The People’s Action Party Awards and Convention honours PAP members who have served the Party and fellow Singaporeans with distinction. Petir profiles some of these exemplary members.
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When Comrade Dwi Sumartoyo was on the Youth Executive Committee for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, she organised events that let fellow youths have their voices heard.
“I did some self-reflection. What would other youths enjoy? All those Aedes mosquito talks? No,” she told Petir. “Would we want to do sports? Would we want to do music? Yes.”
With the PAP Cashew branch’s blessing and support, Comrade Dwi made the Holland-Bukit Timah area, where she was born and bred, regularly come alive with music fiestas, basketball tournaments and dance performances during the mid-2000s and 2010s.
“Our first event, Cashew Music Mania, was held just over there, at the small area beside Bukit Panjang Plaza,” she said, pointing as Peitr interviewed her. “We had a band competition; we got youth from 15 up till about 30 years old. They all formed their bands, and then they practiced and jammed.”
“And to get more participation and more attendance, these bands called their friends and their families to come down and support them,” she recalled about those days of community building.
The music events grew in size, from about 30 people at the first Cashew Music Mania, to nearly 300 for a music fiesta held a few years later.
“We wanted to hear youth voices,” said Comrade Dwi about holding these events. “And in Cashew, the connection and camaraderie that we have in the branch is very significant.”
At dialogue sessions by PAP groups such as the Public Policy Forum, the Women’s Wing and the Malay Affairs Bureau, she contributes her perspectives about the pressing issues of the day. She takes care to share the major takeaways from these sessions with other PAP activists afterwards.
Comrade Dwi received the Gold Award for her overall contributions to our Party at the PAP Awards and Convention.
Comrade Dwi is a mum today; she started volunteering at 17 years old, and her oldest son is not far from that age today.
As a second-generation Singaporean, she knows full well the struggles her parents went through to build a new life in Singapore, and is teaching him not to take for granted how well Singapore works, that this success is not by chance.
“As adults, as parents, it’s very important to impart the experiences and knowledge that we have to our children. To always remind them that there are people behind this, old and young, that are actually helping us all,” she shared with Petir.
“When [my boy] reaches 20, 20-ish years old, he will have his own opinion, especially about politics. But right now, he needs to know what’s happening out there and how we get to enjoy certain things around our neighbourhood. How do we get to have a good education? Where do these things come from? He needs to know that.”
