Singapore General Election 2020
July 2, 2020 2:27 AM Subscribe
Last week, on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, Singapore's 13th Parliament dissolved.
Viruses, mosquitoes and economic recession notwithstanding, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong declared that the General Election would be held on 10th July, with a 9 day campaigning period. The decision to hold the election during a pandemic was somewhat controversial, but the government insisted that polls could be conducted safely, and a strong mandate from the people was needed for it to continue battling COVID-19. The incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) had a supermajority of 82 out of 89 elected seats in the last Parliament, and is almost certain to hold on to power. Nevertheless, opposition parties are contesting every seat once again, only the second time this has happened in Singapore's history. Due to the pandemic, no large-scale public gatherings are allowed, so the political rallies that have been the mainstay of previous elections will not be held. Instead, GE2020 will effectively be an Internet-only election; all the action will happen online. How this will affect the result, no one knows.
Useful Resources (warning, contains dirty liberal bias):
New Naratif's explainer comic does a great job of summarizing the election process, especially for readers unfamiliar with how elections work in Singapore. (It's also the top link before the fold.)
There's also a lot more stuff at New Naratif's GE2020 subsite.
Rice Media has a bunch of good articles that are both insightful and campy.
Mothership.sg is another non-mainstream news site covering the elections. It's generally considered to be more moderate, and some would accuse them of being too pro-establishment.
Kirsten Han's we, the citizens has lots of interesting content as well.
The real action is all on Facebook, though, which is the dominant public social media platform in Singapore. That, and on private messages spreading through WhatsApp.
Random factoids:
With campaigning activity mostly happening online, one thing on many people's minds is the recently enacted fake news law: the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA). This allows the government to effectively censor anything published online, within hours. So far, it hasn't been very effective at stemming COVID-19-related fake news; the PAP will be closely watched to see if and how the law might be used against opposition politicians during this period.
Adding to the excitement is a new political party, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), started by former veteran PAP MP Tan Cheng Bock. Not only has he recruited a group of fairly credible members, he has also garnered the support of Lee Hsien Loong's younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang, who joined as a member (previous postcard-winning post on the feud between the two brothers).
Many of the PAP's older politicians have also retired, including stalwarts like former PM Goh Chok Tong, saikang man Khaw Boon Wan, and Sis Flower. This leaves the fourth-generation ("4G") leaders in charge. Thus far, they have made a few gaffes. There have been a few hiccups with the fresh faces as well.
Viruses, mosquitoes and economic recession notwithstanding, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong declared that the General Election would be held on 10th July, with a 9 day campaigning period. The decision to hold the election during a pandemic was somewhat controversial, but the government insisted that polls could be conducted safely, and a strong mandate from the people was needed for it to continue battling COVID-19. The incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) had a supermajority of 82 out of 89 elected seats in the last Parliament, and is almost certain to hold on to power. Nevertheless, opposition parties are contesting every seat once again, only the second time this has happened in Singapore's history. Due to the pandemic, no large-scale public gatherings are allowed, so the political rallies that have been the mainstay of previous elections will not be held. Instead, GE2020 will effectively be an Internet-only election; all the action will happen online. How this will affect the result, no one knows.
Useful Resources (warning, contains dirty liberal bias):
New Naratif's explainer comic does a great job of summarizing the election process, especially for readers unfamiliar with how elections work in Singapore. (It's also the top link before the fold.)
There's also a lot more stuff at New Naratif's GE2020 subsite.
Rice Media has a bunch of good articles that are both insightful and campy.
Mothership.sg is another non-mainstream news site covering the elections. It's generally considered to be more moderate, and some would accuse them of being too pro-establishment.
Kirsten Han's we, the citizens has lots of interesting content as well.
The real action is all on Facebook, though, which is the dominant public social media platform in Singapore. That, and on private messages spreading through WhatsApp.
Random factoids:
With campaigning activity mostly happening online, one thing on many people's minds is the recently enacted fake news law: the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA). This allows the government to effectively censor anything published online, within hours. So far, it hasn't been very effective at stemming COVID-19-related fake news; the PAP will be closely watched to see if and how the law might be used against opposition politicians during this period.
Adding to the excitement is a new political party, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), started by former veteran PAP MP Tan Cheng Bock. Not only has he recruited a group of fairly credible members, he has also garnered the support of Lee Hsien Loong's younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang, who joined as a member (previous postcard-winning post on the feud between the two brothers).
Many of the PAP's older politicians have also retired, including stalwarts like former PM Goh Chok Tong, saikang man Khaw Boon Wan, and Sis Flower. This leaves the fourth-generation ("4G") leaders in charge. Thus far, they have made a few gaffes. There have been a few hiccups with the fresh faces as well.
I won't/can't comment politically, but we have had at least six trucks with megaphones driving around my HDB estate today. Interestingly, my oldest daughter is unable to register to vote overseas despite living in a county with a significant number of Singaporeans. This year she can't fly back to vote either.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 4:04 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 4:04 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'm in the hot seat of East Coast GRC where PAP made a possibly last minute decision to field one of their highest profile candidates to combat the insurgent Nicole Seah of the worker's party. Will their gamble pay off? Probably, I think.
I really liked Jamus Lim on the debate. Generally I've been quite impressed by the calibre of many of the WP candidates. Would that Australia had people from such diverse and interesting backgrounds.
I've found it interesting how many young Singaporeans on reddit are quite excited about the election, given the dominance of PAP and the systemic advantages that ensure it will likely stay that way.
posted by smoke at 4:22 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
I really liked Jamus Lim on the debate. Generally I've been quite impressed by the calibre of many of the WP candidates. Would that Australia had people from such diverse and interesting backgrounds.
I've found it interesting how many young Singaporeans on reddit are quite excited about the election, given the dominance of PAP and the systemic advantages that ensure it will likely stay that way.
posted by smoke at 4:22 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Thank you for this very interesting post.
As a non-Singaporean, can I ask what Voting/Election Day is like as a voter? Like, what do polling places look like? How far do people live from polling places? What does a ballot look like? Is voting electronic, or do you use paper ballots?
posted by mdonley at 4:53 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
As a non-Singaporean, can I ask what Voting/Election Day is like as a voter? Like, what do polling places look like? How far do people live from polling places? What does a ballot look like? Is voting electronic, or do you use paper ballots?
posted by mdonley at 4:53 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Everything I know about know about Singapore I have learned from Singaporean Plant Collectors/Growers on Facebook. As a result I have learned about 4 different Asian languages worth of slang at the plant lobang lah. It's kind of weird and interesting to backdoor your way into a very different culture via a specialized hobby resulting in connections to actual people rather than via media filters. I even got to see the daily experience of a Singaporean plant collector caught travelling when the lockdowns happened who spent time in multiple quarantines in Germany and China which was fascinating and horrifying (two weeks of KFC and Pizza Hut in quarantine isolation in China!). The election politics haven't seemed very partisan or rancorous but there has been a near constant amount of low level gentle mockery.
posted by srboisvert at 5:12 AM on July 2, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 5:12 AM on July 2, 2020 [6 favorites]
Polling Day is a public holiday. The polling stations are usually pretty nearby, maybe at most a 10 minute walk for most people? We're a very small and dense country. They've added extra stations this year because of the coronavirus, to avoid crowding. We use paper ballots, I can't really recall what they look like anymore.
A "uniquely Singaporean" invention is Cooling-off Day, the day before the polls. No campaigning is allowed, and the citizens are supposed to spend the day quietly reflecting on who they will vote for. The main issue people have with this is that the mainstream media could publish articles that effectively support the PAP, but under the guise of the government.
posted by destrius at 5:29 AM on July 2, 2020 [13 favorites]
A "uniquely Singaporean" invention is Cooling-off Day, the day before the polls. No campaigning is allowed, and the citizens are supposed to spend the day quietly reflecting on who they will vote for. The main issue people have with this is that the mainstream media could publish articles that effectively support the PAP, but under the guise of the government.
posted by destrius at 5:29 AM on July 2, 2020 [13 favorites]
There's also plenty of alternative political discussion going on in the Hardware Zone forums. It helps if you understand Singlish. (Warning: some threads may be NSFW.)
posted by Cardinal Fang at 5:33 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Cardinal Fang at 5:33 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh right, and the r/singapore subreddit too. But the politicians mostly stick to Facebook.
Warning for HardwareZone: I don't frequent it much anymore but last I remember it was a bit of a mess of techbros, edgelords and incels.
posted by destrius at 5:50 AM on July 2, 2020
Warning for HardwareZone: I don't frequent it much anymore but last I remember it was a bit of a mess of techbros, edgelords and incels.
posted by destrius at 5:50 AM on July 2, 2020
A NINE DAY campaign period? I know Singapore is a city-state, so there's not a lot of geography to cover, but nine days hardly gives folks a chance to get to know their candidates and an opportunity for lively debate from them, explaining and defending their positions.
In Canada, we typically have a month and the American system seemingly has an endless political cycle that merely makes binding decisions every four (two for non-presidential elections?) years.
posted by Phreesh at 7:49 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
In Canada, we typically have a month and the American system seemingly has an endless political cycle that merely makes binding decisions every four (two for non-presidential elections?) years.
posted by Phreesh at 7:49 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yup, just nine days, and the incumbent gets to decide when the elections will be held, which makes life really difficult for the opposition parties. I think they've more or less figured out how to make do though.
There are barely any debates; we only just had our first ever televised live debate between a bunch of candidates yesterday, probably finally introduced because of the rally ban. Most of the time people just attend the rallies, usually the opposition ones, for a chance to see some person stand on stage and scream about how much the government sucks. So... not a very evolved political environment, unfortunately. But its been getting a lot better the past few years, mostly due to increased political awareness brought about by the internet. Oh, and also keep in mind that this is only the 2nd election where everybody gets to vote. Consider that in 2001, so few seats were contested that the PAP returned to power on Nomination Day.
For most people, the main calculus they do is decide whether they're going to vote for the PAP, or for the opposition, whoever that may be. The average Singaporean doesn't really distinguish between the various opposition parties that much; to the extent that political views tend to be expressed as either pro- or anti-PAP. In addition, many of the opposition parties are offshoots of one another (due to clashing personalities), and for whatever reason they are almost all to the left of the PAP (which is centre-right), so their positions tend to be kind of similar. So for most people, the decision probably would have been considered long before the actual campaign period begins.
Anyway, I get the general impression that the PAP tends to see politics are more of a hassle, something they just want to get out of their way so they can continue with governing.
posted by destrius at 8:06 AM on July 2, 2020 [4 favorites]
There are barely any debates; we only just had our first ever televised live debate between a bunch of candidates yesterday, probably finally introduced because of the rally ban. Most of the time people just attend the rallies, usually the opposition ones, for a chance to see some person stand on stage and scream about how much the government sucks. So... not a very evolved political environment, unfortunately. But its been getting a lot better the past few years, mostly due to increased political awareness brought about by the internet. Oh, and also keep in mind that this is only the 2nd election where everybody gets to vote. Consider that in 2001, so few seats were contested that the PAP returned to power on Nomination Day.
For most people, the main calculus they do is decide whether they're going to vote for the PAP, or for the opposition, whoever that may be. The average Singaporean doesn't really distinguish between the various opposition parties that much; to the extent that political views tend to be expressed as either pro- or anti-PAP. In addition, many of the opposition parties are offshoots of one another (due to clashing personalities), and for whatever reason they are almost all to the left of the PAP (which is centre-right), so their positions tend to be kind of similar. So for most people, the decision probably would have been considered long before the actual campaign period begins.
Anyway, I get the general impression that the PAP tends to see politics are more of a hassle, something they just want to get out of their way so they can continue with governing.
posted by destrius at 8:06 AM on July 2, 2020 [4 favorites]
From what I remember, two of the mechanisms reinforcing the PAP's dominance are, firstly, very fine-grained districts for both vote counting and funding allocation, allowing government largesse to be diverted away from areas which report higher opposition votes, forming a reliable feedback mechanism, and secondly, British-style libel laws which are sufficiently open-ended that any opposition politician who is remotely effective as such can (and will) be sued into bankruptcy and thus ineligibility for office. Have either of these been weakened recently?
posted by acb at 8:53 AM on July 2, 2020
posted by acb at 8:53 AM on July 2, 2020
do you think a coalition of parties would ever happen? i've been curious about the non-PAP parties' dynamic, and wondered if there's an irreconcilable difference going on.
posted by cendawanita at 8:55 AM on July 2, 2020
posted by cendawanita at 8:55 AM on July 2, 2020
I had seen recently that there is some serious gerrymandering going on to weaken the opposition parties.
(thanks for this very informative post!)
posted by Chrysostom at 9:22 AM on July 2, 2020
(thanks for this very informative post!)
posted by Chrysostom at 9:22 AM on July 2, 2020
Voting age is 21, voter registration is automatic and voting is compulsory. For a politically disengaged populace, that has had the tendency to favour the incumbent. So more interesting times ahead as the swing vote slowly but steadily increases alongside a more educated and energetic citizenry. Not that the incumbent will sit back and let it happen easily - it has so many levers of government and media to pull. The prime minister's office oversees the electoral commission which draws up boundaries and administers polls. The unique invention of a "Group Representation Constituency" has each team of candidates under a party flag contest against another team, rather than as individuals on their merits, a genius way of getting untested candidates into parliament by riding on the coattails of their more accomplished teammates.
Other than the Workers' Party which has credibility, vision and a growing talent pool, many of the other political parties seem mired in petty grudges and infighting. An opposition coalition is unlikely given the present ensemble of personalities. However, I'm sure much horsetrading goes on behind the scenes to divvy up various territories, to avoid multi-way contests that split the vote.
posted by hellopanda at 10:10 AM on July 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Other than the Workers' Party which has credibility, vision and a growing talent pool, many of the other political parties seem mired in petty grudges and infighting. An opposition coalition is unlikely given the present ensemble of personalities. However, I'm sure much horsetrading goes on behind the scenes to divvy up various territories, to avoid multi-way contests that split the vote.
posted by hellopanda at 10:10 AM on July 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
@ikansumbat: Interesting that as #GE2020 surges on, and PAP narratives get disrupted, we're seeing folks—in good & bad faith—downplay social media as illusory & misrepresentative.
A rambling thread on the strange, radical, illegible worlds of S'porean Twitter & Whatsapp:
posted by cendawanita at 10:29 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
A rambling thread on the strange, radical, illegible worlds of S'porean Twitter & Whatsapp:
posted by cendawanita at 10:29 AM on July 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Outside the leader, are there a lot of generational politicians in Singapore?
And that gerrymandering: what the US GOP would give to be able to do that ...
posted by scruss at 11:38 AM on July 2, 2020
And that gerrymandering: what the US GOP would give to be able to do that ...
posted by scruss at 11:38 AM on July 2, 2020
Thank you for a great and informative post! The illustrated “NN Explains” link was very clear. I am looking forward to talking about the upcoming election with my parents.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:58 PM on July 2, 2020
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:58 PM on July 2, 2020
From what I remember, two of the mechanisms reinforcing the PAP's dominance are, firstly, very fine-grained districts for both vote counting and funding allocation, allowing government largesse to be diverted away from areas which report higher opposition votes, forming a reliable feedback mechanism, and secondly, British-style libel laws which are sufficiently open-ended that any opposition politician who is remotely effective as such can (and will) be sued into bankruptcy and thus ineligibility for office. Have either of these been weakened recently?
Gerrymandering is a problem, yes, although its not that the districts are fine-grained but a bunch of them are grouped together to form a unit (GRC) where you have to vote for all candidates together. More fundamentally, though, and a reason why I feel gerrymandering isn't as big a deal, is that housing policies over the decades have explicitly spread out minority groups among all the districts, such that there do not exist any minority enclaves anywhere. Minorities will always form a minority within their polling district. (This is actually one of the official reasons why the GRC system was created.) I get the sense that gerrymandering is used more to account for class differences; more affluent private landed properties are usually paired with "heartland" public housing. Unlike in the US, traditionally the middle class (especially the Chinese-educated middle class) is more likely to support the opposition, while the working class tends to favour PAP for various historical reasons.
do you think a coalition of parties would ever happen? i've been curious about the non-PAP parties' dynamic, and wondered if there's an irreconcilable difference going on.
One of the problems with the opposition is how fragmented it is. This is the result of there being personalities with (frankly) big egos, who might have bad blood between them. A lot of the parties are related, offshots from one another when one guy got unhappy and left, or there was a leadership challenge, and so on. However I think things are starting to coalesce a bit, and hopefully there will be less in-fighting and more collaboration.
@ikansumbat: Interesting that as #GE2020 surges on, and PAP narratives get disrupted, we're seeing folks—in good & bad faith—downplay social media as illusory & misrepresentative.
Wow that's a great read, thanks! I'm not really that plugged into our local Twitter scene for whatever reason, and I guess I don't have the right friends to let me into those juicy private WhatsApp groups. :( There's also Telegram as well. But because of how popular Facebook is here, I think it still is the place you want to look to get an idea of what the general mood and sentiment is like; otherwise you'd be at risk of being in a bubble that turns out to not reflect the ground reality.
Outside the leader, are there a lot of generational politicians in Singapore?
Not really... generational politics tends to be frowned upon here. In some ways having a political pedigree is a liability, as the most acceptable kind of candidate is the "humble" lower-class person who did well in school and became a star in the public service. Meritocracy made flesh.
posted by destrius at 8:09 PM on July 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
Gerrymandering is a problem, yes, although its not that the districts are fine-grained but a bunch of them are grouped together to form a unit (GRC) where you have to vote for all candidates together. More fundamentally, though, and a reason why I feel gerrymandering isn't as big a deal, is that housing policies over the decades have explicitly spread out minority groups among all the districts, such that there do not exist any minority enclaves anywhere. Minorities will always form a minority within their polling district. (This is actually one of the official reasons why the GRC system was created.) I get the sense that gerrymandering is used more to account for class differences; more affluent private landed properties are usually paired with "heartland" public housing. Unlike in the US, traditionally the middle class (especially the Chinese-educated middle class) is more likely to support the opposition, while the working class tends to favour PAP for various historical reasons.
do you think a coalition of parties would ever happen? i've been curious about the non-PAP parties' dynamic, and wondered if there's an irreconcilable difference going on.
One of the problems with the opposition is how fragmented it is. This is the result of there being personalities with (frankly) big egos, who might have bad blood between them. A lot of the parties are related, offshots from one another when one guy got unhappy and left, or there was a leadership challenge, and so on. However I think things are starting to coalesce a bit, and hopefully there will be less in-fighting and more collaboration.
@ikansumbat: Interesting that as #GE2020 surges on, and PAP narratives get disrupted, we're seeing folks—in good & bad faith—downplay social media as illusory & misrepresentative.
Wow that's a great read, thanks! I'm not really that plugged into our local Twitter scene for whatever reason, and I guess I don't have the right friends to let me into those juicy private WhatsApp groups. :( There's also Telegram as well. But because of how popular Facebook is here, I think it still is the place you want to look to get an idea of what the general mood and sentiment is like; otherwise you'd be at risk of being in a bubble that turns out to not reflect the ground reality.
Outside the leader, are there a lot of generational politicians in Singapore?
Not really... generational politics tends to be frowned upon here. In some ways having a political pedigree is a liability, as the most acceptable kind of candidate is the "humble" lower-class person who did well in school and became a star in the public service. Meritocracy made flesh.
posted by destrius at 8:09 PM on July 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
@cendawanita You might be interested in some of the Malay poetry that's been going on during this election:
Workers’ Party candidate Fadli Fawzi recited a poem (pantun) during his nomination speech. Critique by Singaporean poet Alfian Sa'at.
Alfian looks for classic pantun referencing blue, the colour of the Workers' Party.
Counterattack from PAP candidate Amrin Amin
I for one wholeheartedly support election campaigning via poetry slam. Also I wish I learned Malay in school, it's a very beautiful language.
posted by destrius at 8:16 PM on July 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
Workers’ Party candidate Fadli Fawzi recited a poem (pantun) during his nomination speech. Critique by Singaporean poet Alfian Sa'at.
Alfian looks for classic pantun referencing blue, the colour of the Workers' Party.
Counterattack from PAP candidate Amrin Amin
I for one wholeheartedly support election campaigning via poetry slam. Also I wish I learned Malay in school, it's a very beautiful language.
posted by destrius at 8:16 PM on July 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
oh thanks!
it would be funny if it goes beyond a poetry slam to an outright berbalas pantun, which is basically when opponents go at each other with on-the-fly quatrains in real time (eg the nyonya dondang sayang), an early version of the rap battle if you will.
posted by cendawanita at 1:20 AM on July 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
it would be funny if it goes beyond a poetry slam to an outright berbalas pantun, which is basically when opponents go at each other with on-the-fly quatrains in real time (eg the nyonya dondang sayang), an early version of the rap battle if you will.
posted by cendawanita at 1:20 AM on July 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
Quick update:
Workers' Party candidate Raeesah Khan had a police report filed against her for making racist comments on social media. Context: Raeesah Khan is from a minority group, and made comments earlier this year and last year (sort of) alleging that there was discrimination against minorities by the judiciary and the police.
Paul Tumbyah, SDP candidate and infectious disease expert, claimed that the government "dropped the ball" on it's COVID-19 response, possibly due to its desire to hold elections early. Parts of what he said were disputed by the government, and POFMA was invoked to issue correction directions.
The SDP also faces several other POFMA directions with regard to them bringing up the 10 million population question as part of their manifesto. This is a really complicated topic; you can read a bit more about it here, but I've yet to find a good article that summarizes all the issues involved surrounding this.
posted by destrius at 1:35 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Workers' Party candidate Raeesah Khan had a police report filed against her for making racist comments on social media. Context: Raeesah Khan is from a minority group, and made comments earlier this year and last year (sort of) alleging that there was discrimination against minorities by the judiciary and the police.
Paul Tumbyah, SDP candidate and infectious disease expert, claimed that the government "dropped the ball" on it's COVID-19 response, possibly due to its desire to hold elections early. Parts of what he said were disputed by the government, and POFMA was invoked to issue correction directions.
The SDP also faces several other POFMA directions with regard to them bringing up the 10 million population question as part of their manifesto. This is a really complicated topic; you can read a bit more about it here, but I've yet to find a good article that summarizes all the issues involved surrounding this.
posted by destrius at 1:35 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
To clarify: the alleged racist statements she made are that there is racism in the judiciary and the police.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:36 PM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:36 PM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Eek, the police reports against Raeesah Khan. That was a really good explainer. “You dared to talk about racial inequity! You are instigating racial unrest!”
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:31 PM on July 6, 2020
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:31 PM on July 6, 2020
I am really pissed off at the PAP for their press statement regarding the Raeesah Khan case.
posted by destrius at 9:39 PM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by destrius at 9:39 PM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
What is the best way (if any) to watch the returns live from outside Singapore?
posted by Panthalassa at 7:07 PM on July 9, 2020
posted by Panthalassa at 7:07 PM on July 9, 2020
My parents talked to my auntie this evening (well, morning her time), and she said she had just voted. My dad said she seemed to think the PAP may not have the same stranglehold it’s had before...? Guess I’ll find out tomorrow!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:06 PM on July 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:06 PM on July 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
The official Channelnewsasia live broadcast starts from 8pm Singapore time (GMT+8) and can be watched on YouTube. The first sample results will take a while to trickle in, since the polls only close at 8pm.
posted by hellopanda at 1:12 AM on July 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hellopanda at 1:12 AM on July 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
Well, this is an interesting twist - polling hours have been extended by 2 hours until 10pm.
posted by hellopanda at 6:06 AM on July 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hellopanda at 6:06 AM on July 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yeah... there have been really long queues (lines for you Americans) at some of the polling stations. This one was particularly insane.
posted by destrius at 7:30 AM on July 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by destrius at 7:30 AM on July 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
anyone need tips from malaysians on how to wait for results? (don't worry in 20-odd months there'll be shennanigans).
kidding i have no tips, i was just bunkering down on tumblr.
posted by cendawanita at 9:24 AM on July 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
kidding i have no tips, i was just bunkering down on tumblr.
posted by cendawanita at 9:24 AM on July 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
It's looking pretty good for the opposition so far based on sample counts, and particularly so for a group of young, progressive candidates running in a younger constituency. I'm slightly hopeful, but I'm prepared for disaster when I wake up tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed!
posted by destrius at 9:29 AM on July 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by destrius at 9:29 AM on July 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
Another watershed election reminiscent of 2011! The Workers' Party gains a new GRC in Sengkang (4 seats in Parliament) and narrowly lost East Coast GRC to the deputy prime minister.
While PAP retains their supermajority of 83 out of 93 seats in parliament, their total vote share of 61.24% is just slightly better than their disastrous showing in 2011. Coupled with some interestingly high number of spoilt votes in some areas, this really is a resounding No to PAP's request for a strong mandate.
This election is equally a vote on the PAP's 4G leadership and the WP's new generation, and I think the answers on both counts were pretty clear! Low Thia Khiang will sleep well tonight, knowing his efforts in building the WP party institution and candidate bench are steadily bearing fruit.
I hope this shows that Singapore voters generally are a discerning bunch that care about the quality of candidates beyond blind pro/anti-establishment loyalty. We see nativist rabble-rousing as the dangerous ideas that they are, and are quick to identify and dismiss the opportunistic parties that don't deserve attention. Even in the midst of a pandemic and economic recession, we care for democratic values, fairness, and diversity - old scaremongering and intimidation tactics are not likely to work as well anymore, and PAP has to wake up to the social media generation if it has its eyes on the horizon. Their lead-footed response to the Ivan Lim debacle really reflects how badly they deal with the speed of information nowadays (compared to WP's on-point and prompt response to controversy over Raeesah Khan).
It's 4.30am - I really should sleep now!
posted by hellopanda at 1:39 PM on July 10, 2020 [8 favorites]
While PAP retains their supermajority of 83 out of 93 seats in parliament, their total vote share of 61.24% is just slightly better than their disastrous showing in 2011. Coupled with some interestingly high number of spoilt votes in some areas, this really is a resounding No to PAP's request for a strong mandate.
This election is equally a vote on the PAP's 4G leadership and the WP's new generation, and I think the answers on both counts were pretty clear! Low Thia Khiang will sleep well tonight, knowing his efforts in building the WP party institution and candidate bench are steadily bearing fruit.
I hope this shows that Singapore voters generally are a discerning bunch that care about the quality of candidates beyond blind pro/anti-establishment loyalty. We see nativist rabble-rousing as the dangerous ideas that they are, and are quick to identify and dismiss the opportunistic parties that don't deserve attention. Even in the midst of a pandemic and economic recession, we care for democratic values, fairness, and diversity - old scaremongering and intimidation tactics are not likely to work as well anymore, and PAP has to wake up to the social media generation if it has its eyes on the horizon. Their lead-footed response to the Ivan Lim debacle really reflects how badly they deal with the speed of information nowadays (compared to WP's on-point and prompt response to controversy over Raeesah Khan).
It's 4.30am - I really should sleep now!
posted by hellopanda at 1:39 PM on July 10, 2020 [8 favorites]
And Kirsten Han also wrote a 2020 GE wrap-up:
In a nutshell
Lee Hsien Loong called an election in the middle of the pandemic in the hopes of getting a “strong mandate” for the PAP team and their 4G leadership. He ended up with a “clear mandate” vote-share that’s dropped from 70% in 2015 to 61%, and a pissed off young GRC kicking out three of his office holders (including the minister Mysara called out for a problematic campaign targeted at the Malay-Muslim community in the guest issue published just before Cooling-Off Day!)
Essentially, his party has exactly the same ability to pass laws and amend the Constitution as they did before GE2020, only now their share of the support is more GE2011, less GE2015.
Good job, Lee Hsien Loong. We all risked our health and lives for this.
posted by cendawanita at 1:11 AM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
In a nutshell
Lee Hsien Loong called an election in the middle of the pandemic in the hopes of getting a “strong mandate” for the PAP team and their 4G leadership. He ended up with a “clear mandate” vote-share that’s dropped from 70% in 2015 to 61%, and a pissed off young GRC kicking out three of his office holders (including the minister Mysara called out for a problematic campaign targeted at the Malay-Muslim community in the guest issue published just before Cooling-Off Day!)
Essentially, his party has exactly the same ability to pass laws and amend the Constitution as they did before GE2020, only now their share of the support is more GE2011, less GE2015.
Good job, Lee Hsien Loong. We all risked our health and lives for this.
posted by cendawanita at 1:11 AM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'm surprised at the results being so low for PAP, was it the second outbreak in the dorms that did it?
posted by infini at 3:34 AM on July 11, 2020
posted by infini at 3:34 AM on July 11, 2020
Yeah the explosion of cases in the migrant worker dorms was a very very publicly embarrassing example of their mismanagement, lack of foresight and/or refusal to listen to advocacy groups and the medical community (which had highlighted dorms as a risk). While people may be forgiving of missteps made during a crisis, people are less so when those in charge refuse to admit, apologise or be accountable. The government continued their narrative of having managed the situation well, ignoring inconvenient comparisons with other cities, and seemingly taking the credit for our low death rates (we have our excellent healthcare professionals to thank for that).
Also, government policy communication throughout the pandemic left.. much to be desired. Pages and pages of press releases, guidelines and advisories that didn't make sense, requirements and procedures that were unclear (yet with the full weight of enforcement), inconsistent across various government departments, and which were revised so often that many businesses were throwing their hands up in frustration trying to comply.
On a more macro level, the two-month lockdown made visible the many bugs in our system. From large families struggling to stay confined in one-room flats, low-income kids lacking laptops and digital tools for home-based learning, many households and businesses living on the edge and vulnerable to income dips, the lack of any safety net for the large numbers of gig workers and freelancers we have, tenants exposing unfair treatment by landlords, the economy's dependence on exploitation of cheap foreign labour and persistent depression of local wages/productivity... It wasn't like these were new problems at all, but the pandemic really brought them to the forefront and made it difficult for people to ignore.
Away from the pandemic, many people still remember the calling of the reserved presidential (s)election in 2017. It rankled with many, even conservatives and moderate voters, who didn't buy the PAP's purported rationale. It was perceived as a move to ensure the sole pre-determined outcome, giving the middle finger to democracy, fairness and the people's vote. The dangers of a blank cheque were apparent here, and since the PAP indicated they were willing to pay the political price for that decision, the people took that and made them pay.
Oxleygate also took away much of the aura surrounding the Lee family, regardless where one may have stood on the demolish/preserve debate. It just felt distasteful to be airing all the dirty family laundry in public (this is the party of Confucian values after all), and the use of the state powers to go after the nephew and the sister-in-law just felt vindictive and may have crossed the line for many conservative "values" voters.
Oh and for the newly-lost Sengkang constituency in particular, it didn't help that one of the anchor ministers was responsible for the e-scooter ban in 2019 which created lots of anger on the ground and cost many retailers and food delivery riders their livelihoods. This was one of those issues where almost everybody had a strong opinion on, since just about everyone had had a near collision with a speeding scooter, haha. After flurries of public petitions and many costly knee-jerk policy u-turns later, it seemed that the only thing people could agree on was that the Ministry of Transport had failed to pro-actively regulate e-scooters and build cycling lanes early on, and had "solved" the problem by killing a thriving micro-industry overnight and removing what could've been a viable part of our car-lite city.
posted by hellopanda at 11:20 AM on July 11, 2020 [6 favorites]
Also, government policy communication throughout the pandemic left.. much to be desired. Pages and pages of press releases, guidelines and advisories that didn't make sense, requirements and procedures that were unclear (yet with the full weight of enforcement), inconsistent across various government departments, and which were revised so often that many businesses were throwing their hands up in frustration trying to comply.
On a more macro level, the two-month lockdown made visible the many bugs in our system. From large families struggling to stay confined in one-room flats, low-income kids lacking laptops and digital tools for home-based learning, many households and businesses living on the edge and vulnerable to income dips, the lack of any safety net for the large numbers of gig workers and freelancers we have, tenants exposing unfair treatment by landlords, the economy's dependence on exploitation of cheap foreign labour and persistent depression of local wages/productivity... It wasn't like these were new problems at all, but the pandemic really brought them to the forefront and made it difficult for people to ignore.
Away from the pandemic, many people still remember the calling of the reserved presidential (s)election in 2017. It rankled with many, even conservatives and moderate voters, who didn't buy the PAP's purported rationale. It was perceived as a move to ensure the sole pre-determined outcome, giving the middle finger to democracy, fairness and the people's vote. The dangers of a blank cheque were apparent here, and since the PAP indicated they were willing to pay the political price for that decision, the people took that and made them pay.
Oxleygate also took away much of the aura surrounding the Lee family, regardless where one may have stood on the demolish/preserve debate. It just felt distasteful to be airing all the dirty family laundry in public (this is the party of Confucian values after all), and the use of the state powers to go after the nephew and the sister-in-law just felt vindictive and may have crossed the line for many conservative "values" voters.
Oh and for the newly-lost Sengkang constituency in particular, it didn't help that one of the anchor ministers was responsible for the e-scooter ban in 2019 which created lots of anger on the ground and cost many retailers and food delivery riders their livelihoods. This was one of those issues where almost everybody had a strong opinion on, since just about everyone had had a near collision with a speeding scooter, haha. After flurries of public petitions and many costly knee-jerk policy u-turns later, it seemed that the only thing people could agree on was that the Ministry of Transport had failed to pro-actively regulate e-scooters and build cycling lanes early on, and had "solved" the problem by killing a thriving micro-industry overnight and removing what could've been a viable part of our car-lite city.
posted by hellopanda at 11:20 AM on July 11, 2020 [6 favorites]
Thank you so much to the Singaporeans who have been providing updates and context and analysis in this thread! I really appreciate it. I’m glad the election had some heartening results.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:50 AM on July 11, 2020
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:50 AM on July 11, 2020
Thanks everybody for contributing to the thread! Was too busy on Facebook to post here. It was an eventful weekend, and I'm relieved and slightly optimistic. Live moves on though, and there's still a lot more change to be had. Here's hoping the momentum continues!
posted by destrius at 6:54 PM on July 12, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by destrius at 6:54 PM on July 12, 2020 [5 favorites]
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posted by destrius at 2:54 AM on July 2, 2020 [33 favorites]