I finally made up my mind yesterday on how I would vote today. And it was strange, that moment when my mind was made up; I felt strangely calm yet excited about the day to come. For the first time in my life, it struck me that my vote was important, that I, with that singular vote, was bearing the weight and future of our country on my shoulders. Through the powers of new media, I know many other Singaporeans feel the same.
There have been many developments through this GE that we can be truly proud of. The willingness of so many average citizens to stand forth as alternatives to the incumbents, for example. Youths like Gerald Giam and Nicole Seah have effectively closed off certain doors for themselves in future through their participation, and I honestly applaud and appreciate their bravery. The casting off of so many old fears and inhibitions that used to dominate voters’ psyches in past GEs being another; I see so, so many attending opposition rallies and fearlessly shouting their support, earnestly sharing thoughts and information, videos and pictures on FB and YouTube. But I am most proud of, and touched by, our collective realization that the elections must transcend the bread and butter issues of yore and that we have the responsibility and power to shape our country’s future through our vote.
We all want to be heard, we want our vote to count, and above all we reject a farcical democracy where a country is run like a listed corporation with no heart and little regard for the people’s wishes and needs. I’ve said it long before, what’s good for the country is not necessarily good for its people. And yet, what is a country without its people? Why can we not do more for those whom we’ve left behind in our race ahead?
We are at a critical juncture. We already know we aren’t an apathetic people, and we’ve reached a stage of actualization where we know just how important our votes are. To complete the process, we need also to accept and respect that in a true democracy everyone has a right to vote for the things they need and want, from a First World Parliament to economic progress and prosperity to good governance, or even estate and housing upgrading. Should the majority will of the people not be our ideal, then we just have to forge on ahead to make ourselves heard in other ways instead of becoming a divisive society full of infighting and acrimony.
To paraphrase a friend and colleague, we are Singapore, long before we are blue or red or peach or whatever other colours there are. I love my country and I have never been prouder to be Singaporean.














