In Singapore, as in life, change is the
only constant. I am reminded of this fact every time I come home for Chinese
New Year, looking out at the CBD skyline as I travel over the Benjamin Sheares
Bridge.
More recently, however, it is our politics
that have undergone a fair bit of change, and my worry is that the path we are heading
down is an all-too-familiar one that democracies lean towards over time — but
one that Singapore cannot afford to follow.
The saying “you don’t know what you’ve got
until it’s gone” is particularly poignant for me. My grandfather, who
practically raised me, passed away just before Chinese New Year, and it evoked
strong feelings of regret and guilt, for not having spent more time with him
while he was alive.
The event was particularly distressing
because I was unable to attend his funeral, being stranded in the United
Kingdom, waiting for my visa to be renewed — a process that was already four
months in, and would have taken two months more, if not for the unfortunate
circumstances which enabled me to expedite my application.
I never appreciated the importance of an
efficient public sector, until I actually found myself at the mercy of such
inefficiency in a foreign land; such woefully long waiting times are unheard of
in Singapore, and even if some might protest that standards are slipping across
quasi-public services such as SingPost and SMRT, at least we appear to be
addressing these issues, which is more than I can say for my temporary country
of residence.
MOVING THINGS FORWARD
Undoubtedly, it will take time to
implement improvements and, yes, the populace will suffer certain costs in the
meantime as a result of these policy shortfalls. But hindsight is 20/20 and it
is all too easy to criticise.
I am not saying that we should “cut the
Government some slack” —we have a right to expect more from those elected to
public office, and as public servants they should not be beyond reproach when
they let us down. However, the time for protest is done, and the time for
constructive dialogue is now; the electorate and the elected alike need to
engage to move things forward instead of allowing populist rhetoric to set us
back.
There are two points I would like to make:
One, Singaporeans should stop making emotionally-charged, one-sided complaints
if they are unwilling to offer pragmatic suggestions/solutions and defend them
vigorously against scrutiny. And two, politicians need to avoid making
unilateral decisions without due communication to the electorate; they too must
be prepared to justify and defend their policies instead of waving off
concerns.
On the first point, an interesting
anecdote of a conversation with a taxi driver comes to mind. The encik began
his tirade with the usual lines about inflation, immigration and income
disparity and concluded that the Government was conspiring to subject the masses
to a vicious circle of debt and depressed wages.
To be fair, I have yet to meet a taxi
driver that did not harbour some misgivings about the “gahmen”, but what struck
me was that I had heard all this just shortly before, from my friends, who
shared his sentiment despite coming from what some might consider a different
socio-economic strata.
“Stay in the London, lah,” the cabby
advised, espousing the virtues of Europe, to which I countered with points
about high tax rates, crumbling infrastructure, rising unemployment and an
unsustainable, widely-abused welfare system (to name a few).
I prodded further, “so, what do you think
the Government should do?”, hoping he would share some of his insights with me.
The response, however, was classic. “We already pay the MPs so much money! Why
should we also do their jobs for them?” — which I have come to understand is
code for “I don’t know either, but I’m just unhappy with the status quo”.
This attitude, in my opinion, is plain
wrong. If we, the citizens, want to be treated like adults, we have to stop
behaving like petulant children. One of the Government’s functions is to
improve the lives of its people, and much like a visit to the doctor’s,
feedback is a vital part of the process.
A CLOSER LINE OF COMMUNICATION
On the second point, I believe that
politicians need to be more upfront and maintain a closer line of communication
with the people.
Gone are the days when the Government
could claim intellectual and moral superiority as “philosopher kings”. An
increasingly educated and politically aware population demands more say and
respect than that.
In this vein, I found reassuring Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s acknowledgement of the changing political landscape,
in an interview in The Washington Post last week. “It’s a different generation,
a different society, and the politics will be different. We have to work in a
more open way. We have to accept more of the untidiness and the to-ing and
fro-ing, which is part of normal politics,” he said.
A good analogy, perhaps, is that of one’s
journey towards maturity. We all start out young and vulnerable, and in these
formative years, benefit from a strong, if often controversial or unpopular,
authority figure.
But as time goes by, greater autonomy must
be given, and the relationship shifts from one of pure instruction to mutual
consultation. While I would not go so far as to let referendums dictate policy
direction, the introduction of a regularly-scheduled, televised forum along the
lines of BBC’s Question Time could be something to consider.
Another issue to consider is that of
social justice. It is imperative that we not continue pushing blindly for
economic growth — as several leaders have acknowledged — but to consider how
the distribution of that growth impacts the stability and, therefore,
sustainability of our ecosystem.
The Government has a duty to bridge the
wealth divide by extending short-term transfers (such as taxes on the rich,
subsidies for the poor) so as to preserve our long-term ideology, that of
levelling the playing field for a truly meritocratic society.
More fundamentally, the Government must
demonstrate that they understand what their role entails — they are there to
inspire, to lead and to empower, but ultimately, to serve.
Small gestures to help make everyday life
easier may seem pointless to the privileged, but can make a significant
difference to middle- and low-income households: One idea (since taxis are
expensive and cars now priced out of the reach of many) is to give all Singaporeans
access to free public transport by giving them special, non-transferable
EZ-Link cards.
But we must never take what we have for
granted.
The never-ending torrent of news about
economic despair and political turmoil across the world serves as a reminder of
what an enviable position we occupy in the global context, and how fragile and
fleeting success can be when met with complacency and a sense of entitlement.
Ours is a position that has been achieved
through the hard work and tireless struggle of those that came before us, and
it is our shared responsibility to preserve and grow this brilliant legacy for
our children to inherit.
This is why, even as some around me
contemplate emigration, perhaps facetiously, I am coming back to you, Singapore.
Charles Tan Meah Yang is an Investment
Analyst working in London and intends to return in the near future.
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