facebookToday is the final day of GE2020 campaigning before Cooling-off Day kicks off tomorrow (9 July). If you had to pick a highlight moment for GE2020, what would it be and why? - Seedly

Clara Ng

Community Manager at Seedly

09 Jul 2020

Random

Today is the final day of GE2020 campaigning before Cooling-off Day kicks off tomorrow (9 July). If you had to pick a highlight moment for GE2020, what would it be and why?

GE2020 had its fair share of big highs but also big lows for some parties, their proposals, or their candidates. So what or who stood out for you?

Discussion (11)

What are your thoughts?

Learn how to style your text

This campaign has had plenty of talking points that would be heavily weighing on the hearts of the voters. From the very get-go, the developments on nomination day raised a few eyebrows. The shifting of Desmond Lee from Jurong (my GRC) to west coast GRC and the addition of DPM Heng Swee Keat to the East Coast GRC team were huge surprises. It was a move that spoke volumes of the respect that PAP was showing to their opponents, by announcing to residents that they would have to choose between heavyweight anchor ministers or the opposition.

The next big talking point was the televised debate which brought Jamus Lim to the public eye. I’ve got to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by some of the policies that were suggested by the opposition, which were distinctly different from the current policies. After the widely discussed debate, there was a major exchange between SDP and PAP regarding the subject of population numbers, to the extent that even WP stepped in to have a few words. My personal opinion is that this issue has been greatly exaggerated by all parties, with the focus being gravely misplaced. The emphasis could and should have been on other policies, such as climate change, which is a major concern for the younger population. This was followed by a few days of calm before the storm as the accusations of the WP candidate Raeesah Khan then rocked the nation. A quick apology followed and all was well again. All of these talking points were raised in just 10 days! Now that’s what I call an entertaining election!
At the end of the day, we vote with our heart for the party which we feel can lead us forward. Let’s hope that the choices we make tomorrow at the voting booths are the right ones!

I think the highlight of this GE2020 for me would definitely be how the parties transform their campaigns digitally and taking advantage of the power of social media. The use of social media to campaign included using memes which were highly entertaining and impactful. However, in my opinion, the heavy use of social media in this GE2020 can actually be a double-edge sword which can potentially affect the parties and their candidates significantly.

For example, PAP's Ivan Lim was introduced as a new face on June 24 and due to the negative social media comments about him, he announced his withdrawal from politics in just 3 days! People from all around the nation started digging up his background exposing his unfavorable behaviours.

However, the rise in popularity of WP's Jamus Lim's eloquent debate has actually made him to be a favorite amongst netizens. His famous ending quote of denying the PAP a blank cheque was the talk of the town and really changed my perspective of the Worker's Party. In another positive scenario, PSP's Tan Cheng Bock also went viral becoming an 80-year-old hypebeast on Instagram. Tan Cheng Bock actually managed to use his social media to his advantage as he gain the respect of Millenials and Gen Z who were constantly sharing and posting about him. Never would I have imagine that a 80-year-old politician used words such as 'Woke" and "Hypebeast"

Being a first time voter, there was much to learn regarding who to vote. Thankfully, there were resources easily available on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook which definitely helped me to make my decision. In conclusion, I am very honoured to have the privilege to vote this year and I am excited to see the results this Friday on who will govern Singapore for the next 5 years.

Kenneth Lou

09 Jul 2020

Co-founder at Seedly

It definitely has to be the difference between the past elections in 2015 vs 2020.

This would be my second time voting and what a big difference just in terms of the build up.

The accesibility to online live shows and mix it up with the Covid situation really shakes things up quite alot. So I would say this is the biggest part which I am excited about.

Now to us it would be to observe whether the online sentiment translates to what will happen on the actual Polling day itself. Let's see!

Rachelle Lye

08 Jul 2020

Digital Marketing at Fintech

Personally, I think 2020 is an extremely interesting year for our GE, in light of the on-going pandemic and the crucial role of social media in reaching out to the population. Due to the safety restrictions in place for COVID-19, campaigning is now largely digital. There isn't really a highlight moment for me, but I think the process of campaigning online is the real highlight.

The power of social media has allowed for the glorification of good debates and comebacks, especially by opposition parties. On the flip side, the mistakes of candidates to be quickly condemned and exemplified.

I am heartened to see many Gen Zs taking their voting rights very seriously, with many calls on social media to educate themselves, to do fact checks, to form their own unbiased opinion on the various parties and what they stand for.

It also amused and amazed me to see politicians (who tend to be older) utilise social media platforms to connect with the newest batch of voters, Gen Z. From Facebook to Instagram, and even TikTok.

However, I do hope that Gen Zs (myself included) will not be trapped in an echo chamber and to see things only from the perspectives of their social circle. But to also step back and evaluate the practicality of the policies proposed by those running in their districts, and to decide based on what they think will be best for Singaporeans, (as cheesey as it sounds...) politically, economically and socially, from both macro and micro perspectives.

And despite all the analysis done by everyone, I wonder how many votes are emotional rather than rational... 🤔

View 1 replies

The highlight for me this GE2020 is not really one particular moment but the overaching aspect of ho...

Write your thoughts