S’pore to hold snap election on Sept 11

> PAP under pressure to improve on its 2011 electoral performance

SINGAPORE: Singapore will hold a snap general election on Sept 11, officials said yesterday as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong seeks a new mandate from voters worried over immigration and the high cost of living.

The People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled for more than 50 years with a mix of strict political controls and rapid economic progress, is widely expected to keep its overwhelming majority in the 89seat parliament because of a fragmented opposition.

But the party will be under pressure to improve on its worst electoral performance in 2011, when it won 60% of votes – its lowest-ever share – despite retaining 80 seats in a block-voting system.

It will be the first election without the prime minister’s hugely influential father, independence leader Lee Kuan Yew who died in March.

By law a general election must be held within three months of parliament’s dissolution by President Tony Tan.

The date for nomination day, when candidates file their papers, is to be announced separately.

All eyes will be on whether the opposition can gain more than the seven seats it currently holds.

A survey by local research firm Blackbox said the government enjoyed a “satisfaction index” of 76.4% last month after peaking at 80% in April following Kuan Yew’s death, which triggered an outpouring of national grief and patriotism.

But its satisfaction rating on the cost of living in July stood at just 42%, housing affordability at 53%, public transport at 57% and population management at 61%.

An influx of foreign workers and immigrants as the birthrate declines has seen the population surge from 4.17 million in 2004 to 5.47 million last year.

The influx remains a source of tension, with middle-class Singaporeans complaining that the newcomers are competing with them for jobs and housing and straining public services.

“I would say this would be the watershed general election after independence, because we will see whether Singapore moves in a definitive manner towards a two-party-system,” Singapore Management University associate law professor Eugene Tan said.

“The last four years has seen the PAP government pulling out all stops to deal with the hot-button issues that featured in the last election,” he told AFP.

“If despite this massive effort, voters seem to be throwing more support to the opposition, then it could suggest voters, as much as they want a strong government, also appreciate the value of a healthy and credible opposition.” – AFP