http://sg.news.yahoo.com/vincent-wijeysingha-resigns-from-singapore-democratic-party-100944974.html
I suppose it is not entirely a surprise that V Wijeysingha has quit the SDP.
SDP – as much as the PAP is the party of the English educated. They are pretty likely to know each other – Tan Jee Say, Michelle Lee, Ang Yong Guan and Vincent Wijeysingha could only have been members of one of these two parties.
He says that he’s quitting in order to concentrate more fully on civic society. And when he has chosen civic society over politics, we must start to wonder which of these is actually more important in Singapore.
Let us first take what he’s saying at face value, and assume that he’s not actually saying that SDP is a basket case. While we have seen that 2011 was the year where opposition parties made great strides, there has also been a parallel rise in civil society, especially in incidents like the AWARE takeover, or the marches in Hong Lim park that have taken place this year. When you look at history, the AWARE takeover was an event which in my mind foreshadowed the 2011 elections. It was a moment where a new, more rebellious, more raucous spirit showed itself.
People have praised Vincent Wijeysingha for his political talent, his charisma, his intelligence, regardless of what they actually think of his political views. And maybe he has come to the conclusion that he’s more suited for civic society. When it comes to the issues that are closest to his heart, like gay rights and foreign workers, being a member of parliament might not be the best thing. Being an MP means you have to represent peoples’ interests, you have to run town councils, you have to do meet the peoples. It may not leave you with much room to fight your political battles. You might be on some oversight committee to examine gay issues, but if the majority are against gay rights, you are bound by duty to represent that position.
That’s the thing about politics and running for office: either you are in or you’re not. If you’re not in parliament, and especially if your party does not have somebody in parliament, you totally do not participate in the legislative process. It is a “suck your thumb” scenario.
Regarding gay rights, it is quite clear to me that the govt is willing to sit back and take a slightly conservative position. The LKY position, most probably. We like what gay people can contribute to our economy, gay rights will come tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow. But the govt is not the main enemy. The main enemy is the mega-churches and the attitudes of the more conservative segment of the people. It's probably more productive to work on that.
Likewise for migrant worker rights, it is not really served by getting people into parliament. It’s far better to be an activist, and put out more information about these people getting abused, sleeping and living in coolie quarters, and coughing up blood like in the good old days.
Maybe he has realised that he is at heart an activist and not really a member of parliament.
After this, let’s step back and see the bigger picture. Of the A team of GE 2011, VW is the last to leave. Michelle Lee, Ang Yong Guan and Tan Jee Say are all gone. Of the four, VW stayed the longest, and no surprise: he’s the one who’s the most SDP-like of the four. Western educated, liberal, idealistic, activist. But he’s also gone. And that tells us something about parliament. It tells us that maybe the institution of parliament and the civil society are in many ways incompatible with each other, even though what he said in his farewell speech about them working hand in hand is probably true. They work together – doesn’t mean they are the same as each other, or people can just cross over.
So that brings into sharp relief – well for ages there is some sort of overlap being a marginalized opposition party and being a part of civil society. Being actually in parliament means you have to take care of boring shit municipal issues like who’s going to clean the fucking ceiling of a hawker centre. And the worker’s party has taught all the other opposition parties a few things recently. First, what it takes to get into parliament, and very closely related, what the people want. A centrist party, not rocking any boats, and pretty close to what the PAP used to stand for. The question is – what’s next for the SDP? They fouled up the by-elections. They may have become a little unelectable. Or they may be morphing into another WP, and VW and SDP decided that they’re no longer compatible. Who knows?
Another possibility is that people are starting to prepare for GE 2016. If these people are smart, they will work the way they did in 2011: under the radar. Operate under the radar, at the grassroots level. Make yourself known to the locals, but don’t announce yourself on a national level. The PAP can’t throw m&d at you if they don’t know what you’re doing. There were many surprises at 2011: Nicole Seah, VW, Tan Jee Say, a lot of the WP guys. I think this is how they must operate. I think you won’t hear a lot of stuff for the next 2-3 years. So much the better. Keep your head down, do your homework, and come 2016, go for their throats.
It is not only that the GE 2011 has heralded the rise of the opposition parties. It is the rise of the "new normal", and that means a complete change in the entire system, not just the political system. The ramifications are still unfolding.
I suppose it is not entirely a surprise that V Wijeysingha has quit the SDP.
SDP – as much as the PAP is the party of the English educated. They are pretty likely to know each other – Tan Jee Say, Michelle Lee, Ang Yong Guan and Vincent Wijeysingha could only have been members of one of these two parties.
He says that he’s quitting in order to concentrate more fully on civic society. And when he has chosen civic society over politics, we must start to wonder which of these is actually more important in Singapore.
Let us first take what he’s saying at face value, and assume that he’s not actually saying that SDP is a basket case. While we have seen that 2011 was the year where opposition parties made great strides, there has also been a parallel rise in civil society, especially in incidents like the AWARE takeover, or the marches in Hong Lim park that have taken place this year. When you look at history, the AWARE takeover was an event which in my mind foreshadowed the 2011 elections. It was a moment where a new, more rebellious, more raucous spirit showed itself.
People have praised Vincent Wijeysingha for his political talent, his charisma, his intelligence, regardless of what they actually think of his political views. And maybe he has come to the conclusion that he’s more suited for civic society. When it comes to the issues that are closest to his heart, like gay rights and foreign workers, being a member of parliament might not be the best thing. Being an MP means you have to represent peoples’ interests, you have to run town councils, you have to do meet the peoples. It may not leave you with much room to fight your political battles. You might be on some oversight committee to examine gay issues, but if the majority are against gay rights, you are bound by duty to represent that position.
That’s the thing about politics and running for office: either you are in or you’re not. If you’re not in parliament, and especially if your party does not have somebody in parliament, you totally do not participate in the legislative process. It is a “suck your thumb” scenario.
Regarding gay rights, it is quite clear to me that the govt is willing to sit back and take a slightly conservative position. The LKY position, most probably. We like what gay people can contribute to our economy, gay rights will come tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow. But the govt is not the main enemy. The main enemy is the mega-churches and the attitudes of the more conservative segment of the people. It's probably more productive to work on that.
Likewise for migrant worker rights, it is not really served by getting people into parliament. It’s far better to be an activist, and put out more information about these people getting abused, sleeping and living in coolie quarters, and coughing up blood like in the good old days.
Maybe he has realised that he is at heart an activist and not really a member of parliament.
After this, let’s step back and see the bigger picture. Of the A team of GE 2011, VW is the last to leave. Michelle Lee, Ang Yong Guan and Tan Jee Say are all gone. Of the four, VW stayed the longest, and no surprise: he’s the one who’s the most SDP-like of the four. Western educated, liberal, idealistic, activist. But he’s also gone. And that tells us something about parliament. It tells us that maybe the institution of parliament and the civil society are in many ways incompatible with each other, even though what he said in his farewell speech about them working hand in hand is probably true. They work together – doesn’t mean they are the same as each other, or people can just cross over.
So that brings into sharp relief – well for ages there is some sort of overlap being a marginalized opposition party and being a part of civil society. Being actually in parliament means you have to take care of boring shit municipal issues like who’s going to clean the fucking ceiling of a hawker centre. And the worker’s party has taught all the other opposition parties a few things recently. First, what it takes to get into parliament, and very closely related, what the people want. A centrist party, not rocking any boats, and pretty close to what the PAP used to stand for. The question is – what’s next for the SDP? They fouled up the by-elections. They may have become a little unelectable. Or they may be morphing into another WP, and VW and SDP decided that they’re no longer compatible. Who knows?
Another possibility is that people are starting to prepare for GE 2016. If these people are smart, they will work the way they did in 2011: under the radar. Operate under the radar, at the grassroots level. Make yourself known to the locals, but don’t announce yourself on a national level. The PAP can’t throw m&d at you if they don’t know what you’re doing. There were many surprises at 2011: Nicole Seah, VW, Tan Jee Say, a lot of the WP guys. I think this is how they must operate. I think you won’t hear a lot of stuff for the next 2-3 years. So much the better. Keep your head down, do your homework, and come 2016, go for their throats.
It is not only that the GE 2011 has heralded the rise of the opposition parties. It is the rise of the "new normal", and that means a complete change in the entire system, not just the political system. The ramifications are still unfolding.
