By ALEX KENNEDY <!-- BYLINE -->, 07.08.11, 08:12 AM
EDT<!-- DATE -->
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/07/08/business-as-singapore-politics_8555164.html
SINGAPORE -- Fewer Singaporeans consider the ruling People's
Action Party to be credible after the party's worst election
results since independence, a survey showed Friday.
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About 73 percent of those polled agreed or strongly agreed that
the PAP is a credible party, down from 87 percent in 2006,
according to a survey by the Institute of Policy Studies, a
think-tank within the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the
National University of Singapore.
"The political consciousness of Singaporeans has changed very
radically," said Chua Beng Huat, a sociology professor at NUS. "The
PAP will probably continue to be the dominant party for the next
twenty years, but we're moving toward a more normal, democratic
culture."
The PAP has dominated Singapore political life since the country
split from Malaysia in 1965. It won 60 percent of overall votes in
a parliamentary election May 7, the lowest percentage since
independence, while the Workers Party won six of 87 parliament
seats, the most by an opposition party since the PAP came to
power.
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Voter discontent has grown in recent years as housing prices
soared while wages stagnated amid a surge in foreign workers. Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong pledged after the vote to reconsider PAP
policies and governing style, and ordered a review of minister
salaries, which are among the highest in the world.
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But the government so far hasn't expressed plans to make
fundamental changes, such as establishing a minimum salary or
easing the city-state's economic dependence on foreign workers.
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"The election was a warning to the PAP not to be complacent and
to seek new ways to reconnect to a younger and more demanding
electorate," said Lam Peng Er, senior research fellow at the East
Asian Institute. "But it's unclear whether the PAP will re-examine
its economic model of development and be more open and transparent
in policymaking to citizens."
The survey showed the most important election issues were the
cost of living, efficient government and checks and balances in
Parliament.
The telephone survey of 2,080 people aged 21 and above was
conducted May 8-20. No margin of error was given. Normally, a poll
that size would have an error margin of about 3 percentage
points.
During the election campaign some PAP leaders acknowledged the
perception that they sometimes govern in an arrogant or high-handed
manner. Lee offered a rare public apology for PAP mistakes days
before the vote.
However, some PAP leaders reject criticism that they are out of
touch with the struggles of ordinary Singaporeans.
"When people say that the members of Parliament are disconnected
from the ground, or don't want to engage with the people, I find it
hard to believe," PAP Member of Parliament Vikram Nair said in a
speech at a conference hosted by IPS. "We do what we think is right
and sometimes, people won't be happy."
"Don't focus too much on the 40 percent that didn't vote for
you," he said. "We have to remember and keep in mind the interests
of the 60 percent that did."
Perhaps the biggest change since the election was the
resignation of Lee Kuan Yew from the cabinet. The 87-year-old Lee,
who is Lee Hsien Loong's father, was prime minister from 1959 to
1990 and subsequently held senior cabinet positions until May.
The senior Lee is credited with guiding the rise of Singapore
from a sleepy port town into one of the richest and safest
countries in the world. He also jailed some political rivals for
years without trial and sued other opponents into bankruptcy with
defamation cases. That helped isolate the opposition, which has
just begun to emerge.
"One of the factors that will contribute to Singapore's road to
democracy is the retirement of Lee Kuan Yew," Chua said. "A lot of
the authoritarian atmosphere is the result of that one man's
mentality."
Associated Press writer Heather Tan in Singapore contributed to
this story.
