This winter, I attended a Chinese New Year event organized by the Singapore Consulate in New York. Food, as usual, was the impetus for my RSVP. This time round, however, something was different.
After passing through the security checkpoint at the entrance of the consulate, I approached the reception desk and was handed a leaflet about voting in the upcoming parliamentary elections by overseas Singaporeans. Unfortunately, because I had spent less than 30 days in the last three years in Singapore, I learnt that I did not meet the qualifying criteria to cast a vote.
While disappointed, I went on in and the lo hei, satay and mee goreng distracted me enough that I didn't dwell on the issue that night.
In recent weeks my attention has reverted to the subject of the Singapore election because of the interest and excitement among friends and family back home who have regularly chattered online, most frequently about candidates newly fielded by the various political parties.
In the past, the general apathy among Singaporeans toward political matters had at times left me disappointed in what I feared had become an overly-complacent society which would not cope well with a change -- any change -- in status quo.
Despite not being able to participate in the electoral process this time round, my Singaporean friends and I exchange viewpoints on our hot-button issues, the various parties and candidates. I'm glad in the confidence and interest that Singaporeans, at least some, seemed to have found in politics, something that was visibly absent in elections of yonder.
Those looking for this blog positing to get real political and dirty may be disappointed. Instead, I encourage you to take a break from all the politicking and join me on a little shopping excursion.
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The newfound enthusiasm for politics among Singaporeans has inspired the following musings that liken these weeks of deliberation, campaigning and decision-making to our national hobby: shopping.
In a way, voting in an election is not too different from shopping. The 2011 Singapore shopping experience is shaping up to be pretty colorful.
First of all, there are some plausible options on what to buy. Instead of the ubiquitous house brand of soy sauce, a shopper can choose from some new varieties. Not that the usual item is lacking in quality, but that every now and then, a shopper welcomes a change in the way his soy sauce seasons his food.
Which soy sauce is best for me?
Secondly, the advertisements for the products on sale are working. People are talking about the samples they got for the new perfume, and its upcoming launch party. People are engaged. People care about their choices.
Thirdly, people are showing up at the product conferences. The travel exhibitions with giveaways, discounts and hula dancers... people are here to see what they've got.
At the ever-popular NATAS (National Association of Travel Agents Singapore) fair: Which travel package is best for my family?
No one can deny that the single largest game-changer has been the advent of socia media. It has practically reinvented the shopping experience. Facebook pages advertising the benefits of the brands have sprung up in force, backed by product endorsements among bloggers and traditional media. Product demonstration in Ang Mo Kio void deck, volunteers needed? Not a problem. One Facebook update or Tweet, and the need is taken care of.
Increasingly, Singaporeans seem to have had enough of the bench-warming act. People are generally more interested in learning about the product attributes of their laundry detergent rather than opting to settle for the one with the largest advertising budget with the most prominent shelf space in Cold Storage or NTUC.
Some have even taken to doing their own research to find out if the detergent companies are telling the truth! Citizen journalism: now we're talking.
However, many of us are also grappling with the idea that we can influence the price and varieties of cooking oil sold in the provision shop by our nearest MRT station. What are we going to do with this power? Will we end up doing something "wrong" and hurting ourselves? In the first place, is there something wrong with my mini-mart's offering of cooking oil? Are we over-thinking it?
What about product guarantee? While some brands have been in the market for a long time, the manufacturers advertise their quality and commitment to innovation.
Look, we are Yeo's packet drinks. You've grown up with us and loved our soya bean, barley and chrysanthemum. We even have winter melon and green tea now. Why do you want to try another brand? Stick with us, we're tried and tested. We've grown up with you.
I guess the biggest unknown for undecided Singaporeans is the post-purchase experience. For most, we do not know the recourse, if any, if we were to buy chicken rice from a different stall and drink sugarcane juice from a new vendor.
The old man from whom I always buy my weekend breakfast: His nasi lemak needs more ikan bilis (fried anchovies) and his belachan (Malay chili paste) has room for improvement, but at least I know the quality of his product. If I were to go across the street, will the food taste better, or will I instead be besieged by a bad case of food poisoning?
For kiasu ("afraid to lose") and kiasee ("afraid to die") Singaporeans, this is a trying time indeed.
The country is at a major crossroads, and for many of us Singaporeans, there is a feeling that change is palpable.
May the best chicken rice stall win.
Healthy competition is in; chicken rice war is out
(Some pictures taken from the Internet)
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