The Electoral Boundaries report was released yesterday. This begins the unofficial countdown to the Singapore General Elections, expected in just a few weeks’ time. Of late, there have been lots of goodies announced in the Budget, to be dispensed presumably days before Polling Day. There has also been a television ad campaign featuring a remix of the song, “Home” by Kit Chan, which is usually only runs during the National Day period in August.

I love the song “Home”. It movingly conveys the message that Singapore is our true home, where our family, friends and loved ones are — and where our heart remains. Many Singaporeans have gotten disillusioned with songs like these, because of how the current ruling party has diluted the Singaporean identity over the past 10 years. I choose not to be disillusioned, but to stand up and fight. This is why I joined the Workers’ Party and why I intend to help the Workers’ Party win as many Parliamentary seats as we can during the upcoming elections.

My friends, readers and fellow Singaporeans, this is the time where your actions can make a real difference to the future of Singapore. Don’t let this opportunity slip away. We need all hands on the deck now. The Workers’ Party is looking to recruit as many volunteers as possible to help in our election campaign. WP is looking to contest possibly 4 single-member constituencies and 4 group representation constituencies. Party activists have been working hard on the ground for the last five years since the end of the 2006 election, but these next few weeks will be a particularly intense and critical time.

If you are interested to help out the WP, please fill up the form at this link or if you prefer, email me at gerald.giam@gmail.com.

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Photos from my 30 January book launch of Singapore version 2.0 by Gerald Giam and 迈向政治发展与繁荣 (Towards political development and progress) by Yaw Shin Leong.

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TWO weeks ago, when I first read the news of the protests in Egypt, which followed the popular uprising and toppling of the government in Tunisia, I cynically remarked to my wife that the protests will carry on for a few days then fizzle out. Life in Egypt will then return to “normal” under the authoritarian rule of President Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for the past 30 years.

How wrong I was–and how glad I am that I was wrong! Just over an hour ago, Mubarak’s resignation was announced on state television by his recently-appointed vice-president, Omar Suleiman. Following that brief 30-second message, scenes of jubilation erupted on Tahrir (Liberation) Square in central Cairo. Al Jazeera reported of protesters dropping to their knees in prayer and then rising and chanting “God is great”. A 30-year old Egyptian Al Jazeera reporter dropped all pretences of impartiality and shared that all her life she had known no other leader but Mubarak, and described her feelings of elation at his departure. Even the state television station newscaster reportedly cracked a smile after reading out her report. CNN reported that demonstrations initiated over the Internet, on Facebook and Twitter, had resulted in the downfall of the Middle East’s strongest dictators.

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This is the video of my speech at the official launch of my book, Singapore version 2.0: Alternative proposals for a better Singapore.

The text of the speech can be found here.

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