In less than 24 hours, I’ll be casting my first vote.  I’ll be voting to elect the future leaders of Singapore in the Singapore election 2011. I’ve never voted in any election. It’s a sad fact that many of my American friends find it hard to believe. Being an overseas Singaporean, I’m not allowed to vote until recently. I’m glad to see the change, but it took 12 bloody years for this to happen!

To the rest of the world, Singapore election is a very boring event. In history, the ruling party always wins majority of the seats in Parliament due to lack of contest from any opposition parties. In 2001, the ruling party won 82 out of 84 seats. The same in 2006. It makes one question, are we that happy with the ruling party that they should remain in power, or do we not love our country’s future enough to stand up against the ruling party?

To me, a progressive country requires 2 key ingredients, astute leaders and passionate voters. A country will not grow and progress without these 2. Why run a country if there are no passionate voters, it’s like operating Frankenstein, a country with no heart. After all, it’s the people who defines the country, not her leaders.

Singapore election 2011 proves to the world she is no Frankenstein. 82 out of 87 seats are being contested. The founding fathers and ruling party should be proud and embrace the opposition nominees. It takes a lot of love for the country and dedication to be in politics. It’s not a game for everyone. The tens of thousands of people who turned up at rally speeches prove to show Singaporeans do care.

I’ve been watching the election from 10,000 miles away. It’s definitely very different from elections in the US. The usual hotspots American elections dwell upon are education, healthcare, social security, taxes and the mammoth U.S. deficit. I’ve been a tax-paying resident in the U.S. for the last 12 years, and issues with education, healthcare, social security, taxes and U.S. deficit still exist, in fact worsen over time. How is that acceptable when these issues are the core foundation of any country? In fact, 1 in 4 children is hungry and living under poverty levels (watch 60 mins story here). So, is the American 1st world governing system that awesome? No human being is perfect, hence no country is perfect either. It’s ok for politicians to make mistake, recognize it and fix it. But it’s not ok to talk about it and show no results.

There is really little to fix in Singapore, as compared to the U.S.. One thing the Singapore government has done fabulously well is education. No matter what’s your financial background, you are guarantee a good education. That’s not the case in the U.S.. I’ve friends who are willing to pay $15,000/ year for their kid’s private education because they’ve lost hope in the U.S. public school system. So, what happens to families who can’t afford private education for their kids? Waiting For Superman is a documentary that highlights how kids are being left behind. The Economist has recently pointed out Singapore’s education miracle. It is the same sound education system that produced these promising opposition nominees. “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” We’ve learned to fish well to make intelligent choices. It’s no small achievement for a country that ‘s less than 50 years old. Singapore government should be proud and embrace the People’s voice because when voices unite, it’s for the betterment of the country, not ruin it.

The opposition parties aim to bring a different voice to the Singapore government. I don’t believe in monopoly because over time, it’ll be taken over by complacency. However, is a different voice better? How much is too much? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.  It didn’t work in the U.S. Maybe that’s why only less than half of the U.S. population votes. There are many things I love about the U.S., but I wonder everyday where did my tax dollars go.

No matter what’s the outcome on election day, it is already a victory for Singapore because Election 2011 signifies progress, passion and love. Singapore is no Frankenstein.