Maybe I can enlighten you here. Nicholas Chia reports to Rome and is appointed by Rome. Not by the PAP or by any ministry. Hence, he is answerable to Rome and Rome only. The only way he can be "Mr. Nicholas Chia" tomorrow is for the church to excommunicate him from Rome. If the Pope decides to replace him, he will go back to his prior post of Monsignor with that title. I cannot speak for why other religious orders do not take on the PAP, the only reason I can think of is they never had Operation Spectrum visited on them. Its not the same for Catholics who went through that period. Most religious orders in SIngapore were founded as a subsidiary branch by their home religion. For example, Anglicans in SIngapore altermately take orders from their head office in the UK. And so forth and so on, even for some buddhist orders. SO, your "no reporting lines outside the country" comment is not true.
Nicholas Chia could have gone the ballot way, but even he did not do that. He could have done many things to make it very clear that the church's position is anti PAP, but he has not done so. Should it be anti govt. on all issues? no. But on the issue of the ISA, yes. he has to plainly state that. The ISA was used to imprison innocent catholics in Spectrum, and that must be made very plain to the catholics. If Chia is very clear on this, catholics by default will know who to vote at the next GE, except those that are judges, minsiters, MIWs, etc.
The tipping point is already here, or very close to here. Look around you. Do u see many happy singaporeans, do you see the lot singaporeans getting better or worse. After you have been retrenched, pinching pennies to make ends meet due to the high cost of living, crowded and sometimes inoperable MRT, FTs stealing your jobs, working like a dog to barely make it, etc. Sinkies can see that other people in the region are having it better than them. The tip is only 10% away.