Do you hear the people sing?

If the Singapore General Election 2011 were to have a theme song, it would surely be 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' from the musical Les Miserables.

For weeks, I, along with many other Singaporeans, have been following closely all the campaigning, commentaries, drama etc associated with this year's election. You can tell there is something significant about it because interest in this election is particularly high. Popular blogs and websites discussing socio-political issues have been covering the various rallies and speeches closely, and their coverage have attracted a great many readers. On Facebook, friends of mine who have previously never expressed interest in politics or had an opinion on politics are sharing elections-related news, commentaries and parodies. Now, this is most interesting in the Singapore context, because Singaporeans have commonly been described as either politically apathetic or afraid to touch politics even with a ten-foot pole.

Why the sudden surge in interest? For one thing, for many Singaporeans, this is the first time they have a chance to vote. In previous elections, many Group Representative Constituencies (GRCs), which are sort of like districts, experience walkovers i.e. they were uncontested. This election, all but one GRC was contested by the opposition parties. For the ruling party, this means they are suddenly no longer assured of having a majority in parliament. For Singaporeans, the presence of a contest means that they will have a chance to take part in the electoral process. And many, such as my Mum and Dad, have never had the opportunity to do so before.

Secondly, and more importantly, people are so heavily emotinally invested in this election because they want to see change. For years, there has been an accumulation of grouses against the ruling party (PAP), which has held on to power for decades. PAP, unfortunately, does not take kindly to criticism and occasionally resorts to suing and jailing those who openly speak out against it. You can imagine the climate of fear that creates. Recently, though, people have been more vocal about their unhappiness. The online media has become a platform where many express their frustrations and dissatisfaction. Certain government policies and blunders of late have also neatively impacted large segments of society, most notably the policy of allowing a overwhelmingly huge influx of foreigners into Singapore, causing many who previously supported PAP or didn't care about politics to question what was going on with the country. People are pissed, really pissed by now,and the opposition parties are taking advantage of the electorate's unhappiness to contest many GRCs.

In short, this election reflects an awakening of sorts for Singaporeans. People are tired and frustrated with the status quo, and they want to see change. And this has lead Singaporeans to overcome the climate of fear and do things they previously would never have dared to: speak out against the PAP, openly support opposition parties, discuss and debate politics etc. The change in attitude is really quite astounding. As a Singaporean (but one that does not have the chance to vote this year, unfortunately), it is fascinating and heartening to see my countrymen unite and rise above fear, to stand up for themselves for the first time against a party that has long ruled the country with an iron fist.

"Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!"

I hear it all right. I can hear the expressions of frustration and longings for change, the music of a people who don't want to slave away under the PAP regime any more. I can hear the rapid beating of hearts, of those caught up in the fervour of aspirations of a new life about to start with the dawn of a different political landscape when (the day after) tomorrow comes. You can be sure that all eyes will be on the actual voting this Saturday, and the announcement of results afterwards. You know this election is something special, because you can hear the people sing. Loudly.