Deep Dive GE2025 Podcast: PAP's Dinesh Vasu Dash on how a pivotal turning point in his career led him to politics
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Father of three and PAP new face Dinesh Vasu Dash believes in letting his children set their own targets, "just roll with the punches and things will be okay".
He took a significant pay cut, declined a private sector job to join the Health Ministry to fight the pandemic. Now Dinesh Vasu Dash is running on the PAP ticket as the new face contesting in East Coast GRC in what he describes as a journey with "too many points of twists and turns".
He tells Otelli Edwards on this special series of the Deep Dive podcast what he has learnt from working with seniors and lessons on raising resilient children. (L-R) Deep Dive host Otelli Edwards with PAP candidate Dinesh Vasu Dash. (Photo: CNA/Tiffany Ang)
Here is an excerpt from the conversation:
Otelli Edwards, host: During COVID, you played a big part because you were pushing vaccinations and obviously (those were) uncertain times. How would you apply what you've experienced back then to what you're doing now, which is standing for the next election?
Dinesh Vasu Dash, PAP candidate for East Coast GRC:
Yeah, so I must add that the role that I've had in my life primarily involved getting things done and making things work for people. Often, I guess it's the season now, where we hear a lot, but we don't quite know how are these things going to be impacting residents.
We can be talking at length about whether GST should be 9 per cent or 7 per cent or better, 0 per cent, but where would the money be coming in from? And how do we then fund the various other programmes that we have?
So I think taking a holistic view of issues might be helpful. And not only the formulation of policy, but to make the policies work for people. You know, you've got to do a lot of tweaks and a lot of to and fros from whatever the ground experience is, so that it works for the residents on the ground. You could have the best policy, but if poorly implemented, it means nothing to the residents on the ground.
Otelli: So you (were involved during) COVID, and then now you're going to be standing in the upcoming GE. Saying yes to that, is it similar to saying yes or 'I do' to someone, to your wife, for instance? I mean, is one decision more difficult than the other?
Dinesh:
This was probably a very difficult decision, if I were to be very frank, and it's because it's not just me, it's my family. And it's not just about doing your work quietly and making things happen quietly, but it's about being a bit more visible, being out, (being on) podcasts, engaging residents and so forth, which would come with some practice, to be honest.
It's not something that's natural in me, because I tend to work quietly in the background, but that is indeed the requirements of the job. So there are certain adjustments that need to be made, not just by me, but my family as well, to be ready for something like this.
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify or melisten for the latest updates.
Have a great topic for us? Drop the team an email at cnapodcasts [at] mediacorp.com.sg
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