'Did you see the petition?' I asked excitedly.
'Which one?' he responded. 'There a petition to kick out Tin Pei Ling. There is one to reinstate George Yeo, and another to reinstate Chiam See Tong, and I don't know what else?'
I actually hadn't even heard about that many, only the first one.
'Did you sign the petition? You should sign the petition!' I was on a roll.
A look of irritation crossed his face.
'Why should I? These people, they don't understand the seriousness of voting. They can't just vote for one side and later decide they don't want so-and-so in Parliament. You made your choice and you have to live with it.'
Methinks it's partly due to the fact that most the people have never participated in the voting process before and thus, do not grasp or fully understand the gravity of their choices. That and their inflated sense of entitlement. It's an attitude fostered by the ruling party with the constant coddling, dangling of carrots and suppression of alternative voices.
The problems of high costs, cramped public transport, expensive flats, influx of cheap foreign labour and so on, affect cities all over the world. If they could be solved just by changing policies, you'd think the best minds in governments the world over would've come up with a solution by now. I don't believe a solution can be arrived at just by voting the ruling party (for the safety voters) or the opposition (the vote fuelled by hope and anger). Sure, they could probably cut taxes or employ other financial tools to help citizens deal with costs. But surely, it'll only work for the short-term, like putting a band-aid over a serious wound.
So, for a person who's pretty contended with her lot - Lift-upgrading? It was a great annoyance to me personally, but I can see how it benefits the elderly. Transport? Avoid the daily crush by working odd hours. Home buying? Save! If someone can afford a new iPhone, iPad or whatever new gadget or branded $300 or $3,000 bag every few months, I really don't see how they're entitled to complain about "rising costs" -
I see the event as a contest, and contests should be played out on a level playing field. Therefore, I voted against inequality, unfairness, fear-mongering, gerrymandering, arrogance, oppression and pork-barrelling. I guess cynics can be idealists too.
'How about a petition to abolish the GRC system?' I asked, hopefully.
'You can ... but they won't listen,' he replied blandly.
