What can a National Day Message tell us about our political parties? Plenty, in seems.
Besides the National Day Rally, which is the domain of the Prime Minister and the PAP, did you know that it is also tradition for the Opposition to drop their own National Day Message? Here, we discuss what each Party Leader has to say and what it means for Singapore.
Workers Party (WP): Out of depth and ideas
You know the song from the Notting Hill soundtrack where Ronan Keating swoons, “You say it best when you say nothing at all”? After reading Pritam Singh’s National Day message, it was as if the Leader of the Opposition (LO) did just that. He might as well have been saying nothing at all.
From beginning to end, the bulk of the WP message seems pieced together like a jumbled-up word salad. There was some veiled dig at the government for not recognising different “values and opinions”. Then again, has the LO ever considered that maybe some ideas are too impractical to be part of a “respectful discourse”?
Putting aside the grievances of the WP, one is left none the wiser over what the WP stands for. Beyond mothership statements of building “a Singapore that is fairer, more inclusive and brighter”, what tangible policy alternatives have the WP come up with to achieve that?
There is no hint of an answer or reassurance of any kind. Now, if this is all the WP could muster up, it certainly signals a bankruptcy of ideas. If one could recall last year’s message, it was a case of the LO taking credit for new policies championed by PAP MPs even before any WP MPs came into the picture.
Hence, the prize for the most uninspiring and narcissistic National Day message goes to the WP. Mostly, it was due to how the WP failed to show how they could lead Singapore to do better in this challenging world. But more concerning has been how the LO ended his message. The WP “stands with all Singaporeans, regardless of political affiliation”.
Now, is that not the bare minimum of what all governments (of functioning states) do? Otherwise, what is the alternative? To go against those who didn’t vote for you like an autocrat?
Progress Singapore Party (PSP): Much less radical than expected
After pulling off a successful coup, this is Hazel Poa’s moment to shine as she assumes her role as Secretary-General. And clearly, the PSP message reflects a more cautious and measured approach than the one firebrand Leong Mun Wai champions.
Ms Poa started by paying tribute to our Olympians, a surefire way to inspire unity among different fractions of Singaporeans. Moving on, she spoke about the excitement “to hear the new PM outline his plans for the country at the National Day Rally” and how “PSP will continue to work in the best interests of Singaporeans”.
Is it possible that the PSP, under Hazel Poa, has finally grasped what it means to be “responsible and rational Opposition”? Only time will tell. But for now, we cannot believe we are saying this. Ms Poa’s message is a gazillion times more uplifting than what WP has to offer.
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP): A masterclass in elitism
One would guess that Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan is probably too busy running his café empire to pen a message. But fret not, because the SDP did come up with a video titled “Change” to coincide with National Day.
In approximately 90 seconds, the video more or less confirms a nagging doubt about the SDP. Just as the PSP tries to package itself as the party for the disgruntled working class, the SDP has decided to chase after the other end of the voting spectrum – the elites and the intellectuals.
Look no further than the opening scene of a man walking up to his balcony, which rivals the size of an HDB flat. It is, after all, a landed property located along a quiet street. A far cry from the high-density blocks most Singaporeans live in. Logic would suggest that the man in question probably has more bandwidth to contemplate change, not over the rising prices of cai png but in an existentialist sort of way.
And just like that, we are left utterly alienated by SDP’s message. Can SDP be trusted to grasp the bread-and-butter issues of the everyday man? Or are they more interested in canvassing for justice, freedom and human rights? If their video is any indication of where their priorities lie, our bet is on the latter.
People’s Voice (PV): The incoherent blabber of a megalomaniac
If the message from WP sounds like it was crafted by ChatGPT, the one from PV feels like a drunken tirade.
Kicking off, Secretary-General Lim Tean was adamant that Singaporeans are “not flush with enthusiasm and pride” for National Day. We are guessing Mr Lim must be so far removed to see and feel the jubilation from the ground; he might as well be lost in space.
The rant continued with Mr Lim blasting Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s call for a “broader definition of success”. It became clear that Mr Lim is all about hierarchy. In his mind, “graduates having to drive buses for a living” must have been driven to do so out of desperation. But has he considered that not everyone aspires to join the rat race? Or the fact that driving buses can be a fulfilling career?
We are guessing that under the dystopian utopia of PV, there would be all kinds of tests and metrics for each of us to prove who among us is a “real” Singaporean. Where are you born? Why is your name spelt in Hanyu Pinyin? Indeed, all the xenophobic ugliness currently found in the depths of the internet would become legitimise.
Worse still, it will be a rigid society with no room for pursuing any sort of passion. Remember how Singapore was known as a cultural desert in the 80s, that would be it under the likes of Lim Tean.
As these National Day messages provide an insight into the psyche of our Opposition, are you underwhelmed by what they represent? Do you think such a ragtag bunch of nativists, apologists and illiberal liberals have what it takes to lead Singapore towards greater heights?
For all the criticism against the PAP, their supermajority status in parliament has helped keep Singapore politically stable. That is practically the foundation for economic prosperity and social harmony that some take for granted. Maybe in a hundred years, things will be different, and we could have a parliamentary system as robust as Westminster. But for now, the PAP remains the best, if not the only choice to take Singapore forward. Having seen what our Opposition has to offer, is there an alternative?
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