Yes, it’s election fever in Singapore, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably been semi obsessively glued to the #sgelections twitter feed. So far, it’s been extremely exciting, but I got even more excited when I came across The Workers Party Manifesto’s Sustainable Development Portion (on pg 55).

Honestly, when I was told about it (thanks mel!), I didn’t really think it’d amount to much. I was expecting some “masak masak” stuff, but as it turns out, this is the real deal: Almost every facet of sustainability is mentioned here, from Biodiversity, Recycling, Renewable Energy, CSR, Food Supply, Green Vehicles to even Noise Pollution.

It’s effectively a wish list for the green minded Singaporean!

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OK. Enough chatter from me, here’s a cut and paste from the manifesto, enjoy.

(I hope The Workers Party doesn’t mind, and don’t mind the formatting errors)

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Preamble

The scarcity of land and resources in Singapore makes sustainability a top priority.While economic development is important, it should not overshadow the importanceof environmental sustainability. A sustainable environment is essential to economic growth. Singapore’s economic development has taken a toll on our natural resources andcreated pollutants in our environment in the process. We are rapidly losing our natural heritage as a result of urbanization and rapid development.While we are mindful of the scarcity of land in Singapore for housing and economicdevelopment, we must balance the needs of urban development and preservingnature.Ecological awareness to protect and preserve our biodiversity is low in Singapore.Recycling is not yet a way of life in Singapore. Increasing recycling rates is key in extending the lifespan of our landfills.

Noise pollution is often a problem in Singapore. We should be mindful to ensure a‘civic and gracious’ social environment.Climate change is a reality, and extreme changes in the weather can be expected infuture. We should be ready to react to sudden changes in the environment.Most of Singapore’s food today is imported. There is little certainty that food suppliescan be sustained through prolonged periods of emergency.

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Our Beliefs

1. We should encourage research and implementation of the use of sustainable energy and related products.

2. Commercial users should be incentivised to conserve energy and water.

3. Corporations should be encouraged to exercise corporate social responsibilityto protect the environment.

4. A rich ecosystem is necessary for a quality environment, and it is theresponsibility of the government and our people to protect our natural heritage.

5. The government must educate and encourage greater awareness of indigenous flora and fauna, as well as marine life.

6. Natural habitats like the marshland habitats, mangrove swamps and coral reefs,marine animals and wild birds must be protected for our future generations.

7. A clean and healthy environment is also essential to ensure the physical wellbeing of our people. We need to do more to motivate every individual to takeup environmental ownership and to care for the environment as a way of life.

8. The culture of recycling should be imbued from young.

9. There should be a more holistic approach to deal with noise pollution.

10. We have to explore ways to increase our self-suffciency in food supplies.

11. We need to be prepared for extreme weather changes. Contingency plans shouldbe drawn up according to various possible scenarios.

12. We require sustainable energy to ensure water sustainability for the country viatechnologies like NEWater. Energy costs should also be reined in; otherwisewater costs will increase in tandem.

13. Budget should be provided for research into solar power usage for water reclamation plants. A possible investment in offshore water catchments andprocessing plants should be studied.

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Our Proposals

1. Natural habitats with ecological and educational value should be gazetted aspermanent natural reserves.

2. We need to strive for more regional cooperation to contain environmental hazards such as forest fires or chemical leaks so as not to affect air quality.

3. Plans for projects likely to adversely affect the natural environment shouldbe accompanied by Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) and mitigation plans before they are approved. This is especially important in the case of thefeasibility study on nuclear power use in Singapore. Radiation monitoringcapabilities should also be strengthened in view of this.

4. More programmes should be implemented to encourage local farming. Weshould explore vertical farming or high-rise farming technology to offset theproblem of limited land for food production. We should also further diversifyour food sources to enhance our food security.

5. As an equatorial country, we should explore alternative ways such as fuel celland solar energy to mitigate the worldwide shortage of natural gases and fossilfuel. This has potential to create maintenance and engineering jobs and reduceexpenditure on raw energy resources. We could also export our knowledge andproducts based on fuel cell and solar technology.

6. Green vehicle adoption should be encouraged via price incentives and improvedrefuelling infrastructure support.

7. We can provide tax relief and incentives for companies to encourage innovativeways to recycle waste and increase energy conservation.

8. “Social noise pollution” such as karaoke sessions at home, dog barks andchildren playing at common areas disturbs the comfort of others. We shouldcultivate civic awareness to prevent such noise pollution in a high-densityliving environment.

9. A comprehensive approach including a legal framework and a centralisedagency to regulate noise pollution should be set up.

10. Noise meters should be installed around potential noise pollution ‘hot-spots’,including MRT/LRT rails and roads to ensure noise levels remain within thelegal limits.

11. A dispute resolution mechanism should be set up at the Community DevelopmentCouncil level for greater accessibility.

12. A Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) should be performed to understandthe risk posed to Singapore by climate change. Adaptation policies should becommunicated to citizens. As part of this, a task force needs to perform scenarioplanning for adverse and extreme weather changes. Contingency plans shouldbe drawn up in response to these scenarios.

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Oh yes, we’ve posted about environmental issues in politics previously, do check that out if you’re interested:

• More green discussions in Parliament, please. No Seriously.
• Will a Green Party Work in Singapore?

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Majulah Singapura and vote wisely folks!

Here’s a thought exercise: Will a Green Party work here in Singapore?

Before I continue, allow me to lay down some disclaimers. I am no politician. I admire people in the public service community, and I appreciate all the work that has been done to get Singapore where we are today. Let’s not kid ourselves, we’re in a great position, we’re generally comfortable, and that’s in no small part due to the leaders of this country. Legislation, economics, social design, all factors were carefully planned and implemented as close to perfection as possible.

Let’s be honest. Singapore is a single party country as far as politics go. As such, I have to say that I am also all for the democratic process. I believe that there should be competition in the political arena. I will NOT vote for the opposition just because they are the opposition; in the same breath, I will NOT vote for the party in power just to keep status quo. Parties running for election must show a clear and concise plan, a willingness to execute at all cost. The plan needs to be well thought out, economically and socially sound, and should be sustainable in the long-run. The people in the party must be capable, must have some form of track record, and must be open.

What about a party that puts social and environmental concerns at the forefront of its plans? I’m talking about a comprehensive plan to push environmental protection legislation, promote social causes in the community, and back it up with legal and economical measures. Would Singaporeans go for that? Would you support this party?

This is also tricky on another level. To a very large extent, Singapore’s government has been a one-party system as mentioned previously. How will a new (young) party fare in Parliament, holding an expectedly low number of seat, affect legislation? Who will listen? Should the local Green Party be spun off from the current ruling party as opposed to a brand new party? Will it be a lost cause?

Point of clarification, for the purpose of this article, Green Parties (upper case first letters) refer to political parties that support the Green Politics ideology. Political parties can call themselves green parties (lower case first letters) if they generally support green policies, however, they would not be related to the Global Green Network. Green Parties follow a coherent ideology that includes not only environmentalism, but also other concerns such as social justice, consensus decision-making, and pacifism. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation for world peace.

Green parties are not new in in the world of politics. They are already in countries like the UK, Germany, and Australia. For a full list of Green Federations, Networks and National Green Parties go here.

The German Green Party, the first to achieve national prominence, was famous for their opposition to nuclear power, as well as an expression of anti-centralist and pacifist values. Notably, they reached an agreement in 2001 to end reliance on nuclear power in Germany, while in federal government with the Social Democratic Party of Germany. In Finland, the Finnish Green Party was the first European Green Party to be part of a national Cabinet.

While the 85 (to date) Green Parties are all related to the Global Greens, each party generally are free to make their own political moves – alliances with different parties, different stance on certain issues such as specific wars, but in general agree to adhere to the Global Green Charter laid out in 2001.

Should a Green Party be formed in Singapore? If so, should it find alliance with the ruling party, or an opposition?

Who would you like to see in the Green Party? Scientists? Career politicians? Civil servants? Activists? Who will you most likely listen to?

What should the Green Party stand for in terms of reforms and policies? Energy policies? Transportation upgrades? Housing? What are some policies and measures that you’d like to see pushed by such a party? What are your concerns?

Maybe there should be a spin-off from one of the current political parties, tightly related but not governed by the main party.

Whatever your views on these questions (and whatever questions you might have yourselves), I think we can agree that there needs to be more representation of sustainability issues in the political process in many countries, including Singapore. Whether it’s to enforce transparency in industry, or to dole out financial assistance to social enterprises, more people need to stand up for sustainability and environmentalism politically. Having an representative speak up in parliament on the validity of climate policies and environmental claims made in parliament is priceless, and it holds every member of the government accountable.

Once again, I reiterate that a politician representing sustainability and environmentalism cannot merely be making a lot of noise about climate change and demanding sweeping changes – ban oil, subsidise all electric/hybrid vehicles – without a valid social and economical support structure to back it up.