00:00My phone died the day before the rally.
00:02My phone was up there on the stand, and I'm trying to see what I had to say.
00:05There were some people that were messaging me, so I had to swipe away the messages.
00:08Some people were trying to call me, so I also had to go and press cancel.
00:12It was not about reading the information, I was just trying to declutter my screen.
00:21Hi, I'm Jeremy.
00:22I just ran for election in Montmartin SMC.
00:25I didn't make it this time, but I think hopefully I'll get it the next time round.
00:29Back in the day, I was still studying while I started my business,
00:33so I would stuff my bag with cleansers and moisturizers,
00:38and I would sell them to my friends for $10, $15.
00:40As I scaled up and as things grew, I actually managed to get the office here at Jiu Chiat.
00:45I would sleep in the office and also go to school, tend to my shop,
00:48and then come back to the office and sleep.
00:50So that was life for me about maybe 10 to 11 years ago.
00:54So I used to sleep in my office, and that exact window open is where I used to sleep.
00:59That's the building.
01:01Every time I walk past here, it gives me a great sense of nostalgia.
01:04It never gets old.
01:05Having been here for over 13 years,
01:08starting my business on this road,
01:09I feel a great sense of connection and belonging to Jiu Chiat.
01:12Hopefully, by the next election, I will also consider my options
01:15to run for Marine Parade GRC.
01:17Love these decks.
01:19So Cat Socrates has been around for more than 10 years.
01:28They were here when I first started my business.
01:30This is the famous tartong noodles.
01:32I used to eat here all the time when I was working in my office.
01:34Very popular among Singaporeans.
01:36Everybody knows each other here because nobody really moves out of Jiu Chiat.
01:41Because of that, everybody is a lot closer and a lot warmer to each other.
01:45I was always quite disciplined with my eating and my exercise since I was young.
01:49I lost 3kg just during the election.
01:52I was walking at least 5 hours a day.
01:55Jeremy Pong, for the Motor Seed, for Singapore!
02:00It's one for the ages,
02:03because first independent rally since Han Weihui's rally 10 years ago.
02:07The weather was very bad that week.
02:09There was raining cats and dogs.
02:11There was a lot of lightning risk on May Day itself.
02:14We almost got hammered by it.
02:16This election campaign was funded out of just pocket money.
02:20So my total rally cost was around 9,000.
02:22The money spent on the rally was absolutely worth it.
02:24So the rally helps you connect authentically with the people.
02:28And if you don't speak from the script,
02:30people can tell that you are speaking from the heart.
02:32The election was Saturday, right?
02:34Saturday, right?
02:35Ah, yeah.
02:36Somebody tell me on Friday.
02:38Then I listen.
02:39Excellent.
02:40Thank you, thank you, thank you.
02:41Very good.
02:42Good job.
02:43Continue.
02:44Thank you, thank you so much.
02:46I love the work there.
02:47What's your name?
02:48Nicholas.
02:49Jeremy, Jeremy.
02:50Nice to meet you.
02:51I know who you are.
02:52Long time, no see, bro.
02:56Oh, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks.
03:00Actually, in the accounting agent center,
03:02you cannot use your handphone.
03:03So when the sample count came out that I had received 38% of the votes,
03:07I was actually quite hopeful that I would get more.
03:10But one, two hours in,
03:12I realized that I was not going to cross 40%.
03:14I was starting to feel a bit dejected.
03:16And I went out to check my phone.
03:18People were congratulating me.
03:20And I wonder why they were congratulating me.
03:22It turns out many parties did not receive their deposit back.
03:25You know, it's like the feeling when you go to take your exam results,
03:28and you thought you failed, but you failed less badly than the rest of the class.
03:33So that was the feeling I had.
03:36Many people have written to me and they come from all over Singapore
03:39because they have issues ranging from their household to larger issues such as animal abuse.
03:45I try my best to respond as I can.
03:48There's a lot of these situations, they fall through the cracks.
03:53Some people have also reached out to me to ask me about how I can solve their salary disputes.
03:59I'm not legally trained, and I'm not a member of parliament,
04:02but I still try my best to help them.
04:04I'm like a shadow MP of sorts, an unpaid MP of sorts.
04:08They don't know how to navigate the system, so I try my best to help them.
04:12The proliferation of certain statistics in Singapore,
04:15such as animal abuse, is one thing that I'm very concerned about.
04:19Even though as a dog owner, I already know a lot about the pet rights here in Singapore,
04:22but I also want to be more well-read and more educated about this issue.
04:27This is Belly, the youngest.
04:30This is Diddy.
04:31And there's Cosmo, Cosmo sitting over there.
04:34They're having a little treat because it's Belly's birthday week.
04:38He's very food-motivated, so he cannot touch his food.
04:44I definitely do want to keep this momentum going.
04:46People must not be disheartened just because I lost.
04:48I can still do advocacy in the shadows.
04:52I can still write and propose for changes on my own time,
04:55discuss with the different political parties to determine for myself
04:59what is the outcome I want in the next election.
05:01I could win one seat, but does that translate to helping Singapore win?
05:06I could win no seats and still do many things on the side.
05:09Is that the best outcome?
05:11Considering all the moving parts is what I'm doing right now,
05:13and I feel like I want Singapore to be better.
05:16and if not winning seats is how I get it done,
05:19then I'm very glad to just, you know, be outside of the parliament.
05:27People around my age have children, so it's a bit hard to gather like that.
05:31It's a very once in a blue moon thing.
05:33All my friends give me feedback, what I would consider silent majority feedback.
05:37So, people who have worries about their children's future,
05:41about the cost of living, about housing.
05:44Generally, anything a young adult will face in Singapore.
05:48Did any of your friends vote for you?
05:50I don't know, vote is secret.
05:53I was at a SUSS Entrepreneurship Demo Day.
05:56I found it very refreshing to connect with the young entrepreneurs
06:00and sharing with them connections and helping them find the funds that they want to find.
06:05I'll be going for a fireside chat with people who are interested in Bitcoin.
06:10Teaching them how to save in inflation-proof technology is also important for me.
06:20If I truly didn't believe in the most controversial thing about my campaign, Bitcoin,
06:24I could have softened it down, but I would have just looked like every other candidate out there.
06:28One candidate with a soft story and then maybe some personal success.
06:34But that is not enough.
06:35I think one needs to be truly speaking from their heart.
06:38I don't care if I lost.
06:40It's important that Singaporeans win by being more engaged in politics.
06:54It's very true.
06:55It's very true.
06:57It's very bluntlyceral.
06:58It's green a beautiful person.
06:59It's very light.
07:00It's very light.
07:01It's very light.
07:02It's much more light.
07:03And I know when I'm going to be looking at it.
07:04And that's the other candidate.
07:06It's very simple.
07:07I will be looking at the top of our team's culture.
07:08I'm looking for a better idea.
07:10It's very Yeti.
07:11It's very remarkable.
07:12And we're outside of our company's history,
07:14and we're here.
07:16But I'll be looking at it from my family.
07:17And I'm looking for a big day later.
07:18And we're looking at it.
07:19It's very valuable.
07:21But I'll be looking at it.
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