Singapore votes: PAP seeks strong mandate amid growing opposition

The Star

Voters in Singapore will head to the polls on Saturday (May 3), with issues relating to housing, the cost of living and the impact of US tariffs at the forefront, as the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) seeks a stronger mandate in the face of growing opposition and calls for greater diversity in parliament.   WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00Singapore is heading to the polls this weekend, and the question isn't whether the ruling party

00:07will walk away with a victory. The People's Action Party is heavily favored to win the

00:12general election and has run the country unbroken since 1959, before independence.

00:19Instead, it's a matter of how big of a margin they win by. The party wants to extend its rule,

00:25but it also wants a stronger mandate. That's the test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

00:31This is the first vote since he took over from Li Shenlong as party leader in May last year.

00:36The PAP frequently walks away with results that would be a landslide win in any democracy,

00:41but can be seen differently in the city-state. In 2015, it won by 70% of the popular vote,

00:49but that dropped to 61% in 2020, a signal that things may be changing.

00:56Opposition gains have been widely interpreted as signs of disenchantment with the ruling party's

01:01control and a desire, especially among younger voters, for more diverse politics and stronger

01:06debate. However, some researchers like Gillian Koh believe the party is aware of the risks of stagnation.

01:12Well, I think the PAP is very, very conscious that, you know, having been around for more than six

01:19decades, there's always the threat of becoming complacent and ossification. And that's why even

01:26Lawrence Wong, you know, mentioned that the November 2024 party conference marking the 70th anniversary

01:36of the party's founding that, you know, nobody should take for granted that the PAP will continue

01:45to be government.

01:46The PAP is also being targeted by the opposition over living costs and housing in one of the world's

01:53most expensive cities. The Workers' Party is the largest opposition party led by 49-year-old

01:59lawyer Preetam Singh. It advocates for alternative voices to the PAP and, one day, bringing a third

02:07of the legislature under opposition control. The Workers' Party has proven itself to be a loyal

02:13opposition in parliament. Loyal, not in the PAP, loyal to Singapore and the people of Singapore.

02:27No opposition party can mount a challenge alone, with the Workers' Party, the ruling party's biggest rival,

02:33running in only a quarter of the races. Yet, while it poses no threat to PAP rule, it won six seats in

02:412011 and 2015, and ten in 2020. While a PAP defeat is highly unlikely, if the opposition gains further

02:50seats, some analysts say it could lead to a shift in Singapore and, one day, a plurality of power.

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