COMMENT: NDR 2015: An Election Rally?

Viswa Sadasivan is Editor-in-Chief for Inconvenient Questions, a former Nominated MP of the Singapore Parliament and a former TV current affairs host. The views expressed here are his own.

Last night the PM delivered a speech that was clearly the climax to months of SG50 celebration. The stage was set to make an impact: an LED screen with flowers changing hue right behind the PM, inspirational pictures constantly morphing on a bigger screen, and Kit Chan singing “Home” to an audience that sang along. This year’s National Day Rally (NDR) was a marked departure from the usual practice of merely engaging the population on critical issues facing the nation. It was an event.

In his speech, the PM rallied the nation to celebrate what we have achieved together, honoured those who got us here and called on Singaporeans to believe in ourselves. The aim was clear: to garner our support to ensure that we remain along this trajectory in the years ahead by doing the ‘right thing’ on Polling Day.

So, was it a National Day Rally? Yes, in the sense that the whole event did lift the spirits and make us feel proud of what we have achieved, together. Was it an Election Rally? Absolutely. And the PM was quite explicit about it. Is it wrong for him to conjoin the two? Well, it is his prerogative as the PM. It is a legitimate advantage of being the incumbent and he would be foolish not to have leveraged on it. Anyone else would have done the same. There was a confluence of highly evocative events this year, and the PM (rightly) saw no reason not to highlight them in his rallying call.

Notwithstanding that, the more important question to ask is this: Could the PM have asked for a renewed mandate for him and his team if there wasn’t a track record of achievements?

Being an incumbent is not always an advantage, as we can see from what is playing out in the immediate region and around the world. In an increasingly transparent world where information flow has made power asymmetrical, the incumbent is under intense scrutiny. It is extremely hard for any government to withstand the onslaught of heightened expectations from an increasingly sophisticated, heterogenous and demanding populace.

If the PAP government was anything less than highly credible and effective, the PM’s statements of what we have achieved, especially in the last 10 years under his stewardship, would have fallen on deaf ears at best, and sounded incredulous and even offensive to many. I don’t think that was the effect on the majority of those watching the NDR last night.

There are three reasons for this. First, because the evidence of what the PM said stares us in the face and we would be remiss in not acknowledging it. Second, he is a likeable leader. Third, because when we look around within Singapore and beyond, we know in our heart of hearts that it could have been a lot worse given the many odds that were stacked against us.

For me, many unsaid achievements came to mind as the PM spoke – that the economy remained buoyant and jobs continued to be created for Singaporeans, in spite of the extraneous factors; the sense of safety and security that we continue to enjoy and perhaps are guilty of taking for granted; and the general rise in the quality of our homes and surroundings. These are not easy achievements, especially for a society that is fast becoming affluent with heightened expectations.

Three points in the speech, in particular, struck a chord with me. Firstly, when the PM introduced – one by one – some of our outstanding (and possibly notorious) pioneers in the military. For those of my particular vintage, seeing these men in starched Temasek green uniforms would have evoked an avalanche of memories of our NS days.  Nostalgia aside, it reminded me of the incredible development of the SAF – which has earned the respect of the best armed forces in the world – in just 50 years.  Yes, we can debate whether the defence budget is defensible or whether we still need full-time NS to be for two years.  This should not mask the fact that our strong defence force and consistency in enhancing standards have served as a deterrent and inspired confidence in investors and potential investors.  It is also a fact that we were able to achieve this through organic financing and not borrowing.

Secondly, that the government will be rolling out Medishield Life - our version of “Obamacare” at the end of the year.  This is a landmark shift towards providing direct welfare and healthcare benefits to the many who desperately need it – something I didn’t think would come from the PAP government in my lifetime.  Again, we must acknowledge that we are in a position to underwrite this significant expenditure without needing to borrow.

Thirdly, when the PM showed on the big screen how the Marina Bay area has transformed in the last 10 years, I must admit that I felt a surge of pride. It’s not just that we now have the iconic Marina Bay Sands and the Marina Bay Financial Centre as part of our splendid skyline. It is about the effort that went into ensuring that aesthetics and access for all were important planning considerations. This was a reminder of how the government has always tried to achieve economic and practical goals – such as converting the bay into a reservoir and building a robust financial district downtown – without unduly affecting the sanctity of the environment. It is a tough balance especially in land scarce Singapore

However, does this mean that the PAP government got everything right? The answer has to be a clear “no”.  There are many things that could have been managed better – the land transport system, terrorist detainee Mas Selamat’s escape, HDB woes (where real corrective action was taken only after the shock of the 2011 GE), and the Population White Paper, together with attendant issues like the import of foreign talent, income disparity and, of course, the rising cost of living.

These are real issues that are a day-to-day reality for a significant segment of our society. It is a pity that the PM did not at least acknowledge them in his speech.

There are many amongst us for whom basic necessities such as food, electricity, public transport or medical bills continues to be a struggle, despite the many government schemes to assist them.  The number of glum, stressed faces in the MRT trains or buses is testimony to this. I couldn’t help wondering what must be going through their minds as they see the PM painting such a delightful picture of our Singapore and our lives against the backdrop of evocative images. For a father who is working two shifts and struggling to put food on the table for his family, the stunning image of a revitalised Marina Bay area or even the design for the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)’s new home would have little relevance at a here-and-now emotional level. Not that he would not share the sense of pride as a Singaporean, but this feeling is likely to be short-lived as he confronts the challenging realities of his life the day after the NDR.

In fact, there is the real risk that for the many in our society who are negotiating daily the drudgeries of life, the rosy picture might be a reminder of having been left behind or unacknowledged; this could very well be a source of frustration and indeed, even anger. This risk might have been mitigated if the PM had acknowledged that there is still much work to be done in tackling these pressing issues with the assurance that the woes of this segment of society are not put on the backburners. 

Many Singaporeans do tacitly acknowledge, even as they go through the daily grind, that some of these problems did not necessarily result from negligence or benign neglect on the part of the government. No amount of forward thinking and planning could have completely prevented these issues. Yes, things could have been done better, but we also know that wisdom often comes with the benefit of hindsight. Some of these issues are a function of expectations rising to a level beyond what can be delivered by even the best government. It is perhaps a challenge faced by successful and competent governments – that of managing success.

It may be the PM’s design to sanctify the NDR speech so that it remains a positively charged rallying call – a moment for all Singaporeans to focus on what we have achieved and how exciting the future can be if we choose to aim high and work together. We all need a dose of optimism even (or perhaps, especially) when the going is rough and uncertainties loom large. We need to feel we are not alone in our struggles. This injection of positivity worked, to a good degree, in this year’s NDR.

Yet, the weeks ahead – in the run up to the GE, which is clearly imminent - will present many opportunities for the PM and the ruling party to address some of the deeper issues facing us, not just at the macro level but in the heartlands. It is important that this is done in an open and transparent way, without being defensive. The ruling party needs to find a way to address issues and respond to criticism. It needs to do this with the equanimity that comes from confidence in their achievements and the belief that the Singaporean is not unreasonable.