View
The truth is really quite different. The vast majority of voters are ill-informed, lack passion or intellectual vigour to properly judge the merits of the candidates and what they stand for in relation to the issues of the day, the intricacies of which they could hardly understand. What they can hope for is a very simplified and superficial interpretation of political problems, though inconsistently presented, by various political contestants and try to predict their impact on their daily lives. However, the democratic act of voting places a necessarily heavy burden on the people to make a judgement that they are barely qualified to make. This is the Achilles heel of democracy, but there is no immediate or foreseeable remedy for it.
As each voter puts a cross on the ballot paper on September 11, each thinks that he is choosing a candidate or party. Yet, the placement of the cross will say more about the voter himself than about the political players. That's because he has more self-knowledge than knowledge about politics and politicians.
Subconsciously to him, the act of voting is an act of making a statement about his self-confidence as an actively participating member of the citizenry. It all boils down to this: is he choosing politicians whom he thinks are capable of making all the important decisions for him; or is he choosing politicians as intellectual equals who truly listen to him and his fellow citizens, respond to feedback, are ready to discuss and conciliate different viewpoints and accurately represent these different viewpoints in parliamentary discussions? In short, does the voter defer and surrender his political rights to political experts of his choosing because of his own political incompetence; or does he want to engage fully in his role as a necessary participant in the political life of his nation by choosing a representative partner to render such participation viable and practical?
If his confidence is low, he will choose the party that seeks a strong mandate from him to make all the right decisions for him and his country. If his confidence is high, he may want to elect other parties who promise more consultation and conversations and make decisions in a more circumspect and tentative manner. The outcome of the election is not so much a statement about the strength of the PAP or the state of opposition politics, but rather about the degree of political maturity of Singaporeans.
All the campaigning, the issues, the words, the sounds and the fury are actually just some rituals of an election ceremony. In the end, these do not matter very much because it is not the politicians and their parties that are being tested; it is us as a society that is being examined.
AND LOOKING AT ITS HIDDEN UNDERBELLY
The Common View
The conventional way of looking at a general election is to see it as a nation's periodic exercise in renewing its political leadership. More pertinently, it is perceived to be a battle for votes by politicians representing different political beliefs and philosophies, with the general public acting as a judge and arbiter deciding whether the country should continue with PAP's proven formula or break with tradition by opting for change. Foremost on the voters' minds would be the calibre of the individual candidates, their credibility, their record, their beliefs, their moral standing and the strength of their respective parties. This common view puts the politicians and their parties in the spotlight and sees their qualities determining the outcome of the general election.
The Deeper View
The truth is really quite different. The vast majority of voters are ill-informed, lack passion or intellectual vigour to properly judge the merits of the candidates and what they stand for in relation to the issues of the day, the intricacies of which they could hardly understand. What they can hope for is a very simplified and superficial interpretation of political problems, though inconsistently presented, by various political contestants and try to predict their impact on their daily lives. However, the democratic act of voting places a necessarily heavy burden on the people to make a judgement that they are barely qualified to make. This is the Achilles heel of democracy, but there is no immediate or foreseeable remedy for it.
As each voter puts a cross on the ballot paper on September 11, each thinks that he is choosing a candidate or party. Yet, the placement of the cross will say more about the voter himself than about the political players. That's because he has more self-knowledge than knowledge about politics and politicians.
Subconsciously to him, the act of voting is an act of making a statement about his self-confidence as an actively participating member of the citizenry. It all boils down to this: is he choosing politicians whom he thinks are capable of making all the important decisions for him; or is he choosing politicians as intellectual equals who truly listen to him and his fellow citizens, respond to feedback, are ready to discuss and conciliate different viewpoints and accurately represent these different viewpoints in parliamentary discussions? In short, does the voter defer and surrender his political rights to political experts of his choosing because of his own political incompetence; or does he want to engage fully in his role as a necessary participant in the political life of his nation by choosing a representative partner to render such participation viable and practical?
If his confidence is low, he will choose the party that seeks a strong mandate from him to make all the right decisions for him and his country. If his confidence is high, he may want to elect other parties who promise more consultation and conversations and make decisions in a more circumspect and tentative manner. The outcome of the election is not so much a statement about the strength of the PAP or the state of opposition politics, but rather about the degree of political maturity of Singaporeans.
All the campaigning, the issues, the words, the sounds and the fury are actually just some rituals of an election ceremony. In the end, these do not matter very much because it is not the politicians and their parties that are being tested; it is us as a society that is being examined.
Tuesday 18 August 2015
RECONSTRUCTING SINGAPORE'S GENERAL ELECTIONS 2015
VOTING FOR CREDIBILITY AND PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY
Our Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, has accurately identified the 3 main challenges Singapore will face over the next 50 years.
1. How can we boost our productivity to continue our economic growth?
2. How do we overcome the demographic problems of an aging population and a low fertility rate?
3. How can we preserve our national identity and our sense of belonging?
If the coming General Elections is like an examination for the various political parties, let these be the important examination questions. This will get our politicians thinking hard about our country's problems rather than indulging in undesirable mud-slinging and character assassinations.
For us voters, let's do something unusual this year. Let's put aside our old loyalties and deep prejudices, our cynical distrust, our fickle vulnerability to favors, our selfish short-term considerations, our sense of entitlement and our petty tribal rivalries. Instead, let's judge the political competitors, fairly and objectively, on their credibility and potential ability to solve our present and future problems and give our votes to the deserving ones.
So, in a nutshell, if the forthcoming General Elections is an exam about solving national problems, the politicians are the students taking the exam; the political parties are the different schools that taught them; and the voters are the neutral invigilators and markers of the papers. Now, let the exam begin!
VOTING FOR CREDIBILITY AND PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY
Our Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, has accurately identified the 3 main challenges Singapore will face over the next 50 years.
1. How can we boost our productivity to continue our economic growth?
2. How do we overcome the demographic problems of an aging population and a low fertility rate?
3. How can we preserve our national identity and our sense of belonging?
If the coming General Elections is like an examination for the various political parties, let these be the important examination questions. This will get our politicians thinking hard about our country's problems rather than indulging in undesirable mud-slinging and character assassinations.
For us voters, let's do something unusual this year. Let's put aside our old loyalties and deep prejudices, our cynical distrust, our fickle vulnerability to favors, our selfish short-term considerations, our sense of entitlement and our petty tribal rivalries. Instead, let's judge the political competitors, fairly and objectively, on their credibility and potential ability to solve our present and future problems and give our votes to the deserving ones.
So, in a nutshell, if the forthcoming General Elections is an exam about solving national problems, the politicians are the students taking the exam; the political parties are the different schools that taught them; and the voters are the neutral invigilators and markers of the papers. Now, let the exam begin!
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