My Choice - Whampoa SMC

Today 14 July 2015, marks my last day as a member of NSP. Early in the morning, I sent a text to the party's President to bid him farewell and to wish him and the party well. He responded cordially with his good wishes.

Since stepping down as Secretary-General of NSP, I have been invited by other political parties to join them. Unfortunately, I had to politely decline each of their kind offer. At the breaking-of-fast dinner held at the Islamic Restaurant this evening, attended by representatives of the various alternative parties, I was interviewed by the media and press, and they were interested to know my plans.

I have already made up my mind to go independent and informed the reporters of my intention to contest in Whampoa, one of the places where I have been regularly visiting to do volunteer work in the past years. To some my friends in politics, both the idea of going independent and disclosing my choice of ward to contest in the next election so soon were against conventional political wisdom. But, why should that always be the case? If they earnestly wish to improve the electoral system, they must be ready to challenge conventional wisdom and think out of the box. 

 

I was asked if I was concerned about three-corner fights. This seems to be a common worry for potential candidates and the voters. Again, my thoughts are quite different. I feel that voters are entitled to make their choices and to decide who to vote for without interference. With closed-door negotiations to avoid multi-corner fights, the voters' choices become limited to only those who are allowed to contest by private treaty. That seems to run against the very idea of an open democratic system.

In any event, for a maturing democracy, voters should not be afraid of making choices. If the voters' objective is not to dilute the votes for the alternative party candidates by them agreeing not to engage in three-corner fights, the voters themselves will unwittingly stifle the development of a truly multi-party political system. The voters need to find the courage to face the ballot box just as much as the candidates themselves.

Ultimately, it will be the voters who will decide the outcomes in every election. May the voters not only have the courage to choose but also the wisdom to know how.

Walkabout in Tampines on 24.05.2015

NSP visited Tampines again this morning in their walkabouts. The familiar sound of a workout song drew me to the empty space near Blk 201C where a group of people, young and old, were doing zumba with a Health Promotion Board banner on the "National Healthy Lifestyle" campaign standing at a corner. The market was alive with the Sunday crowd and the stalls were doing a roaring business.

An elderly man sauntered up to me and expressed his pessimism about the future of alternative parties. He did not think they could do much especially when the ruling party has become so rich and strong. Another elderly resident approached me to highlight the concerns of people in his age group. He was troubled about the spiralling housing costs and could not accept that flat prices have reached hundreds of thousands when salaries for ordinary folks have not increased by the same.

One other elderly resident shared with me about the Pioneer Generation Package. He said he has given feedback to the PGP ambassadors and queried the partial coverage of medicine. He felt that all types of medicine should be covered and wanted to see the change.

There were also concerns about the weakening of our value system and how things will turn out for Singapore when our traditional values are not effectively transmitted. All the feedback from the ground was instructive.

Walking the ground is necessary for all those who aspire to understand the issues that ordinary folks are concerned with. At the end of the day, isn't politics about people?

My Walkabout in CCK

NSP's outreach activity in Teck Whye last Sunday is a regular affair for the party.

Teck Whye is one of 7 neighbourhoods in Choa Chu Kang and the first block of flats in Teck Whye were built in 1980. If you are making your way into Teck Whye Lane to visit the market place there, be ready for the traffic jam along Jalan Teck Whye.

The coffeeshop at Blk 143 was bustling with people taking their Sunday morning breakfast and the human traffic flowed non-stop. The orange outfit of our members stood out from a distance as they dispersed to mingle with the crowd. NSP had come to greet the residents again and to promote the party organ, called The North Star.

I met lots of interesting people. Not all of them were residents of CCK. Some came to meet friends for their regular Sunday breakfast. Others came because of the food. There were people who were absolutely friendly when approached and  there were those who were shy and reserved. Generally, they were all typically polite. When I smiled and introduced myself, they returned a smile and shook hands with me. Some who were more outfront asked questions about the general elections.

There are a few who were clearly waiting to speak out. Generally, they were concerned about the costs of living and their stressful lives. There were some people who eyed our members with great reservation and were indifferent to the activity around them. Singaporeans, by and large, are beginning to get used to seeing political party members making their rounds in markets and hawker centres. In fact, if these party members are not seen to be doing so, their commitment could be viewed with suspicion.

After the walkabout, we sat down to fill out tummies. At this coffeeshop, I found a stall that sells an unusual black sauce version of prawn noodles. It tasted different and was good. At $4.50 per bowl, it was rather pricey. A nonya kueh stall at the corner sells a potpurri of delucious local pastries and curry puffs. I bought a packet consisting of 7 pieces of tapioca kueh for $3.50. That works out to 50 cents apiece.

Walking and interacting with residents provide party members with a better perspective of the real issues that are close to the hearts of the common folks. Politics is really about people and no politician worth his salt can claim to truly understand the people if they do not take the trouble to meet the people and speak with them.