Opinion | In staid Singapore, a national election that could change its course
Zuraidah Ibrahim says the city state's upcoming election, its first since the death of Lee Kuan Yew, may yet change the direction of its political development and style of rule
If you yawn at the mere mention of a general election in Singapore, you can be forgiven. To an outside observer, the Singapore GP is probably more exciting than the Singapore GE: the Formula 1 grand prix the week after promises more twists and turns.
One would be wrong, though, to conclude that Friday's election is inconsequential, or that Singaporeans are attending opposition rallies in droves out of sheer boredom. There is still enough unpredictability in the polls to keep the bookies busy. And there is enough at stake for ruling party candidates to pound the pavements with a vengeance.
True, the big picture is a foregone conclusion. Despite this being the first election in independent Singapore in which every seat is being contested, the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) will have no trouble winning most of them, and thus forming the next government. Even if the opposition trebles in strength, it will still hold fewer than a quarter of the seats.
These two weeks every four to five years create the most unscripted event in the world's most planned country
None of the opposition parties is even asking for the PAP to be ousted just yet. They know the vast majority of Singaporeans accept that only the PAP can run the country right now.