SINGAPORE: How do we keep Singapore relevant? Is it important to have strong leadership? What kind of political system do we need? What kind of society and nation do we want to be?
These are the questions Singaporeans should ask before casting their votes at the General Election (GE), according to Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.
Chairing a press conference on Wed (Sep 9) held by the People's Action Party (PAP) team for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Mr Tan said: "We’re reaching the last day of campaigning, and Singaporeans will need to think and decide who they would like to vote for...You elect leaders; your government, who will be making decisions on your behalf.“
This election was for the people to assess how the PAP has done, he added, and whether they would continue to trust the party to “lead them forward into the future”.
Mr Tan then offered four broad considerations for voters to think about.
KEEPING SINGAPORE RELEVANT
“Competition is very real,” Mr Tan observed. “From not just regional neighbors but also many other countries around the world.”
Citing how competition from globalization has affected economies like the U.S. and Japan, he said: “We are all buffeted by the same pressures. We can't pretend Singapore will just continue on its own without worry… We are not immune. In many ways, we’ve been able to stay relevant, to stay ahead of the curve, but is this a given?”
“Are we going to remain this way as we begin to change demographically, especially in the 2020s and 2030s when my generation will be aged 55 and above? Will Singapore’s economy be somewhat different, or will it have the same level of verve and dynamism?”
“Can we again defy the odds to carve out a different future for ourselves? We almost assume this run we have will continue… but it’s something Singaporeans should consider and think about what it means in terms of governance, leadership transition and politics.”
STRONG LEADERSHIP
Mr Tan called on voters to expect a political leadership that “looks beyond the next election cycle” and at the long-term picture.
“You will find that because of political pressures, it's easy to go down the popular route. This has happened in many countries both nearby and beyond,” he said. “Because margins are very tight and political parties worry about survival, do we end up racing to the bottom or do we have the courage to make some of the long calls, which may not always be popular but may be important for our country to sustain itself?”
“Do we want leaders rooted in values…Or will we see leaders who will sway with the wind and provide what people want at that stage, although it may ultimately hurt us?”
Pointing to issues of healthcare and retirement adequacy, Mr Tan noted that “when you promise certain things, it doesn’t happen immediately”.
“When it kicks in, the population begins to age and that's when you need to figure out how to pay for all that,” he said. “How do we do it without burdening younger generations? Could we be one country that looks beyond this, and be able to remain dynamic, and not be anchored down by the here and now?”
He argued that the “demographic patterns seen in Singapore need not be negative”.
“We will get older, but preparing for that stage is a long-term effort. We can actually do it… in fact, it's already started,” Mr Tan revealed. “So even as we age, we will live long and live well as individuals, as a community and as an economy as well – because we will be well-educated, well-skilled and as SkillsFuture kicks in, it will keep us continually relevant.”
AN ‘EVOLVED’ POLITICAL SYSTEM
“What is the implication of a weak mandate?” Mr Tan asked.
He said that “intuitively all of us agree” that “having competition is good “, “but how much is enough and how much do we want?”
“If you have a margin that’s a lot bigger, a government whose mandate is a lot weaker, is it a race to the top in terms of quality, or a race to the bottom where we begin to out-bargain each other in order to secure the popular vote?”
While he asserted that it would be “difficult to grapple with the next 10 to 15 years when you are fighting for survival for the next four to five years”, Mr Tan acknowledged that the political systems of today have “evolved”.
“Contest is now coming directly from the people in terms of inputs and engagement,” he explained. “We find a lot of very profound level of thinking and analysis being sent to us by individuals and groups who are passionate about issues.”
Added Mr Tan: “We’ve begun to work with them closely, and in some instances bring them on board in terms of focus groups. This going to continue… it’ll be foolish of us not to go down this path. I will fully concede it's messy and it’s difficult as you now have a lot more voices you need to work into your processes.”
The key, said Mr Tan, is to get these voices involved at an early stage. “Before frameworks are formed, when it's still a fairly blank sheet of paper… the scope for incorporation of ideas is plump. This system of engagement, this system of debate is beginning to kick in in a very big way.”
SOCIETY, NATION OF ‘VALUES’
Mr Tan’s final question posed to voters was on the kind of society and nation that Singapore wants to be.
“It’s not something that can be mandated… It's not something the government can do alone. It’s something all of us need to be on that journey together,” he said. “It needs to be organic in many ways. The government can play a part as a catalyst in some sense, sometimes stepping back to allow that space, but at all times to be involved and figure out that collaboration.”
Above all, Mr Tan declared, building a nation should entail “being caring, compassionate and selfless where we begin to look beyond ourselves”.
“We will always be grumbling, maybe that’s part of our traits as Singaporeans, that also keeps us on an edge and always wanting to do things better,” he laughed. “But at the same time, actually caring for people around us.”
Mr Tan cited school projects and companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility programmes as examples of how Singaporeans can start to appreciate volunteerism, and in the process, transform the lives of both themselves and the beneficiaries.
“As you help the less-privileged and the disadvantaged… as you interact, we are also building community ties and the bonds that will bind us, and that's what nation building is,” he said.
Mr Tan concluded: “Our work at parliamentarians isn’t just about law-making. It is about translating conceptually big ideas… into something we can do on the ground, in very real ways.”
“As with all General Elections, we become very emotional, and things are said, but it's part of the process,” he commented. “Ultimately we need to come back together, until the next election when we start jostling again… but how do we work together?”
“Agree to disagree, but where we find agreement, let's work on that, to build confidence and trust and move on some of these things, and to demonstrate how we can actually begin to create a better society... and in many ways this is about building a great nation. It’s anchored on values.”
For this year’s GE, Mr Tan helms a PAP Marine Parade team comprising Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef, Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Edwin Tong.
He was also part of the 2011 PAP outfit which secured a 56.94 per cent share of the vote in Marine Parade GRC, fending off a National Solidarity Party challenge. This time, however, the incumbents will go up against a Workers' Party slate led by former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Yee Jenn Jong.
- CNA/kk
