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Morning‑Munch, Mid‑Day Chats, and Night‑Long Dialogues: How a Campus Kid Gave the People’s Action Party a Front‑Row Seat
Picture this: it’s 5:30 AM, the air is crisp, and a fresh‑but‑tired student named Timothy Anand Weerasekera is squeezing a coffee from the corner stall that never closes. Why? Because he’s straight‑up joining the GE2020 campaign crew.
From “Hey, maybe I can help” to “Watch me run with Carrie Tan!”
Timothy had been tossing a couple of thought‑provoking posts about the general election into the Facebook feed—one about treating candidates fairly, another about bridging parties. Feeling a bit “world‑seeking” (and a tad bewildered), he reached out to a buddy in the GRC and got invited to volunteer in Nee Soon for a single day.
And it wasn’t just any day. The candidate? Carrie Tan—the vibrant new star from the People’s Action Party and founder of Daughters of Tomorrow, a charity that empowers low‑income girls in Singapore.
How the Day Unfolded (And How Exhausted He Was)
- 7:50 AM – Arrive at the office, meet Carrie, get the day’s briefing.
- 8:00‑11:00 AM – Coffee shop sniffles: chatting with locals, swapping memes, and “filling in the gaps” between the big data talks.
- 11:30 AM‑1:30 PM – Block visits: greeting parents, tossing a quick riddle, and listening to stories about how the town used to be.
- 2:00‑4:30 PM – Dialogue sessions on the void decks, where voters explain what they’d actually want in public policy.
- 5:00‑7:30 PM – Newspaper interviews: bleary eyes, witty one‑liners, and inevitable “Is this a pandemic again?” questions.
- 8:00‑10:00 PM – The real grind: another round of block visits (and maybe a surprise one or two).
“I can’t keep up!” he logged on Facebook later, captioning the whirlwind with a “I am exhausted!” sticker. All in all, Tim tried to catch up with six to seven blocks of flats—“the sheer volume is a daily drama.”
Why It Was Cool (And Some Curiosities)
- He noticed older folks become warm, almost hugging the candidate when Carrie approached the roofs, whereas the younger crowd kept a little distance—think of them as “school students in a dress code exam.”
- Carrie was relatable—she didn’t just draft speeches, she sat with “chatterbox uncles” who’d been helping for three election cycles, and she made even a void‑deck auntie feel “seen.”
- Volunteers were a potluck‑style crew: a grandma with a cracked smile, a campus sophomore photographic geek, and a “late‑night” talker who critiques the PAP from within while giving thoughtful “bang!” notes.
In the end, Timothy shouted a soft “bye‑bye” to sleep after a tired yet unforgettable day. He said the experience was “one to remember” and an “eye‑opener.” He’d got a chance to see firsthand the mammoth operation behind election prep—a day nobody programs in undergrad courses.
All said, the “accidental volunteer” IVDE (Interested, Very Dedicated, Everyday) had learned a new lesson: pick the right coffee, follow the dominoes, and never underestimate how many more people we need to motivate—on a Sunday, by night.
