watershed

oh my it seems like eons ago that i last updated my blog.

but its all for a good reason: elections. for something that rolls about only once in every five years, how can i miss it?

i remember attending rallies since i was 17, at the 2001 general elections. then, i was just a curious 17 year old traipsing rally onto rally without any particular ideology nor support for any party. all i knew then, was that chiam see tong and low thia khiang were the only opposition candidates. well, at least it still made for some exciting after-school excursions.

in 2006, i was more aware of my political leanings. i had not exactly been dormant for the past five years since 2001, having been to a couple of the WP youth wing meetings, but i guess laziness had gotten to me since i did not offer to volunteer nor attend those meetings regularly. but what the opposition (i much prefer the term alternative) had to offer/say struck a chord in me as an ordinary singaporean. but that was the year that social media started to influence the way election news were reported, and perceived by people. i remember being at the hougang rallies; 120,000 of us were cheering for the things WP had to say. the whole stadium was packed and it was difficult getting a parking lot even 2km away! i also remember being at chua chu kang stadium, when chee soon juan was still the sec-gen of the old SDP, people yelling "down with PAP". i remember old men crying after chiam see tong was done with his speech, just because he had really 讲出他们的心声.

this year, i'm sure many of you had already read all that you can read from the numerous blog posts, facebook updates, and online articles; i'm not going to add anymore noise into the cacophony. this GE, as you would have heard, is a watershed election for the opposition: win some, or lose it all. it is also a watershed election for me too, in some ways. for one, i had made it a point to attend all the opposition rallies. secondly, i had also spoken at length to the people around me, trying to convince them to make their vote count, and educating them that their vote is secret and that they should vote who they feel can best understand and represent them in cabinet. lastly, i also feel a lot more optimistic about the opposition cause. because they have managed to pull themselves together to contest at least 82 out of the 87 seats, because they are a lot more credible as compared to 5 or 10 years ago, but also mainly because they have stood up for us, spoken out for us, and also sacrificed themselves for us. even if you do not agree with what they say, i feel that, in singapore's context, that they should do at least deserve a round of applause for offering themselves to the public's cause.

your vote on 7 may will affect how we are governed for the next 5 years; vote wisely, and remember, your vote is SECRET. =)