Decision to not contest in Potong Pasir SMC

Last night, I was doing my usual walkabout. As I was driving out from the carpark near Block 108 in Potong Pasir after 11 p.m., I saw a Mercedez Benz waiting to park. It has just entered the car park and its headlights were shining in my direction.

As I exited from my parking lot and passed by the Merc to my right, I noticed the lady driver struggling to turn her steering wheel so as to move her car aside to let me pass. As I drove passed the stationary Merc, I saw that the driver was Mrs. Lina Chiam. She was in her party T-shirt and looked rather haggard.

Along the way home, I kept thinking about my encounter with Mrs. Chiam and felt sorry that she was still out at such a late hour. I recall her recent statement about this election being her last election and that she will be retiring with Mr. Chiam. I began to have this feeling of sadness and couldn't sleep after reaching home.

I contacted my team members this morning and shared with them my thoughts and feelings. And I told them my decision. I have decided not to contest. Instead, I will lead my team to show our support for Mrs. Chiam at her rally and hope she succeeds to regain Potong Pasir SMC and continue Mr. Chiam's dedicated service to its residents.

The 3-cornered fight in Potong Pasir SMC that was meant to be will no longer take place. I am sorry to disappoint all those who have encouraged me to offer my candidacy and to serve the residents of Potong Pasir SMC as their Member of Parliament. In my walkabouts over the last 2 months, I have come to know many of you at a personal level and appreciate your warm support. Let me assure you that notwithstanding this decision, I will continue to be at your service. For Potong Pasir SMC will always be my kind of town.

Peolitics Model of Politics

Current Political Ideology

The current dominant political thinking in Singapore is an economy-centred ideology. This ideology is based on the government's "Singapore Inc."  model which places economic interests at the heart of government policy-making. The result is the Singapore that we have created today. A country that has achieved economic success at high social costs with over-population, intense competition for jobs, housing and transport, runaway costs of living, stressful lifestyle and a severe income gap.

National policies which place the economy at their core without counting the social costs can only make the rich richer and will never lead the ordinary citizens to attain the first goal of our national pledge - happiness. Our experience in the last 25 years tells us what we need to know. The way forward in the next 25 years depends on a change of mindset. We need to build a people and not just an economy. In order to do that, national policies must be centred on the people’s welfare and aspirations. Lest it be mistaken, we are not talking about welfarism. We are talking about not building an economy at the expense of the people’s welfare and nation-building.

People-Centred Political Ideology

Politics is about people. People-centred political ideology (“Peolitics”) is premised on the principle that the people’s welfare and aspirations are paramount in national policies. In order for the leaders and their people to achieve unity of purpose, the Peolitics model emphasizes the importance of a Sensitive and Responsive Leadership and a People with a Political Conscience and Responsibility.

Leadership

Leaders must deploy their five (5) senses to understand the needs and wants of the people. A good leader must be adept at all the following:

1. See what’s been happening;
2. Listen to the noises in the voices;
3. Sniff out the real problems;
4. Taste the lives of ordinary folks; and
5. Touch base with the ground always;

People

Just as the leadership has political responsibilities, the people must also do their part to help create a positive political culture. The people must motivate their leaders to do their best to meet their needs and wants by behaving:

1. Rationally;
2. Reasonably; and
3. Responsibly.

Political Conscience and Responsibility

Every decent human being has a conscience. This arises from one’s ingrained sense of values. We feel a sense of guilt when we do something that runs contrary to such values. Hence, Political Conscience refers to the national values that are ingrained in our people. These national values are encapsulated in our pledge:

"We, the people of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.”

The Political Responsibility of the people is premised on their Political Conscience. The values that we pledge shall guide the people in the discharge of their political responsibility. This responsibility is particularly important for democracy to succeed. It has often been said that democracy is the rule of the majority and the minority may feel threatened by the “tyranny of the majority”. This scenario may be pre-empted if all people in a democracy are guided by their political conscience to discharge their political responsibility in a manner that does not betray their national values as one people. Only then can we achieve a positive political culture.

Positive Political Culture 

Politics in Singapore is becoming radicalized as we witness more and more social agencies being used for political ends and grassroots leaders engaging in partisan politics. Such a development is unhealthy and will lead to repugnance for politics and politicians. The social contract between the state and the people has to be premised on a relationship of trust and respect. In order to sustain that relationship, it is important to build a political culture that not only encourages people to engage constructively in political discourse without fear of victimization but further motivates those with the necessary talents that we need to spontaneously offer their services to the people and the nation.

SOCIAL: Keeping Our Environment Clean And Green

More people we know seem to be stricken by cancer and more young people are dying from  explainable  illnesses. What has gone wrong?

Much blame has been placed on our stress levels, lifestyles and the foods and drinks that we consume. These are undeniably contributory factors but there is something else that has an equally important, if not a greater impact on our health. Our living environment.

We generate as much as 1,370 kg of waste per person each year according to  Singapore 2014 Waste Statistics and that's a whopping total of 7,514,500 tonnes each year. Imagine producing so much waste and not knowing how to protect the environment that we live in. What will happen?

A healthy living environment is definitely important to help us to keep diseases at bay. Wash your hands before you eat and try to keep public eating places as clean as possible after you are done eating or drinking. Throw your litter into the refuse bin. Do not litter to create a breeding ground for rodents and pests. Learn to properly recycle waste and be environmentally friendly. Stop your engine from running when your vehicle is parked to reduce air pollution. Save electricity and water whenever you can as these are precious limited resources that we need for our daily living.

Keep our city clean and green always. Trees and shrubs not only beautify our landscape but add colour and vibrancy to a healthy living environment. Do not destroy our natural environment. If we do, we are harming ourselves. Take care of mother earth and mother earth will take care of you.

Let's work together to keep each other healthy. And happy.