With Singapore facing a global energy crisis due to the conflict in the Middle East, the “storm clouds” that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned of at an election rally last year now appear to be an understatement.
Under the scorching midday sun at a lunchtime speech in the heart of the city, Singapore’s leader last April urged voters to re-elect his tested People’s Action Party (PAP), arguing that voting for the opposition would weaken his team’s ability to navigate coming headwinds.
On top of surging oil and gas prices wrought by the ongoing Iran war, fears of an artificial intelligence revolution replacing jobs continue to weigh heavily on citizens and policymakers.
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“Wong has his work cut out for him given that he has to unequivocally demonstrate that he and his team are more than equal to the task of navigating Singapore through treacherous geopolitical waters,” said Eugene Tan, a political observer and associate professor of law at Singapore Management University.
“For sure, the current polycrisis is a double-edged sword for the PAP government.”
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Singapore imports 95 per cent of its energy, with its status as a transport and business hub dependent on ensuring reliable and resilient energy supply. Authorities had to mitigate the inevitable increase in costs of living, an issue likely to last for the government’s entire term, Tan stressed.
Last May, Singapore’s electorate answered Wong’s call at the ballot, as he led the PAP to a resounding 65.57 per cent vote share, winning 87 out of the 97 seats on offer, while main rival the Workers’ Party (WP) held on to its 10 elected seats.