Rocking the first-time vote

When Singapore goes to the polls in under two weeks, every seat in Parliament is expected to be contested — a first since independence. Opinions Writer Alfred Chua discusses what the upcoming election means to the first-time voter, and the importance of voting for our future.

By Alfred Chua

(GRAPHIC: KIMBERLY ANG)

When news first broke that Polling Day was to be on 11 Sept, I was thrilled, to say the least. The news came when I was in class and I could barely contain my excitement. Neither could I focus for the remainder of the lesson.

It was to be my first time voting in an election, and as part of the generation of digital natives that witnessed how the internet swept the elections in 2006 and how social media was de rigueur in 2011, I was raring to exercise my right to vote.

This general election is especially meaningful to me, having missed the previous elections by a hair’s breadth in 2011. I was a few months shy of reaching the legal voting age of 21 that year and I recall lamenting the wasted opportunity — especially so when it was one that many called a watershed election.

I am eager to make my vote count for something this time round.

Between GE2011 and the impending elections, the nation has seen two by-elections — in Punggol East and Hougang — and a Presidential election. The political buzz has remained high, and only looks set to rev up in the coming days.

Reasons for the hype

My peers, many of whom are first- time voters too, share the palpable excitement, for a variety of reasons.

One wants to see how the opposition, who intends to contest every ward, fares this time around. A variety of voices in Parliament would do the nation good, he said.

Another friend told me he is interested to see how this generation votes.

“We lived in a relatively sheltered environment, having grown up in ‘first world Singapore’. I would like to see what kind of political direction we want to set for Singapore,” he said.

Young and eager to vote

Then there are those who are simply excited that they are, well, able to exercise their voting power.

This election is the first time that the majority of Singapore citizens aged 20 and above is made up of individuals born post-independence. It is perhaps comforting to note that despite the perception of our generation being ignorant, there are some who still take an interest in local politics.

Yet, despite the enthusiasm among first-time voters like my peers and me, it is disappointing to note that the parties have not done much to target our votes. Granted, there is now more engagement by parties in the social media sphere — often seen as an attempt to appeal to younger voters — but proper engagement with youth goes beyond a well- filtered Instagram photograph of a walkabout, or having thousands of likes on a Facebook page.

It’s about talking to youths to find out what matters, and what concrete steps can be taken to resolve our concerns. Many of us are still in school, or just starting out in our careers. Matters like costs and quality of education, and employment after graduation, have not been thoroughly addressed by candidates so far.

When campaigning officially starts, I would like to hear candidates cross swords over job security for university graduates, or debate the importance of getting a degree in the current job market. It would also be intriguing to hear their views on issues such as arts censorship and tolerance and acceptance of more diverse family structures. We want to hear how, or whether, they will tackle these issues further if they are elected to Parliament.

There has been some efforts to address the hard issues between the last GE and now, with initiatives like SkillsFuture, but it still isn’t enough. Arts censorship was not greatly discussed after last year’s National Library Board saga, for example.

Relevant issues

If the trends of GE2011 are anything to go by, young voters are more likely than the average voter to support opposition candidates. Merely dangling carrots like housing subsidies, paternity leave and new facilities in the neighbourhood do not cut it anymore for such voters.

A survey by Blackbox Research in June this year revealed that “young Singaporeans are… less satisfied than older Singaporeans with public transport, population management and civil liberties.” The fact remains that the needs and wants of this generation differ from those of our parents or grandparents.

In the coming days, the hustings — both online and on the ground — will only get more intense. Starting with Nomination Day on 1 Sept, leading up to Polling Day on 11 Sept, there is no better time than now to be immersed in the process of electing a new government.

Making your vote count

The temptation may be strong among first-time voters to think of their single vote as an insignificant drop in the ocean, and so trivialise the whole process.

This may be an oft-exhorted cliché, but every single vote counts. Yes, every one of more than 2 million votes. The very act of going to the polls acts as feedback to those in power about how you, the younger generation, view their policies. It is intrinsic in any democratic process, and provides a check for those in power.

Because the act of voting carries much weight, it is also useful to weigh the options of what parties and candidates have to offer before arriving at a decision. Voting based on ‘peer pressure’, or voting purely based on the desire for a change, should never be the way to choose parliamentarians. And even after the heat and dust have settled, we need to remain politically engaged to ensure the MPs we voted for are actively voicing our concerns in Parliament.

Ultimately, we are the generation who gets to see the beginning of a new stage in Singapore’s history, and will continue to watch the momentum we start this year, for many years to come.