Singapore’s parliament was dissolved yesterday, clearing the way for a snap election as Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) seeks a new mandate from voters worried over immigration and the high cost of living in a slowing economy.
The People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled Singapore for more than 50 years with a mix of strict political controls and rapid economic progress, is widely expected to keep its overwhelming majority in the 89-seat parliament because of a fragmented opposition.
However, the party will be under pressure to improve on its worst electoral performance in 2011, when it won 60 percent of votes — its lowest-ever share — despite retaining 80 seats in a block-voting system.
It is set to be the first election without the prime minister’s hugely influential father, former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), who died in March.
The election department set the shortest possible campaigning period of nine days after Singaporean President Tony Tan (陳慶炎) dissolved parliament at the prime minister’s request.
Lee Hsien Loong, who has been in power for 11 years and had until January 2017 to hold an election, sought support in a Facebook post.
“I called this general election to seek your mandate to take Singapore beyond SG50, into its next half century,” he said, referring to the 50th anniversary of independence from Malaysia.
Singapore celebrated 50 years of independence on Aug. 9 with a massive parade which highlighted its rapid economic development and stability under PAP rule.
Lee Hsien Loong had earlier sought support in a televised address on Sunday.
All eyes are set to be on whether the opposition can gain more than the seven seats it now holds.
A survey by local research firm Blackbox said the government enjoyed a “satisfaction index” of 76.4 percent last month after peaking at 80 percent in April following Lee Kuan Yew’s death, which had triggered an outpouring of national grief and patriotism.
However, its satisfaction rating on the cost of living last month stood at just 42 percent, housing affordability at 53 percent, public transport at 57 percent and population management at 61 percent.
An influx of foreign workers and immigrants has seen the population surge from 4.17 million in 2004 to 5.47 million last year.
The influx remains a source of tension, with middle-class Singaporeans complaining that the newcomers are competing with them for jobs and housing and straining public services like mass transport.
“I would say this would be the watershed general election after independence, because we will see whether Singapore moves in a definitive manner towards a two-party-system,” said analyst Eugene Tan (陳慶文), an associate law professor at the Singapore Management University. “The last four years has seen the PAP government pulling out all stops to deal with the hot-button issues that featured in the last election.”
“If despite this massive effort, voters seem to be throwing more support to the opposition, then it could suggest voters, as much as they want a strong government, also appreciate the value of a healthy and credible opposition,” he added.
Popular opposition to high levels of immigration and the rising cost of living was blamed for the PAP’s weakened showing at the last election, when the Workers’ Party won a five-seat constituency.
It later extended its gains with two by-election wins.
The government subsequently invested billions of dollars in building public housing flats and metro lines while curbing the intake of foreign workers and immigrants.
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