People’s Action Party the party ruling Singapore since 1965 retained power in 2011 elections. The party won 81 out of 87 parliamentary seats with 60.1 percent of 2 million ballots. A victory of 81-seats-to-six, in favour of the ruling party, is being considered a watershed. “The political landscape has changed forever,” said Suzaina Kadir, a senior lecturer at Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. The only uncontested constituency was that of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the first premier, because on the nomination day, opposition candidates arrived 35 seconds too late to register.
Singapore’s economic success has widened the income gap, with the world’s highest share of dollar-millionaire households contributing to higher property and consumer prices, leaving some citizens behind. Singapore’s Gini coefficient, a gauge of income inequality, rose to 0.48 last year from 0.444 in 2000. The PAP rule has delivered a 41-fold jump in gross domestic product, combining a focus on education, homeownership, business friendliness and strict laws to boost the wealth of citizens. GDP grew a record 14.5 percent last year. Singapore’s gross domestic product was about S$285 billion ($231 billion) last year, compared with S$6.9 billion in 1960, based on 2005 market prices.
Foreign Minister George Yeo, who lost his seat said in an interview with the Straits Times on May 5. “We have to listen harder to what people say.”
Does this ring some bells back home?
Probably yes, because 2011 Assembly elections in 5 states and one parliamentary election in Andhra Pradesh has lot to reveal than to hide. In some way this electionappears to be a watershed heretoo. With record Voting turn out the Sun set is Chennai and the Mummy returned. The west Bengal has tried a different pill after 34 Years.
The election results has signalled that younger voters are graduating as professionals giving the much exploited emotional bargaining a big blow. They are demanding results and not promises. Probably the collective power of that one Vote is sreading like wild fire. Taking electoral constituencies or the trusted constituencies for granted is a bad Political Strategy. Long Live democracy because if Politicians are smart, new generation voters are are getting smarter. May 13th the day on which results were announced may be unlucky for some but certainly not unlucky for the health of Democracy.
