• Singapore election: Young voters could be the key
    26 replies, posted
[quote=BBC] Around 2.3 million Singaporeans will head to the polls later on Saturday in the first elections for five years. The vote comes amid growing concerns about rising food and housing costs and increased immigration. The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) - which has dominated national politics for more than half a century - is widely expected to win. However, at this election there will be a record number of seats in parliament being contested by opposition parties. Out of 87 parliamentary seats, 82 seats are being contested by five opposition parties. The National Solidarity Party has 24 candidates, while the Workers' Party, which held one seat in the previous parliament, is vying for 23. The Reform Party, the Singapore Democratic Party, and the Singapore People's Party are also standing. Major upheaval Under the rule of the PAP, Singapore has grown from a colonial backwater with no natural resources to an economy now worth $250bn (£152bn). The party still boasts lifelong supporters, especially among the older population who saw the country go from developing to fully developed in a generation. Its gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 14.5% in 2010, making it the fastest growing economy in Asia, and it was among the first to emerge from the global financial crisis - a fact Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted at a recent campaign rally. "The global financial crisis caused major upheaval to our economy, and yet despite this, there was an outstanding performance by Singapore. How we came through is a result of our being united, of having a good government," he said. The government and PAP were not available for comment when contacted by the BBC. But while Singapore's economy has already doubled in size in the 10 years to 2008, that growth has brought challenges. Expensive city The rate of inflation reached 5% in March, and even though the central bank says it will fall to between 3% and 4% this year, the price of homes and cars has jumped, putting them out of the reach of many younger Singaporeans. One such is 33-year old Mohamed Ali. Married with a four-month old baby, he still lives with his parents because he cannot afford to buy any of the government subsidised flats near them. His father, Mohamed Hassan, a staunch supporter of the opposition Reform Party, blames immigrants for the rising costs of housing and for keeping his wages low. "Let's say I earn $2,000 - they can work for $1,500, no problem. Plus 12 hours they can work, I can't," he says. "I'm Singaporean with a family, we built up Singapore but they come in, very easily they become citizens. What about us?" Government data shows that more than a quarter of Singapore's 5.1 million people are foreigners, up 19% from 2000. Non-citizens do not have a vote. Mr Hassan's predicament is also compounded by the fact that Singapore ranks number two among developed countries for having the widest wealth gap between rich and poor. Although its stellar economic growth has meant average monthly income rose 40% in the past decade, the average income for the bottom 20% of Singaporeans, like Mr Hassan and his family, fell 2.7%. Social media What is making the elections so interesting for many observers is the fact that a large number of young Singaporeans - an estimated 600,000 people aged 21 to 34 - will be first-time voters. They are seen as more open to political change so there is uncertainty over where their allegiances lie. "The overwhelming political dominance of the PAP is seen not just as an anomaly but as a freakish state of affairs," says Eugene Tan, an assistant professor of law at Singapore Management University. "That makes Singaporeans, along with the dissatisfaction on the ground and the PAP's seeming lack of concern, more amiable to the opposition's pitch." Echoing this sentiment is Singaporean writer Catherine Lim, who says that the young voters are generation Y, a group completely different from their parents and grandparents, who still see themselves as owing an enormous debt of gratitude to the PAP for giving them subsidised government flats with proper sanitation. With so many younger voters, it is not surprising that a large chunk of the campaigning is being played out on the internet for the first time on sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. This shift from more tightly controlled state media to freer online platforms has propelled 24-year old Nicole Seah to fame. One of the youngest candidates standing for the opposition National Solidarity Party, her Facebook fan site had surpassed that of senior statesman Lee Kuan Yew, who is widely regarded as the architect of modern Singapore. For two days, when her Facebook site boasted more than 60,000 fans, she was the most liked Singaporean politician on Facebook. Mr Lee has since caught back up with her. Ms Seah is clear as to why Saturday's vote is so important. "These elections are a watershed for the reason that social media is emerging in a very strong way," she explains. "Moving forward, I do feel that the government will start to be more mindful about how they can engage residents. It's something that the ruling party will have to come to terms with, that if they really want to engage the citizens, they will probably have to take the negative feedback online, along with what's positively mentioned." [/quote] Source: [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13305828[/url] Hoping the opposition wins something, the ruling party has been in power since 1959. So its a bit like a dictatorship.......
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;29670375] Hoping the opposition wins something, the ruling party has been in power since 1959. So its a bit like a dictatorship.......[/QUOTE] Disagree with the dictatorship bit (the people keep voting in the same government for some reason), and the opposition has held on to a few seats for a long time. This election is different, since online criticism of the government has been much louder than previous elections.
The PAP is a shitty party, I hope the Workers Party (social democratic) comes to power soon.
[QUOTE=marlkarxv2;29671407]The PAP is a shitty party, I hope the Workers Party (social democratic) comes to power soon.[/QUOTE] We'll see.
[QUOTE=BCell;29671978]We'll see.[/QUOTE] In about half-an hour's time.
Why do we still hold election PAP will ALWAYS WIN EVERY DECADE! There is no point in opposition in Singapore. The reason why people vote for them is because they are too used to PAP ruling.
I heard that Singapore is run like a dictatorship, is that true?
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29672162]I heard that Singapore is run like a dictatorship, is that true?[/QUOTE] Dictatorships don't necessarily have to be bad, they CAN be benevolent, it's just rare. Besides bringing a country from developing state all the way to fully modernised is quite an impressive feat.
all parties are shit really remove the party system. do it.
[QUOTE=Mattk50;29672188]all parties are shit really remove the party system. do it.[/QUOTE] Anarchy is not a good party. We need a better party. No party like a party. What we need is a party horse. [editline]7th May 2011[/editline] As in a party that is capable of convincing the mass to go against the big ones
[QUOTE=BCell;29672080]Why do we still hold election PAP will ALWAYS WIN EVERY DECADE! There is no point in opposition in Singapore. The reason why people vote for them is because they are too used to PAP ruling.[/QUOTE] Just because the PAP always wins doesn't mean there is no point in holding an election. For example, in this election, more and more Singaporeans are voicing their anti-PAP views and are voting against the opposition. Even if the PAP still holds a significant majority this time, there would still be a bigger step towards the opposition gaining a foothold in Parliament.
[QUOTE=watehfreak;29672648]Just because the PAP always wins doesn't mean there is no point in holding an election. For example, in this election, more and more Singaporeans are voicing their anti-PAP views and are voting against the opposition. Even if the PAP still holds a significant majority this time, there would still be a bigger step towards the opposition gaining a foothold in Parliament.[/QUOTE] What, do we have to wait 50 years before everyone is against PAP? [editline]7th May 2011[/editline] It's as if PAP is flawless or something
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29672162]I heard that Singapore is run like a dictatorship, is that true?[/QUOTE] Nah, it's just that all opposition is really really shit. It isn't as shit nowadays though. Hopefully we can get a few opposition MPs in parliament.
[QUOTE=BCell;29672893]What, do we have to wait 50 years before everyone is against PAP? [editline]7th May 2011[/editline] It's as if PAP is flawless or something[/QUOTE] We've waited 50 years already, the percentage of younger votes (that are more inclined to vote opposition) have significantly increased. Check out the Hougang results. By the way, just in case you meant to say that I thought that the PAP was flawless (if I interpreted that correctly), I don't.
youth and young adults of singapore :argh:
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29672162]I heard that Singapore is run like a dictatorship, is that true?[/QUOTE] Its a very stable country, but we have very little freedom. NO CHEWING GUM.
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;29673715]Its a very stable country, but we have very little freedom. NO CHEWING GUM.[/QUOTE] I heard chewing gum was representative of freedom :v: But at least we don't have any issues with train doors being stuck together/sticky elevator keys. Also, freedom is given for dissent-therefore your opposition. They won Aljunied, so we have to say goodbye to our Foreign Affairs minister now.
3 years more before I get to vote. And not having any fun in my area since it was a PAP walkover
Forget it. PAP ALWAYS WIN! There is no point opposing it. On the bright side, We're not living in Libya and our leaders aren't moronic evil as Gaddafi [editline]8th May 2011[/editline] I have a theory that this voting is rigged. Tin foil hat time
Apparently the PAP members that lost seemed butthurt. Ah well 5 years later, hopefully there'll be more people like Nicole up
They already won 9 seats in parliament
[QUOTE=BCell;29674537]They already won 9 seats in parliament[/QUOTE] Hey, since you appear to be from Singapore, when did the PAP go bad anyway? If I recall correctly, when they were anti-colonist and leftist they were fine - when did they become conservatives?
Well the ones in Aljunied
Why does everyone go nuts over: [img]http://www.myvisitingcard.com/wp-content/uploads/Nicole-Seah-Facebook-vs-Tin-Pei-Ling-Facebook.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=marlkarxv2;29674640]Hey, since you appear to be from Singapore, when did the PAP go bad anyway? If I recall correctly, when they were anti-colonist and leftist they were fine - when did they become conservatives?[/QUOTE] I never said they went bad. i said the reason why people keep voting for PAP is because they are flawless. Plus they are one of the reason why Singapore gain independence People are so used to PAP that they are not willing to let go. I still say, forget voting. Ignore what other nation say.
[QUOTE=BCell;29675107]I never said they went bad. i said the reason why people keep voting for PAP is because they are flawless. Plus they are one of the reason why Singapore gain independence People are so used to PAP that they are not willing to let go. I still say, forget voting. Ignore what other nation say.[/QUOTE] They weren't really flawless, but some people said that the PAP was stagnating in terms of progress. Template for results: "Result for the electoral division of (insert location here:) (Insert party members here) (Insert party here): (Insert number) votes. (Insert members of other party here)(Insert party here): (Insert number) votes. Rejected votes: (Insert number here) Total votes cast:(Insert number here) The local votes counted for the electoral division of (insert location here) are conclusive of the results. Pursuant of Section 49, Subsection 7e, Paragraph A of the Parliamentary Elections Act, I declare (party members here) of the (Insert party name here) Party as the group of candidates for the electoral division of (insert location here)." The announcer's voice is quite funny.
[QUOTE=watehfreak;29675486]They weren't really flawless, but some people said that the PAP was stagnating in terms of progress. Template for results: "Result for the electoral division of (insert location here:) (Insert party members here) (Insert party here): (Insert number) votes. (Insert members of other party here)(Insert party here): (Insert number) votes. Rejected votes: (Insert number here) Total votes cast:(Insert number here) The local votes counted for the electoral division of (insert location here) are conclusive of the results. Pursuant of Section 49, Subsection 7e, Paragraph A of the Parliamentary Elections Act, I declare (party members here) of the (Insert party name here) Party as the group of candidates for the electoral division of (insert location here)." The announcer's voice is quite funny.[/QUOTE] "Result for the electoral division of Pulau Tekong PAP some guy some guy some guy: 65% votes. WP some guy some guy some guy: 35% votes. Rejected votes: 1111 Total votes cast:19000 The local votes counted for the electoral division of Pulau Tekong are conclusive of the results. Pursuant of Section 49, Subsection 7e, Paragraph A of the Parliamentary Elections Act, I declare some guy, some guy, some guy of the People's Action Party as the group of candidates for the electoral division of Pulau Tekong." [editline]8th May 2011[/editline] Nah that was a joke. There is no GRC in Tekong
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