Singapore election: competing narratives of weakened cabinet if PAP loses seats vs balanced parliament


A charged election campaign ended in Singapore late on Thursday after nine days of the ruling party and the opposition trading accusations about negative politics, forging an uneasy truce to denounce race politics and arguing the need for a strong cabinet versus a plural parliament.

Then there were memes about how one was not gay, how the sun always rose whatever one felt about it and foul-mouthed rants of a hot-headed candidate, along with the serious topic of an aborted sale of home-grown insurance giant NTUC Income to German insurer Allianz.

Concerns over how the 9 per cent goods and services tax (GST) – increased last year from 8 per cent – had also added to the rising cost of living among residents, despite the flood of support vouchers.

Against this wide gamut of issues, the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), led for the first time at the polls by Lawrence Wong as prime minister, sought to keep the focus on the dangers of a “changing world” amid an escalating tariff war threatening the country’s open economy.

But the opposition kept hammering home the message of the need for a balanced parliament with its members able to check the government and help it do better.

Lawrence Wong is seeking a stronger mandate from voters. Photo: Reuters
Lawrence Wong is seeking a stronger mandate from voters. Photo: Reuters

On the final rally night, Wong told voters in Punggol that if they chose the opposition they would get alternative voices in parliament but weaken his team which had already lost four senior ministers – President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who left the party to run for president, and three cabinet members who retired before the election.



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