Forum: Much to be grateful for this election period
Forum: Much to be grateful for this election period
T he period from Nomination Day to Polling Day gave us Singaporeans much to think about, more to be thankful for and also some laughs along the way.
While Gen Z voters might think differently from Pioneer Generation voters before stamping their X on their ballot paper, it was heartening to know that most Singaporeans voted wisely for credible candidates for the near and distant future.
Political parties may engage in 'negative politics' but we should be thankful that it went only as far as 'the pot calling the kettle black' here, and did not sink to the below-the-belt blows and us-versus-them politics seen elsewhere.
There are many ways to bring issues up, whether hot-button or bread-and-butter.
There are constructive, feasible and pragmatic suggestions to solve these issues, and there are destructive, impractical and fear-mongering ones that are made simply to stir up resentment.
Perhaps that is why there were high winning percentages in the 70s and even 80s versus below 1 per cent vote shares, a clear indication that substance matters.
It was reassuring that all political parties came out to give a resounding response that Singapore's future is for Singapore and Singaporeans to decide.
Foreign entities should not try to drive a wedge into our decades-long striving for racial and religious harmony.
It was good to see candidates and their leaders swiftly rejecting the use of derogatory language with racial and sexist innuendos, apologising for insensitivity and condemning ignorance.
As the dust settles after this gruelling period, let Singapore and Singaporeans embrace a new hope for our accidental city-state in this crazy, turbulent world, and may wisdom trump ignorance always.
Julian Teo Eng Keat
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