Kenneth Lim /
After 9 days of intense campaigning, 1,910,176 valid votes were cast on May 7th 2011 for Singapore’s 11th General Election (GE). Having been billed beforehand as a ‘watershed election’ by both the online and mainstream media, the results come as no surprise: the Worker’s Party (WP) managed to capture Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) as well as retain their Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC) seat to create the biggest opposition presence in parliament since independence, while the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) saw their national vote share drop to 60.14%, the lowest in all post-independence elections.
As the stadiums empty out, emotions settle down and people resume their daily lives, it may be wise to sit back and reflect on the significance of this election and what it means now for the future of Singapore as well as the various parties that contested this GE. I would be focusing this analysis more on the viewpoint of the opposition parties and how they can use the result as a stepping stone towards the next election.
First off, the WP’s win in Aljunied GRC represents both a vindication of the 破釜沉舟 (break the cooking pots and sink the boats) strategy that Low Thia Khiang utilized to great effect as well as a general reflection of the mood on the ground. In putting their strongest candidates into one team, the WP gave voters in Aljunied a very tough dilemma between voting in five strong opposition candidates versus a well-liked and effective foreign minister in George Yeo.
It is interesting to note that while the Malay vote is widely considered to have been the deciding factor for WP’s loss back in 2006, out of the two Malay candidates in Aljunied, PAP’s Zainul Abidin Rasheed could be said to be the stronger of the two this election. In looking at the vote swing in other constituencies, WP’s 10% vote swing in its favor could be a result of a general unhappiness with PAP’s policies as opposed to a triumph of local ideology. Realizing this, the WP must work doubly hard between now and the next GE in order to exploit this win as a stepping stone towards further greatness in the political arena.
The PAP’s most common tactic against opposition parties has been to use local estate upgrading and beautification programs to gently nudge people to its side; while Potong Pasir and Hougang can be said to have been managed reasonably well, the management of a GRC would be a whole different ball game with a much larger populace to look after. WP, depending on how the PAP responds, only has this small window of opportunity between now and the next GE to convince potential voters in other GRCs and SMCs that the WP can represent them effectively at both the parliamentary level as well as at the local level. Minster Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said during this GE that Aljunied GRC voters have 5 years ‘to repent’, and the WP now has to prove itself and counter the PAP at the grassroots level if it wants to capitalize on this historic election victory.
Another point of note is the relative strength of the WP as opposed to other opposition parties that contested this elections. In all 23 seats that were contested by the WP, at least 41% of valid votes were garnered. This compares favorably with other opposition parties where only two teams from the NSP managed to break the 41% mark.
The most significant losing result was in Punggol East SMC, where Lee Li Lian of the WP effectively shut out the presence of the SDA’s Desmond Lim and rendered him a share of the votes more akin to that of an independent candidate, turning the battle into a straight fight rather than a three-cornered fight. This probably comes as no surprise to followers of this GE: the WP rallies were much better attended (garnering crowds of over 30,000 in some cases) than the rallies of any other political party. This probably represents the sentiment that voters are voting more for the party’s manifesto and promises rather than the personality of the contestant. One line of thought from there would be that Singaporeans as an electorate are maturing and voting less along racial lines (eg. Michael Palmer’s win in Punggol East SMC) but I would not be exploring this trend of thought further in this analysis.
Instead, I would like to focus more on the possibility that the electorate is getting less concerned about voting to achieve certain municipal goals but rather casting their votes with respect to how they believe the various parties will represent them at the national level. If so, this is indeed a comforting thought that Singaporeans are able to look beyond their own well-being and care more about how Singapore grows and develops as a nation. While personality still plays a key part in any election as evidenced by the large vote swing in Marine Parade GRC (17% from the last contest in 1992) ostensibly due to the presence of Tin Pei Ling as well as Nicole Seah, this election sees Singaporeans move further away as a whole from personality-based politics, a positive development for opposition parties, in particular the WP.
What do these developments mean for opposition parties as a whole? For a start, it means that the opposition parties should perhaps consider that a consolidation of their best candidates into one party may represent the best chance for more opposition candidates to be voted in when the next GE happens.
In this election, most opposition parties could lay claim that they had stellar new candidates in their midst: WP had Chen Show Mao, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) had Tan Jee Say and Ang Yong Guan, while the National Solidarity Party (NSP) had Hazel Poa and Tony Tan.
Despite this spreading of the opposition talent pool, the WP was the only one which managed to make inroads in this election; the Singapore People’s Party even lost Potong Pasir by a razor-thin margin of 114 votes. While this may not be practically possible, the opposition would have the best chance of breaking the PAP’s dominance if it concentrated all its best candidates into one party that has a solid manifesto and campaign experience behind it. In addition, the successful handing over of Hougang SMC by Low Thia Khiang to his long-time lieutenant Yaw Shin Leong shows that long-time grassroots work on the ground does pay off.
In light of this, the WP should seriously consider involving their losing candidates heavily in grassroots work in Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC besides frequently canvassing the ground of their target constituencies. This would allow their candidates to build considerable experience in running a town council while at the same time ensuring that they have the best talent pool to tap into to make Aljunied GRC a shining example for all of Singapore to see.
The opposition parties in Singapore, in particular the WP, have made great inroads in this 2011 GE. While the swing in popular votes did not translate into many more seats for the opposition, the opposition parties should feel encouraged by the showing of support that they received and continue to work hard to convince Singaporeans that they can be adequately represented both at the national as well as at the local level. What we saw happen on Saturday night may only be a flash in the pan if the opposition parties rest on their laurels and not continue to build on what they have achieved.
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PAP says it is difficult to find good ministers. Why? Because many capable Singaporeans simply do not agree with PAP’s style of politics inherited from the days of MM Lee and SM Goh. Better that both of them make an early exit or just retire from politics.
@Jojo
Agree with you that public speaking skill is important and RP and SDA will have to improve tremendously in that area. The other areas are the level of grassroots support and activism such as the type of groundwork and following that WP is very strong at in hougang.
The other area is the credibility of the candidates. That is why if GOH MENG Seng had joined forces with nicole Seah, hazel poa and Tony tan to contest a grc together, they would have done much better.
@ shalom
PAP’s examples of a good MP candidate is Dr Janil Putucheary and Tin Pei Ling. That should tell you that they are talking rubbish when they say it is difficult to find good ministers. Are we to honestly believe that Mah Bow Tan, Wong Kan Seng, Goh Chok Tong and Vivian Balakrishnan are good ministers?
@ alan & disater
Please see the following from TR. It is a good piece of analysis on SDP.
yan chang:
May 8, 2011 at 4:15 pm (Quote)
This is just my opinion, am sharing so that SDP could win, by 2016(I truly hope so):
1) SDP has a v gd manifesto(healthcare plan, budget , economic vision, noble statement: share half of MP salary for the public gd).. then what could hv gone wrong to just garner only 40% votes, I asked myself.
2) SDP’s slate of team members here in Bukit Timah-Holland is superb, high quality, proven professionals : why aren’t they getting an approval rate of at least 45-51%… it can’t be simply bad reporting by a sloan-ranger TNP reporter to sway its supporters so easily..
3) I looked at the demographics : Bukit Timah’s landed property-owners are those in the top 1-5% earners of SG, and those who are close to the PAP establishment : such families will never move over to opposition because they need to show solidarity with PAP, they know which side their “bread is buttered”; they will not rock the boat as they hv spent their entire career lifetime to build such relationships for their chn’s generation to make use of for their career advancement ; rubbing shoulders with the influential, top cabinet, top judiciary members, play golf with them, at SICC golfing-gossips every weekend, etc…. these people don’t care for healthcare plans, void-deck HDB clinics, or talk of using $$60B to invest in creative services for building the new economy of SG… such top civil servants, members of the bench, top doctors, lawyers all living in district 09/10/11 of SG already hv stashed so much money in Auss/USA/UK for “rainy days” or alternative lifestyle, for their chn overseas edn accommodation, their eyes look at more zeros behind each digit in their bk account, using their wealth to create more wealth…. so bread and butter issues(healthcare, grocery bills, rental, HDB costs etc) are no concerns of theirs…. If this line of analysis is right, then SDP is selling their message to the wrong constituency… such a strong middle class manifesto should be directed at Bishan/AMK/Toa Payoh perhaps….
3)My 22 yr old daughter and I can’t vote from Auss… as according to overseas election rules, we must prove that we have stayed in SG at least 45 days in the last 12 mths, to qualify to register for overseas voting, and we must journey to Canberra.. so many of my Sporean friends living in Sydney-Melb also can’t qualify to vote, plus it is a real hassle to travel to canberra just to do so… we hv to work, take care of family, study in our adult-retraining studies at uni here…. so SDP missed our votes.( My address in SG is Empress Rd-Bukit Timah).
4) There are many condos and private aprts around this area… most of these residents are foreign prof living there(Indon PR,Indian , China higher end newcomers etc….) I doubt that they are interested in SDP’s manifesto or even take part in local political thinking.
Hence, I hv a strong feeling that SDP’s A-team(Tan See Jay,Vincent W, Ang YG etc) could be barking up the wrong tree… yes those who received them well there are the 40% HDB working class, but not the landed property ones… who will not hue or sniff at SDP’s fight against PAP(their friends and benefectors)..
This is so sad for me to see SDP not elected into parliament with golden people like Tan SJ/Ang/Vincent/Michelle. I want them to win, but circumstances trounced them again.
Once PAP knows your trumpcard, they will out-manoevre you..so the next 5 yrs may or may not offer the same golden opportunity for SDP again… Maybe a SG without LKY( in future!!) may be a changed political landscape for the betterment of Singaporeans who are disenfranchised ,disadvantaged, marginnalised… let’s hope our 20-35 yr olds will take up this challenge to remake a new, more egalitarian SG, in the post-LKY era( hopefully in 5-10 yrs’ time). I feel so sad for SDP and for myself, for their loss at the GE 2011 election.
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@Jojo
Agree with you that public speaking skill is important and RP and SDA will have to improve tremendously in that area. The other areas are the level of grassroots support and activism such as the type of groundwork and following that WP is very strong at in hougang. The other area is the credibility of the candidates. That is why if GOH MENG Seng had joined forces with nicole Seah, hazel poa and Tony tan to contest a grc together, they would have done much better.
It is clear stand from the Singaporeans that building nice facilities are not the only concern of Singaporeans. We want a fair poltics ground and not for someone to threaten and use some residents committee to their own advantage. We want a home for singaporeans! We want a the fruits of Singaporean to be share by all and not to some only. We want ministers to be accountable and their pay to be justifiable and not pay themselves huge pay based on GDP. It should be based on all Singaporeans then it be can be justifiable.
@ on SDP
Similarly, WP fielded a very strong team led by Sylvia Lim, had an excellent manifesto etc in Aljunied in 2006. Yet they only won 44% of the vote.
Success in politics takes time. Winning an SMC takes time (it took Sitoh Yi Pin 3 elections to win Potong Pasir). Winning a GRC takes time (it took WP 2 elections to win Aljunied).
SDP are not barking up the wrong tree in Holland/Bukit Timah. If they are serious about winning there, then they must be prepared to invest time and effort in working the ground and building up support. Don’t expect the PAP to hand you a GRC at your 1st attempt, that is wishful thinking in the extreme.
The more affluent electorate in Holland-Bukit Timah may not share all the bread and butter issues with the heartlanders, but they are also tired of PAP cronyism, gerrymandering, and squandering of taxpayers’ money. Not to mention the less-than-stellar performance by PAP’s anchor Minister there, Vivian Balakishnan. There is plenty of political ammo available to the opposition, but they must remain focused and patient.
the results mean that when faced with an uneven playing field, & to win despite the great odds, victory is a signal that the human spirit cannot be under-estimated.
as for PAP, its speaks alot about their spirit. not yet fight already defeated, you think being a MP/ minister is easy?, you think doing this/that is easy?, you got better ideas?, champion complainer, xenaphobic lot, dun be choosey, you’re lucky to be born in S’pore, etc.
S’poreans deserve better political leaders. most of all, people who can identify potentially good leaders. PAP’s selection process should be disected for an open & thorough review. if not, stop bragging.
The way the PAP stayed in a state of denial and apologised at the eleventh hour is clear proof that the NCMP scheme is not meeting its objectives.
It may even suggest that we need even more MPs or better quality from the opposition to prevent the PAP from leading us down this growth at all costs strategy that has left the welfare of Singaporeans by the wayside.
Short of an outright winning of at least 1/3 of the seats by the Alternatives, the GE results is the most optimal for Singapore, almost appeared to have been “engineered”.
Sufficient seats were lost to the Alternatives to allow some pressure to be vented off, PAP still comes out looking not too hurt.
Also most importantly, (and hopefully) the results indicates that the dorminant Alternative party is going to be WP, with its “Brand Premium” equating to 10% of the votes, compared to any other Alternative parties. Logically this should lead to some consolidation of the alternative parties to come under the WP umbrella. SPP with Mr Chiam retired will be weakened, and WP can come in to contest PP & BS-TP with higher chance of winning, plus the other GRCs in the east.
Then we can look forward to a two party system where one will check on the excessess of the other.
@ pro-singapore
no way the election results were engineered. this was a real shocker for the pap, and the they are looking v bad after this election; grc strategy in shambles, 4th generation leadership in shambles, cabinet reshuffle in shambles, they have been gerrymandering the elections for so long that they have forgotten how to play fair. if they don’t wake up their ideas, pap will become history sooner or later.
Firstly, like to thank true heroes of aljunied and hougang. And congrats.
To 69% of u in AMK, how dumb u r? U just gave LHL something to boast abt. LHL shld take full responsibility for the problems caused during the last term. MBT, WKS, RL, VB are still around. Goh Meng Seng is man enough to take full responsibility in NSP failure to capture any seat, why not LHL.
Next 5 years, nothing much will change. Roads will still be packed, MRT will still be full, transport cost will go up, utilities will go up, jobs will be shared with FT, housing price will still go up, ministers pay will go up cos can’t find better candidates
@ a
Why no way the results were engineered? No one can be sure of this. So how come you are so sure? What do you know that we don’t? Please tell. Were you there at the counting centre verifying each and every one of those figures yourself as they were being counted and announced? If you were, then I might believe you.
“A real shocker for the pap…looking v bad, etc”? Says who? Just because you say so? I don’t believe you. The fact is the PAP have maintained their status quo. Just as they have planned. Just as they have done all along. Just as they will do in the future.
They will NEVER become history because they know how to ‘engineer’ their own majority in parliament so that they have absolute control. When you have absolute control, are you going to sit back and allow a resurgent Opposition to take over the country? Or give yourself headaches with 10 or more Oppo MPs in parliament? Of course not! They have ‘engineered’ election results for 50 years and will continue to do so. What makes you think they are going to stop sooner or later?
WP winning Aljunied GRC? It was part of the ‘engineering’.
I AM A PROUD VOTER OF WORKERS PARTY IN ALJUNIED! GO, WP, GO!
@ no hope
just ask low thia khiang and sylvia lim, who were at the counting centre, whether the votes were rigged. don’t take my word for it. :)
you are saying that PAP already planned to lose george yeo and aljunied grc even before the election began? get real…
I think WP did well with a narrative of what Singaporeans could achieve with its vote. Even though its vision of a first world parliament was derided, the continual rejoinders of the vision gave voters a desire to want this future for Singapore. It was a worthwhile rallying call voters could identify and put faith in. This, I felt, was why WP candidates outside of Aljunied also received creditable voters’ support.
PAP engineered the downfall of George Yeo as he was a threat to young Lee.
Who made the comment to swing the votes the other way? Which “liberal” MP was lost?
People may not be voting based on personality but I would like to point out the change of helm in Workers Party to Low Thia Kiang has meant a change in Workers Party’s brand of politics to one that is more synonymous with Low Thia Kiang’s govern from the heart. So the general better acceptance and showing of WP candidates could have been formed from the well received impression of the WP leader LTK himself. Even his protégé Mr Yaw in his victory speech thanked his mentor Mr Low.
This election has introduced in my mind the “1/3 opposition presence in parliament”. This is to have an effective opposition voice that can be heard over PAP’s. It saddens me, even in the midst of transforming news of WP’s winning in Aljunied and Hougang, that this has not been achieved. I believe that this “1/3 opposition presence” has been espoused in many of the opposition parties’ manifestos. Perhaps this can become a common area of cooperation between opposition parties, to enable them to want to pull together 1 or 2 more A-teams with stellar candidates, in 1 or 2 more opposition parties. This might be easier to swallow for the many opposition parties, with many different manifestos. Whatever the method of getting them to come together, they have to realise that no one opposition party could effectively achieve that “1/3 opposition presence”.
I am disappointed with the results in West Coast, Choa Chu Kang and Ang Mo Kio.
I understand the opp is weaker here but I cannot understand why those who have been hit hard do not want to cast a protest vote.
Had people cast protest vote in 2001 and not 75% to PAP, we will not be in such a state.
Casting protest votes is unlikely to change the result but it is important to send a msg to PAP.
I have an alternative viewpoint.
Since 2006, the pro-opp people tend to be in the east, where I understand there is a higher concentration of Malays and Indians (except Pasir Ris-Punggol)
On the other hand, in Tanjong Pagar, West Coast, Ang Mo Kio and Choa CHu Kang, there are more chinese-educated groups.
For several decades, these people were simply bootlickers. Therefore, PAP could billdoze any policies except on Malay and Indian which were done more carefully.
These Chinese-educated people were never in the elite but they always like to venerate those in power.
There is no reason why people in West Coast are better off than in East Coast.
There is nothing to show West ZOne MPs care more than their residents than East Zone Mps.
As a result, Tan Lay Thiam (Choa Chu Kang) got less % votes than Nicole Seah (Marine Parade).
@Danny
The AMK GRC was a big percentage points for a few things.
1, the opposition are fairly newbies with a new party so it is going to be hard from the beginning but garnering 33% of valid votes is commendable.
2, The largest pocket of oppo supporters in AMK was carved out (Cheng San), if Cheng San was still in the equation it would have been even closer so LHL knows there is nothing to boast about
I agree that both MM and SM should make an exit asap. Between the two of them, I think the first one to have to go is Goh who is really completely out of touch with the ground. This is amply shown very clearly by the largest possible vote swing to the opposition in his GRC. One more such swing, and Goh would be out completely even if PAP still wants to retain him.
Hey! Stop complaining about AMK! I am fervently pro opposition during this round of elections (PAP has clearly not been doing their job and their election campaign was chaotic at best), and even I find the opposition in AMK quite hard to vote for. One of the top 5 worst rally speeches was given by the opposition team in AMK when he talked about hall allocation problems at NTU (the rest of the worst speeches are from the PAP). One of the top 5 best rally speeches was given by LHL when he played the honest John tactic (the rest belonged to SDP, NSP and WP). At the polls, even I was wondering what would happen if we ended up with a freak result and I end up voting this bunch of jokers into parliament. No insult to the Reform party, and I have tremendous respect for JBJ, and I believe KJ can help formulate good economic policies, but he clearly needs a good orator. Thumbs up for the Reform Party for trying in AMK, and giving everyone the chance to vote, but do plan for your future campaigns extensively. Send good candidates that are well prepared and don’t just rely on anti-PAP sentiment to get any form of a result.
Congratulations to Singapore for being given the International Laughing Stock Award 2011….yet again the sole winner since the award was first conceived.
I did not betray my conscience. I voted for Chiam See Tong! He is the true servant of Singapore.
Workers Party,
Good job on winning Aljunied. Some things to note:
1. Run Aljunied town council well, if not your track record will be smeared come the next election, and you will be kicked out.
2. Continue to walk the ground in Aljunied. Remember, 45% did not vote for you. A small swing the next round, and you could be out.
3. Be prepared for dirty tricks from PAP, making things difficult for Aljunied.
4. Be prepared for gerrymandering to East Coast GRC. I forsee the PAP removing the HDB portfolio from MBT, lessening his unpopularity, thus making Tampines safer for them. Some of the safer bits of Tampines and Pasir-Ris Punggol could be gerrymandered to East Coast GRC to shore up that area. Eric Tan, the WP team leader in East Coast GRC is doing a good job, but to win East Coast, you need to send in a powerful candidate with excellent credentials to appeal to bolster the team and appeal to the rich in that area.
For those of us who are disappointed at the lack of opposition pentration and thinking of leaving Singapore. Don’t do it. Leaving Singapore only means that PAPPY will truly win as they seek to revamp the demographics and get rid of those clamouring for an alternative voice. Stay and be part of the Gen Y which will eventually become the majority. It will no doubt be slow but I am sure we will prevail in the end.
This year’s election is indeed a watershed! It has seen so many firsts in the political scene here and i’m sure PAP has much soul-searching to do. 3 things I will be watching next will be how the WP manages the Aljunied GRC; how PAP seeks to make it difficult for them. And the next is which amongst the newest candidates are given an important portfolio to prove himself worthy as the next PM. Finally what GY is going to do next. Singapore politics is no longer dull hehe
RP and SDA is a joke and on its own. Kenneth is no where near his father and please do not ever think you are and will. Desmond will be better off volunteering for WP, NSP or SDP. BTW the next GE2016 you will not see Potong Pasir and Joo Chiat on the map. Sure to be gobbled up by some GRC.
Opposing for the sake of opposing is definitely not the way to go. Show us the credibility and you will duly get my vote. Until now you are still harping on PAP’s failure on this and that, what is it that you can truly bring to the table for us?
Nicole Seah will (hopefully do her due diligence and walk the ground at Marine Parade) You will be rewarded in due time. Keep up the good work and do not loose yourself.
For the older folks, cannot really blame them for voting for PAP as they do not have ready access to alternative information. It took me a long while to convince my in laws and own parents to see the other side of the picture. Throughout the process I only point out to the figures staring at them when they require medical care. and how their own children and relatives are forced to work and stay in Australia.
Joo Chiat was almost clinched by WP. The spoint votes made the difference- that’s how narrow the margin was. And what’s up with the vote spoilers?!? Every 5 years, we get a chance to make an important decision, and for whatever reasons, these people decide that it’s ok to spoil their votes. What the….? To quote the one and only TPL, “I dunno what to SAY!!”
WP’s strategy of working the ground since GE06 actually paid off. I’ve seen Sylvia Lim around quite a few time since GE06
@ On SDP,
that is a poor piece of “analysis”…
(1) counting agents reveal the reverse is true in holland-bt timah: SDP has failed to win over many of the public housing type, while getting a nice fillip in the “rich men” areas.
read yawning bread for example: Groundwork, good candidates and consistent branding, part 2.
(2) its economic plan is interesting, and penned by a forward-thinking veteran no less. but the health care budget brings forth misgivings from many quarters. especially the universal/comprehensive insurance coverage which, from their description, appears naively/idealistically exorbitant
There was some implying in the earlier posts that the PAP “engineered” the election result. That is a very serious allegation and for all its faults I do not think the PAP did that. There were agents for all parties present at counting centres. It is ok to criticise the PAP where criticism is warranted, justified and factually accurate but allegations such as these do more harm to the opposition cause and to the continued survival of alternate anti-govt online media.
pap party ministers..do you really 1st 2 know why your party lost an average of 40% to any heartlands hdb districts?
moments ago i came back from an adhoc job earnin a mearge $30 for the WHOLE day
includin payin me owned transport/erp/parkin charges..
just waltz down to the local provision shop to buy my tomorrow mornin loaf of bread..i was SHOCKED to see a poor workin house mother buyin no less than 15 packets of udongs in various flavors..i merely thought i am the ONLY broke to eat me nightly homecook either udong or porridge by tightennin me belt..
within minutes another youn lass which i beleived is either k2 or primary 1 standard..she give a $2 note and buy 5 packets of maggie mees..thats her dinner for her whole family…
ok older peasants liked us can bear the bluent of eatin a poor man diner..but surely not a growin up kid..liked that got nutrition mey? even when i was a kid with my 5 siblins..we managed to eat white ball rice dipped in black soya sauce and if we are lucky..1 packet of charkwayteow to be split into 5 shares
that to us is very very delicious..
welcome to our world where our home is worth $300,000 fully paid..but as far as dinner is concerned a $2 meals divide into 5 dinner mees is considered lucky?
so pap ministers..can you really lived with that consiouse?
i wouldn’t give a fcuk for the starvin 60% kiasee peasants who voted the pap
they starved..is their business since they give the MANDATEs to run ALL our lives and futures…
Quoted from ST, May 9, 2011, Page A15
Commentary ’60.1 (Stability), 69.3 (Endorsement), 46.60 (Change)
2006 Election – 47 candidates contest 82MPs – PAP won 66% of the votes
2011 Election – 82 candidates contest 87MPs – PAP won 60% of the votes
If we compare to the 2006 GE results and take out about half of the constituencies not being contested (47 versus 82 candidates contested and additional 5 MPs created in 2011), PAP win could be below 50% of the votes in 2006.
If the data is interpreted correctly from the above illustration, there is a call for a change in the political system. Therefore it is biased and incorrect to say 60% of the voters support PAP
First, I have to congratulate WP winning the first GRC after 20 years of hard work in the political scene. Their success will inspire other opposition parties to strive harder and preserve and also clear the myth of the electoral boundaries and that GRC is unbreakable.
For other opposition parties who lost in the constituencies, they have gain the pride of their parties and have made great achievement through their coalition effect in GE 2011 as follows:
(1) You have made LHL admit mistakes made and apologize to the public for accountability.
(2) You have made PAP put 2 Ministers in some constituencies to defend against the opposition although some are new parties.
(3) You have engaged all Singapore in national building and push a big swing of the votes to the opposition parties. It is consider a victory and big step for the opposition parties.
(4) You have shape the future of Singapore political system
Although a few opposition parties came out with plan for their constituency, but voters could not make a decision on the Polling day because they did not gain the confidence of the neutral voters due to last minute effort. The plan is important as it will definitely help your party to win in the election. To gain acceptance and voters’ confidence, opposition parties must work double hard on the ground to gain recognition from the voters.
The 9 days rallies campaigning have been very engaging for all Singaporeans. But most of the opposition parties spent most of their time debating on the current govt policies in the 9 days campaign. Perhaps they should allocate the last day of the rally to give the voters an outline of their plan and how their parties can improve the lives of the voters in the constituency if being elected. Voters will able to have a better idea and make the right decision on who can serve them better.
The loss in the GE will not stop the passion of the candidates serving the nation, they should engage actively in community services to have better communication between the candidate and their voters in their respective constituencies.
Meet the People Sessions by Opposition Parties
(1) Conduct meet the people sessions regularly in your constituencies’ HDB void decks for those residents who need help (voluntary basis for candidates who intend to contest in the same constituency in the next election). For those voters who do not want to see the PAP MP or they find their assistance is not helpful, they can look for the help from the opposition parties.
(2) With the assistance given to the residents in the meet the people sessions, it will help to create free publicity through word of mouth and will get credibility and build up the reputation for the party.
(3) Through the meet the people session, the opposition parties can find the needs of the residents to formulate the plan on improving the life in the constituencies.
(4) The party will gain acceptance of the voters to support the party. This pool of supporters will be added in the existing supporters (votes gain in GE2011) and will help to increase the percentage of votes in the next GE even if the electoral boundaries are redrawn.
The end of GE2011 also signifies the start of the preparation for GE2016 and the fighting spirit should not stop and determination should not waver by the loss in this GE. It is time to re sharpen your election strategy for the comeback. All opposition parties should start work now and we expect more opposition parties having more wins in the GE2016.
The Prime Minister has said sombrely on TV, right after the elections, which I now recall to contain the gist: that members of the Ruling Party should be more humble towards the public. That to me is put things mildly. Not only are members of the Ruling PAP Party arrogant, their friends and supporters in the private sector are able to commandeer State Institutions to do their bidding.For example Elite Law Firms call up the ISD to soften their targets so that these hapless people may give up attempting to obtain justice at the Courts. The AG prevents the progress of certain actions which will reveal unsavory behaviour of certain people.. Some Judges take the side of the Elite and powerful with alacrity. The common citizenry is thus pressed to the wall. it is as if the Government extends to include these elite lawyers who can harness the State Resources they need for competitive advantage and win their cases.
I am well aware that to talk bad about the Police, Courts and especially judges is anathema to the Ruling Party. So many people have been destroyed because they dare to talk bad about judges and the legal system in Singapore.. I am not a fearless fool to stretch my neck out for the chopping block, but I reckon from the PM’s speech that he meant it: be humble and serve the people. It is no way to serve the citizenry when the Government and its elite cloud of connected folks present a monolithic structure to crush everyone in its path without heed of any notion of fair play.
I happen to mention Law firms because they are the foremost mediators of societal issues and because of my own experience.
I hope that an investigation be made by the PM to find out how rampant is the evil symbiotic relationship between the Elite and State institutions.. We the citizenry will not appreciate it much if the Ruling Party members become merely humble in demeanour but will crush any citizen illegally whenever such a one has the bad luck to cross an elite or his client in a conflict.
The Arab uprisings may be due to the arrogant disdain their rulers and the monolithic elitist ruling class regard their own people, more than the abject poverty and hopelessness that is their lot.
We hope too that the new opposition in Aljunied will remind the Ruling Party time and again to be humble, nay more than that, to curb the Elites’ foul play over State Institutions so that there is fair play.
If WP can recruit talented people from other opposition parties or elsewhere, WP will have more A-teams to deploy in next GE. Got a feeling the WP effect will start in the east…
Fortune favored the brave. Adversity strengthens the will to succeed. With baited breath, a new reality unfolds. Shall it be a metamorphosis or a cancerous growth for this fledgling democracy? Judgement looms…
This election basically mean that Singaporean are at best suffering by their own and need to be heard and policies of PAP changed to be pro-singaporean. What’s the point of having achieving a good GDP but bottom of the 10% are earning less than $1500 or even lesser. Some are sleeping in tentage simply because HDB does not want to rent the room to them but ironically renting it out to foreigner who can pay higher rent. What’s the point!!! Why the government has to do this to its people when we are called Singaporean. We have lost the respect of the PAP so to speak. I can imagine next time Singaporean working for a foreign boss who only knows how to scold us like bad egg, useless, why so slow … We are here to make a living for our children ya. Why is standard of living so high till some of us can only afford to eat maggie mee for their 3 meals. I hope the PAP can do something before GE2016 will be another bloodshed election.
Thank you residents of Aljunied. As for the rest of Singaporeans, who voted for the PAP, 60% is a incredible landslide victory by any standards (81 against 6), a big thank you for giving us 5 more years of PAP. A word of caution, in 2011, you had a choice, by 2016, with the influx of New Citizens, the choice is no longer yours!
I am not in total agreement of the conclusion – or at least the part that says that there should be some kind of consolidation of opposition.
This thought process is too simplistic – might be good for short term but will have long term negative consequences.
When someone joins a party , he joins something that has ideologies that he agrees to . From the ideology comes the manifesto and then the details of execution on the ground. Grouping people for quick ground results without any agreement on basic ideology will lead to problems.
It is better for a slow progression – rather than a fast progression – with an even faster collapse. RP might be a hastily gathered group – and then there were resignations …..
As a credible person/party to represent a knowledgable community – the person must have a philosophy , ideology , in a group with basically same ideology – then manifesto that reflects the ideology of the group – and then the execution !!!!!
This is my opinion
Very helpful, detailed and informative.
the avatars are COOL!!!
I will agree with hsue
:)