Letter To A First-Time Voter Of The 2011 Singapore General Election



4 May 20111


My dearest Son

Do not be unduly upset if this letter, posted as my blog, attracts more brickbats than bouquets from the legions of netizens out there – because I am openly declaring my support for the People’s Action Party, which seems, is not the most popular thing to do these days.

I have shared many life experiences with you. Today, I share another:

When I was waist-high, MahMah fell seriously ill and her mother – Lau Mah – came to visit. Lau Mah was dressed in matching floral blouse and trousers. She was elegant and attractive.

As time passed, I noticed Lau Mah continuously wiping her face with a handkerchief. Soon, the whole handkerchief was so wet it could no longer absorb her sweat. That was when I stopped seeing her as elegant and attractive. Then I started noticing other parts of her.

I remember looking at her feet – and saying silently, “Eeeeee.” There were traces of dried mud between some of Lau Mah’s toes and toe nails.

What is important are not my memories of that particular day, but what has happened with our family years after.

Lau Mah and Lau Kong were farmers. They reared pigs, geese, chickens and ducks, and grew a variety of vegetables and fruit trees.

We all helped on the farm.

While Lau Mah’s and Lau Kong’s family toiled full-time, my brothers, sister and I helped out on Sundays. We would collect eggs, sort them into different trays according to their sizes.

And then, we would eat dinner. The adults had an adults table and the children, a children table. At the adults table, the men ate first and the women, later. So if the men ate more than their share, the women would have nothing to go with their boiled rice except soya sauce.

When we returned home, Lau Mah and Lau Kong would give us two trays of fresh eggs. There was family togetherness. There was respect. There was sharing.

Over the years, the farm grew – not in size but development which gave the family better returns.

Lau Mah and Lau Kong stopped growing vegetables and rearing poultry. They also moved away from rearing pigs, which once brought in the most money, to rearing chickens for eggs. Chicken dropping was sun-dried and sold as manure, not unlike the zoo poo of today.

Lau Mah and Lau Kong were prudent. They spent only when necessary and saved the rest. “The rest” provided MahMah’s younger brothers and sisters with better education than she had the opportunity for; “the rest” gave the next generation – my uncles and aunts – opportunities for a better life. In turn, they provided for their children – your uncles and aunts – among who are businessmen, chartered accountants, a doctor, a lawyer and a teacher, and soon, there will be another doctor in the house!

The Lau Mah and Lau Kong you know lived in a pair of semi-detached bungalows, doted by two sons, six daughters, eight sons- and daughters-in-law, 17 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

When Lau Mah visited us with her mud-caked toes, she had rushed from Punggol to Bukit Timah. Bus transport was unreliable as the buses were old and rickety, and often broke down. The buses she rode in were not air-conditioned. She had to stand all the way, carrying two live chickens in a brown paper bag. And therefore, when she arrived at our home, she was sweating profusely.

Lau Mah worked on the farm, while also completing daily household chores like cleaning, mending and cooking. Missing a bus connection would mean a late dinner for the family and farm hands, which was why mud-caked toes were the least of her cares.

I still chide myself for not appreciating her efforts in making that trip to visit us.

That was a poignant childhood memory. And this is my Singapore – a Singapore that, under the PAP government, has given us opportunities for a better life just as long as we seize them and work hard to achieve success.

Some have criticised the PAP government for making mistakes. What is important is, PAP is willing to better its ways so that we, Singaporeans, can have a more secure future. I believed in PAP then, I believe in PAP now, and I believe that PAP will take us to the future.

Some have said PAP has lost its connection with the people. I am in my 50s. The PAP has fielded candidates in their 50s, 60s and our very unique Minister Mentor, who’s in his 80s. Would they understand the aspirations of younger Singaporeans? I am sure they do, having children and grandchildren of their own. PAP also understands the young may prefer to chat with someone their age, which is why the Party has also fielded candidates who are in their 40s, 30s and 20s.

It may seem the in-thing now to tear down the PAP and be rude to Minister Mentor, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who have taken Singapore from a Third World country to a First World nation.

At the end of the day, you have to decide which brand you trust – one of the other brands or PAP, which has been tried and tested and come up with the best solutions to problems time and time again.

Are you, a first-time voter, able to see the good that the PAP government has done for Singapore and Singaporeans, accept the warts and moles and together, work towards a better Singapore?

Last week, we spoke about your vote. As much as I want to secure your vote for PAP, I also want you to exercise your right to choose – intelligently, knowingly, responsibly.

This morning, you had this as your Facebook status: “Hopes that Singaporeans will vote based on merit and not on how hot someone is.”

I am glad that you have been thinking about which party you want to vote for. I wish you a memorable experience on Polling Day.

Love,
Mami: >

PS: Daughter, you will be of voting age when the next General Election is due. This letter will still be relevant for you in five years’ time, although I would like to write you a personal note then, as I do now, to GeGe.
Love, Mami: >