The Workers’ Party, the biggest opposition group, was founded to represent members of trade unions-which the government still tightly control-and broadened its appeal by presenting itself as a counterweight to the ruling party.
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“We’ve been accused of lack of ambition”, said Lim at a press conference.
“I was professional as a civil servant and I would say that the civil service’s ethos of professionalism and neutrality remains to this day”.
The PAP has long enjoyed widespread support and political legitimacy, especially among older Singaporeans who have seen the country swiftly develop into a first-world economy. This will be the first time in the country’s history where all seats will even be contested, and no one expects any result other than another win for Lee. The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, which draws constituency boundaries before each election, is convened by the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and headed by his secretary.
“Many think the PAP has lost touch with the sentiment of the people”. An election wasn’t required until January 2017.
Since the first day of campaigning, there has been a diversity of views on all sorts of issues ranging from health care to education to the rising cost of living – not just from the political parties but from the people as well. It was formed in August previous year with 10 members, including some who broke away from other parties. “And the PAP will use all available tools to foster a connection between voting PAP and being patriotic”, Siegfried Herzog, head of the regional office of the German foundation Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung in Bangkok, told DW.
The PAP’s slate does not depart much from its usual high standards though there is noticeably more from the private sector this time round. Goh later became prime minister. He noted that while the opposition had skillfully used it to its advantage, the PAP had been more concerned with containing its influence, attempting to silence bloggers and shut down opposition websites.
“The candidate standing there is standing on behalf of the PAP”.
Candidate for Hougang SMC, Mr Png Eng Huat, also highlighted how the Ministry of National development has withheld government grants to the WP town council, even though its accounts have been submitted. Indonesia has had five presidents since former dictator Suharto resigned in 1998 amid street protests. This was just one of many rallies in a week of frenzied campaigning leading up to elections. The organisers were so distraught they wrote a card apologizing to Show Mao.
“The Workers Party believes that it is important for the next start of Singapore to be a Singapore of balanced representation”.
“The loss of a second GRC, despite the SG50 jubilee celebrations and the emotions of LKY’s passing, can only be treated as a major rebuff for the PAP”, said observer Cherian George of Hong Kong Baptist University in a blog post.
The people’s trust in the government – another value Lee stood for – has also declined under the current PAP leadership, he said. “Vote for the party that has never let you down”, Lee was quoted as saying in The Straits Times. Since then, the government has moved to shore up support, restricting immigration and raising spending on lower-income families and the elderly.
Twenty-one Indian-origin Singaporeans are among 181 candidates who have filed their nominations to contest the snap general elections next week in which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s ruling party’s 50 years of political dominance will be tested by voters.
Low took over the party’s helm after Jeyaretnam was declared bankrupt in 2001 for failing to keep up with payments for libel damages. He was discharged from bankruptcy in 2007 and died the following year.
Noting that this was his seventh election in 33 years, Low recalled that he had joined the Workers’ Party after his alma mater Nanyang University was shut down in 1980, out of a sense of injustice and helplessness.
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But the opposition is catching up as more young people throw their lot with them. Three districts are set for three-cornered battles, including two where independent candidates are running.
