The brutal truth: Politics is about daily life

April 14, 2006
The Straits Times

I WATCHED the Channel NewsAsia programme on Wednesday where Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew spoke to a group of younger Singaporeans about politics and the coming election.

I am saddened by the views that the group of younger Singaporeans seems to have about politics. It seems to me that they have the notion that politics is about debates and having your voice heard and about having choices.

There is no doubt that these are important but even more important, at least to me, politics is about our daily life.

It is about whether there will be a job tomorrow; it is about whether there will be a flood when it rains because one may not be able to get home. It is about whether one can afford to see the doctor when one falls ill; it is about whether one has money to buy books and uniforms for the children to go to school. It is about how to put food on the table.

Without being disrespectful to my Indonesian friends, I would like to highlight that most Singaporeans do not need to face the realities mentioned above, which a lot of Indonesians face on a daily basis. Never mind about the nail spa, about which is the coolest phone to buy, and where to go pubbing tonight.

I worked in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand prior to, during and after the Asian financial crisis where I saw first hand the effects of the crisis.

Imagine the Singapore dollar depreciating by 10 times. This means if you have $100 in your pocket, it would be worth only $10 overnight.

My Indonesian colleagues then had to give up their jobs to go back to their kampung to rear chickens and grow rice to survive. At least they have land. We have nothing.

Without good and robust governance for the past four decades, Singapore would probably not have survived the crisis relatively unscathed.

Politics is not about lip service. It is about choosing what kind of life we want for ourselves and our future generations. It is about whether there is a life for us in Singapore in the next five, 10 or 20 years, and beyond.

May I sign off by thanking the Minister Mentor from the bottom of my heart for giving me and my generation the opportunity to have a decent and comfortable life in Singapore. It is long overdue.

Thomas Ng Chun Hong
Surabaya, Indonesia