PAP win narrower than it seemed, no cause for celebration: Ong
Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung from the PAP, Special Research Advisor from NUS Institute of Policy Studies Arun Mahizhnan, and SDP Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan at the concluding session of the Post-Election Conference 2015 held at the Orchard Hotel on Nov 4, 2015. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY
SINGAPORE — Playing down the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) victory in the September General Election, Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung said its victory is “more narrow than it seemed” and said voters want a contest of ideas going forward.
The ruling party, which won nearly 70 per cent of the vote, lost six parliamentary seats, the same number as it did in GE2011, said Mr Ong. And in the more hotly contested constituencies, the vote swing was about 5 per cent.
This being a fairly exceptional year with SG50 celebrations, the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and various policy changes, “I don’t think it’s a victory that is so jubilant, to be celebrated”, said Mr Ong.
In a contest of ideas, he said many of these ideas have been tried by other countries with results shown, and a debate should give Singaporeans a stronger consensus to move forward.
Mr Ong and leaders of three opposition parties spoke in the final session of today (Nov 4)’s Post-Election Conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies.
The opposition parties highlighted the uneven playing field during elections and some said they had done everything they could in the recent election campaign to reach out to voters.
The PAP wins because the election system is neither free nor fair, said Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan, who said the Elections Department operates under the Prime Minister’s Office and that the Government controls print and broadcast media.
“Sure, the Opposition is given airtime and newspaper columns during the election period,” he said.
“But when you appear on Channel NewsAsia once in five years for 50 minutes and are given all of five minutes to tell the electorate about your plans to boost productivity, why a single payer universal healthcare system is the way forward, and how we can use a points-based system to better match the entry of foreign workers, you might as well invoke the spirit of Houdini to help you pull off a feat like that.”
Mr Ong said later in the question-and-answer with about 300 participants that newspapers here make their own editorial decisions — a Straits Times profile of him slated to run on the ninth day of the campaign only ran online, in favour of a story on Dr Chee in print, he said. But Dr Chee said he would “gladly” trade places with Mr Ong and have media “support” for the five years between elections.
Blogger Alex Au asked Mr Ong if the ruling party would use some of its political capital on issues that might cost it some votes, such as repealing the law that criminalises sex between men. Mr Ong did not think it was the “right way to governance”.
“You can be the largest animal in the jungle but you are not the jungle … we may be the government of today, but we are not larger than society. Some issues are for society to evolve and to move to a new position,” he said.
“It’s not for us to rush it or expend political capital in order to pursue.”
The session featured representatives of four political parties and was moderated by Mr Arun Mahizhnan, who said the Workers’ Party declined to participate and the Singapore Democratic Alliance did not confirm if it could send a representative.
Singapore People’s Party chairman Lina Chiam cautioned against writing off the Opposition and said another leader might emerge from the
ranks. She said the Opposition continues to face obstacles, such as access to condominium residents.
National Solidarity Party secretary-general Lim Tean said the Opposition can no longer “simply claim to be a check and balance for the PAP”.
“I believe in this new era, the opposition parties have to be prepared to drive their own policy cars and persuade Singapore voters to ride in their cars,” he said.
Going forward, Mr Ong said the PAP’s policies would change as circumstances change, but the party will keep fundamentals including zero tolerance to corruption, keeping an open economy, maintaining social cohesion and racial harmony.
