SDP chairman advises that voting is more like taking public transport than getting married, as election looms

As the next election looms, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Paul Tambyah has shared advice that voting is more like taking public transport than getting married and that his party hopes to “carry our voters in the right direction for our country”.

The SDP has been busy preparing for the upcoming general election since the beginning of 2019. Last week, Prof Tambyah promised that party members would “ask the hard questions and help build a democratic society based on justice and equality” if elected into Parliament.

On Sunday (1 Dec), Prof Tambyah shared an image on his Facebook page that bore the following message: “Time to remember the best voting advice I have heard – Voting isn’t marriage – it’s public transport.

“You are not waiting for “the one” who is absolutely perfect. You are getting the bus. And if there isn’t one going exactly to your destination, you don’t stay at home and sulk – you take the one going closest to where you want to be.”

The message, which was first shared online by The Left – an online community of left-wing activists in the UK, essentially means that one may not be totally happy to vote for a certain party but should do so if they feel the party can carry the nation in the right direction.

The message urges voters that they should not simply expect to find a party they are totally in love with and that they should be more pragmatic with their vote, especially since the electoral terms are relatively short and not meant to be long-lasting like marriages.

Calling the contents of the message “good advice,” Prof Tambyah indicated that the SDP may not be perfect but that it hopes to take Singapore forward in the right direction. He wrote: “This is good advice. We know that the bus is not perfect but we are hoping to carry our voters in the right direction for our country.”