Crisis spoils Singapore celebrations
Thursday, 12 February 2009
John Burton
Financial Times
When
an apparently deranged man in Singapore set fire to his parliamentary
representative at a community event recently, a local website polled
its readers to ask which of them deserved more sympathy. By a
four-to-one margin, the readers voted for the assailant.
The episode appears to reflect an undercurrent of public discontent
with the People’s Action party (PAP) government, which celebrates its
50th anniversary in power this year, as Singapore confronts its worst
postwar recession, with the economy expected to contract by up to 5 per
cent.
The
PAP government has long been one of Asia’s most secure. Singapore’s
dominant one-party system has set an example for countries such as
China, Russia and the Gulf states. Their leaders “are picking up points
here and there” about how Singapore can “keep its ruling party in place
and run a tight ship, honest and effective”, says Lee Kuan Yew, the
city state’s founding father.
But
the economic crisis is putting Singapore’s political system to its
severest test since independence in 1965. “Officials appear scared
about the public reaction. I’ve never seen them so concerned before,”
said a Singapore-based regional political analyst.
The economic
downturn threatens to expose some of Singapore’s vulnerabilities,
including a wide gap between rich and poor and a heavy dependence on
foreign investment for growth.
The recession also comes at a
challenging time, when the city state must find new manufacturing
industries to replace the declining electronics sector and as it
embarks on an ambitious plan to become the Monaco of Asia, with private
banking and gambling as growth sectors.
The PAP has stayed in
power because of an implicit social bargain that it would deliver
prosperity in return for restrictions on political freedoms. It has
justified its strong rule by saying that liberal democracy could prove
divisive in a multi-ethnic society such as Singapore, with its ethnic
Chinese, Malay and Indian populations.
Lee Hsien Loong, the
prime minister and son of Lee Kuan Yew, recently praised one-party rule
for promoting administrative efficiency and good policymaking, compared
with malfunctioning” Asian democracies such as Taiwan, with a troubled
economy, polarised politics and widespread corruption.
“I don’t think you want that kind of political system in Singapore,” he told the annual PAP congress.
Terence
Chong, of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, says:
“Political order and economic stability may go hand in hand, but there
is increasing awareness, even within the PAP, that that may no longer
work.”
He points to a feeling that the PAP is “out of touch with the general suffering”.
In
November, Singapore said it would cut the 2009 salaries of senior
government officials by up to 19 per cent in response to the slowing
economy.
The government also said recently that it would tighten
already strict rules on public assemblies to prevent acts of civil
disobedience. But civil activism is growing, and the government is
coming under increased scrutiny and criticism on the internet.“
The
government hasn’t helped matters by losing billions of dollars by
investing in Citigroup and Merrill Lynch,” says a foreign businessman,
referring to the $24bn (€18.6bn, £16.7bn) invested by Singapore’s
sovereign funds in western financial groups. “The crisis is proving to
be a reality check for the authorities.”
Officials are hoping to
address public concerns with the recent announcement of a S$20.5bn
($13.6bn, €10.6bn, £9.5bn) stimulus package.
Manu Bhaskaran, of
Centennial Group, an economic consultancy, also argues that support for
the government remains strong in comparison with neighbouring Malaysia
and Thailand, “where there is corruption and mismanagement”.
He
adds: “The population doesn’t want to rock the boat in an economic
storm and it will support the government, which has a strong record of
economic progress and political stability.”
But an element of
uncertainty remains about the depth of public support. A third of
Singaporeans normally vote against the PAP, despite the weakness of
opposition parties. The government must call an election by November
2011. It may decide to call a snap election this year if it fears that
the economy will not recover in the next two years, when public
discontent might be stronger.
While the PAP is expected to
return to power, its nightmare result would be to lose one or more of
the five or six-member group representation constituencies (GRCs) that
dominate the parliamentary system. Voters cast a single ballot for a
party slate of candidates. The opposition, which now has only two seats
in the 84-member chamber, would gain its biggest representation in more
than 40 years.
“The loss of a GRC would be a psychological blow
to the PAP and might encourage more Singaporeans to join the
opposition,” says the local political analyst.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f3e5d78-f87a-11dd-aae8-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1
well, what do you think can be done to wrest a few GRCs from the MIW?
i suggest gagging CSJ who seems to leech away votes for the opposition each time he opens his mouth