• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Post-GE 2011, and the fire within

by onlinecitizen
09/05/2011
in Current Affairs
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0

Howard Lee

On the morning of cooling-off day, I was moved by what I read on the front page of Today.

The page was split in half – the perfect picture of balance. On one side, the image of Low Thia Kiang, the other of George Yeo. The commentaries ran down the centre.

But what struck me was not the attempt to balance the reporting. Aside, I have to say I saw a lot more balanced reporting this general election, even if it is restricted to page allocation only. Some credit goes to traditional media, but form does not always equate intent.

What moved me was (and always will be) the content. Just reading this front page, I felt a certain connection with the people in Aljunied GRC, not least because I used to stay there. It felt as if the entire weight of the nation was resting on their shoulders, as if they held the key to the nation’s democracy.

At the height of campaigning, the coverage on the general election drew exhaustively on emotions. You may say there is no smoke without fire, and it was true that the candidates have appealed to both the minds and hearts of voters, but they would not have reached in if voters did not open their hearts to begin with.

While some would have us believe that we have been unduly pressured by the rhetoric of the parties, the real pressure was from within. I believe that no small number of voters would have felt the power in their hands, and the decision weighs heavy.

The same sentiment must have been felt outside of Aljunied. I was waiting outside Deyi Secondary School counting station where about a hundred voters have rallied, mostly to support the Singapore People’s Party and its leader Chiam See Tong. Some were also rooting for the Reform Party team in Ang Mo Kio, but they were all there for the opposition cause.

They were strangers, but they bantered easily, sharing updates on iPads, and trading jokes. Two drivers turned up their car radios, and all clustered around, groaning and cheering when the results we announced, even as they continued to wait patiently for the candidates. They were bonded by a common vision, a shared purpose. They came from the next block, Hougang, and even Punggol. That night, this huddling was their community, and it radiated out to the people in Potong Pasir, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Toa Payoh, and yes, even Aljunied.

When the results for Bishan-Toa Payoh were announced, the collective angst cracked the night quiet. A number of them broke down in tears. And it was not just the seasoned supporters, but those in their early twenties, who wept openly for Chiam, the legend of Potong Pasir. They have invested a lot of heart into their votes, with the faint hope that their votes would not be in vain. They believed, and committed more than just a cross on a piece of paper.

But it is not just voters who have put their hearts into this general election. On this campaign trail, I have seen Kenneth Jeyaretnam overwhelmed by the vote of allegiance to his late father. I have seen Wilfred Leung tell Chiam that 43% was an excellent margin, in a bid to cheer up the old warrior. I have seen Benjamin Pwee support Chiam as he moved around, as one would an elderly parent. I have seen Alex Tan shake hands with every supporter he could reach outside Deyi, a warmth that transcends his political inexperience. I have seen a certain humanity behind the candidates, that I would seldom give them credit for in the battle of words.

On this campaign trail, I have seen faith, courage, loyalty, trust – the very best of the qualities of humanity. I have also seen desperation, fear, fatigue – what reminds us constantly of our humanity.

Some would have us believe that this general election is watershed by virtue of the number of seats contested, or by the number of seats won or lost, or by the winning margins, or by the quality of opposition candidates, or by party renewals, or by the role that new media plays. Perhaps.

But I say the watershed is about the water shed from our eyes. As a nation, we have awakened, and for this general election more than any, we realised that not only do we feel as an electorate, but also that we can do something about it, beyond just casting our vote. The more involved we are, the more of our selves we invest, and the greater the loss. We have felt the fire within, and we have been burnt by it with every seat lost.

But even as we heal and reconcile, as Lee Hsien Loong has encouraged us to do, we need to keep that little bit of passion inside us, like the Olympic flame that burns forever. We need to let that fire continue burning, infuse into civil society, and let ourselves grow politically.

The polls might have closed, but our journey to freedom has only just begun for each of us. Let your vote extend into your everyday life. Fight for the causes you believe in to benefit the lives and rights of others. Volunteer. Continue defending, not your party of choice, but the people whom the party has promised to defend.

And come next general election, we will be ready to go at it again, no longer as mere voters who depend on the guidance and plans of political parties, but equal stakeholders and action agents for the future of our nation.

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

Malaysia King names Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister, swearing-in to take place 5pm today
AFP

Facebook posts falsely accuse Malaysia PM of appointing wife to fictitious job

09/02/2023
India’s Adani shares plunge again after stock sale cancelled
AFP

MSCI review puts India’s Adani shares back in the red

09/02/2023
Singapore MOH scales back COVID-19 restrictions, move down to DORSCON green
Health

Singapore MOH scales back COVID-19 restrictions, move down to DORSCON green

09/02/2023
SCDF advance team deployed to Turkey rescued a boy from a collapsed building in Dulkadiroğlu
International

SCDF advance team deployed to Turkey rescued a boy from a collapsed building in Dulkadiroğlu

09/02/2023
PM Lee assures Singaporeans of affordable homes from the comfort of his Facebook page
Singapore

PM Lee assures Singaporeans of affordable homes from the comfort of his Facebook page

09/02/2023
过去五年  四成上班族曾遭性骚扰!仅30%受害者举报
AFP

China’s Alibaba joins global chatbot race

09/02/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Malaysia King names Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister, swearing-in to take place 5pm today

Facebook posts falsely accuse Malaysia PM of appointing wife to fictitious job

09/02/2023
India’s Adani shares plunge again after stock sale cancelled

MSCI review puts India’s Adani shares back in the red

09/02/2023
Singapore MOH scales back COVID-19 restrictions, move down to DORSCON green

Singapore MOH scales back COVID-19 restrictions, move down to DORSCON green

09/02/2023
SCDF advance team deployed to Turkey rescued a boy from a collapsed building in Dulkadiroğlu

SCDF advance team deployed to Turkey rescued a boy from a collapsed building in Dulkadiroğlu

09/02/2023
PM Lee assures Singaporeans of affordable homes from the comfort of his Facebook page

PM Lee assures Singaporeans of affordable homes from the comfort of his Facebook page

09/02/2023
过去五年  四成上班族曾遭性骚扰!仅30%受害者举报

China’s Alibaba joins global chatbot race

09/02/2023
India police visit Twitter offices after govt tweet flagged

Twitter service stumbles as paying users get more room

09/02/2023

Google chatbot blunders as AI battle with Microsoft heats up

09/02/2023

Trending posts

Cognizant India transfers staff to work in Singapore as recently as this year

Local IT grads can’t find jobs while engineers constantly transferred from India to work in SG under CECA

by Correspondent
05/02/2023
117

...

No response from Josephine Teo on whether Mediacorp has been instructed to stop coverage of SMT circulation scandal

No response from Josephine Teo over alleged blackout of coverage by Mediacorp over SMT circulation scandal

by Terry Xu
06/02/2023
13

...

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

by Correspondent
03/02/2023
26

...

Japanese-Canadian junior high school girl breaks national record with 3km in 9:02 mins

“I want my normal life back,” Sherry Drury withdraws from National Junior High School Tournament due to overheated public attention

by Yee Loon
06/02/2023
4

...

Desmond Lee says 70% of BTO flats affordable for median household with income of S$8,400 but what about the 10th to 40th percentile?

Desmond Lee says 70% of BTO flats affordable for median household with income of S$8,400 but what about the 10th to 40th percentile?

by Leong Szehian
07/02/2023
13

...

Hazel Poa proposes singles be allowed to buy 3-room HDB flats

Hazel Poa proposes singles be allowed to buy 3-room HDB flats

by The Online Citizen
07/02/2023
15

...

May 2011
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Apr   Jun »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz