let lemons be angry

Polling Day.

So many things I'd wanted to say before this day. Too late now, for you would have voted.
So instead of trying to be persuasive, I can only be reflective. And perhaps that is the wiser, more beneficial thing to do.

Whatever the election results, we can say that change has already happened.


1. There was opposition. 
More and better opposition arose than we could ever predict. We expected walkovers in our estates; brave new leaders stepped up as PAP shooting targets, shelling out tens of thousands of dollars, so that we could have a shot at true democracy.

2. Citizens got angry.
These are the nanny-state citizens who have accepted rising GST with shrugs, and pretended to be asleep in their seats when old people board the train. They don't cause riots, attract attention, or fight for anything that isn't material. But in these weeks leading up to today, they got angry. They found champions who can articulate their frustrations, and yelled in chorus with them. Or else, like me, they woke up to the petty crimes of the incumbent government, and started to prickle. Sometimes the anger has been misdirected, sometimes it has been out of control. But for a placid state that never cares about politics beyond its own advantage, anger is a healthy sign that Singaporeans still want a stake in their own country.

PAP-supporters code their support by saying "I'll be voting rationally." They think that if opposition-voters stopped being so emotional and used their heads to think for a second, the logic of voting for opposition would fall apart. It does not fall apart. The anger/passion/emotion we feel comes as a result of looking at the facts.

Granted, I have seen WP supporters so die-hard that every sentence their leaders speak is an occasion for cheer. They may not grasp the entire chunk of logic in the speeches. They catch things that resonate with them, things that touch base with their grievances. Yes, they are emotional. But if you were to dismiss these angry people as being simply emotional, without substance to their anger, then you are ignoring their heart cries.

3. The PAP said sorry.
Whether it was to garner votes or was a sincere awakening, the PAP has recognized that it needs to change. Realistically, we know that the PAP will still sweep most of the votes. Besides the playing ground not being level, there are more Singaporeans who are too comfortable with status quo to bristle for change. But because the opposition has spoken up these 9 days, we now have a PAP that has climbed down from its arrogance and promises to reform itself if we would please give them another chance. That is improvement.

4.  We stand united.
I was one of the 35,000 shouting the pledge at the last Workers' Party Rally. Around me were the other ardent fans who'd shown up early enough to get a front-row view. Uncles with one flag stuck behind each ear, old men who made posters to get autographs, uncles with multi-flagged umbrella contraptions, uncles who shouted lovingly at Sylvia Lim, "Ah Liaaaann!" and aunties who shouted responses to every line LTK said. There was nothing we had in common. But for those three hours, we stood patiently together and wanted the same thing. Never had I understood the meaning of the pledge, when I took it in school beside people the same age, who liked the same music and perfume and whose families weren't too different from mine. But there at Serangoon stadium, I finally got it.

5. Anybody can make a change for Singapore.
This is a tribute, a real one, to Nicole Seah. She had no credentials, only her experiences helping the poor. And still she came forward to battle it out. Nicole, thank you for taking a road never taken before. It must be a calling God has given you, to choose such hard ground to break, to be like Joseph and Daniel and do God's work right at the top. You might have been uncertain when you first signed up for this. You might only have had a couple of speeches planned. You didn't know that Singapore would fall in love with you and let you be their leader. Your youth has been your biggest strength, and it's not just because you are a fresh face. Because you are young, your heart is soft enough to still cry for the problems our government has grown cold towards. Because you are young, you have no battle scars to deter you from shouting out the truth and demanding answers from your PM. Because you are young, you make me feel like I too could have something of worth to say for my country.

Even if you do not win tonight, you have started something great. At least in my heart--a new desire to be fearless and compassionate, to use my youth now. May your heart always be soft.