The ten profiles of Singaporeans who will vote for the ruling party in GE 2016:-
1. Most of the 450,000 pioneer generation will vote for the ruling party as they grew up during the turbulent 1960s and only believed in PAP and LKY. The Pioneer Generation Package despite its gimmicky outlook will further reinforce this trend.
2. Many of the 100,000 civil servants will vote for the ruling party out of survival mode than anything else. Their fear that voting is not secret also ensures that votes from this partisan group is almost safe though there are still some die-hard dissendents.
3. We believe that eighty percent of new citizens comprising about 200,000 by GE 2016 will vote for the ruling party out of gratitude and loyalty. You don't forsake the ones that provide you the greener pastures easily especially if its your first type voting.
4. Most lowly-educated uncles and aunties in their forties and fifties may also vote for the ruling party out of the feel - safe attitude and refusal to rock the boat even though they are suffering inside. Eighty percent of people make their choice based on this safe issue than wanting to vote for the right choice.
5. Many businesses benefitted from the pro-employer policies of the government and will likely vote for the ruling party without hesitation to continue reaping the consequences of their choice. Why do otherwise when you are benefitting from that source?
6. Its strange but there is still a small group of young people who believes in the policies of the government when the majority of them are rather anti- establishment. They probably have benefited from the government's meritocratic system and are an elite class of their own.
7. Some voters may swing their votes back to the ruling party after switching camp in the previous election. They may be disappointed with the performance of the opposition camp and decide to cast their vote back to the incumbent either for better estate upgrading or other personal reasons. They also want to repent...
8. There is still a very small group of overseas voters who will continue to support the PAP whenever there is a chance to vote. They will fly all the way back or go to their nearest voting station abroad to cast that vote. This group may have benefited from the government's policy which allow them to migrate easily to greener pastures for retirement purposes but their loyalty remains with the ruling party. Ex-army officers and senior civil servants are some examples that comprise this tiny group.
9. There is still a large group of voters who are bought in by the gutter policies of the ruling party. Before every election, the ruling party will start to dish out goodies hoping that 20% of the fence-sitters will bite at the subsidies and cash vouchers. This group probably belongs to the lower middle class category and is gratified at every dollar that is given to them especially if the opposition is seen as weak and unknown.
10. This group votes for the ruling party simply because the opposition is seen as incapable of doing a better job than the ruling party. They will readily vote for a competent opposition team if given the choice. Aljunied GRC residents saw that the Worker's Party team is an A team and did not hesitate to swing their votes over from the incumbent. Its who in the team that matters to them.
Gilbert Goh