In Singapore, whenever an election looms, talk is never about whether the ruling party will lose power. Rather, attention centres on how much or little support the opposition can prise from the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) firm grasp to advance its chances.
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With the new electoral boundaries published this week ahead of what pundits have predicted will be a May election, all sides are deciding whom to field where. But for the opposition parties, it is a more fraught task as constituencies they had long been eyeing and tilling for votes have been redrawn, and they lack the formidable party machinery of the PAP to redirect resources in double quick time.
After 66 years in power, the PAP is one of the longest-ruling parties among modern parliamentary democracies. If it wins the coming 14th general election, it is on track to become the longest governing party in history. Only Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party, which led the country for 71 years, lasted longer.
The PAP’s threshold of never winning less than 60 per cent of the popular vote would be the envy of any other political party. But in Singapore, a strong mandate has long been framed as critical for long-term planning and policy implementation.
Even Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has acknowledged that there is a greater desire for opposition voices in the city state, however.
“For now, most Singaporeans want the PAP to form the government. And we are grateful for their support and for the mandate they have given us,” he told members at the party’s 70th anniversary celebrations in November.
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