February 18, 2010
In a sign that elections may be called anytime soon, the ruling
party has updated the registers of voters again for the second time
within a year to include the new immigrants who took up Singapore
citizenship last year.
The revision will enable the names of new voters to be entered
in the appropriate registers.
There were 20,153 new citizens in 2008 and their names have
already been included in an earlier update in February last year.
The present revision will include new citizens in 2009, whose
numbers is not known yet.
Faced with a potential voter backlash over some of its misguided
policies, the ruling party has been desperately trying to shore up
its support base by “persuading” PRs to take up Singapore
citizenship.
According to unverified feedback from the ground, some PRs are
not having their status renewed – they were told in no uncertain
terms either to become Singaporeans or returned to where they came
from.
As new citizens will most likely vote for the ruling party, the
increase in the number of new citizens will dilute support for the
opposition.
The ruling party has gone out of its way to woo the newcomers
including PRs. A mega $10-million Community Integration Fund was
unveiled last year to make the immigrants feel “welcomed” in
Singapore.
New citizens and PRs are being roped into grassroots
organizations which are described as “part of the PAP” by its
strongman Lee Kuan Yew lately. No efforts were spared by the media
to portray the measures taken by the ruling party to “integrate”
the new citizens.
Due to the ruling party’s liberal immigration policies,
foreigners now make up 36 per cent of Singapore’s population, up
from 14 per cent in 1990. Of the remaining 64 per cent who are
citizens, an increasing number are born overseas.
Assuming the average number of new citizens per year since 2006
is 20,000, they may contribute nearly 100,000 new voters in the
next election, more than enough to sway votes in favor of the
ruling party in closely fought contests.
With few credible leaders in the opposition camp, the ruling
party is likely to romp home to another electoral victory with or
without the help of the new citizens.
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/02/18/electoral-rolls-updated-again-to-include-more-new-citizens-in-the-register/