Congratulations to the Workers’ Party [WP] and Mr Png Eng Huat for winning the seat of Hougang Single Member Constituency [SMC]. Mr Png has beaten his opponent by a majority of 5,237 votes. While the WP’s majority is reduced by 1548 votes, only a pathetic 145 (less than 10%) went to his opponent. For the ruling party’s candidate, it was like failing the exam a year ago and then doing just as badly in the sub-paper a year later. Has he actually been doing his home work? For starters, stop shamelessly saying that Hougang has fallen behind because of the opposition. If you really cared for Hougang as you have claimed and have any conscience left, the very least you can do is to resign from the very party which has deliberately punished everyone (even your own supporters) there for the past 20 years. Otherwise, there is no point even if you are capable of weeping yourself a new river in Hougang.

The courageous voters of Hougang have decided resoundingly to maintain the status quo of 6 WP Members of Parliament [MPs]. By electing Mr Png Eng Huat, they have not only resounding rejected the ruling party’s attempted character assassination, but also demonstrated that they accept (if not necessarily approve) how the WP has handled the indiscretion of Mr Yaw Shin Leong. Like I have mentioned, the WP deserved points for their political courage in expelling Mr Yaw from the party and going back to the people with a new candidate. As far as I am concerned, the outcome of this by-election simply indicated to me that when a political party diligent served the people and champion their causes, its candidates will always trump what those of the ruling party no matter how hard the ruling party’s leaders try to drag them through the mud. In this case, not only had the mud-slinging failed dismally, the very person who was the most enthusiastic at it has clearly been left in the mud pool himself. Just leave the scrutinising of the opposition candidate to the voters, alright? The ruling party can quit regarding the electorate with such low regard and contempt. We are NOT daft at all!

If there is one thing that made me remember this by-election fondly, it would be the rally at Hougang on May 22nd, 2012 (Tuesday). While I admired the WP speakers who stood in the rain until the rally’s end, what was more touching was the events that transpired among the rally attendees. A friend said that the elections always bring out the worst in people, but I beg to differ. In this case it has brought out the best!

There is courage – an old lady with two umbrellas kept them closed and stood in the rain along with the WP speakers. (For those who would fault her for not sharing her umbrellas, touch your heart and ask yourself whether you would share your own umbrella.) There is also a kampong spirit – people sharing their umbrella with those (even strangers) who didn’t have one, aunties tearing their plastic bags into 2 and giving it to others and some men taking off their shirts to shelter old folks and kids. And finally, there is also determination – where a family of 5 was observed gathering under a small umbrella. Many of the attendees that night stayed in spite of the rain and this was reported on social media fondly by those who were present.

What transpired that evening tells me that we can aspire to have a different Singapore. We can have a caring, non-elitist Singapore that cease to operate in a cold, selfish, calculative, ruthless, repulsive and inhuman logic where the people are made to believe that certain interests must be given priority. It shouldn’t be a Singapore where we believe that the people fell behind because of “their own fault”. Can you imagine that those with umbrellas kept to themselves and leave those without to suffer the rain because… “just who the hell asked them not to be prepared anyway”?

We Singaporeans can be better than that! That is perhaps why capable people who left Singapore never want to come back. Frankly, regardless of how many $4-million Singapore Day were organised overseas, no one would ever come back to a home that has turned into a hotel, and a country that is run like a corporation. While it is my regret that I wasn’t personally there to observe all that transpired at the rally that evening, it gave me the strength to drag myself to Hougang 2 days later in spite of my running nose, a nasty cough and a nagging back ache. Two other colleague went along with me, and one of them was similarly inflicted by the flu bug.

I was thankful the skies remained clear until the rally ended. After hearing them speak, I am convinced that Mr Pritam Singh, Mr Chen Show Mao and Mr Low Thia Khiang would have given any of the ruling party’s leaders a run for their money on a one-to-one stand up debate any time. Though it might appear on the main stream media [MSM] that the WP’s MPs were constantly rebutted and “beaten” in Parliamentary sessions, it merely convinced me that we need to further reduce the ruling party’s majority to put an end to these verbal “gang-rapes” that opposition MPs are subjected to in Parliament. Meanwhile, allow me to take this opportunity salute Mr Chiam See Tong and Mr Low Thia Khiang for having survived all those years when there were just two of them in Parliament. Special honor should also be given to JB Jeyaratnam, the first opposition MP since 1968. They have stood high with courage in spite of the jeers they received. Special mention should also be given to Anson, the birthplace of Singapore’s democracy.

MP-Elect Mr Png Eng Huat, I hope you will serve the people of Hougang faithfully and with all your heart and all your might. For it will be unforgivable if you or the WP let them down after bringing out the best of Singapore at the Hougang field next to Block 837 on the evening of May 22nd. It will also be as good as letting the rest of Singapore down. Good luck and all the best, sir!

Recommended Reads:
The Itch To Write: That spirit, the HOUGANG SPIRIT!
dk.sg: The day after Hougang By Election