White or blue, we're all human: WP's Fadli Fawzi on his hopes & fears for GE2025

The first time he ran in an election, Workers' Party (WP) candidate Fadli Fawzi felt "really very scared".

"I knew that I wouldn't back out. Because I didn't want to let people down," the lawyer said in an episode of The Straits Times' The Usual Place podcast.

"[But] just to run, to be declared a candidate...You don't know what awaits you on Nomination Day, right?"

It was a Malay poem he came across while reading which ultimately helped him work through his fears.

Written by an incarcerated politician, the poem essentially said: Even though he was going through hell, his only wish was for the people to experience heaven.

Fadli ended up reciting the poem in his Nomination Day speech. "And it was like catharsis, speaking to my fears," he said.

In Marine Parade

In the end, the WP team lost to the People's Action Party (PAP) at Marine Parade in that election.

But it wasn't entirely a loss.

The team (or Team Marine Blue, as they call themselves) learnt that there was an appetite there for a "rational, credible, and responsible alternative voice".

They were also well-received by residents, who were friendly and welcoming, he recalled.

His biggest gain, however, might have been his wife.

"I think I might not have gotten married if I didn't run for the election," he quipped.

He'd connected with her on a dating app shortly before Nomination Day, but life got in the way, he said.

It was only when he was announced as part of the WP slate for Marine Parade on Nomination Day that he once again caught her attention.

She congratulated him, and was supportive even when he lost.

"So we went on a few dates, one thing led to another, and slightly more than a year later, we were married," he said.

"So even though I didn't win the 2020 election...I won her heart."

Avoiding caricatures

While Fadli didn't say where he would be fielded at this time, he confirmed that he has been walking the ground at Marine Parade-Braddell Heights.

This General Election, he believes, will be different. For one, the now-deputy organising secretary is no longer a political novice; in that, he'll be less scared if indeed fielded.

He's also not too concerned about the prospect of a three-cornered fight (the National Solidarity Party previously expressed interest in the constituency).

"Singaporeans are very discerning," he said. "It's good to have choices."

But if there is one thing he is concerned about — it would be the caricaturisation of himself and his fellow politicians, as election season looms.

"We become caricatures, we want caricatures. You're either the hero who will come and save Singapore, or you are the villain who will come and destroy Singapore," he said.

"And it depends on which side you're on."

But such a perspective "misses the point", he said.

Hopes for a kinder Singapore

Beyond the manifestos and the policies and the politics, Fadli hopes for a kinder Singapore.

It's the reason why he joined the WP in the first place, and what he hopes to achieve for Singapore.

"So I hope, to all Singaporeans — this is my request — that we set aside a little bit of kindness during the election," he said.

"It doesn't matter if you wear white, or you wear blue, or any other colour. Underneath that, it's a human being, and this human being has hopes and dreams for Singapore.

You might not agree with him, you might not like him, but that's who he is. And going into the election, we should try and exercise a little kindness."

Top image from Fadli Fawzi/Instagram