With the heat and noise of GE2025 behind us, and the ordinary business of Parliament resumed, what does democracy look like for Singaporeans in the next five years? For most, it means seeing your member of Parliament (MP) occasionally amble around your neighbourhood, or perhaps appealing for a new covered walkway at their Meet-the-People Session. Some might reach to type a strongly worded post about the latest MRT breakdown or million-dollar HDB sale, or watch clips of the debates in Parliament. But beyond that, the thing called “democracy” softly recedes into the background of our lives once more.

What if it didn’t? Governments have increasingly been experimenting with new ways to involve citizens in policymaking beyond traditional electoral processes. From citizens’ assemblies to deliberative polling, public deliberation as a democratic process has gained prominence as a means of addressing socially divisive issues. Even in Singapore, a country lacking any strong liberal-democratic tradition, public consultation has a much longer history than one might think.