When Singaporeans went to the polls on July 10, voters handed the long-ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) another landslide general election victory with 61.2% of the popular vote and all but 10 of 93 seats in Parliament.
But when party leaders addressed the media in the early hours of the following morning, the winners weren’t smiling. Instead, those rejoicing the loudest were supporters of the opposition Workers’ Party (WP) as jubilant crowds spontaneously gathered to wave party flags and honk horns, rare sights and sounds in politically placid Singapore.
WP clinched 10 seats, up from six previously, unexpectedly capturing two group constituencies in addition to their stronghold single-seat Hougang ward. Prime Minister and PAP secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong conceded that the results showed “a clear desire for a diversity of voices in Parliament.”
Two months on, the city-state’s unicameral legislature now features the largest opposition presence since Singapore’s independence and, for the first time in its history, a Leader of the Opposition (LO) formally appointed by the premier.
But when party leaders addressed the media in the early hours of the following morning, the winners weren’t smiling. Instead, those rejoicing the loudest were supporters of the opposition Workers’ Party (WP) as jubilant crowds spontaneously gathered to wave party flags and honk horns, rare sights and sounds in politically placid Singapore.
WP clinched 10 seats, up from six previously, unexpectedly capturing two group constituencies in addition to their stronghold single-seat Hougang ward. Prime Minister and PAP secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong conceded that the results showed “a clear desire for a diversity of voices in Parliament.”
Two months on, the city-state’s unicameral legislature now features the largest opposition presence since Singapore’s independence and, for the first time in its history, a Leader of the Opposition (LO) formally appointed by the premier.
Read the full story at Asia Times.
Nile Bowie is a journalist and correspondent with the Asia Times covering current affairs in Singapore and Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com.
