This week was a continuation of the latest election that happens every 4 to 5 years in our country. It finally cumulated to a long day of voting on Fri and the counting of the results till 4 am on Sat morning.
It was indeed an unusual campaign in the midst of Covid19 with a historically short time frame of 8 days, followed by a cooling day before we voted. All rallies were conducted online and everyone was watching TV every night for the various teams that were competing in the 93 seats available. We had 30 to 60 minutes each night to watch each candidate present themselves just once to the country before we decide on our votes.
If we wanted more, social media was into overdrive as all of us became armchair commentators and were aggressively sharing new content with friends in multiple Whatsapp chat groups as a weapon of choice. Arguments can at times become heated up like the one I had with some close friends. In order to preserve the friendship after a few rounds of heated debates, I decided to go silent on the chat group from last Sat. Politics is never straight forward and not worth the sacrifice of long term human relationships.
Elections have a way to crystalize the voice of the citizens of a nation. There are underlying currents which remain boiling under the surface and are likely to explode in the setting of an election. Gutter politics appear and then the band of online vigilantes could overwhelm the offender in the age of social media. One incumbent against 11 opposition parties can quickly become one man against 11 persons into an ugly street knuckle fight online.
News is now real-time and flying off the shelves. Everyone has an opinion to share and a platform to voice it online at speeds so fast that one may get the same info from various sources in minutes. Signing up to groups on Facebook that represent your views can result in one getting more of the same targeted news and shutting you out from alternative sentiments that differ from you. Polarization increases over time, thanks to the AI Machine learning bot that adapts to your preferences and feeds you more of the same.
We see that in the concerted online Russian attacks on the 2016 US elections and the UK Brexit votes to sway the views or to create chaos. Now the army of TikTok teenagers are also learning the game and amassing their individual efforts into tangible results too. Interesting times ahead for Biden/Trump in Nov.
Our own little red dot elections were fun and intense at times. We had friends get together late dinner with a lot of food and wines as we await the results when voting ended by 8 pm on Fri. The first results came shortly after midnight and continued until after 4 am. We could not take it anymore as it was long past our bedtimes and call it a night at 340 am before crashing out.
As we awaken this morning, the final results became a pleasant surprise. The people have spoken! The outcome is one that has something for everyone. It sends a strong message to the incumbent that many do not agree with the old ways of doing certain things and there should be more feedback. A simple apology also works sometimes, instead of doubling down and digging your feet into the sand.
We now have 10 opposition members who are rightfully elected into parliament and not having to be shooed in via the NCMP consolation prize. It was something I forecasted last week, but I only got half the results right. It was a sweeping majority win from just one main opposition party. The incumbent Prime Minister has also gracefully crowned their leader as the new face and leader of the opposition.
This article perfectly sums up the elections:
Now that the elections are over, the people should close ranks and continue the fight against Covid19, the common enemy. This short but intense exercise is over but the big war is still ahead as we fight a once in 100 years phenomenon.
Job losses are going to come in quick and fast as industries like tourism will not recover for a long time. The rest of the world is not getting any better after 6 months of this fight, we have to continue until a vaccine is found and delivered to eradicate the virus for good. Even doing a simple thing like wearing a mask outside is being politicized in some places.
Looking out from our tiny red dot, I feel blessed that we are in better shape than most. But yet we are an exposed economy that depends on the rest of the world. Globalization is on hold and protectionism is on the rise. The next few months will be a challenge as each country faces up to the evolving landscape scarred by an economy that had suddenly dropped off the cliff.
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