The new political profiles of Singaporeans

With the experience and hindsight of this GE I would like to re classify the Singaporeans into 6 categories. The Seniors, the Young, the New Citizens, Thinking adults, the Fun Loving and the Ideal Singaporeans.

The Seniors, this group is quite easy to please. Look at their vulnerabilities and you can actually understand the kind of stimuli they would react to. Not much thinking required. They are old, unemployed and without an income, what can you expect them to do when they have little or no savings? They have returned to Maslow’s first level of needs, to survive, food and shelter. Yes, throw them the meat or crumbs and they would chase for it. The Pioneer Generation Package is the perfect gift and motivating factor to this group of Singaporeans. Throw in Medishield Life and a quarterly stipend from Silver Support Scheme for life and you have them sewn up in the bag.

The Young is not too difficult to please either. Tell them a good story and a good ending and throw them a big party and promise them a great future, a futuristic Singapore where they can indulge in Star Wars contraptions and romance. They love a good adventure of modern gadgetry and living in space or underground. These are the generations of Sci fi and wi fi and a good lie. The SG50 party was enough to win them over. They would be looking for the good life in the future.

The New Citizens. This group is easy to please too. Coming from little villages of poorly managed and disorganized and dysfunctional societies, and countries when nothing works, when living is to rough it out with nature and garbage, this island is paradise to them, where they can make their dreams come true and be clean, everything is clean and orderly in this island. Our streets are cleaner than their homes. Our shopping malls and MRT stations are more comfortable than the best homes in their villages. They will die to come here. Being here is already a great incentive and reason to die for. Oh, there is also the super rich in this group too, running away from high taxation, why not, and can throw their weights and punches around too.

The fourth group is thinks a bit and always doubting when snake oil salesmen went on their rounds saying every will be fine, especially in the long run. This group consists of the cynics, those that would not take things at face value, not easily persuaded or conned, but always doubtful and never satisfied with the status quo. This group would always be the minority and odd man out, and could simply be ignored. They are too small and inconsequential. Often their stories of a bad endings were ignored. Many would eventually flee the island. Oops, I mean migrated, not as quitters I hope. They are the pain in the arse type, very hard to please.

The Fun Loving. This group can be seen during the GE hustings, attending rallies after rallies, for fun. They just enjoyed the speeches and theatres as entertainment. They are harmless and without depth. These are superficial people that have nothing better to do than to attend political rallies to amuse themselves. They are the ‘chiat par’ and nothing to do type, like the socialites in the aristocracy but belonging to the middle class, not the elite class.

And there is a final group, the Ideal Singaporeans. This group, not sure how big, can think and understand what they want. They want a govt made up of politicians that are honest, men and women of impeccable integrity, no ‘how seow’ type of politicians, serious talks, and very intelligent, and would not indulge in mud slinging or underhand tactics. These are people who understand logic and good reasons and will vote for good people and good govt. Not every citizen is thinking and intelligent like this group though all thinks they could think and reason like this group of Ideal Singaporeans.

So, which group do you belong to?