Like many fellow citizens, I have been actively perusing news on the election here in Singapore over the past two weeks. In between, I took a short trip to Hong Kong with the fiancée over the Labour Day weekend. Incidentally, we encountered a demonstration on the streets of Hong Kong by the unions. Sights we never see in Singapore. It provided some perspective on how unions are conducted in Singapore. Another key reason why this election is exciting for me personally is because, like many in my generation, this is the first time I will be getting to vote despite reaching the legal voting age more than a decade ago. I had participated in countless national events such as the National Day Parade and singing the national anthem in the old stadium and the Padang. But I am sure I will never feel more Singaporean as when I am in the ballot box.
I am grateful to the PAP for their contributions to the nation over the past fifty years. But the unprecedented support for the oppositions is real. Why is this so?
Let’s examine the Maslow's hierarchy of needs: Physiological , Safety, Belonging, Esteem and Self-actualization.
The PAP had been very successful in providing for the physiological needs of the citizens. They had some success with Safety. But as the nation progress, our needs grew. And now they struggle with providing for the Belonging, Esteem and Self-actualization levels of need. Despite surveys showing that bread and butter (Safety) issues are the main concern, a growing number of citizens are starting to be more concern about the meaning of nationhood (Belonging). It is at these levels that the rallies are revolved around.
There are many issues in those categories indeed. I do not feel the need to repeat them. They are readily available. I should just highlight one that concerns me the most. I am most bothered by the astronomical minister pay. It is not that the number is high that bothers me. It is that the bonuses are pegged to GDP growth. This resulted in an “economic-growth-at-all-cost” mentality. Economy growth is good. It is excellence in providing for the Physiological and Safety levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. But it fares badly at higher levels. This is the system created by the founding fathers of the nation because this is the system that worked and addresses these early levels of needs. But a paradigm shift is needed now. This system has permeated throughout our society and its negative effects are becoming evident. Personally, as a school teacher, I see students getting overly stressed over the “academic-success-at-all-cost” mentality that echoes the system that currently governs us. The system rewards those who churned out results and wins awards of various kinds rather than those who worked at developing a love for learning. This is the reflection of a government that gives more emphasis to businesses and individuals who can contribute to the economy instead of those who are trying to make this nation a home and a pleasant place to grow old in.
Many politicians claimed track records in this election. Honestly, I am annoyed by that. Track records mean nothing under the framework by which I make my decision. In fact, the whole purpose of having an election every five years is to “erase” these track records and have everyone start again on equal footing. So under this framework, what needs to be done?
The PAP needs to evolve. They cannot sing the same tunes over and over again. They have done well for the first two levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. But they cannot ignore the higher levels anymore. They are unfamiliar in those levels. In that sense, they are rookie, just like the opposition. There is the counter argument that there is no guarantee that opposition will be able to produce results. That is also true. There is no way of knowing the future. Some of them will succeed, some will not. So they are rookies, just like the PAP.
So what is the voter to do?
I simply vote for the one that tries the harder.
