SINGAPORE: After the watershed 2011 General Election, the
possibility of a two-party political system in Singapore started
being bandied about. But four years on, the picture emerging from
the ground has been very different, with new entrants contributing
to a more fragmented Opposition scene.
The submission of papers last Friday by Opposition veteran Goh
Meng Seng to register a new political party comes after the
formation of at least one new political party since the last polls.
The Democratic Progressive Party has also sprung into action again,
after being dormant for years.
In the same period, the dominant Opposition party, The Workers’
Party (WP), faced off with the National Environment Agency over the
cleaning of hawker centres. And more recently, it has been in the
hot seat over
major lapses the Auditor-General found in its running of the
Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC).
The various episodes the WP has been embroiled in could have
played a part in developments within the Opposition camp, political
analysts say.
Dr Gillian Koh, a senior research fellow at the Institute of
Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore, said the
blueprint on town council management released by the Singapore
Democratic Party last Saturday indicates the eagerness to
capitalise on issues that have come under the public spotlight.
“Clearly, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has noticed, and
put out a paper on how they would run a town council, essentially
promoting the idea of local democracy,” she said.
However, Dr Koh added that the emergence of new political
parties in the lead-up to the next polls, which must be called by
January 2017, is not surprising, given that past elections have
always had a “smattering” of different parties.
Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s death could also have
been an impetus for aspirants, political analysts say, because of
the perception that the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) would
become less “hegemonic”.
The number of Opposition parties, however, should not be the
be-all and end-all in assessing the health of democratic space,
said former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) and Singapore
Management University law don, Associate Professor Eugene Tan. “We
need to look at the quality and contribution of these parties
too.”
He remains in the camp that believes Singapore is on the cusp of
a two-party system, citing the 2013 Punggol East by-election, where
two candidates in a four-cornered fight lost their election
deposits because they had garnered too few votes. That episode
suggests there is a “real possibility” that many Opposition parties
would be rendered “politically irrelevant” due to the fragmented
scene, he added.
“As long as the WP contests (a seat), we’re very unlikely to see
a second Opposition party going in, because the voters who do not
want to vote for the PAP have shown that they’re discerning enough
not to split the vote significantly,” said Assoc Prof Tan, adding
that there would be little impact on the PAP.
“Voters who wanted an Opposition MP decided to pool their
ballots for the Opposition candidate they assessed to be the best
or had the best chance of winning,” Assoc Prof Tan said.
UNITY ACROSS THE RANKS?
With the multiplication of Opposition voices, can the myriad
parties forge unity, or even a coalition, as most recently
championed by Singaporeans First Party (SFP) chief Tan Jee Say?
The signs are not pretty. Former NMP Zulkifli Baharudin said the
Opposition remains divided over “whether one party can represent
all those who cannot agree with the PAP”.
Assoc Prof Tan added: “When it comes to the crunch, whether they
can avoid a three-cornered fight, Opposition parties show that
unity is more apparent than real.”
The departures of several known faces from the Opposition since
GE 2011 and the number of those who have switched allegiances or
founded their own parties also suggest Opposition unity could be
elusive.
For example, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha has left the SDP, and the
National Solidarity Party (NSP) lost its former chief Goh Meng Seng
and Ms Nicole Seah.
The NSP was also hit with other high-profile exits. Two months
ago, its former secretary-general Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss moved to
the Singapore People’s Party (SPP), together with three ex-council
members.
Meanwhile, former SPP member Benjamin Pwee joined the DPP in
2013 while former civil servant Tan Jee Say opted out of the SDP to
contest in the presidential elections, before setting up the SFP
last year.
MANY PARTIES, NO DISTINCTION
Despite the game of musical chairs, observers say the Opposition
parties are still barely distinguishable in terms of ideology.
“They think of modifying (current policies) a little,” said
Opposition watcher Wong Wee Nam. “That’s not an ideology.”
Dr Koh thinks otherwise. “Even with the formation of the new
parties, you don’t see a build-up where everyone moves into one
stream. There’s quite a lot of diversity,” she said.
But Associate Professor Alan Chong of the S Rajaratnam School of
International Studies said: “Most are clones of the PAP, with some
slight differences in terms of being more pro-welfare, pro-liberal
or pro-Singaporean.”
The leaders of the new parties contend that they have something
to bring to the table.
Mr Goh, who recently applied to found the People’s Power Party,
is pushing for a four-pillar governance system — social, cultural,
political and economic.
The SFP positions itself as a party for the middle-class, with a
locals-first mentality.
Waving aside concerns of a further splitting of the Opposition
votes, the party chiefs maintained they will try to avoid
three-cornered fights.
They were also firm in their belief in a multi-party system,
stressing that having two parties in power would be “unstable”.
“You will end up with a constant bickering between the two
parties, and it’s very disruptive. A lot of attention is on
municipal issues,” said Mr Goh, citing the AHPETC court
dispute.
Agreeing, Singapore Democratic Alliance’s chief Desmond Lim
said: “Parliament should have multiple parties to check on each
other, and be involved in policymaking.”
Mr Lim, whose poor showing in the Punggol East by-election cost
him a hefty election deposit of S$14,500, added that he intends to
contest in the upcoming election.
“Just because you failed once, it doesn’t mean you won’t do
better next time. People should have an open heart and mind, and
see what the party can offer in the coming election,” he added.
- CNA
