Article: Why the PAP’s supremacy crushed opposition hopes in Singapore

[Chase]

Why the PAP’s supremacy crushed opposition hopes in Singapore​

The 2025 general election, framed by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as a referendum on Singapore’s survival in an era of “maximal danger,” saw the ruling party secure 87 of 97 parliamentary seats and 65.57% of the popular vote—a 4.33-point surge from its 2020 performance.

Amid Donald Trump’s escalating “Liberation Day” tariffs and China’s retaliatory trade manoeuvres, the PAP weaponised uncertainty. Voters, already skittish over rising living costs, were warned that even a single opposition gain could destabilise a nation where trade volumes triple its GDP.

Full Article:
https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/why-the-paps-supremacy-crushed-opposition-hopes-in-singapore

 

[Chase]

The PAP’s victory was not merely numerical but psychological. In constituencies like Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, where the party secured a historic 79.29% against the fringe Red Dot United. As Donald Low of HKUST observed, the campaign’s “conservative” tenor—urging citizens to “stick with the devil you know”—proved more compelling than promises of reform. In Sembawang GRC, where the PAP trounced the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) by 31 points, retirees and young professionals alike cited “safety” as their ballot motivator.

The Workers’ Party, once hailed as a credible counterweight, failed to expand beyond its 10-seat stronghold despite fielding 26 candidates. In Jalan Kayu, a reconfigured constituency demographically favourable to the opposition, the WP lost by 1.47 points. In Punggol GRC, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong’s PAP squad repelled WP challengers by 10 points—a margin underscoring the opposition’s inability to penetrate middle-class enclaves.

Full Article:
https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/why-the-paps-supremacy-crushed-opposition-hopes-in-singapore

 

[Chase]

WP chief Pritam Singh’s post-election press conference betrayed a party in stasis. “Politics is a long road,” he intoned, flanked by stalwarts like Sylvia Lim.

While the party retained strongholds like Aljunied GRC with 53.71%, its national vote share stagnated at 50.04% in contested seats—a far cry from its 2015 zenith. Analysts argue the WP’s decline stems from strategic myopia. By prioritising seat retention over policy innovation, it ceded the ideological battlefield to a PAP narrative equating dissent with danger.

The collapse of smaller parties, however, laid bare Singapore’s opposition crisis. The PSP, led by octogenarian defector Tan Cheng Bock, disintegrated following a 39% loss in West Coast-Jurong West—a constituency it nearly clinched in 2020. Similarly, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), despite fielding respected academic Paul Tambyah, saw its Bukit Panjang vote share plummet 8 points.

For micro-parties like the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and People’s Power Party (PPP), the election was a financial bloodbath. Sixteen candidates across these groups forfeited election deposits after scoring under 12.5%, costing their parties S$135,000 collectively. Such outcomes, political scientist Walid Jumblatt Abdullah argues, reflect an electorate increasingly “allergic to dilettantism.” Voters now demand opposition candidates mirror PAP calibre—a bar few can meet.

Full Article:
https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/why-the-paps-supremacy-crushed-opposition-hopes-in-singapore

 

[Chase]

Singapore’s political future now hinges on opposition adaptability. The WP, while bruised, remains the sole viable counterbalance. Its 50.04% vote share in contested seats—consistent since 2020—indicates residual brand equity. Yet to survive, it must transcend its municipal focus.

For smaller parties, extinction looms. The PSP’s post-election implosion—Tan Cheng Bock exited headquarters without addressing media—signals the end of personality-driven politics. Emerging groups must court professionals and youth activists, not retired PAP cadres.

The 2025 election solidified Singapore’s political singularity. The PAP, leveraging crisis rhetoric and institutional might, has rendered multiparty democracy a theoretical construct. Opposition parties, trapped between voter expectations and state constraints, face obsolescence.

Full Article:
https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/why-the-paps-supremacy-crushed-opposition-hopes-in-singapore

 

[red amoeba]

An news agency based in HK teaching us about democracy? What a joke.