Stephanie Chok /

As a mother-to-be and eligible voter, I am, for the first time, considering a) who to cast my vote for, and b) ‘my child’s future’.

This is the PAP’s ongoing mantra – vote for us, think of your children’s future and your grandchildren’s future, not to mention your assets and property values and job opportunities.

Well, I have been thinking hard about my child’s future, and the sort of Singapore I would like him to experience and fully participate in as he grows up. I have also been thinking about the norms that he will be exposed to, that will have the ability to shape his formation as a young adult. I have also been considering what sort of lessons our current socio-political landscape will be teaching him (and it discomforts me greatly).

I would like my son – yes, it’s a boy, says the doctor – to respect leaders for their integrity, dedication to service and commitment to justice that is not bereft of compassion.

I would like him to be steered by courageous leadership, one that does not succumb to easy appeals to greed and fear in order to secure votes, but inspires him to rise above self-centredness to support decisions that may, potentially, cause him some temporary discomfort, but may ultimately result in a more humane alternative to the current ‘catch up or die’ development model.

I would very much like my child to be able to speak his mind respectfully yet fearlessly if he disagrees with the status quo, without having to hover in the background to remind him: ‘Be careful, son!’ (And then give a long and somber lecture about the existence of the Internal Security Act and how it has been abused in the past to silence and intimidate persons who disagreed and tried to challenge the system.)

I want him to grow up learning that loyalty should be earned, not bought. That if he was ever to become a politician, or even a team leader in his school or manager of a company, that his key strategy should not be to induce obedience through a coercive combination of threats and bribes. If my son wins – a competition, a promotion, an election – I would like to be proud of how he won it through a ‘clean fight’. That he won the respect of others who have selected him because of his capabilities, his potential, his sincere desire to serve others.

I would like my son to appreciate humility and its power to move others. Genuine humility, that comes from admitting to human frailties and mistakes and taking responsibility for them. Humility that is demonstrated by listening with sincerity to others with differing – even opposing – views, without being dismissive, patronizing or bullying them into silence.

I would like my child to grow up in a country where the ‘good life’ is not merely characterized by GDP growth, but by the measure in which fellow citizens protect and care for each other, particularly the most vulnerable amongst us. I look forward to him being part of a country where he could, without being a Presidents Scholar, or even a degree holder, be recognized and valued for whatever skills and talents he possesses. I want him to work in a country where he could excel in a trade if he so chooses – e.g. carpentry, bricklaying, horticulture – and be paid a decent, living wage for an honest day’s work, a wage where he could afford to get married, buy a comfortable (not necessarily luxurious) home and raise a family.

I want my child to be convinced that in this society, there is no shame or crime in being different, that it is important to think critically, imaginatively, and boldly – that the road to success is not through memorizing model answers or mindlessly filling in the blanks with droll answers provided by judicious instructors. I hope that he can flourish within an education system that genuinely fosters creativity, spontaneity and sparks of harmless mischief, and doesn’t kill enthusiasm for subjects/curricula not perceived as ‘profitable’ – e.g. philosophy and literature, as opposed to engineering or accounting.

I want my child to grow up with a healthier understanding and experience of democracy than I have. I want him to experience a Singapore where it is not accepted as ‘normal’ for Members of Parliament to hold on to their positions for years – even decades – without having ever been voted in; where ‘live’ debates between politicians of different parties over pertinent policy issues are a regular feature; where civil liberties such as freedom of assembly and expression and the right to information are not treated as ‘luxuries’ but recognized as the fundamental rights of mature citizens.

I want him to be able to experience the dynamism of an egalitarian society at its best – one where persons fight fearlessly to protect the principles of truth and justice, yet never forget the beauty of mercy and gentleness.

But most of all, I do not want my child, when he is 21 and no longer a child, but an adult about to vote himself, to ask me, perhaps with some measure of disappointment, maybe resentment, or possibly despair: ‘Mom, why didn’t any of you do anything?’

I am 38 years old this year, and I can finally vote.

And because I’m thinking of my child’s future, I know exactly what I want to say come 7 May 2011 at my local polling station.

————–

Picture from Hands On Communication.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

After the spending frenzy comes the reality

At just about this time last year (2006), we were inundated with…

台湾赠口罩何晶“呃…”回应 台外交部:双边政策不受个人发言影响

日前,台湾政府宣布有意落实下一波口罩捐赠计划,将对有提出需求的新南向国家捐赠总计100万片的口罩,这些国家包括新加坡、马来西亚、菲律宾、越南、印度、缅甸、印尼等七国。 此前台湾已捐赠口罩给美国200万片、部分疫情严重欧洲国家700万片、友邦国家100万片等,支援这些国家的医护人员。 不过,我国总理夫人何晶昨日下午的一则贴文,却引起新加坡和台湾网民热议,事缘何晶在脸书分享有关台湾将捐赠口罩给新加坡的新闻报导,但贴文并未提及感谢、评论等,仅以“Errr…”带过。 相信连本地网民对于总理夫人兼淡马锡控股首席执行长的言论都感到“惊吓”,有者留言认为这种反应是否有欠妥当?即便“礼物不合心意”也至少出于礼貌表达谢意。 有者则揣测,有可能是基于早前有传言台湾在宣布禁止出口口罩时,新科工程设于台湾的两条生产线无法及时运返,直至二月初在移回我国;有者则酸台方只是在争取“政治分数”等。 不过根据台湾中央社报导,台湾外交部则回应,新加坡政府当时出于防疫需求,也因应台湾的口罩禁令,当时已将在台湾的两条生产线转移回新加坡。再者,生产口罩的机器设备并不在限制出口范围。 台湾外交部则强调,台湾和新加坡关系“长远深厚,不论政府或民间的关系都相当密切”,也指兩地政府也极为珍惜此特殊友谊,双边政策将持续以政府发言为主,不会受到任何个人发言影响。台湾外交部也呼吁珍惜新台两地得来不易的情谊。

行动党说,要让人民,过着更美好的生活

行动党说,要让人民过着“更美好的生活”,它许下承诺说要达到“瑞士般的生活标准”。 甚至我们的誓词,也有说“建设公正平等的民主社会”。

CPF Board: Withdrawal application rejected because CPF member is not physically incapacitated from ever continuing in any employment

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) has finally sent an official letter to…