Reply from a former minister

Days before the election, George Yeo made a video message on Facebook to Gen Y voters, where he basically said that if he were voted in, he would be the driving change that Singaporeans are looking for. He also asked Gen Y voters to write in to him and to share their views on how Singapore can be transformed into a better country, and how he wants to be the voice of the youth. Yada yada yada.

So I did. It took me about an hour, and I wrote him a 1,000 word message on Facebook, just detailing some of the cracks in the government's policies and how they affect me and my family. I didn't talk about anything on a grandiose policy-making level, just personal issues in my life and how that made me feel as a voter from the demographic that he was hoping to tap onto.

I didn't expect him to reply, mainly because it was during the hustings period and every candidate was 'walking the ground', shaking hands and making rally speeches at night. Plus, I know how it is to be inundated with an avalanche of emails. (I can take forever to reply to emails at times.)

But this morning I received a reply from him, which surprised me. But when reading the reply, it's like he never really 'got' the gist of my message at all.

Firstly, he said:

Lisa, sorry to take so long to read your email, thanks for your views and your support!

Huh?

I did say in the email that I was moved by his video, and that the only other time I felt this way was at Bishan stadium watching Chiam See Tong speak.

But I also did write:

This Saturday, I will be casting my vote for Workers Party in my East Coast GRC. I've pondered a very long time about this decision, but I feel that I would be making the right choice not just for myself, but for Singapore's democratic future.

And after that I did go on to talk about why I felt that way (unthinking candidates who promote status quo, refusal of the government to accept that certain policies, like the HDB, are broken, a one-party monopoly in Parliament will drive Singapore to ruin in the future) So it's clear where my loyalties are. I don't think I beat the bush around this topic.

Although, I did say that my money was on the PAP to win Aljunied (and how wrong I was). So does that mean that I supported George Yeo? If a gambler places a bet on a team in a match, it doesn't mean that the gambler is a die-hard fan or even a fan at all. It just means that the odds look good enough for the gambler to place some money down, hoping for a win.

What can I say. I guess the Workers Party win was good after all.