THE TEMASEK REVIEW

By Bhaskaran Kunju, Political Correspondent

At the Parliamentary sitting on August 18, Mr Viswa Sadasivan gave his maiden speech as a Nominated Member of Parliament.

The contents of his speech have already made headlines in just a few days, with even MM Lee providing his views. While most of the attention has been on the race debate, another aspect of Mr Viswa’s speech focused on the need for more participation in political activities for students, particularly those in Universities. It was one of three suggestions he had raised.

As an undergraduate studying Political Science in a local University, his comments rang a lot closer to home. Mr Viswa called on the government to encourage more political associations to be set up on campus to cultivate a vibrant political culture from a young age.

At present there is only one politically themed society functioning in my University- the Democratic Socialist Society. I do not think that will be of surprise to many. However, there are a large number of religious societies  including Christian society called the Campus Crusaders. A number of campus publications also contain far more liberal views and opinions than any mainstream media.

Mr Viswa mentioned an encounter he had with an Undergraduate. He said,

“Recently, I met a young lady who had a good honours degree from a local university. She who didn’t know the difference between the President of Singapore and the Prime Minister. It is not just confounding but upsetting to be confronted by such realities! Something is very wrong here.”

Mr Viswa might have been surprised but facing such individuals in schools is a reality to me. This doesnot mean that they are unintelligent students. Given them the topic which they have studied. They’d be able to regurgitate whatever they’ve learnt. But there seems to be an inability to learn beyond their respective fields of interest, which often tend to be limited. I think, the basic awareness of politics or current affairs is not much to ask.
After all it is the driving force behind our socio-economic existence.

Mr Viswa placed the blame on the ineffective teaching of National Education and a non-existent political culture as a hindrance. Though these are two of the contributing factors, the education system in general is at fault as well.  The students are required to mug up and attain good grades. The middle process of understanding and the end result of generating new ideas are missing.

The end result? We’re a nation that produces great workers by the masses, but not leaders. Not even thinkers. It is no surprise then there is always a complain of brain drain by the Government and a lack of capable leaders for our political or economical spheres. Yes, we are pushing towards a Knowledge Based Economy (KBE) but how compatible would it be for students who are the products of this education system. It has served us well though far over the decades but there is a need to retune the system.

As for a livelier political culture as mooted by Mr Viswa, I believe it will be a double-edged sword. What difference would political associations and activism on campus make if the students are apathetic to begin with? Yes, there will be those who may take it up on interest, but there is a need to factor into account that there lies a possibility that it will only result in political indifference being displaced by a cacophony of misinformation.

In my years in University I’ve seen far more invitations to student to organize parties and social events than any of political or intellectual values. It’s rather amusing for me to even think these students will be allowed to be active politically. There are far too many who are consumed by their lives and self-interest .

Of course, it will be unfair on my part to make a broad sweep and brush off all undergraduates as being incapable in taking part in political activity. There are a number who have surpassed mediocrity and shown the ability to be critical thinkers. I think given a chance, the political activism could work under a controlled environment. It would be interesting to see how students respond to political activism and I don’t think it will certainly lead to anarchy or chaos. The outcome could be a favourable one if enough time is given for the political culture to find its balance. It is understandable that there will be shaky beginnings but a moderated atmosphere could bear fruitful exchange of ideas in the long run. But there are better solutions to these problems of political apathy, which actually run a lot further than undergrads and youths in general. After all you don’t need to be politically active to have a vested interest in politics.

Mr Viswa mentions that the mainstream media needs to be “less sanitised and more politically engaging”. A more engaging mainstream media will definitely provide an outlet for political participation and still be under the control and purview of the government. This effectively allows for a dispersal of ideas and opinions that can still be controlled and maintained to weed out extremism. In other words a livelier and more stimulating media will not necessarily lead to the decimation of peace and order, but on the other hand be a valid platform for exchange of ideas and thoughts. I think as a society we have reached a point where the public in general has enough education and information to be able to hold discussions in a sanitised manner.

An unfavourable result of the restrictive nature of the mainstream media has, as pointed out by Mr Viswa, been the rise of “an underground culture that may not always be constructive.” He says this in reference to the online community of blogs and forums. I think that with a wider net of participation and ideas flowing in the mainstream idea, it could definitely dispel a lot of the cynicism and lowbrow engagement of ideas that are currently present at this level. Yes, I am aware of the medium this article is being published in but there are a lot of false sources of information that have taken up the mantle of purveyors of truth and justice. Not at all realising the further damage that baseless allegations could do to the credibility of the need for alternate voices.

Mr Viswa mentions youths as being particularly active in this medium and says he does not believe they are apathetic. But he does contradict himself in saying that people are generally politically apathetic. I’m not sure how he defines youths or what his sources are but I think most people of my age are busy blogging on their love life and selling clothes online. It is true that people in general are politically apathetic and he cites fear as a reason. I think, he has a point. The inherent fear that speaking up may only lead to persecution has driven those seeking to voice their views to do so from an anonymous platform. Which in my experience, even from school, has only drawn more cynicism and negativity with little productivity.

A lack of engaging and substantial political outlet on a mainstream platform has led to even the most nominal of our societal participation being displaced by the voices of the anonymous on the Internet. I don’t think this is ideal. The Government has over the years tried to reach out to youths in interesting ways. The most curious of all was when a group of young MPs took to performing hip-hop dance routines at the 2006 Chingay Parade. Mr Lam Pin Min the MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC said,

“All of us are having fun. It’s not important whether we perform well, we dance well or whether we look professional on tv or during the parade. Most importantly, we have to connect with the youths of today,”

Even if they meant well, I think what it only did was trivialise domestic politics. As a youth who voted for the first time that year I certainly did not think it was useful in any way. I hope the next attempt would not involve MPs dressing in Emo outfits and hanging out at Far East Plaza.

Other articles by Bhaskaran Kunju:

>> Why social cohesion is at the forefront of the Prime Minister’s National Day Rally

>> Changes in political system to allow more alternative voices

>> The untimely departure of Chip Goodyear

About the Author:

Bhaskaran Kunju is currently a political science undergraduate at a local varsity in Singapore.

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