SINGAPORE: The Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) youngest election candidate has raised a pointed question. “Do million-dollar ministers know and understand what the young people of Singapore are facing today?” asks Ariffin Sha.
Sha, 27, is the creator and editor-in-chief of alternative news site Wake Up Singapore (WUSG). He is part of the SDP team contesting Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the 2025 General Election (GE).
The team also includes
- Dr Gigene Wong, 59, who was the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) candidate in Hong Kah North Single-Member Constituency (SMC) in the 2020 General Election;
- theatre director and filmmaker Alec Tok, who was the SDP candidate for Bukit Panjang in the 2011 General Election but part of the Red Dot United (RDU) team in Jurong in the 2020 General Election;
- SDP stalwart and organising secretary Jufri Salim, 41.
Fighting for the youth in Singapore
Sha is concerned about the future of young Singaporeans. He made that clear while addressing the media; his words were video-recorded and posted on Facebook.
“What I want to focus on is something close to my heart, which is the concerns of the young people,” he said, pointing out this has special relevance in Marsiling-Yew Tee, where one in three is “aged 25 or below”.
“Last year, there was a very alarming study released by IMH [Institute of Mental Health] which shows that one in three young people in Singapore suffer from severe symptoms or very severe symptoms of anxiety, depression or stress,” he said. “This is nothing short of a mental health crisis in Singapore. And this mental health crisis is exacerbated by the cost of living crisis that we are already going through.
“It’s very easy to dismiss the concerns of young people in Singapore by saying, oh, this is a strawberry generation; they care too much about work-life balance. But the secret lies in what I call the ROI on hard work, the return on investment for hard work,” he added.
“We have all heard ancecdotes about blue-collar workers in the 70s and the 80s for how they can, let’s say, drive a taxi and still put food on the family [table], still afford an HDB [flat].
“But can a young person graduating honestly say that they have the same level of opportunity here?
“Look at the immense pressure of the education system, the cost of housing, and the cost of living. And let’s not even get started on the mental capacity and the cost of wanting to bear a child.
“Young people face an increasing level of burnout and motivation. But do we really expect million-dollar ministers to understand that?
“You know, there was a time when young Singaporeans used to dream about the five Cs,” Sha recalled when people aspired to have plenty of cash, a car, a condo, credit cards and a country club membership.
“But these days we don’t hear too much about the five Cs any more. Of course, the powers-that-be want you to believe that that’s because the young people are not so materialistic. Well, that’s only half the story. The truth is the five Cs are simply unattainable for many Singaporeans.”
Need for a close fight
Sha stressed the need for a close fight.
“What matters particularly in the battle for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC is not just who wins but the margin of victory. History has shown that the smaller the margin of victory, the better the policies and the welfare for the people. The results of GE 2011 and GE2020 have made this clear.
“Finally, being an MP is a lot more than just erecting sheltered walkways. What we need is for people to speak up in Parliament and make the voices of Singaporeans heard. Now many young Singaporeans, when they go for interviews, we are often asked, ‘Where do see yourself in five years?’ Honestly, this is a very difficult question to answer because of the stresses that people are facing. But this is the time for us to ask Mr Lawrence Wong where do we see Singapore in the next five years.
“During Covid and even now our million-dollar ministers like to say that we are in this together, we are all on the same boat. Are we really on the same boat? Because it looks like we are on a sampan and they are on a mega yacht.
“Voters of Marsiling-Yew Tee, this is your golden opportunity to step up and make your vote count. Send a signal. A signal that will be heard from the west coast to the east coast. To show that all is not okay and a mandate must be earned. We need to fundamentally relook the direction we are heading in as a society.”
Sha ended with a direct appeal to the young: “And, finally, a special call to all young voters in Marsiling-Yew Tee, Sembawang, Woodlands. This is for you. Hope you can step up and join us and we can walk this path together. It’s time for all us to thrive and not just survive.”
this is your moment.”
People are rallying behind Sha
On Facebook, several voters responded positively to Sha.
One netizen considered everything Sha said as a “very well said speech. He sounds good in leading a pack of hopes. Likes the comparison of liner n sampans, we’re in.”
Another one agreed, saying, “Excellent speech, right on point…. unfortunate truth of discounted eggs, vote buying vouchers and cheap display of hypocrisy fit for third world countries and politics.” Another briefly expressed his favour for Sha by saying, “You are the Man!”
Another voter impressed with Sha said that it is “very refreshing to see the young generation engaging their role in society”.
Two others said, “Give him a chance! Better than many useless white MPs,” adding: “These are politicians that we need in Parliament today.”
Issues, not personalities
In 2024, Sha was charged with criminal libel and fined S$8,000 for the publication of a false account about a woman who claimed she suffered a miscarriage at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in 2022.
At a press conference, SDP secretary-general Dr Chee Soon Juan was asked how he would respond to voters concerned about Mr Ariffin’s previous conviction.
Dr Chee responded that voters must focus on the ideas presented, not the individual candidates or their past.
“We want Singapore’s political system to mature into a higher level where we can talk about issues and not go back into past practices where we are just destroying people in terms of talking about their personalities,” Dr Chee said.