‘Flashpoint’ dives into the temperature of GE2025 political rallies—the noise, the heat, the restless undercurrent you can’t put into words. Each photographer is given full creative freedom to interpret the rallies in their own distinct style and capture the raw energy that slips past speeches and slogans.
Zachary Tang, 33, is the former photo editor at RICE, known for an adaptive visual style that lets subjects speak through the truth of their surroundings. For this piece, he shoots the Workers’ Party’s (WP) final GE2025 rally like it’s a full-blown rave at Anderson Serangoon Junior College.
RICE does not endorse any political party in Singapore. Refer to our GE2025 content coverage policy for details.
As you can imagine, it’s the Workers’ Party’s final rally—on home turf in Hougang SMC—but instead of Serangoon Stadium, it’s held in the smaller ASJC grounds. So we were packt like sardines in a crushed tin box.
WP rallies have always been a capital-E event for misfits, the working class, and the quietly discontent—being there makes you feel, if only briefly, like you’re part of something that matters.
I remember shooting a video for RICE back in 2020 right after the election results were announced—at a massive block party in Hougang. It was hard to forget just how euphoric the crowd was that night because they were celebrating the Workers’ Party’s victory in Sengkang, on top of Hougang and Aljunied.
It felt less like politics, more like a headline act at a music festival or the World Cup. That feeling stuck with me.
So this time, I wanted to shoot the rally like a rave or festival. More about capturing the atmosphere of being there than documenting a political event.
One of my favourite shots is of an uncle waving a bunch of mini flags. I was taking a break midway through the rally, off to the side, editing my first batch of photos, and ended up sitting next to him, making small talk.
I didn’t even realise he was such a striking subject—until a few photographers stopped to snap photos of him. So it was just a fun little ironic moment where I stopped trying to get a good photograph that was on theme, and ended up getting it.
There’s just something pretty hilarious about how being in the belly of a frenzied crowd—whether at a rave or rally—hits you.
The delivered rhetoric lands harder, whether it’s about the cost of living, the working class, or even patriotism.
It’s strangely intoxicating. Jamus Lim’s speech was a prime example; it felt like I was listening to Martin Luther King or something.
People used to say nothing ever really happens, right? That all the energy at opposition rallies never quite translates into votes.
But what I love about it—and perhaps serves as a good reminder—is seeing that Singaporeans can be loud and passionate, that we can occasionally step out of our safe havens and actually believe in something too.
