It’s election season now in Singapore. Every 5 years, we get to watch the drama and theatre of politics play out in our little island. But this time, with COVID hanging in the background, it feels like a distraction. Like as if we didn’t have enough things to worry about. But systems being systems, they live by their own rules, and therefore, we have to vote. ?‍♂️

It’s the third or fourth time I’m exercising my rights as a citizen, but it doesn’t get any easier deciding. To be a truly responsible, well-informed citizen, it does take work – reading up party manifestos, annual reports, track record, social impact; getting acquainted with the personalities of the candidates, stalking them on Facebook; researching and understanding the larger policy proposals each side is making, and finally culminating in a decision. But past experience has some benefits. It helped me learn what not to consider, and I realised some of these lessons were pretty counterintuitive, especially when compared to how I thought when I was a first-time voter.

Talk is cheap. Look to his deeds, not his words

It’s easy to get starry eyed from all the bold declarations and inspiring promises. Politicians, being politicians, do what they must and say what they have to. I found speeches, rallies, debates, to be poor proxies to the real impact they will deliver. Their actions say more about them than their words. Of course, a good leader needs to be both. That’s in their job description. But it’s easy to conflate what they should be with what they actually are in reality. A job description is not a CV or portfolio. I can have expectations for them to be both eloquent and deliver ground impact, but in my assessment on who to vote for, I cannot naively assume they have both. Since speech is easier to fake than actions, I find that as a rule of thumb, it’s easier to look to actions. So look to what they did in the past, and is still doing, but don’t be too forgiving if their speech is lacking either. 

Look to the past, not future

Related to previous point. During campaigning, there’s a lot of promises made for the future. If you vote for me, I will do X in the future. But after being elected, said promises may or may not be fulfilled. It can often be whitewashed away due to circumstances. I’d rather look to a candidate’s past campaigns, and whether he/she delivered on them. For points 1 and 2, think of this like hiring someone for a job. Speaking to references or past employers, understanding how they did their job in the past, is probably a better proxy than what they say during an interview (which very often is more theatre than substance, even for the honest).

It’s okay to not read everything

Gutter politics, personal attacks, smear campaigns – the usual suspects of any election. They all add to the intensity and interestingness of an election. But I find them at best a distraction. It’s easy to get caught up in all the gossip, like reading tabloids about celebrities. Social media amplification doesn’t help, and after a while you inevitably get sucked in. It’s exhausting, to say the least. So while being informed is good, it’s also okay to not have to consume everything the media throws at us. Not all news are created equal. Being discerning and selective will help.

There’s no one true way to vote

Everyone votes based on different reasons. Our personal history, education, income level, job industry, geographical location, friends, family, all play a part in influencing how we assess the candidates. I’d come to see that there are some good guidelines to help anyone come to a decision, but objectively, there’s no right way. The best we can do is to form a list of criteria that’s important to yourself, and do the work, read up, get informed as best as we can based on what little time we have. Invariably we will discuss some of this on social media, or over coffee with friends. You might be focused on local issues, while he on national ones. You might never agree with him, and likewise for him about your views. It’s okay. Seek to learn outside one’s echo chamber, but don’t feel obliged to agree nor shove your point on others. 

Don’t listen to anyone, including this post

Learn to start to nurture a natural immune response anytime someone tells you how you should think and who you should vote for. In fact, ignore the guidelines in this post and come up with your own based on your own experience. If you’re a first-time voter, don’t be afraid to seek out the opinions of those you trust, but try your best to think independently and critically. 

What do you think? Any other good guidelines when deciding on your vote?