Singapore Elections

I find myself starting my blog about life in Singapore in the midst of the most exciting time in Singapore elections. Tomorrow is the general election, and campaigns have been roaring ahead for the last two weeks.

Elections in Singapore take on a very regimented tone. Rallies, campaigning, and advertising are heavily regulated and candidates are careful in how they prepare their platforms so as not to appear defamatory to the current government. More details can be found here as there is too much to explain, and the system is only interesting in it's differences from Western democracies.

Essentially, many aspects of the system make life difficult for the opposition. The dissolution of parliament happens every five years, but can be spontaneous. The electoral districts are drawn by the ruling party, and subject to much criticism. Some districts are represented by groups of MPs who must be elected in a slate (not individually). Strong arm tactics have been the mainstay of Singaporean politics since the first People's Action Party Parliament in the 1960's. It has also been served well by it's governments over this time period, with increasing affluence and low corruption compared to most nations, and it is by far the only competent government within a 2000 mile radius.

Unfortunately for the ruling party, the population has become more affluent, more Westernized, and much better educated. This has lead to palpable resentment in the younger, more liberal classes. The sad things is that while there is lots of dissatisfaction in general, the Singaporean system does not allow movements to build. Rallies and protesting are prohibited, unions and political groups must be authorized by the government. Therefore, there has been no way to positively focus the populations anger, no open debate until these last two weeks of campaigning. It will be a sad state of affairs if the people here, like the US elections of 2010, and the many changes of power around the world, simply vote against the current government without really considering what they actually want to vote for.