Hi, I'm a frequent reader of your blog. The short answer to your question whether S'poreans know what they're doing every 5 years - they don't need to. PAP is returned to power on nomination day.

That's true, but it doesn't explain why they vote PAP in all contested constituencies too. I know the system is weighted against the opposition parties, but that doesn't obscure the devotion of much of the electorate to the PAP, regardless of the quality of the opposition candidate.

I tend to imagine that the PAP stage manages the perceived inferiority of the opposition. I'm a M'sian, and it's pretty much the same over here. The best and brightest are enticed or coerced into the governing party, and those left in opposition made to look like buffoons. There is a possibility that all the opposition stupidity - yes, even the Steve Chia incident - may have been manufactured. But done so artfully you'd never know the hidden hand behind it.

Well, commenting exclusively on PAP politics, the PAP has been fantastic at co-opting the best and brightest, no doubt about that. I seriously doubt that there is a hidden hand behind the opposition looking ridiculous, though. I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories when simpler theories can explain things (think Occam's Razor). And many opposition members aren't particularly bright. So perhaps I should say it's not a blanket condemnation of all Singaporeans who voted PAP over opposition- just those who voted PAP mindlessly. Problem is there are too many people like that. I wonder- how does this compare to people in democracies decades ago who used to vote along straight party lines?

i think, because the PAP has been in power for so long, and has built up some kind of r/s with the ppl and leaders from other countries, ppl continue to vote for them coz they don't know any other party who could lead them, and they are not too sure whether a new party can come up and rule the country as well as the previous country. i'm not saying the PAP is great, but at least they've done what they're supposed to do. and i guess, like the old saying goes, "don't fix what is not broken."

I tend to imagine that S'pore is no longer a democracy in the traditional sense. It looks and behaves like an oligarchy, and in order to be a part of the ruling circle, you have to follow a certain formula - go to an Ivy League or Oxbridge, start a career in a GLC, the SAF or the Civil Service, and keep your nose clean till you get called upon from on high. Then, when you are unveiled at the next election, you cannot help but outshine the klutzy opposition member and steamroll him in public. All this talk of foreign competition makes the average S'porean jumpy, so who better to fend for their future than brainy technocrats who seem to know it all? The voter will never have the "luxury" of backing a strong "check and balance".

On an unrelated note, have any of you guys heard of mr. brown - www.mrbrown.com? This guy is totally hilarious and has been the first person who has managed to make me miss Singapore for all the policy eccentricities. And for the record, I am not related to mr. brown nor do I know him personally. Check it out! It's an interesting read and may leave you in side-splitting stiches.

Thanks for the link, Singapore chick. It seems really interesting.

Wei Yi and Marie- it seems like it's back to the old debate over whether political opposition is viable in Singapore. I'm not one to blame the PAP- every party in power seeks to stay in power, and many of the tactics we ascribe to the PAP are common in liberal democracies (pork barrel politics, redistricting, etc.). What the PAP has in addition is that they are extremely kiasu (this is Singapore, after all) and they have a few additional levers they are willing to pull, including judicial, legal, educational, and emotive.

My point above was not to blame the PAP for doing everything it can (legal or otherwise) for trying to stay in power, but to ask why Singaporeans are following the PAP mindlessly and not willing to take risks.

When I think about it, it's not only taking a risk on a non-PAP candidate, but also risking politics. Even the PAP has trouble finding viable candidates sometimes. They are now co-opting the best of the private sector into politics.

However, to end on a brighter note- I don't think this state of affairs will last. Things are changing, and once LKY passes, politics in Singapore is going to be very different.

I guess this is a symptom of a post-electoral society, a trend in many of the more affluent nations of the world, where people increasingly take up causes with NGOs rather than political parties, and the proportion of voters drops (where it is legal to not vote, like in the US). Elected officials become service providers, not great leaders or demagogues in the classic style. And people expect a "quiet life", not one awash in big ideas and idealism. The sixties ended in 1972, and the spirit has been declining since. Sure, we still have problems, but a self-centred belief system means we look after our own first, foremost and last. All the pork, elitist recruitment and opposition killing has made S'poreans supremely confident that their govt. can run on autopilot, but when the chips are down, it is the same party, with decades of experience in power that will be relied upon to save the nation. And who can blame them? The fact that we are not Haiti or Serbia is a sobering reminder that our leaders have done an excellent job, which we almost take for granted. Quibble and gripe we may, but no one, not even the voters in Hougang or Potong Pasir, seriously envision life without PAP in power.

hello confucius
i have read your blog intermittently and found it very interesting (i also love all your little links and find myself wondering about you and your friends ..)
i am amazed by your openess in expressing your political views...
although i no longer live in singapore, i still find myself suffering from a rather healthy paranoia (big brother is watching...and trust me, i was big sister...)
anyway it is refreshing to see that one can live in singapore and somehow not get swamped by that overwhelming humidity which seems to send most of my friends and aquaintances into a sort of coma ...
maybe your secret is that you don't read the straits times?

thankyou for keeping me amused on st john street