"There is a difference between being part of the elite and subscribing to and propagating elitism" - SDP's Chee Soon Juan

“If Singapore is going to remain relevant and competitive, we don’t have much of a choice, we must open up our political system and let power devolve to the people instead of it being amassed in the hands of a few in the PAP,” said Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan. Speaking at an SDP fund-raising event among his alma mater from the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) on 24 August, Mr Chee expounded on the importance of narrowing inequality in Singapore, embracing creativity and addressing elitism.

Education and inequality

In a video excerpt of his speech on Facebook, Mr Chee highlighted that politics is an extension of education and that it is about what is just, about compassion and about human dignity and freedom. “A society stripped bare of these virtues is a society unable to embrace humanity, and a society devoid of humanity is one that is just too frightening to contemplate,” he lamented. Mr Chee mentioned incidents like when citizens were detained without trial and subjected to beatings and the passing of the Protection from Online Manipulation and Falsehoods Act (POFMA) which he described as a ‘horrid plan to tighten the noose around the internet’. He also noted when the Prime Minister appointed himself and his wife, Ho Ching, as "jagas" of Singapore’s sovereign wealth funds “with little transparency and accountability”. These things anger him, he says, and he attributes that to the education he received. “Standing up for what is right, fighting for what is just, speaking up for the voiceless and resisting those who oppress us – that is what education is all about,” he stressed. Mr Chee went on to point out that the biggest issue in Singapore is inequality, which he says is not a result of global trends beyond our control but is “an outcome wholly created by the deliberate construction of an elite system." Mr Chee then talked about how the government’s approach to education perpetuates that elitism by concentrating the top schools in the country in the "choicest real estate". Many of these schools give priority to children of former students while the remaining spots are given to those to live nearby. Parents would, if they are able, move to these districts for the sake of their children getting into a better school. However, how many Singaporeans can live in such affluent neighbourhoods? He goes on, “Let me be absolutely clear. I am not advocating for us to pare down and pull down our top schools just so that we can claim that all schools in Singapore are the same. What we need to do is to stop this very deliberate policy of widening the already pregnant divide between the rich and the have-nots through education.” He asserts that the country can and must do more to "beef up" resources at schools and revamp education policies with a mind to narrow inequality. He then accedes that perfect equality is not achievable, possibly not even desirable. However, Mr Chee warned, “that the acceptance of the reality of inequality doesn’t mean that we succumb to the scourge of greed, entitlement, discrimination and indifference to suffering.”

Elitism perpetuates inequality

Aware of his audience, Mr Chee called out the crowd and himself for being part of the elite. But he clarified that "there is a difference between being part of the elite and subscribing to and propagating elitism.” He explained that the choice is between reaching down to help lift people up or to make it harder for people to get up to the level of the elites. In that same vein, Mr Chee went on to talk about how inequality is not great for the country as it stymies economic development. “Not only does inequality hamper economic growth, it also undermines health and healthcare of lower-income groups, threatens race relations, and erodes trust between sub-populations. Most importantly, it destabilises societies," he said. Pointing to examples in current times from Brexit in the UK to the rise of nationalism in the US and the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Mr Chee explained that inequality has been and is the underlying cause of popular revolt. These recent developments around the world can be traced in one form or another to wealth disparity, income inequality, and the disappearance of opportunity for the non-elite, he explained. In the case of Singapore, Mr Chee asserted that the country has been "inexorably marching towards the deep end of inequality" for a couple of decades now. But what is most disconcerting, he says, is that “this current regime shows neither the inclination nor the capacity to mitigate the widening of this wealth gap.”

Stifling freedoms is stifling creativity

Singapore’s economy is at a crossroads, he warned, where productivity and creativity are at a premium. The catch is that you cannot legislate creativity and productivity. Mr Chee emphasised that higher behavioural responses can only come about by inspiring people and fostering an environment that is conducive to happiness and security. “But Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and colleagues have demonstrated zero capacity in this department,” he slammed. “If your strategy comes in the form of getting people to steal each other’s lunches, which Mr Lee has done repeatedly, then you don’t have a clue in how to inspire the people and motivate them to a higher plain.” He added, “The current set of ministers show an uncanny ability to mimic what has been failing elsewhere the world: the continued concentration of political power in the hands of a select few, the extraction of wealth from the people, and the inculcation of a climate of fear has resulted in an economically, politically and intellectually crippled nation.” What drives innovation is freedom of expression, freedom to question, and freedom to dissent, says Mr Chee. He then quoted chief economist of the Swiss Federation of SMEs Henrique Schneider who said, “Innovation needs people to challenge common wisdom and existing structures. Curbing important facets of freedom has its long-run costs. Without freedom, there is less incentive to innovate.” Mr Chee continued to push the point on creativity or rather the current administration’s apparent inability to foster such values by saying that while the current autocratic systems are good at instilling discipline and conformity, it "completely sucks" at fostering creativity. But, he urged, creativity is where the battle is being waged for advancement and progress, even as the government continues to silence dissent.

More power to the people

“If Singapore is going to remain relevant and competitive, we don’t have much of a choice, we must open up our political system and let power devolve to the people instead of it being amassed in the hands of a few in the PAP,” said Mr Chee. He then called for the people to get more involved, asserting that change is not going to happen at the hands of people like PM Lee Hsien Loong, Goh Chok Tong, or Heng Swee Keat. “They will do everything to cling onto their power, their pay, privilege, and perks,’ adding that democracy will not be handed to Singapore on a platter,” he warned. “When we have lived in an autocratic state all our lives, it is easy to become callous and immune to life’s inequities…and after a while, these injustices cease to bother us and we lose that ability to feel outraged.”