Singaporeans are a special breed. Perhaps it is a by-product of the educational system having such a heavy emphasis on a math-science education, or just a prevailing attitude that the big issues, the politics of the day, should be left to those in government and not the individual on the street. Under such unique conditions, Singapore has by and large, dodged the flaws and instabilities that dogged budding democracies, such as systemic corruption or governments that promote populist policies and encourage patrimonialism.
Values such as firm, fair rule, coupled with consistent commercial laws and an inherent trust amongst the people that the government would always put them first provided the perfect condition for economic progress for the past fifty years. It created an amazing period of growth, with high levels of foreign investment and jobs were abound. Social mobility helped to tie many Singaporeans to their dreams.
For a large part of those past fifty years, Singapore has mostly got on with such a top-down approach. The man on the street had little to worry about, issues such politics and governance was left to the government while he toiled away, comfortable in his government subsided HDB flat and relatively reliable public transport, for cars are rather expensive.
That was the Singapore dream.
By the early 2000s it was evident that Singapore needed to change or evolve. For a large segment of society, the Singapore dream was unraveling. Rising house prices, difficult job market for entry-level personnel, and increasing overcrowding accentuated by an overworked public transport system all made the dream rather unattainable.
For many young Singaporeans, the success story of 1965, the independence, our remarkable economic rise, and our “third world to first” story are distant memories. Arguably, a young Singaporean should be concerned about his/her place in Singapore society in the next 50 years, what role can he or she continue to play. The above (Rising house prices, difficult job market for entry personnel, an overworked public transport system) will heavily influence their decisions in the future.
Unfortunately, for many millennials, political issues of the day do not feature anywhere near the top of their mental agenda. The young people of today are not the young people of the 1950s and 60s, where the youths are actively engaged in the politics of the day (cf China Tiananmen, The Malayan Union that gave Singapore and Malaysia their founding Prime Ministers, and the Zionist movements of Israel). On the contrary, the focus shifted very much away towards popular culture, including but certainly not limited to how they are perceived by their peers, how much money one is making in their jobs, and what sort of image they are portraying.
Globalisation meant that suddenly, iphones, fashion, Reddit, the newest food chain in town, and in the Singaporean context, the upcoming tests/examinations, college life, and short term gratifications became the order of the day for most youths. This isn’t a uniquely Singaporean phenomenon, as much of the world is going down a similar path. Correspondingly, this meant that politics, as a thought process, has altered dramatically.
As a 90s kid, it is time to do a little crystal ball gazing.
For us who care, politics no longer belong to the realm of fixed paradigms. We aren’t guided by one clear ideology, i.e. democracy, socialism, socialist democracy, communism etc. We are guided by what we feel are the best solutions to the problems that the country is facing, regardless of its ideological foundation. Ideology only goes so far to explain the rationale of the proposed solution, but nothing more.
Either that, or many of us don’t care at all. There isn’t enough youth participation in politics. Singapore youths, overseas and local, do not actively debate or engage in dialogue about political issues, and very often, have trouble understanding the lawmaking process and are confused about the role they can play in it, other than the occasional gripe about the transport system and rising costs. In short, we see the problems but we do not sit down and think about solving them.
Therefore, in the absence of meaningful dialogue and strong justified views, the bottom-up approach that the government is slowly encouraging will not be able to achieve its full potential. Ultimately, the way for Singapore to move forward and fulfill its potential for the next 50 years lies not only in the hands of our highly paid politicians, but that of the young, bright and earnest Singaporeans as well. Our best and brightest need to start to actively take more interest in lawmaking. They need to start participating actively, because whether they want it or not, they will have a stake in the country for many years to come.
Politics isn’t about big ideas. It isn’t about ideological conflicts. Rather, it is about an active citizenry, making a conscious step to try and provide constructive criticisms to the government of the day and contribute to problem solving. Times have changed, and we are quite beyond the conflict between communism and democracy. We have chosen democracy, and it is our duty as our nation’s future leaders to make it work.
It’s time to take a stand on issues, move away from the traditional political bashing and sparring, and actively contribute to our society. After all, we have to shape our own futures.
It’s time to snap out of apathy.
