The following 13 Council members were also elected to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) : (in alphabetical order)

The power of Parliament comes from the people, and the power of the people comes from our right to vote.

The Vote18 Campaign is a public campaign organised by the Workers’ Party Youth Wing which seeks to raise awareness, advocate and kick-start a public discussion on the lowering of the legal voting age from 21 to 18.

The Workers’ Party Youth Wing believes that this is a meaningful and constructive cause to advocate as any change to the legal voting age will have wide-ranging implications on Singapore’s political system as well as the nation-building process.

Understand
You can find out the basis for the call by the Workers’ Party Youth Wing to lower the existing legal voting age from I am 18. Where’s my vote?

Participate
You can participate in this campaign now by taking a survey designed to find out your views on this issue.

If you believe that Singaporeans at the age of 18 should have the right to vote, to determine their future and to chart the path of Singapore’s future, this campaign is for you.

The Workers’ Party Youth Wing looks forward to your interest and support for this worthy cause.

Readers who have not been able to get a physical copy of the Hammer can view the electronic copy below.

Mr Yeo reminded the audience that Singapore was where it was today due to the contributions of immigrations and it was not an option to close Singapore off from the rest of the world. He challenged the audience with the proposition that immigration had done more good than harm, though acknowledging the public discomfort currently.

Sylvia pointed out that the scenario confronting Singapore today was much different from the under-populated and under-developed Singapore which our forefathers faced. WP was not anti-immigration, but had great concerns over the pace, scale and quality of immigration. She noted that the blistering pace at which the foreign population had grown over the last 20 years had changed Singapore dramatically, with citizens now accounting for only 64% of the population in 2009 whereas it was 86% in 1990. The current population of 5 million meant a density of 7,000 persons per sq km, and if MND’s planning parameter of 6.5 million by 2040 came through, it would be 9,100 persons per sq km. Was this ecologically sustainable for an island of 700 sq km, looking at the current squeeze on resources such as public transport, housing and healthcare services?

She further highlighted that the size of population needed for sustainable growth was debateable, and it was connected with productivity. Economies such as Finland and Denmark, with populations of about 5+ million, were constantly ranked high in global competitiveness. However, the Singapore Competitiveness Report 2009 noted that Singapore had not made any productivity gains relative to the USA for the period 1995-2008, whereas it had successfully caught up previously. For some reason, Singapore companies were not as successful in using new information technologies to re-design their business processes for higher productivity. The authors had pointedly asked whether the liberal access to cheap unskilled labour (likely foreign labour) had led employers to continue using cheap labour without bothering to innovate to be more productive.

Besides raising productivity, she suggested that Singapore could also increase the economic output of the existing population who were under-used e.g. older workers and foreign spouses of Singaporeans.

During the question and answer session, the panel fielded a diverse range of questions ranging from social tensions / integration, National Service obligations for PRs and foreign students in universities.

The WP logo with other logos. Click to see other photos

The Workers’ Party logo is included as one of the collection of 100 icons that are significant to Singapore’s social history and visual culture in the 100 Icons Exhibition organised by The Design Society.

Discover the origins and design evolution of some of Singapore’s most visual icons through static and interactive displays. The exhibition marks the first effort by The Design Society to compile and document Singapore’s modern design history.

Catch the exhibition at The Plaza, Level 1, National Library Building until 29 Jan 2010, 10 am – 8pm. Admission is free.

See a short video showing the interactive exhibition featuring the Workers’ Party logo at the end.

You can read more about her experience at her personal blog.

After a short walkabout in Hougang Central, we made our way down to town via the North-East MRT Line, greeting people along the way with high spirited “Happy National Day!”. Many were pleasantly surprised by the wishes, and gladly returned the greeting enthusiastically.   Others waved back to us with a smile and a nod.  Children as well as some adults held up their flags and shared the joy.  Some parents immediately applied the skin tattoo on their infants, taking the opportunity to instill an upbeat mood as we come together to celebrate our Nation’s birthday.

National Day in Singapore has always been an occasion when Singaporeans look back with pride at our achievements as a young nation.

Our country was founded 44 years ago on the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. It was a moment which we can justly be proud of. Yet, for some time now, it seems that we have been losing our way on some of these ideals.

Do we want a future where our children and retired parents are judged only by their economic worth? Do we wish to have a society where the less able are left to fend for themselves? How much does your vote count for after it has been devalued by the tight controls over the media and political parties, and the constant redrawing of electoral boundaries?

This year, it is time to also to reflect on the kind of Singapore that we want to build together.

The Workers’ Party believes Singapore can become a truly great nation: A nation where each Singaporean is counted as a valuable citizen rather than an employee of “Singapore, Inc”. A nation that is respected the world over for not just its efficiency and material wealth, but for the kindness and generosity of its people and leaders. To this end, and many more, we continue to strive.

Any nation will encounter challenges. These challenges are all part of nation building. At times our challenges will be light and at times they will be very difficult, or even gripping. In such hours, Singaporeans may feel dispirited, but hope – the hope of a victorious future – will never abandon us. Therefore Singaporeans can expect to triumph over every challenge, even the hardest.

The Workers’ Party invites fellow Singaporeans to reflect, above all, on the relation between being more and having more. Having more must never be allowed to win. If it did, Singaporeans would lose the most precious gift of all: our humanity, our conscience, our dignity. As such, in this era of global uncertainties, Singaporeans must make demands on ourselves of “being more”, even if others do not make demands on us.

Each of us, fellow Singaporeans, will experience a “being more” of our own: responsibilities that we must assume and fulfil, a Singapore cause, for which we must fight, a duty, an obligation, from which there can be no withdrawal, no running away. A system of truths and values that must be upheld and defended: a “being more” in us and around us.

As part of the Workers’ Party’s National Day celebrations, we are embarking on a number of “being more” events to usher in our nation’s 44th Birthday. These initiatives are conceptualised, planned and spearheaded by members of the Workers’ Party Youth Wing.

The Workers’ Party invites all Singaporeans to participate in these events, namely: an Essay Writing Competition, a Town Hall Dialogue and a Public Outreach Activity on National Day itself. More information can be found on the Workers’ Party Youth Wing website at www.wpyouth.sg.

The Workers’ Party wishes all Singaporeans – whether in Singapore or residing abroad – a Happy National Day!

KOH CHOONG YONG
Vice-President, The Workers’ Party Youth Wing
05 Aug 2009

The last issue, issue 0901 has been sold out and is now available online.