Inspired

Today at the first introductory lecture of Public Policy-making, the biggest takeaway for me was WHY we study policy-making at all.

I chose this module because I want to have a taste of public policy and I foresee myself pursuing a career in this direction.

“Doctors identify symptoms and provide cure.”

“YOU as a political scientist will identify and analyze problems of the society, and find ways to solve them.”

I felt extremely inspired and motivated hearing this quote from Dr Han because I’ve never thought of political science in this way. Sure, I’ve taken a couple of political science modules now (on China, Asia, Singapore) and have enjoyed them, scored well in them, but I didn’t know what exactly do political science students do after they graduate. I didn’t know what roles and functions this field of studies can lead to because surely not all PS students become politicians. Especially not in Singapore where politicians are all crème de la crème.

I feel heartened perhaps because this statement from Dr Han aligns the value of a social scientist with a doctor, a noble job that is the dreams of all Asian tiger moms and one that is held in high esteem no matter which part of the world you belong to.

Nobody I’ve ever met tells me that studying the social science is good. Not the taxi uncle who asks what my future options are. Not the friends in business and accountancy who cannot see the monetary value in an arts degree. Not my parents, nosey aunts and uncles who constantly ask me what I intend to do at every freaking gathering.

I was a bit aimless in Year 1 but now, at the start of Y3, I have a pretty clear vision of what I want to do. I just pray that passion pays and opportunities will come by when the time arrives.

Perhaps that’s why I felt empowered today. Because nobody has ever validated my choice of degree, nobody has ever told me how important my degree is and nobody ever drew parallels between a doctor and someone studying a “useless degree”, aka me.

Sometimes it feels idealistic to think of what I would like to do in the future because I don’t know anyone in the same boat or has similar ambitions. It feels like a joke when everybody introduces themselves at class with admirable opening statements like “I want to be an entrepenuer”, “I want to start my own cosmestics line”, “I want to work for MNCs”, “I am aiming for the big 4”, “I am going to be an accountant/banker/lawyer”, “I am an engineer and it’s always high in demand anyway.”

Nobody ever says they want to work for the government or they want to serve the public. I keep my big dreams a secret and tell them to no one except my partner because I am afraid they don’t come true.

I’ve decided to start this ‘reflection’ blog because I want to document my journey with global studies/politics/local affairs. Much like a communications student with videos and posters as a resumé, I believe I should probably keep track of the ideas/analysis/postulations I have to prove that I am sincere about being a policy maker who wants to solve societal challenges.

I know it’s not going to be easy. What is perceived to be a ‘problem’ is subjective. A rich person probably doesn’t give two hoots about inequality, arguably one of Singapore’s biggest challenges as a globalised city-state. The rich wants lower taxes, the poor wants higher taxes for the rich and this clash in agendas can go on and on in every aspect of society. Yet resources are scarce and time is of essence, how do policy makers determine the urgency of these issues? How do they distribute resources in the most fair, ethical, responsible and efficient manner?

This is what I am interested to find out and I hope this module will leave me even more enlightened by the end. I understand that there will always be a huge gap between theories and reality and sometimes nothing we learn in school and written in papers is really useful or applicable in real life. However, as Stephen M. Walt puts it, no policymaker should ignore basic principles and theories even though they may be flawed, and an academic likewise cannot be ignorant of the real world. Our understanding of society and the world will be impoverished should we create policies without fundamental perspectives.

I hope this module will inspire me further for what I would like to do in the future!