Cooling-Off Day

Finally the hustings have come to an end. Frankly I have found the past week exhausting even though my only involvement has been to tune into the very passionate conversations between friends and colleagues and running through social media sound bites. I spoke to myself a lot, rolled my eyes until I induced a headache, and laughed out loud at some of the goofy political gaffes. I found myself playing the role of an economist in my head at times, and public relations specialist on others.

I could have done rather well coaching some of the candidates on the do's and dont's of hustings. Don't use old school analogies about any kind of ships, don't focus too hard on the opposing party that you end up shouting support for them, don't spend precious air time talking about who walked the block and who cycled through. Always remember that a calm disposition and a balanced view give others the impression that you speak out of experience rather than exasperation. Try not to speak like the army because we are not under martial law. Try not to dangle carrots or your bravado because it is like screaming "shoot me". Try to rehearse your speech and FAQs with highly critical people so that they can save you from bad press.

The Cooling-Off day tomorrow makes a lot of sense. It is a break from all our emotions and allows us to defuse our impulsive thoughts. The vote should not be an emotional response but an objective, measured action only to be taken after careful deliberation. I've now heard both sides of the story yet it is not about taking sides, because each tells a different side of the true Singapore. I may think that another person's perception is inaccurate, but whatever that person's perception, that is his or her truth. Both sides have presented their reality and the question is who can best balance those needs. Who will be willing to accept the harsh feedback received and do something productive with it. Who will focus less on the division between Singaporeans and work on ways to unite them. There is a Cantonese saying "The palm is flesh, the back of the hand is also flesh". Who will take this attitude when they act of behalf of Singapore?

Time to cool-off and consider what is most important to Singapore. If I had two wishes it would be first,  stability and security. The financial meltdown in Greece, the sharp devaluation of the yuan and the regional currencies, and the growing threat of terrorist and hackers are just examples of complex issues that a government needs to guard against. This requires strategic thinking, careful planning and precise execution. Singapore will lose its relevance if it can't maintain stability and its safety. 

Second, a gracious society. Sounds waffly, but what exactly do we live for if everything we ever do is just for ourselves. We need to break out of our WIIIFM (What-is-it-in-for-me) cocoon and became far more beautiful WCIDTMUB (What-can-I-do-to-make-us-better) creatures. You can clearly tell I made that acronym up on-the-fly. This comes from a broader based education that helps our kids have a better grasp of what success is. If we remain a WIIIFM society, nothing will ever be enough for us because we will never see other people's success as something that is worth celebrating and something that we can aspire towards. A gracious society helps us to see things from the perspective of the greater good of the society.

Hope you have a cool polling day.