An Open Letter to the Young Singaporean

Dear Future Leaders of Singapore,

First let me applaud the you, the young generation for your bravery to ’speak up’ as it were. Indeed you remind me of myself some 10-15 years ago, not least in your idealism and if I may say so, brashness. It is heartening to note that there seems to be more among your number than admittedly in my generation

Indeed the advent of Internet and related technologies has made it easier for people to communicate and exchange opinions with one another. Having said that, there is more than sufficient scope for the general populace to access alternative points of view, other than those of traditional media. Perhaps of greater relevance is whether Singaporeans are sufficiently motivated to seek out these alternatives. Moreover, there is the danger of overplaying the entertainment card such that the overall message gets lost in translation i.e. it is well and good to produce an entertaining political satire; would there be sufficient retention for Singaporeans to take a baby step towards citizenship?

A vision envisaging the positive dialogue between activists and parliamentary representatives is laudable, if somewhat simplistic. Indeed I had tended, in my youth, to believe that such a vision was in fact practicable. However, the entrenched mindsets of the establishment, and to a similar extent, the administrative service, have led me to believe that a bottom-up reformation would still be possible *without* the active involvement of the establishment or any such institutional structures.

By implication, the source of the problem, imho, is nowhere as clear-cut as suggested in some quarters: remove certain invididual(s) and the structures will inevitably collapse. I would propose that an entire system has been put in place to cater for the continued well-being of the establishment, a chief component being the ‘elitist’ approach to administrative and (to a slightly lesser extent) political succession.

My vision for Singapore politics remains undiminished despite the current situation of political hegemony in favour of the establishment. Indeed I look forward to the day when the silent majority are sufficiently motivated to discard their collective if unintended strategy of formidable lethargy, and advocate active citizenship in one coherent voice. Whether this transformation includes parliamentary figures is really a non-issue; transform our people must, regardless of the status quo. Anything less, and we diminish the gravity and reality of the situation that befalls our nation.

When the people are ready to express their intent clearly, despite all the inevitable distractions during election hustings, and if the establishment makes a collective stumble and chooses to ignore the incoming tide of public disapproval, the results will likely show up in the polls. Once the fundamental assumption that the establishment will be granted an unlimited tenure to govern is broken by the voice of the people, the other symptoms of the totalitarian cause i.e. unequal relationship between leader and follower, perceived lack of transparency among the State, the legislature, the executive, the administration, the media, and commercial interests, will diminish, if ever so gradually.

Which brings us to the issue of leadership. The developed society does not distinguish the roles these leaders may play, nor their political affiliations or marital status etc, so much as the qualities that these leaders contribute to the nation. Whether or not more these people take up politics as a career is largely irrelevant; whether they actually take time to listen to the ground isn’t. Any leader worth their salt would readily agree that the day they lose touch with reality is the day they become surplus to requirements; that they currently hold a powerful political position counts for very little in the stark light that is history.