Election fever

Well, not quite.

I'd thought colourful debates and flag-lined streets were common fare in democratic elections, having witnessed the politicking in my Penang hometown, and the US presidential races for the past decade. As such, I found Singapore's General Elections this year - from the nominations through voting day - a rather tame, orderly and civilized affair, much like most key operations here in Singapore. The Singapore Elections Department site has the official details.

The final verdict: The incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) won 82 out of the 84 parliamentary seats though just 66.6% of the popular vote - a typical phenomenon in most winner-take-all voting systems. The Workers Party (WP) and the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) retained one seat each. The PAP won a 75.3% majority in the 2001 election, and have not faced much of a challenge since their 46.5% return in the first General Election in 1963.

Apart from common election year tactics such as the shifting of electoral boundaries, tax cuts and rebates, as in the recent Progress Packages and promises of public housing (HDB) upgrades in opposition strongholds, several things stood out for me:

1. For here to stay? The PAP has dominated in Singapore since the then opposition, Barisan Socialis, boycotted parliament in the 1960s. Although there's been at least one opposition member of parliament since 1981, a few strong candidates introduced this year and an improved showing in the popular vote, there still isn't much of an "opposition" to speak of. The parties and their impassioned leaders struggle with poor reputations, aggravated by the ubiquitous government-led lawsuits and negative press reports against them.
   
   
2. GRC games. Singapore's Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system was designed to ensure minority participation in politics (i.e. the Malays, Indians and Eurasians here). In addition, to contest in a GRC, parties need to submit a team with the same number of candidates as there are available seats or constituencies in that group. Since only one vote is cast per team, frequent GRC changes and additions are perceived as further PAP attempts to thwart the opposition. In addition, residents of the many walkover (uncontested) seats do not vote at all, be it to exercise their rights or to "legitimize" the shoe-in winner.
   
   
3. There's a lot more talk ... Election-related blogs and podcasts survived despite the release of a podcast-free "positive list," certain blogging restrictions and other Election Advertising Legislation. If these alternative media forums are allowed to thrive - within reason - this could be a step towards improving Singapore's #140 ranking in the 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index. Some interesting reads include Singapore Politics, Singapore Election Watch, Singabloodypore and Think Centre.
   
   
   
4. ... But the votes still lag. The conservative public still believes in the PAP's stewardship of economic stability and prosperity in Singapore. Furthermore, little differentiation exists across the People's Action Party, Workers Party, Singapore Democratic Alliance and Singapore Democratic Party mandates. Web traffic, polls or even event attendance are less an indicator of votes, and more a show of interest, solidarity or support, as is evident by the crowd of curious non-voters (residents in walkover constituencies and expats, including myself!) at the Workers Party rally in Serangoon Stadium on Friday.