Singapore's General Election (GE) took place on 10 July 2020. GE2020 could be remembered as the COVID election; the watershed election that saw the most number of elected opposition in Parliament since Barisan Sosialis boycotted Parliament in 1968; the election that brought in the 5G leaders; or perhaps just simply one that ushered in a new normal (which election doesn't?).
With a campaigning period of 9 days and a day of "Cooling Off", the relatively short timeline seemed to have cramped all the emotions/heat/passion into a cabin-sized luggage meant for a 5-year overseas work assignment. In other countries, people get weary of the long campaigning. Trust me, a short campaigning period equally drains you with that intensity.
The top most common question I received since the end of the Circuit Breaker measures, a stringent set of stay-home measures imposed by the government in lieu of COVID-19 cases, was, "Do you think the People's Action Party (PAP) will win back Aljunied GRC?" My candid answer was sometimes, "I don't know. I have never smelt victory."
Service to the community is very much the DNA of PAP Branch Chairpersons (who are often the candidates fielded for GE). For the PAP, the work to win the next GE starts right after the current one. Having served alongside most of the Aljunied GRC PAP candidates since GE2015, I was naturally happy that the PAP decided to field the existing slate of PAP Branch Chairpersons. While some would argue that the lack of a "heavyweight" (probably defined as a veteran Member of Parliament or Minister) candidate meant that PAP did not see winning the GRC as a priority, I chose to see it as a form of recognition by the PAP for this team of candidates who had served the constituents as opposition in their wards.
Aljunied GRC PAP's Perambulant Vehicle
One of my favourite things to do during GE campaigning is to drive the PAP perambulant vehicle (or be driven) around the constituency. At times, we were welcomed with finger greetings. Most of the times, residents waved at us or give us the feisty fist pump to cheer us on. Looking at curious children with their wondering expressions reminds me on the purpose of politics - to chart a better future for our future generation.
In lieu of political rallies which could not be held safely due to COVID-19, GE2020 introduced the Constituency Political Broadcast for candidates to pitch on national television.
I recalled in GE2011 when Aljunied GRC's PAP team asked its Workers' Party (WP) counterparts on their plans for the GRC. WP could not offer any. The same happened in GE2015... and GE2020.
There were many livestreamed videos during the GE hustings. One caught my attention. NTUC's Deputy Secretary-General Koh Poh Koon interviewed a fellow Industrial Relations Officer (IRO) colleague her role as an IRO and how Unions and IROs support union members in job placement. "Jobs" was a major pillar of PAP's GE2020 manifesto - Our Jobs, Our Lives, Our Future.
One of the most emotional video in this GE goes to:
Social inequalities and inequities are often used by the Opposition to cast the ruling party as heartless and ignorant, in Singapore and as in most countries. There are many ways to eradicate inequalities. The PAP's way is a multi-pronged approach and begins with a heavy investment in educating our young. If there's one video on how the Singapore Government addresses such issues, this is the one:
One day, I brought my son to the PAP office I had to be the caregiver for the day. Our candidate Chua Eng Leong walked past and saw him and did a "PAP" fist pump. Little would I know that it impressed in my little one's mind so much that he would do the same at home, and even on the way back from school. As the GE campaign came to the tail end, he had the same question for his Mum everyday, "Why is Papa always at the PAP (office)?"
Being a PAP Counting Agent for in an opposition ward is no joke. Your heart skips a beat when the sample vote counts gradually show things are not in your favour. You endure long nights (into the morning) as the newscaster announces the results of the other constituencies before yours. But in GE2020, my heart sank even deeper when our WP counterparts burst into cheers on the announcement of their victory in Sengkang GRC.
Social media churned out tonnes of political analysts post-GE. Many offered their perspectives on why the PAP fared well (based on the number of seats it won) or badly (how it lost additional seats to the Opposition). In a contest, there are winners and there are losers. What matters is what do you do after you won or lost.
Some asked me, "Why do you still serve in an Opposition ward?" Well, while the PAP is not flawless, it is a centrist party that appeals to a broad spectrum of society. There are strong fundamental values of the PAP that I believe in, including the belief in a establishing a fair and just society. And most importantly, it is a party which emphasises on building a democracy of deeds and taking action over words.
How would the future generation study GE2020 and derive the lessons it provided? The path to shape that answer starts now.
