I could not decide, it was the last day of campaigning, the last of the rallies. It was a hard choice between Workers’ Party and the Singapore Democratic Alliance where they were speaking in Serangoon Stadium (Aljunied GRC) and Potong Pasir (Potong Pasir SMC) respectively.
Why I wanted to attend the WP rally? Get better pictures. Hear what they had to say because I’d left early in the other one. Why I wanted to attend the SDA rally? I wanted to see what kind of support Chiam See Tong still has at Potong Pasir.
Of course people who attend rallies include people who don’t live there, even people who don’t have to vote. They go mainly because they’re curious. Some just want to do a bit of shouting like at a rock concert. So it’s not a good gauge, but it’s the closest you have, because the media is often skewed toward the ruling party.
Someone said that the Straits Times seems to be more even in their reporting this election year. But I took a quick glance at a page of reporting. It covered articles on WP and PAP. But, every single picture was on the PAP. And they say a picture speaks a thousand words.
So, I decided to attend both rallies. I would get to the WP one first (since it was easier to get to) and then follow it up by going mid-way to the SDA one.
By the time I arrived at the WP rally at 1930 hours, the stadium was already three quarters full. The stands were packed. There was only standing room on the running track and football field. I took a few shots of the people at the stands. During that short time, the stadium swelled with more people. It was close to its maximum capacity.
I managed to move forward through the crowd that was chanting “Workers’ Party!” at every opportunity, to finally find myself just two rows behind from the people who were sitting down on the ground in front. Even then, it wasn’t close enough. The candidates were not even the length of my index finger.
The situation at the Serangoon Stadium was much better than at the Yishun rally. There were sufficient lights and the ground was not soggy and wet, even though I’d come prepared – I was wearing slippers.
There were calls for people to move in as there were tonnes of people still wanting to come in. In fact, when I’d arrived, there were already crowds of people outside the stadium, in the car park listening to the rally. They were the people who wanted to make a quick exit if they so desired.
At a certain time, the stadium was barricaded and no one was allowed in because it was completely full.
I didn’t realise how popular WP Chairman Sylvia Lim was till this night. The crowd waited for her to come and when she did, they roared, prompting the current speaker to ask to be given “face”. Later on, someone came with a placard saying “I heart Sylvia.”
A few seconds later, a lady came with another sign declaring her love for Low Thia Khiang. There was a lot of love for the WP in general. Even for James Gomez, whom the PAP hit hard on over the filing of the minority certificate at the Elections Department.
The WP maintained their vision of an Opposition voice in Parliament. They reminded people of the previous elections. When PAP only got 65% of the vote, prices remained relatively stable. At the next elections, when they got 75% of the vote, everything went up, people lost their jobs and had their pay cut.
They urged voters to give them a chance to prove their mettle, saying that in the event people were not satisfied with their performance, voters could kick them out of Parliament at the next elections.
Bearing in mind that this voting opportunity only comes one in four to five years, they urged Singaporeans to make a stand and vote for the WP. Regardless of the results that the WP shows at the elections this year, the WP thanked Singaporeans for their support.
Low Thia Khiang stated how he and his team have stayed focused on the issues and have not been distracted by the PAP. He reiterated that he wanted a country where the Opposition would be treated like human beings, not called pigs and names and treated like low-lifes by the ruling party. He wanted to run a gentleman’s election.
To me, this was particularly powerful. The Workers’ Party, representing workers – the blue collars – behaving like gentlemen – vs the PAP – white collared, educated, behaving like savages, ripping apart everyone they think is beneath them. The PAP has often stated that not only do they wish to win, but to win by such a margin that the Opposition would lose their deposits. Vulture culture.
I was suprised at how well Low Thia Khiang presented his speech in English. As I said earlier, I’d not followed Parliamentary sessions in a long long time. And the last time I heard Low speak was early at the beginning of his term in Parliament. At that time, I remember that he spoke haltingly in English and sometimes struggled to find the right words to express himself. I was absolutely impressed with the way he handled this speech. It was delivered with full confidence and conviction. It was a joy to listen to him.
His forehead is as high as Lee Kuan Yew’s. He’s a good speaker. Confessing that he failed in English, he promised that those whom he’d fielded in the other wards were better educated and they’d make better speeches in Parliament.
And the others were good, I found. Each candidate would identify himself and what constituency he or she was running in. Then they would start their speech in English. Those who preferred to speak in Mandarin later, would give a short summary of their speech before launching off in a language they were more comfortable with. When the speech ended, they would again state their name and constituency.
Whoever it was who thought of this clearly has his ear on the ground. In the other SDA rally I attended, the speakers went off in a language of their choice, leaving other voters, who didn’t comprehend that particular language, standing there, guessing at what they were saying. You only heard their names once and it was only said by the MC.
Ending each speech with their name and constituency guaranteed that people, who arrived mid-speech would eventually know who they’d been listening to.
Addressing the PAP’s stance that Opposition Members of Parliament would hinder the progress of Singapore by making trouble during debate that would not benefit Singaporeans but only promote their respective parties, Low emphasized that they too, were a part of Singapore and had no desire to do anything to her detriment.
To prove his point, Sylvia and Low led Singaporeans to recite the pledge in Englsh and Mandarin respectively. The crowd followed loudly declaring “We the citizens of Singapore…” not mumbling as students do at school every morning.
It was truly a powerful end to an energetic and vibrant rally. At that moment, I felt that people really cared about politics and the political future of Singapore. But in reality, most people are still apathetic.
While we were slowly filing out of the stadium (a good half an hour), I heard two men behind me talking.
“Ey, we should have attended the SDA rally.”
“Yah, but it’s not as hot.”
During the rally, I wanted to take a picture of this guy who was yelling “Workers’ Party!” very loudly. I wanted to capture his energy, but he pushed my camera away. Pointing my camera at someone else, I felt a hand nudging my shoulder. I turned back and he said: “Let’s enjoy. For fun only.”
These two instances plus another at the SDP rally I attended, where these two girls were giggling after yelling some slogan for SDP, disappointed me. The elections are not for fun only. And there are better times to yell for fun only – at the National Day Celebrations, at some rock concert. People really need to be serious and know why they’re voting. If it’s for the Opposition, the vote cannot just be a vote of defiance against the PAP. The Opposition party needs to have a real point to its existence and people need to know and listen to what those points are.
As I wanted to avoid the crowded buses, I decided to walk home. It took me over an hour and a half but it was a good time to reflect on what I’ve been seeing these past days.
The impression the WP left me: a very well organised and tight campaign. If they do not make a huge dent at the GE2006 polls, I will be most surprised. Whatever the outcome tomorrow night, 6th May 2006, if they continue this way, selecting good candidates, being focused on their objectives, they would certainly do some major damage at the next elections. It is my wish, however, that we do not have to wait that long.
As you can see, I never made it to the SDA rally. Sure I lost the chance to see if Chiam still has a lot of support and I worry for his future there. But this year, my choice is between the PAP and WP, not the SDA. And I’m glad I stayed the whole way at the rally.
I shot over 300 images and caught the best images of the GE at this rally. You can see them here, once the pictures are processed.