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Doc urges PAP to have more single seats to “cut loss” in the next general election

iamtalkinglah

Alfrescian
Loyal
A concerned voter by the name of Dr Jason Wong has written a letter to the Straits Times Forum urging the ruling party PAP to increase the number of single seats in the next general election to minimize its expected “losses.”

He proposed the PAP increase the number of single seats to at least half the total number of parliamentary seats.

Dr Wong predicted that based on “ground and online sentiments”, the opposition stands a good chance of winning one or two GRCs in the next election which will mean losing 10 seats in one go. However, if they are redrawn as single seats, the PAP may still keep more than half of them.

He also felt that it is important that fresh PAP candidates prove their worth by winning a seat on their own merit instead of “piggybacking” on party heavy weights through the GRC format which has arose widespread unhappiness among Singaporeans.

The GRC scheme was introduced in 1988 ostensibly on the grounds of ensuring minority representation in parliament though many minority candidates were able to win elections in a one-to-one fight in the past including the late opposition leader J.B. Jeyaretnam who won two consecutive elections against Chinese opponents in the Chinese-dominated ward of Anson which has since been absorbed into Tanjong Pagar GRC.

The opposition has never managed to win a GRC since its inception. The closest they came to was in the 1988 elections when the Workers’ Party team of Francis Seow, Dr Lee Siew Choh and Mohamad Yakcob won 49.1 per cent of the valid votes in Eunos GRC.

Two elections later, Eunos GRC was dissolved and absorbed into neighboring GRCs.

As the Electoral Boundaries Commission in charge of drawing the electoral boundaries is under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Office, this led to rampant gerrymandering to the advantage of the PAP.

Changes to the electoral boundaries are often announced on the eve of general election to throw the opposition off guard. For example, Mr Sin Kek Tong won 47.1 per cent of the votes in the single seat of Braddell Hill in the 1991 general election under the banner of the Singapore Democratic Party. He worked the ground there tirelessly for 6 years only to discover that the constituency is absorbed into Marine Parade GRC on the eve of the 1997 election.

The boundaries are also redrawn to dilute strong pockets of support for the opposition to reduce its chance of a victory. In 1997, Cheng San GRC was won narrowly by the PAP by only 54 per cent of the votes. In the 2001 election, it was broken up and absorbed into Ang Mo Kio and Aljunied GRCs.

With widespread discontent, frustration and anger against the PAP from both young and old Singaporeans alike, it is probable that the opposition will be able to win a GRC if they field a strong team in it.

Opposition veteran Chiam See Tong has already indicated his desire to lead a team to contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC which has not seen an election since 1988.

The twin issues of immigration and housing will be foremost on the minds of Singapore voters. The opposition should focus on them and offer viable alternatives to win voters over.

Public sentiment today is radically different from that four years ago before the 2006 election. Then, a sizable number of Singaporeans are still quite contented with PAP rule and the new media is in its infancy.

Now, Singaporeans are becoming more politically aware, educated and astute and they are clamoring for genuine changes in the system and with the new media growing in readership to counter the state propaganda, the opposition will stand a good chance of winning a few more single seats and at least one GRC if they get their electoral strategy right.

Source: Temasek Review la!
 

singveld

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Re: Doc urges PAP to have more single seats to “cut loss” in the next general electio

PAP is so kaisu. they always cheat in election. as singapore is insignificant to US lawmakers. they can escape without any problem. lucky for them.
 
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