I would really like to extend my very sincere thanks to IPS for having me as well as my peers in the civil society space share about our work. This platform is so invaluable for those of us who are seeking to inform and potentially influence policies through the work we do on the ground in our communities. Dr Lam talked about whether there’s a possibility that politics in Singapore would shift from a politics of survival to a politics of aspiration. Personally, I would like to think that this is the beginning. Having us on this panel precisely is about politics and aspiration put into action! I do not presume that many of you would know about Daughters of Tomorrow's (DOT) work. So I would like to share a little bit. We don't have the time to go into the breadth and the depth of everything DOT does, but I hope that with this overview and summary, you can get a bit of context of how our work actually is, well, kind of political in a way but also not quite.

We know from past elections that they always show up surprises, defying the pundits; it may look like an issue-less election weeks before the campaign, indeed someone told me over dinner this weekend that the only issue that seemed to matter was PMDs (Personal Mobility Devices). But things can change rather quickly. We also know that the opposition, 11 of whom are here, I am told, are good at keeping their cards close to their chests. Think back to how well the Workers’ Party’s Mr Low Thia Khiang guarded the secret of him leaving his safe perch of Hougang for the Aljunied GRC (Group Representation Constituency) contest in 2011.