Chen Jiaxi Bernard’s Rally Speech, Bedok Stadium Rally, 9 Sep

 

Dear fellow Singaporeans, residents of East Coast GRC and Fengshan SMC, Good evening! My name is Chen Jiaxi Bernard and I am the Workers’ Party candidate for MacPherson SMC!

Tonight, in my speech I want to leave you with more questions than answers. Questions that matter to the future of this nation, questions that you have to think about carefully before casting your vote this coming Friday, questions that will set the WP apart from the PAP.

The election process is an exciting one, filled with much anticipation and contemplation. Casting your vote, especially for the very first time is an empowering process. Your vote can potentially shape the future of our nation. It is a serious decision, but one that I believe all voters will undertake with much responsible thought.

The Workers’ Party believes that young Singaporeans are the catalyst for a brighter future for Singapore. As such, the Workers’ Party proposes to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. This will encourage our young people to have an early interest in political governance. The moment our young people can vote for the future of this nation, is the moment our people can dream of a better and empowered future together. So let’s empower them, and take this nation to greater heights!

As you go to the polls in two days time, ask yourself the following two questions.

  • What is the kind of political culture you want to see in Singapore?
  • What is the kind of Singapore you want your children and grandchildren to grow up in?

Do you want a political culture where the grassroots and community life are politicised for the eventual benefit of one political party, or one where you have a co-creative grassroots where towns and neighbourhoods are co-owned and our heritage protected and preserved?

Do you want a political culture where the GRC system dilutes the voice of the individual voter or do you envision a political culture where elections are run on single seats with individual MPs fully accountable to constituents?

I am running in the single seat of MacPherson and throughout the last nine days, I have been trying to earn the support and vote of each and every voter in MacPherson. The same can also be said of my young opponent. If Ms. Tin Pei Ling can run in a single seat, I am sure all our present and future Ministers can hold their own and contest in a single seat. Sadly, they are hiding behind the cover of a GRC system.

Do you want a political culture where the ruling party can threaten residents with the withdrawal of government projects and infrastructural developments according to the level of support they receive at a general election or do you envision a government who will serve all citizens, PAP and opposition supporters equally?

In order to better empower our future, the Workers’ Party seeks to enhance the democratic process and strengthen parliamentary sovereignty. Members of Parliament should be made fully and clearly accountable to Singaporeans, while partisan gerrymandering and the gaming of the electoral system under the auspices of the Prime Minister Office should be eliminated and guarded against.

The powers of Parliament should be enhanced to strengthen its oversight over the Executive, especially in the areas of the scrutiny of bills, checks on governmental expenditure and public education on parliamentary work. Parliament should establish its own cross-partisan Public Consultation Select Committee (PCSC) supported by a Secretariat. Public consultations on prospective legislation should be transferred from the present feedback portal REACH to the PCSC. After the conclusion of the public consultation process, a report should be tabled in Parliament for the Cabinet to respond to. This committee should also be given the power to decide whether a bill should be sent to a Select Committee for scrutiny.

Underlying all these proposals to empower Singaporeans’ future is a very simple belief of mine. The Government needs to listen more and talk less.

Let us now consider the kind of Singapore you want your children and grandchildren to grow up in.

Do you want a more democratically diverse Singapore where policies are properly debated and scrutinised by a Parliament made up of responsible and constructive MPs or do you want a Parliament that is made up entirely of PAP MPs?

Do you want a more people-orientated Singapore where all Singaporeans can live, thrive as citizens or do you want a brutally pragmatic Singapore where Singaporeans and your child are no more than mere digits on an annual report?

Do you want a Singapore that values creativity and encourages our children to dream big and think out of the box, or do you want a Singapore where examinations continues to be the sole determining factor in your children and grandchildren’s future?

Dear fellow Singaporeans, the choice is clear. If you envision a Singapore where the community spirit is a result of co-ownership and co-creation of the grassroots, vote for the Workers’ Party. If you envision a Singapore where all the seats at the general election are contested over ideas and policies in single seats throughout the island, vote for the Workers’ Party!

If you envision a Singapore that is democratically diverse, a Singapore that respects all citizens regardless of their political affiliations and interest groups, and a Singapore that is once again a source of inspiration to our young people, vote for the Workers’ Party!

Fellow Singaporeans, you hold the future of this nation in your hands. This is your home and mine. We hold in our hands the ability to shape the collective future of our children and grandchildren. I am not giving up yet and you should not. There’s so much left to be done, we need Singaporeans to serve one another, and to leave this nation a better and more prosperous place than the one we inherited from our forefathers.

If we have the same determination that we see in the eyes of the pioneer generation, if we have the same kind of passion that we saw in our founding leaders and if we have the same dedication to public service that so many of us in this country have, Singapore will never ever fail.

We can do better than this. We will do better than this! We have to do better than this! Come September 11, let’s go to the polling booth together, and vote for the Workers’ Party to empower your Future, my Future and our future!