A Nation’s Choice for Change

What have Singaporeans decided in 2011? 

They have sent messages to the Government,
With some 40% voting against,
The swing vote is noteworthy, but polices are still in place.
Several ministers have departed, and a few may not be missed.
A new team is in place, and it may very well be
That their salaries will no longer continue to be.

New politicians have surfaced and will not leave the scene,

Some will make themselves heard in Parliament,
Others will protest only to the Press,
Some will be critical of policies online,
Others will only use superlatives,
But they do not offer any alternatives.
They are all here to stay, and many are truly dismayed.

What has happened over two elections?

Have we truly become a more mature democracy,
Or have we succumbed to the will of those who do not know,
How it was that this fragile nation could grow,
From Third World to First,
With a dose of tenacity and verve.
But yet they issue clarion calls for change.

Do we heed these calls - are we listening to one and all?

Or do we see that fares will increase.
Will the general quality of life improve, with more flats and better trains,
Or do storm clouds loom in the horizon, with lower GDP and lower equity.
True it is that our nation's reserves are aplenty,
But if we do not choose a President wisely,
This may all become a memory.

There are many who celebrate the choices that the nation has made,

Who proclaim that the real winners are the people.
Slow we may be to recognize that things will no longer be the same.
If change comes at the price of slow progress and the forsaking of grace,
If change results in a larger common but divisive space,
If change installs the wrong President amongst us,
Then we will all look back upon this nation’s choices for change – with shame.