February 18, 2010
For the second time in a year, the electoral rolls are updated
again to include the immigrants who have become citizens in 2009,
the exact number of which remains unknown.
According to the National Population Secretariat, Singapore
welcomed 20,153 new citizens in 2008, up from 17,334 in 2007 and
13,000 in 2006.
With the number of new citizens increasing yearly, we should
expect the number of new citizens in 2009 to be higher than that of
2008.
Assuming we have 24,000 new citizens in 2009 based on the
average of an increase of 4,000 yearly since 2007, we will have a
total of 74,487 new citizens eligible to vote in the next general
election expected to beheld this year.
Since new citizens are more likely to vote for the ruling party
which gives them the opportunity to start life anew in Singapore,
the figure is sufficient to tilt closely-fought contests,
especially in single-seat wards in favor of the incumbent.
Is it fair to allow new citizens who have resided in Singapore
for only a few years to determine the collective destiny of native
Singaporeans who are born and bred in Singapore all their
lives?
They may not have spent sufficient time here to enable them to
make an informed decision on their futures.
In some states like South Carolina in the U.S.A., a minimum
waiting period is imposed on new immigrants before they are allowed
to vote in the state elections.
While there is no such stipulation for new citizens in Canada,
Australia and France, these countries have tighter immigration
criteria than Singapore.
For example, a foreign worker must reside in Australia for a
minimum period of two years before one can apply for PR.
Citizenships typically take more than 5 years after which the
newcomers will be familiar with the political situation in their
adopted homelands.
In contrast, many PRs in Singapore are able to obtain their
citizenships in a short period of time, ranging from one to five
years which is too short for them to gain an in-depth understanding
of Singapore’s political system dominated by the ruling party for
fifty continuous years.
The ruling party also has state resources at its disposal to
reach out to the new immigrants such as grassroots organizations
which have been busy organizing events to make them feel “welcomed”
in Singapore.
With the state media censoring news about opposition parties, it
will not be a surprise if the new citizens are not aware of their
existence at all.
Naturally, they will vote for the party with the “lightning”
logo which is ubiquitous throughout the HDB estates in
Singapore.
Due to widespread frustration, anger and resentment against the
ruling party, it is expected to lose some votes from native
Singaporeans unhappy with its immigration and housing policies
which can be “made up” easily by votes from the new citizens.
Of course it will be foolhardy to expect the ruling party to
impose a waiting period for new citizens to vote which is
detrimental to their interests.
Unless the swing towards the opposition is huge, the ruling
party is expected to ride on the wave of support from the new
citizens to romp home to another overwhelming victory at the next
general election.
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/02/18/should-there-be-a-waiting-period-before-new-citizens-are-allowed-to-vote/