Written by Joseph Tan
I recently met MC a few days ago over a friend’s dinner gathering and we soon started to talk about politics. She was in her early 30s and works as a middle-management in an accounting firm. She was previously a supporter of the ruling party but recently expressed her displeasure at the ruling party. She agreed that could publish the conversation with her on the condition of anonymity.
1) What made you change your mind about the ruling party?
It was sometime early this year when the PAP just lost their seat in the Punggol East by-election. Previously I did not think much of it because of Yaw’s infidelity as well, but the way the by-election was conducted set me thinking about what the PAP really stood for.
As a grassroots helper, I was told by my team leader that this loss was nothing to be afraid of and that it was simply because of a by-election effect. From the way he put it to me, it was like he didn’t believe it personally and the message was some kind of poorly crafted propaganda message from the top.
Less than a few weeks later, the population white paper was passed. From the perspective of someone who has “walked the ground”, I was utterly shocked as there are plenty of constituents who have expressed that they are feeling the impact of immigration through packed transport, costs of living, and job security to name a few.
I felt betrayed and thought about it for a long time. I told my grassroots leader some weeks later that I was leaving the grassroots for good.
2) What do you think most people are thinking?
Most of the younger generation is against PAP for sure, and it is good that they are willing to openly express their displeasure. They know that their choice will have an impact on the future and that they will work to put the ruling party on their toes. They want to make sure that the sacrifices which come with the Singaporean citizenship – such as NS for males – are not wasted by letting new citizens get away with it.
The older generation is slowly aware that the PAP is no longer the party it once was, but they are less technologically savvy and are not sure what the various opposition parties stand for. The vast majority of the middle-class elderly still have tremendous support for some of the older ministers in the cabinet who ran in 2011. Perhaps with their retirement, and the fact that more of the electorate will be from Generation Y, the results of the 2016 general elections will be radically different.
3) What do you think is the biggest grievance that most Singaporeans have?
There is little doubt that this is widespread immigration, since it has a secondary impact on most areas as well. We have been told that these foreign workers are necessary, but there are two bigger problems. First, the infrastructure has not kept up with immigration statistics. For example, HDB built only 3000 new BTOs in 2008 when at least 140,000 new citizens and foreigners were let in. Not surprisingly, the HDB resale index rose by 12-15% in the following years.
In addition, there is no proper control. If businessmen know that the population is increasing, they will invest more in new enterprises such as retail and F&B which require staff that cannot be found at the existing level of population. There is therefore an artificial “shortage”. When these people finally come in, more workers in supporting industries such as construction will have to be imported. With no floodgates, immigration is but a spiral.
If I may add, most people I spoke to are quite put-off by the attitudes given by the younger generation ministers as well.
4) In terms of Singapore politics, where do you think the future will be headed?
There is still about 3 years before the next general election has to be called, and that is a long time. We have not seen any improvements in that the standard of living that Singaporeans face and most of it is but an illusion. For example, the HDB resale index shows that HDB prices are actually going up despite the illusion that more BTO flats are being built!
Furthermore, the younger generation can no longer afford to buy cars with new rules which would be deemed ridiculous in other countries. Unless the PAP can take an effort to give this a change, 2016 will cause them more loss in votes. And this time, I’m quite sure that the opposition juggernaut will be almost irreversible.
*Article first appeared on https://www.facebook.com/notes/joseph-tan/why-most-singaporeans-are-no-longer-supporting-the-pap/140309126162480