TR EMERITUS

Let's put things in perspective. 12,367 votes (0.5% of the PAP's popular vote) in all the marginal constituencies where the PAP scored around 55% or less (West Coast GRC, East Coast GRC, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Batok, Marymount) - and we might have woken up to headlines that Singaporeans elected 23 MPs from parties other than the PAP. Or nearly a quarter of Parliament. That's how close this election was - in a way that even 2011 and arguably even 1991 wasn't. To understand this, pay very close attention to the marginal seats (>45%, rounded to 1 decimal place) and count what would happen if all marginal seats flipped. 1968: 0 elected, 0 marginal (highest % = 18.1%, Kampong Ubi) 1972: 0 elected, 0 marginal (highest % = 41.9%, Punggol) 1976: 0 elected, 0 marginal (highest % = 40.1%, Kampong Chai Chee) 1980: 0 elected, 1 marginal = 1 / 75 total (1.33%) Elected: none Marginal seats: - #1: Telok Blangah = 47.0% 1984: 2 elected, 4 marginal = 6 / 79 total (7.59%) Elected: Potong Pasir = 60.3%, Anson = 56.8% Marginal seats: - #1: Jalan Kayu = 48.8% - #2: Kaki Bukit = 47.8% - #3: Radin Mas = 46.0% - #4: Telok Blangah = 45.0% 1988: 1 elected, 8 marginal = 9 / 81 total (11.11%) Elected: Potong Pasir = 63.1% Marginal seats: - #1: Eunos GRC (x3) = 49.1% - #2: Paya Lebar = 47.6% - #3: Bukit Gombak = 46.5% - #4: Bedok GRC (x3) = 45.1% 1991: 4 elected, 8 marginal = 12 / 81 total (14.81%) Elected: Potong Pasir = 69.6%, Hougang = 52.8%, Bukit Gombak = 51.4%, Nee Soon Central = 50.3% Marginal seats: - #1: Bukit Batok = 48.2% - #2: Braddell Heights = 47.7% - #3: Eunos GRC (x4) = 47.6% - #4: Nee Soon South = 47.2% - #5: Changi = 47.0% 1997: 2 elected, 5 marginal = 7 / 83 total (8.43%) Elected: Hougang = 58.0%, Potong Pasir = 55.2% Marginal seats: - #1: Cheng San GRC (x5) = 45.2% 2001: 2 elected, 0 marginal = 2 / 84 total (2.38%) Elected: Hougang = 55.0%, Potong Pasir = 52.4% Marginal seats: none (highest % = 34.7%, Choa Chu Kang) 2006: 2 elected, 0 marginal = 2 / 84 total (2.38%) Elected: Hougang = 62.7%, Potong Pasir = 55.8% Marginal seats: none (highest % = 43.9%, Aljunied GRC) 2011: 6 elected, 7 marginal = 13 / 87 total (14.94%) Elected: Hougang = 64.8%, Aljunied GRC (x5) = 54.7% Marginal seats: - #1: Potong Pasir = 49.6% - #2: Joo Chiat = 49.0% - #3: East Coast GRC (x5) = 45.2% 2015: 6 elected, 1 marginal = 7 / 89 total (7.87%) Elected: Hougang = 57.7%, Aljunied GRC (x5) = 51.0% Marginal seats: - #1: Punggol East = 48.2% 2020: 10 elected, 13 marginal = 23 / 93 total (24.73%) Elected: Hougang = 61.2%, Aljunied GRC (x5) = 59.9%, Sengkang GRC (x4) = 52.1% Marginal seats: - #1: West Coast GRC (x5) = 48.3% - #2: East Coast GRC (x5) = 46.6% - #3: Bukit Panjang = 46.3% - #4: Bukit Batok = 45.2% - #5: Marymount = 45.0% The numbers alone tell two important stories. Firstly: 2020 is exceptional in a way that even 2011 wasn't. In 2011, non-PAP parties scored above 40% in a total of 39 seats - out of these 39 seats, 13 (or 33.33%) of them (including wins) scored above 45%. In 2020, non-PAP parties scored above 40% in a total of 32 seats - out of these 32 seats, 23 (or 71.88%) of them (including wins) scored above 45%. The number of >40% seats may have dipped (from 44.83% to 34.41%), but the number of >45% seats skyrocketed (from 14.94% to 24.73%). If 2011 was an election that saw much generalized disaffection towards the ruling party, 2020 saw more affection towards alternative parties. Secondly: if you're familiar with Singaporean geography, you will notice that many of the seats that have become opposition strongholds (thank you Hougang and Aljunied!), newly-won seats (thank you Sengkang!), or marginal seats have a long genealogy tracing back to historically strong opposition performance in the same areas. Former marginal seats have since become present-day WP constituencies or marginal seats in their own right once again. In the greater scheme of things, therefore, 2020 was the closest that we have come to a viable opposition presence. If there is any year the opposition parties (or at the very least the stronger ones amongst them) have been at their all-time strongest - and not merely because the PAP is at its all-time lowest - it is now. Yet, more so than ever, 2020 is the epitome of "so close, yet so far". And here's why. 2020 was the first general election since Singapore became independent that the opposition parties collectively have come the closest to scoring >45% in a full quarter of seats contested. Well - almost. The figure is at 24.73% - the highest since independence. Let's also remember that in the 1963 elections - the last time Singapore's legislature had double-digit numbers of opposition parliamentarians - Barisan Sosialis won 13 seats and the lone Ong Eng Guan won 1. Together, the 14 of them made up 27.45% of the then-51-seat Legislative Assembly. And even that fell short of the 33.33% required to deny the PAP of their supermajority. So on the one hand, we're closer than ever to having a viable alternative. And this is a heartening development. On the other hand, to borrow a lyric: "look where we are, we've come so far, there's still a long, long way to go". The good news is that if history is anything to go by, decades of groundwork in building up a robust foundation for viable political alternatives - not just in the form of parties - will at some point bear fruit. Even if in a different shape from before. So what do we do? We carry on. We carry on lifting each other up and making space for more voices, especially those on the margins. We carry on, in our own ways, and find ways to put into practice alternatives. We organize. We bring people together. We practice solidarity. Because these efforts do in fact matter, and they will bear fruit. Even if they repeatedly come so close, yet so far, to doing so.   Carissa Chow   * The author blogs on Facebook.      Read More →

Here are my views about GE2020. 1. The popular vote for the People Action Party dropped from 69.6% to 61.2%. It is a large drop of 8.4%. The PAP is not popular. 2. I am surprised about the strengh of the Worker Party. They managed to hold Hougang and Aljunied with bigger margin and to win Sengkang GRC. They clearly have the strong support of their residents. The action taken by the govt against Aljunied Town Council did not dent the support of the residents. 3. It is disappointing that the Progress Singapore Party did not win any seat. Their team in West Coast almost made it. They lost by a small margin. Their candidates in several constituencies managed to attract a high vote share of arund 40%. 4. It is also disappointing that the Singapore Democratic Party did not win any seat. Their leaders, Chee Soon Juan and Paul Thambyah, contested in single member consituencies and managed to win over 40% of the votes, but that was not enough. The GRC teams fared rather poorly. 5. People's Voice also fared quite poorly. This was a surprise to me, as their social media presence was of a high standard. 6. The Singapore People Party fared badly. They lost their base in Potong Pasir and did poorly in Bishan. There appears to be no future for the smaller parties. It seems that only the PAP, WP, PSP and maybe the SDP have a future. The SDP has tried for many years and does not make any headway. I wonder if they will still persevere? The PSP did fairly well, but the result was disappointing. I wonder if they can continue without Dr. Tan Cheng Bock? The future for Singapore is bleak. The PAP is not able to rally the people to meet the challenges of the future. The other parties cannot do much either. Do you agree?   Tan Kin Lian      Read More →

In order to consider of one winning the elections a Political Party must win the broad spectrum of the populations, especially the educated and those well informed of the policies of the Government that effect the lives of of the local communities. Let me explain my arguments. I live in Macpherson where the majority of the populations are the seniors and majority are having of low educations, they dont really read the medias, they are more interested in horse racing, 4ds and totos. For seniors they prefer the Government's handout, the seniors were reduced to the PAP dog pets, brainless obedience pets. Thus even a clown like TPL get voted in. It is a common knowledge that even LKY disapproval of TPL. The uneducated, the ignorant populations that voted the PAP! So dont get excited Mr Prime Minister. I will consider you won if you get the support of the educated and the young populations, in this case you were not . No wonder we have so many clowns in the parliament. We have leaders who are more interested in controlling the populations instead of finding ways of mean to improve the lives of the citizens. Look at Senkang , a new estate with young and educated populations, they chose the alternative party and the PAP lost. Thus we can see when come to the young and educated, they lost. The young are our future generations, they are the one that going to shape the survival of Singapore. It is a fact that many youngsters are loosing good jobs to the foreigners . PAP depend on youngsters for their survival, but it seemed gloom for the ruling party. Face the fact seniors are only temporary supports and many are going to die and you will loose a lot of supports. Thus we can see the latest figures of the 2020 elections, they won with reduced majorities! By these can we consider PAP won the elections ?. For me it is a big "NAY" !   Aziz Kassim      Read More →