Last month, a gathering took place at Marina Bay Sands. Newly minted Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was there. And so were many other PAP Ministers, MPs and activists decked in their party whites. As it turns out, it was a thank-you event for PAP activists and partners involved in the #refreshPAP exercise. Six months of engagements culminating in a covenant of sorts to refresh the party, engage with more diverse groups of Singaporeans and pay greater attention to the challenges of mental health and climate change. All done in the spirit of taking Singapore forward.
Unfortunately, the positive takeaways of the exercise have been met by a series of sneers and cynicism. They came fast and furious. Coming from the same old clique of pro-opposition critics and pseudo-revolutionaries who have made it their mission in life to oppose everything and offer nothing. In short, here are people who embody all that is wrong with the world through their brand of grievance politics and barrage of negativity.
Moreover, this toxic cynicism also lays bare the staggering hypocrisy of our alternative media. The very people who accuse the PAP of not listening are also the ones who throw cold water at it when it tries. For the PAP, it truly is a damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t situation. Except in this case, the cost of doing nothing would be far too high.
#refreshPAP could not have come at a better time
We are living in troubled times. Beyond the shores of our air-conditioned malls and perfectly manicured parks, a rising tide of great power rivalry and geopolitical turbulence is already making waves. Meanwhile, foreign state actors have been trying (covertly and otherwise) to influence our people, driving deeper fault lines along issues of race and identity.
Domestically, tensions are bubbling to the surface. Culture wars, once the domain of the West, are making their way into everyday discourse, creating divisions when there were once none. Add to that is a coterie of activists hell-bent on stirring up chaos. Preying on the idealism of youth, they push impressionable students into committing crimes, yet cowardly hide away when the police come knocking.
Finally, to make things worse, we have no lack of political vultures feeding on our differences to grow their support base. In an attempt to win votes and pander to an increasingly polarised society, opposition members have become maestros of creating rather than resolving problems.
All in all, it is a rather grim outlook.
That is why a big tent party is now more important than ever. Especially one that can inspire national unity. Growing up, many of us know the old adage. A single arrow is easily snapped. However, a bundle of arrows cannot be broken. The latter is what any responsible political party ought to be doing. Channeling all its resources and using its platform to unite Singaporeans. All while imbuing in them an unbreakable spirit to build a shared future.
The task is easier said than done. But it is not impossible. The first step involves engaging Singaporeans in new and creative ways. Diving deep into their concerns and communicating a vision of hope and aspiration that everyone can work towards.
It is hard work. And so far, none of Singapore’s opposition parties have come close to attempting anything similar. More worryingly, none have even tried. Instead, our opposition has been straying further and further away from the political centre ground, pushing for populist policies that are naïve at best and catastrophic at worst.
To top it all off, their narrow focus and political short-termism have caused them to neglect the growing challenges of mental health and climate change. In doing so, the opposition is effectively invalidating the concerns of the next generation, throwing away their future for a few more votes and likes.
The question is, what will happen if we allow extremism and opportunism to become part of our political landscape? We might end up like the Titanic, colliding with an iceberg because of a refusal to heed warnings and change course.
As the ruling party for 59 years, the PAP is determined to avoid such a scenario. That is perhaps why #refreshPAP could not have come at a better time. Sneers aside, the exercise is a rallying cry to get Singaporeans on board the next chapter of our nation-building journey.
Only by finding a common purpose can we strive towards a brighter future. Otherwise, we might as well be in a state of anarchy, losing our identity and the solidarity with each other that we hold dear.