Much has been said about how the "ground is sweet" for the Opposition and that there many Singaporeans who are dissatisfied with the ruling party, PAP. Indeed, if we read the online posts, blogs and tweets; we often hear of these dissident voices urging Singaporeans to vote for the Opposition. However, we need to remember that we have 2 million voters that will be making their decisions on Saturday. It is often the case that the people who are most unhappy will often voice their concerns the loudest; those that are happy with the current situation or don't have any burning concerns will often keep silent. Instead, they will let their votes do the talking.
I have no doubt that the popularity of PAP has declined from 5 years ago, the question is whether the decline will show up where it counts; especially when our political system is one of 1st past the post. While I am hopeful that the Opposition will have a better showing than the last election, I am also mindful that ours is an Asian society where traditional values of respect, loyalty and longevity reverberates in our hearts and minds. Hence, the ruling party might just surprises all on Saturday.
Many analysts have weighed in on the importance of this election to PAP but no one has examined just how much more important this election is to the Opposition. Never has so much expectations been heap on the Opposition. For the 1st time, the Opposition is expected to win more than the 2 seats they have in Parliament in the last election. The quality of the candidates has improved and manifestos are more coherent and respectable. With so much going for the Opposition, anything less than 2 SRC and 1 GRC will be seen as a weak showing. If that proves to be true, the damage to the Opposition's credibility will be catastrophic. Singaporeans will question the viability of the Opposition in spite of the momentum going into this election. Perhaps, more will be resigned to a single party system and surrender the ideals of a 2-party system for Singapore.
Make no mistake; this election is as much about the Opposition’s relevance as it is about the future of our nation.
I have no doubt that the popularity of PAP has declined from 5 years ago, the question is whether the decline will show up where it counts; especially when our political system is one of 1st past the post. While I am hopeful that the Opposition will have a better showing than the last election, I am also mindful that ours is an Asian society where traditional values of respect, loyalty and longevity reverberates in our hearts and minds. Hence, the ruling party might just surprises all on Saturday.
Many analysts have weighed in on the importance of this election to PAP but no one has examined just how much more important this election is to the Opposition. Never has so much expectations been heap on the Opposition. For the 1st time, the Opposition is expected to win more than the 2 seats they have in Parliament in the last election. The quality of the candidates has improved and manifestos are more coherent and respectable. With so much going for the Opposition, anything less than 2 SRC and 1 GRC will be seen as a weak showing. If that proves to be true, the damage to the Opposition's credibility will be catastrophic. Singaporeans will question the viability of the Opposition in spite of the momentum going into this election. Perhaps, more will be resigned to a single party system and surrender the ideals of a 2-party system for Singapore.
Make no mistake; this election is as much about the Opposition’s relevance as it is about the future of our nation.
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