Now is 12.08am. Today will be the day to decide for ourselves and vote for the future we want to see in Singapore. These ten days have been the most amazing days in Singapore's political history. 82 out of 87 seats were contested for in GRCs and SMCs except for Tanjong Pagar. Rallies are drawing huge crowds of people and information transmission through various media was overwhelming.
Election 2011 was very different from my virgin experience 5 years ago. Then, I was only in my early twenties. Living in a stable and safe country like Singapore have blunted my ability to question why things work and why things don't work. I have never wondered about how the government works neither did I know anything about the opposition. I vaguely remembered going to the polling and making a cross on the obvious choice which most people made. There was no question on my choice. I was a fresh graduate starting to work in the society and I was a happy citizen.
5 years have passed. I went through many changes in my personal life. I got married and I bought a HDB flat. I went through the economic crisis and I lost my job to restructuring. I was one of the lucky ones who managed to get a new flat and the prices were still not as high compared to now. Still, it was with the help of my in-laws to get the down payment as my husband and I were young and could not afford. I managed to find a permanent job again after a year of contract work. Along with many people, I am very unhappy with how Singapore is progressing and very supportive of the opposition parties as they seemed to address what Singaporeans really need. I was reading online articles and watching youtube videos to get more information on the contesting candidates. It really sounds promising to me. With most of my friends posting positive feedback on the opposition, it seemed to me that this is the way to go forward.
However, after watching the rally broadcast on CNA earlier on, I had this question in my mind, is our opposition good enough to combat the future issues that Singapore going to face? Are they able to handle international issues rather than just focusing on the domestic issues? I really wondered and started to worry. Honestly speaking, I would love to have them in the Parliament to have alternative voices to address for our concerns and I do believe that we need it.
On the other hand, it seemed to me that they are so focused on the domestic issues that are bothering Singaporeans and using it as their main argument to tackle on the flaws of the government. What about the international issues? Are they taking into consideration of the impact of their ideas being introduced into the Parliament?
Many large corporations are happy with the government policies here and this is the reason why they came here to set up companies and branches which in turns provide jobs to the locals. Yes, the competition is stiff now as we have to compete with the foreigners who are coming here to work. Judging from a company's perspective, this is good as they will be able to get people with the relevant skills that they need given such a diversified market. But if the policies are changed and become unfavorable to these corporations, will they pack up and move elsewhere? What is going to happen to people like me and you? Are we looking at the nitty gritty issues that we lost sight of the big picture?
Singapore, no matter how successful it is now, continues to be an island that is vulnerable to regional and international issues. I hope we will be able to elect candidates with foresight and capability to form a good team to lead Singapore regardless of what parties they belong to.
It's a tough decision to make. Vote wisely! I think tomorrow night everyone including me will be checking eagerly for the result. Good night~