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The 2006 Singapore parliamentary general election was an election in Singapore held on May 6 2006. 1.22 million out of the eligible 2.16 million Singaporeans had elected their Members of Parliament and selected their next government. The elections results were released at 10 p.m. (SST) The People's Action Party (PAP) won 66.6% of the overall votes, and won 82 out of 84 seats as well as a 12th consecutive term in office under the leadership of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The other major political fronts are the Workers' Party of Singapore (WP) led by Low Thia Khiang, the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) led by Chiam See Tong, both of which hold a seat respectively, and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) led by Chee Soon Juan, which currently holds no seats.

Following nomination day, 37 of the 84 available seats were uncontested and won by the PAP in walkovers. For the first time since 1988, the PAP did not return to power on nomination day, and this election is thus one of the most widely contested elections in Singapore's recent history. On election day, voters elected their parliamentary representatives for the remaining 47 seats, all but 2 of which went to PAP. The main election issues include employment; cost of living; government policies on housing, transport, education; the need for an effective opposition voice in parliament and the quality of the candidates.

Overview

On April 20 2006, Parliament was dissolved by President Sellapan Ramanathan on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Later that day, the President issued the Writ of Election and the government announced that the election would be held on Saturday, 6 May 2006, with nomination day on Thursday, 27 April 2006. The Returning Officer was to be Tan Boon Huat, Chief Executive Director of the People's Association.

Political parties

The governing People's Action Party (PAP) sought to secure a twelth consecutive term in office since 1959, led for the first time by its Secretary-General Lee Hsien Loong. The other major political parties were the Workers' Party of Singapore (WP) led by Low Thia Khiang, the Singapore People's Party (SPP) led by Chiam See Tong, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) led by Steve Chia Kiah Hong, and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) led by Chee Soon Juan, who himself was ineligible to run in this election because of a 2002 conviction.

The four parties that make up the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), including the SPP and the NSP, cooperated again for this election.

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Electorate

Citizens above majority (21 years of age as of the compiling of the electoral register) were eligible to vote. The Elections Department had completed its revision of the Registers of Electors and opened them for public inspection from January 17 through January 30, 2006. There were 2,158,439 eligible voters. Press Release: Certification of Registers of Electors, 2006 (PDF) - Election Department, February 17, 2006.

This was the first election where more than half the electorate were voters of the post-independence generation, that is, those born after Singapore's independence in 1965.

Overseas voting

After previous episodes in which efforts to extend voting to them were scuttled, most recently over terrorism fears in 2001, overseas Singaporeans were able to register to vote in this election at designated overseas polling stations located within Singapore's High Commissions, Embassies or Consulates.

Voting Overseas Elections Department Singapore (Last updated on September 7, 2005) However, not all overseas Singaporeans qualified. To do so, they must have had either resided in Singapore for an aggregate of two of the past five years, or be overseas for reasons of employment or education related to the government.* Elections Department Singapore

The overseas polling stations were located in these cities:

1,017 overseas Singaporeans had registered for overseas voting by March 22 2006. However, only 558 voted as the rest had a walkover in their constituencies.

Electoral divisions

On March 3, 2006, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee had published the updated list of electoral divisions for the upcoming election. There were fourteen GRCs participating, each with five or six seats, and nine SMCs. The total number of seats remained the same at 84 as the last general election, in 2001.

The two SMCs that the opposition parties held — Hougang SMC and Potong Pasir SMC — were intact. Also unchanged is the Chua Chu Kang SMC which saw a relatively close contest in the 2001 election between PAP's Low Seow Chay and NSP's secretary-general Steve Chia who obtained 34.7% of votes and later became a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament.

The major changes in the electoral divisions were as follows:

  • Mergers
    • Ayer Rajah SMC was merged into the West Coast GRC.
    • Bukit Timah SMC was combined with Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC to form a new Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

  • New SMCs
    • Bukit Panjang SMC
    • Yio Chu Kang SMC

  • Changes in electoral seats within GRCs
    • The number of seats in East Coast GRC was reduced to five.
    • The number of seats in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC was increased to six.

  • Changes in boundaries between GRCs
    • Parts of Bedok New Town, Bedok North Green, Chai Chee Gardens and Kampong Chai Chee were transferred from East Coast GRC to Marine Parade GRC.
    • The area bounded by the Pan Island Expressway, Jalan Eunos, and Sims Avenue East were transferred from Aljunied GRC to Marine Parade GRC.
    • Serangoon Gardens, previously under Marine Parade GRC, was transferred to Aljunied GRC.
    • The area bounded by Eng Neo Avenue, Dunearn Road, Adam Road and Pan Island Expressway was transferred from Holland-Bukit Panjang (which itself became Holland-Bukit Timah) GRC to Tanjong Pagar GRC.
    • A part of Yishun that was part of Sembawang GRC was transferred to Nee Soon East SMC.

Election deposit

For this election, the deposit for each candidate was set at S$13,500 (approximately US$8590 or £4620). This is about 8 percent of the total annual salary S$170,000 payable to an MP in the preceding year, rounded to the nearest S$500. The regulations of the elections stated that the deposit was to be forfeited if the candidate failed to obtain at least one-eighth of the votes.

Nomination day

Planning for nomination day by political parties

As early as January 2006, when it became clear that the election would be held soon, the political parties began making definitive plans in preparation for Nomination Day. (Chinese)

On 10 March 2006, the major opposition parties had held a meeting, after which they announced that they were going to contest 57 of the 84 seats in Parliament. Nonetheless, the full detail of the opposition's plan was not revealed until Nomination Day itself. As Steve Chia told reporters: "Any self-respecting politician will hold his cards close to his chest."

There were nine SMCs with 1 seat each for the election. For smaller political parties and independents who do not have sufficient candidates and resources to contest the GRCs, the SMCs were the only constituencies that they could have afforded to run. In addition, many believe that opposition candidates have a higher chance of winning in SMCs than in GRCs. Since there are only nine SMCs, all were expected to be contested. Three-cornered fights are undesirable, and usually the opposition parties try to avoid this by coordinating their plans with each other. Chiam See Tong (SPP) said that "if we enter into one fight, we're only going to kill ourselves. We're not that stupid."

In March 2006, it was thought that there could be a potential three-cornered contest in MacPherson SMC, where both Mansor Rahman, Chairman of Democratic Progressive Party, and Sin Kek Tong, Chairman of Singapore People's Party have indicated their parties' interest to run in the election. Later, the parties managed to reach an agreement and avoided the unfavourable contest. Tan Lead Shake, previously a prominent member of DPP, later joined the Singapore Democratic Alliance, and became a member of SDA's team contesting Tampines GRC.

As of 26 April 2006, the opposition had indicated they would contest at least half of the seats in the 84 member Parliament. There were forty-seven candidates standing for election with ten new candidates facing the opposition. Candidates standing for election had only an hour to present their nomination papers, and must be accompanied by their proposers, seconders and assentors. Observers said that at 37 People's Action Party candidates from seven Group Representative Constituencies returned unopposed. This included GRCs led by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. As the amount of contested seats composed the majority of the total seats available, the country realised that there was a possibility that the PAP would not be able to return to power upon the nomination process concluding. Eventually this would be a possibility that would prove true.

Early announcement of intention by parties

Some of the opposition parties, such as Workers' Party and Singapore Democratic Alliance, adopted the strategy of announcing early their plans on which constituencies they intended to contest, even before changes in electoral boundaries were published. This was seen as a tactical move to earmark those divisions in order to discourage any third party from contesting in the same divisions and leading to three-cornered fights. Another cited reason is that, if the (non-independent) electoral commission redrew those boundaries, the opposition would be able to exploit such actions by accusing the PAP of gerrymandering to avoid the ballot challenge.

Nomination day results

Following the nomination process, it was confirmed that opposition candidates had either been ineligible or chose not to run in 7 GRCs, totalling 37 seats. These were granted to the PAP in a walkover. However, this was less than half the number of 84 seats, so for the first time since 1988, the PAP was not returned to power from walkovers on Nomination day. After the confirmation of polls in the contested constituencies, the Elections Department revealed that over 1.2 million Singaporeans, 56.6% of eligible voters, would be able to cast votes. The rest of the voters were not able to cast votes because their constituencies had walkovers.

The opposition parties' 47 candidates for the 2006 election was a large increase from the 29 candidates in the last election in 2001. In addition, there were no three-cornered fights in any constituency and all contests were strictly between a PAP candidate or team and an opposition candidate or team. There was also no independent candidate participating in this election; this was a rare occurrence as independent candidates have participated in every election since 1955, except in 1980.

Election results

Summary

Full results

Diversity of opposition candidates

All eighteen candidates for the SMCs were male Chinese. On 28 April, Lee Kuan Yew (PAP) referred to this fact when arguing for the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system on the grounds that it ensures minority and women representation in parliament. , since the WP had been calling for the abolishment of the GRCs. Yet, there is no requirement that GRCs contain at least one female candidate.

The number of members in each GRC team has been steadily increased by the PAP over the years through legislation from 3 to 5 or 6 members. The Opposition viewed this as means by the PAP to change the "rules of the game" to make it difficult for the Oppositions as they lack resources.

Election issues

As in previous elections, bread and butter issues, including jobs, medical care and cost of living, dominated the election campaign. Other major election issues, as highlighted by political parties and analysts, are listed in the following.

Pre-nomination day events

New candidates

This election saw a large number of new candidates as the major political parties had undergone self-renewal in recent years, many of whom belong to the post-1965 generation. PAP had introduced 24 new candidates, including 7 women. The opposition Workers' Party and the Singapore Democratic Alliance had also introduced many first-timers for this election including three women from the Workers' Party.

Budget day and progress package

On 17 February 2006, Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary General of the PAP delivered the country's Budget Statement to the Parliament. He released details of a S$2.6 billion on a "progress package" including S$500 million for Central Provident Fund top-ups, S$400 million for workfare bonuses, and S$200 million bonuses for national servicemen. Largely due to this package, the 2006 Budget incurred a deficit of S$2.86 billion.

Several PAP members attempted to play down the significance of the event. Sim Boon Ann and Halimah Yacob said it was no different from the PAP government's past practices of sharing surpluses when the economy does well. More neutral watchers, such as Gillian Koh from the Institute of Policy Studies, however, say it reflects the government's intentions to fulfil general sentiments in the electorate who feel it is the "right thing" to be done. Straits Times, 21 January 2006

Low Thia Khiang (WP) came out strongly against the progress package which he said was no more than a vote-winning tool by the PAP. Low questioned why the government had earlier retorted his call for more spending on education citing that it would result in a budget deficit. Low called for greater transparency on how the government intend to financing the package and to compensate for the budget shortfall. Wong Kan Seng (PAP) later dismissed claims that the progress package constitutes a form of vote buying. Nonetheless, even PAP MPs such as Wang Kai Yuen (MP-Bukit Timah GRC) had said that the payout would "render the ground sweeter for the ruling party in the coming General Election". Tan Cheng Bock (MP-Ayer Rajah) expressed surprise that the government had more than S$13 billion in capital receipts and asked why these were "not * in the Budget".

Workers' Party manifesto

The Workers' Party (WP) launched an update to its manifesto on 14 January 2006, and became the first party to do so - by Farah Abdul Rahim . Amongst its policy proposals, it called for the Presidency to revert to its former ceremonial role and the abolishment of the GRCs, the Ethnic Integration Policy for Housing and Development Board flats, the Resident Committees and the Citizen Consultative Committees. It also revealed its intentions to establish a central agency in the provision of public transport, setting up of a national unemployment insurance scheme and a more comprehensive national health insurance scheme among a host of other things.

On 21 January, PAP launched a coordinated attack on the WP's proposals, with Ng Eng Hen highlighting four of their proposals as "four time bombs...* will weaken and tear Singapore apart". - by May Wong Khaw Boon Wan, revealed various changes in medical policies, including the Medisave scheme, which has been a constant target for criticism by opposition parties. He also also chided the WP for its "failure to understand what makes inter-racialism work in Singapore and why we are different from the rest of the world", referring the four points brought up by Ng Eng Hen as "poisons" Straits Times, 22 January 2006 Workers' Party Chairman Sylvia Lim released a press statement - by Sylvia Lim on 22 January, responding to each of the four "time bombs" criticised by Ng and adding that the party was standing firmly by its manifesto. - by Lee U-Wen

Cartoon T-shirts

During the weekend on March 4-5, members of the Singapore People's Party were at the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC conducting a walk-about and selling $10 white T-shirts featuring a caricature of a red ant with boxing gloves. Teo Chee Hean (PAP), an incumbent MP for the GRC, made fun of it saying "I don't think our residents want their flats to be overrun by red ants". His fellow MP Charles Chong added: "It would be very unfair if they come with ants and you use elephants to step on them."

Desmond Lim, assistant secretary-general of the SPP responded that the red ant represented the party's never-say-die spirit: "Ants see no obstacles. If you put a stone in front of them, they will make a detour or climb over it. We are like small ants in the political scene here. But when ants come together, they can move mountains."

Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC housed the Buangkok MRT Station where the white elephant incident took place in August 2005 when "white elephant" signs were placed in protest of the station's non-operational status. The incident prompted the government to eventually open the station in January 2006.

By-election strategy

The last three general elections in 1991, 1997, and 2001 have seen the PAP return to power on Nomination Day as the opposition parties adopted a by-election strategy and contested less than half the number of seats in these elections. For the coming election, early indications by the opposition parties suggest that more than half the seats will be contested. In a Today report dated 6 March 2006, Low Thia Khiang (WP) said that WP does not believe in a by-election strategy and "felt that every Singaporean should have the opportunity to vote". On 6 March, Steve Chia (NSP) also said that by-election strategy will not be his party's strategy.

Chiam See Tong (SPP) said that they would campaign on a by-election strategy given a chance, but he noted that the strategy has been used before and that "it may not capture the imagination of the voters as much."

Chee Soon Juan's bankruptcy

On 10 February, Chee Soon Juan (SDP) had been declared a bankrupt by the High Court, after failing to pay S$500,000 in damages awarded to Goh and Lee. Upon this bankruptcy order, Chee was barred from standing for elections until February 2011. By Farah Abdul Rahim. Chee is already ineligible for this election because of a fine in 2002.

Jeyaretnam's potential comeback

Opposition veteran J B Jeyaretnam, former MP and secretary-general of WP, had planned to make a comeback by paying off his bankruptcy to contest the election. He told Lianhe Zaobao that he had identified some potential candidates with whom he might form a team to contest a GRC. Steve Chia welcomed this development and expressed his hope that Jeyaretnam will challenge either Lee Kuan Yew or Goh Chok Tong to keep the "big guns" busy in their own constituencies and have less time to campaign for weaker PAP candidates in other electoral divisions. However, legal troubles plaguing him undid any chances of Jeyaretnam, as the earliest he would have been discharged was in mid-June. Therefore, after nomination day, he was not found to be contesting any SMC or GRC, and thus, was not involved in this election as a candidate.

Goh Chok Tong's special assignment

On 19 March, Lee Hsien Loong said that PAP is aiming to win all the constituencies and is serious about taking over the two opposition wards in Hougang SMC and Potong Pasir SMC, saying that "We want to win, this is not masak-masak Malay term meaning a child's game". The PAP candidates for these two wards will be Eric Low and Sitoh Yih Pin respectively. Both lost in the previous elections but had been working the ground in these wards since. They were assisted by Goh Chok Tong who had been given the special assignment to help the PAP win the two wards.

Goh had suggested that if Eric Low and Sitoh Yih Pin won the election, they would be given extra latitude when speaking and voting in parliament and not be subjected to the political Whip. Goh also said that he would help Sitoh to gain a post in the new Cabinet if he is elected. Hougang and Potong Pasir residents were also been promised upgrades $100 and $80 million dollars if PAP manages to retake the 2 seats. Both of these constituencies have been denied the chance to upgrade their estates as well as to provide lifts that stop on every floor, for as long as they are in opposition hands. When the PAP shaved the Worker's Party's vote share from 58% to 55% in the 1997 General Election, then prime-minister Goh had offered to upgrade Hougang estate if the WP's chief's share of vote was reduced to 52%. Hougang has proved to be the most difficult opposition ward to reclaim.

Nomination forms

As of April 21, a day after the election day was announced, thirty-nine nomination forms were collected from the Elections Department office at Prinsep Street in which twenty were for Single-seat constituencies and the remaining nineteen for Group Representative Constituencies. These included eighteen applications to the Malay Community Committee and thirteen for the Indian and other minority committee. The Elections Department has also received five donation reports and declaration forms.

Remarks in The New Democrat

In April 2006, the SDP published an article headlined "Govt's role in the NKF scandal" in the SDP party newspaper, The New Democrat, about the National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal. On 22 April, letters of demand were served on twelve individuals and the publisher. Drew and Napier, the law firm acting for Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Kuan Yew, says that the newspaper article alleges that the two Lees are "dishonest and unfit for office", that Lee Kuan Yew "devised a corrupt political system for the benefit of the political elite", and that he managed the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation in a "corrupt manner". In addition, according to the letter of demand, the newspaper also alleged that Lee Hsien Loong had "perpetuated a corrupt political system for the benefit of the political elite" and how he and his Government "had access to the information which has now been unearthed about NKF but corruptly concealed and covered up the facts to avoid criticism". The letters demand that damages be paid and an apology made in the media by April 25.

On 22 April, the lawyer acting for the Central Executive Committee of the SDP had said that he was instructed to defend the case vigorously.

As of 27 April, four of SDP's eleven committee members had publicly apologised, while the chairman of the party had refused to apologise as it would constitute "an admission of guilt". An apology has been formally rejected by the party, though it would not oppose individual members from making personal apologies. M Ravi, the lawyer representing most of the accused, has rejected claims made in the letters that allegations made in the paper were "highly defamatory", and he "* not see how a government or public body could be defamed". On 27 April, Chee said that the threat of legal action is already seriously affecting SDP's campaign at Sembawang GRC: "Lawyers for Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Lee Hsien Loong have gone as far as to sue the printer, so much so that he is so frightened he dares not publish our election material." SDP was still seen selling the publication, and the Lees are seeking aggravated damages.

After Polling Day, a meeting on the defamation suit was called by Francis Yong, vice chairman of the SDP, in the SDP headquarters. As only the Chee siblings of the SDP has not yet apologised, this meeting was to persuade the two to apologise. However, the meeting ended up in failure. Lawrence Lai, member of the Centre Executive Committee, walked out after 1 hour of the meeting, while others refused to comment.

SDP podcast

On 25 April, Elections Department warned SDP that it would take action against the party if they did not take down the audio files and podcasts from the party's website as it is against election advertising regulations under the Parliamentary Elections Act. Within hours after the notice was issued, SDP posted a notice on its website that the podcast service was suspended. Nonetheless as of 29 April, a podcast of an interview with J B Jeyaretnam was still accessible on the website server, although there is no hyperlink to it.

Remarks on "First World Government"

Several politicians are engaging in exchanges surrounding the phrase "First World". It started with Lee Kuan Yew (PAP) who said "We want to have a First World parliament for Singapore, so we need to have a First World government and a First World opposition. If you want us to treat you as gentlemen, argue on the merits of your policy and our policy. Take it to a higher level and we will treat you accordingly and respond accordingly."

On 24 April, Low Thia Khiang (WP) responded saying that the PAP was not a First World government, and rather that instead the Workers' Party was the hope for a First World government.

Lee then rebutted on 25 April that if the PAP did not have the capabilities of a First World government, Singapore would not have risen up to the First World standards as measured by several world bodies. He added that "The WP under Low Thia Khiang must take this opportunity, having got rid of Jeyaratnam, to begin the process of getting the WP to First World standards."

James Gomez (WP) joined in the fray on 28 April, saying "Singaporeans and Singapore are First World. There is no doubt in my mind, but it does not mean that the government and the PAP are First World. Don't claim credit. Singaporeans and Singapore are First World, and this is the message I want to leave with you today. You are First World, Singapore is First World but the PAP government is not."

In a news release posted at WP's website on 29 April, Low reiterated that PAP was not a First World government and took the opportunity to raise the issue of ministerial pay. He criticised the PAP for not "benchmarking itself politically against the matured Democracies around the world although ministers' salaries are benchmarked against international corporates' standards."

Events between nomination day and election day

The Singapore Police Force released a list of twenty-four sites for election rallies which were held betwen 28 April to 5 May during the nine day campaigning period on 27 April 2006 after nomination day. Rallies needed to be licensed by permits and were issued by the SPF Police Election Meetings Office on a first-come-first-serve basis, starting on 27 April. Some were seen queueing since 26 April to camp overnight. All sites were evening rallies which were scheduled from 7 p.m. to 10.p.m, except for a "Lunchtime Rally Site" at Boat Quay next to UOB Plaza which made a comeback. The last lunchtime rally was held in the 1997 elections. The feature was removed in the last election due to fears of terrorist attacks after September 11, 2001 attacks. On 28 April, the first election rally for the People's Action Party, was forced a change in venue from Serangoon Stadium to a residents committee room, due to heavy rain and lightning.

After the nominations were completed, the opposition contested 47 seats with the remaining 37 being walkover seats won by the PAP. The PAP was thus denied a walkover majority to form a government on nomination day, the first time since 1988. Lee Hsien Loong's response stated that he was happy that there were many opposition candidates contesting in the election, and said it is good for the maturation of Singapore's political system. He accepted the challenge from the opposition and his constituency Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency was contested by the Workers' party. Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim that her party would fight for more seats in parliament but did not expect to topple the PAP government. "There is no way the opposition will win every seat they contest," she said. Steve Chia (NSP) hnyad said earlier that the SDA's aim was to win 15 seats and form a shadow cabinet, to provide effective scruti for the government.

The Workers' Party had put up their strongest team, consisting of its more prominent candidates led by Chairman Sylvia Lim, to contest Aljunied GRC challenging the PAP team led by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo. The constituency eventually had the fiercest GRC contest in the election. At the same time, Workers' Party fielded a very young team in Ang Mo Kio GRC, with candidates mostly born after 1965, to compete with the flagship PAP team led by Lee Hsien Loong. The strongest GRC team for the SDA was the one that contested Jalan Besar GRC, it was led by Sebestian Teo, with a former MP Cheo Chai Chen.

The hotly contested Single Member Constituencies were Chua Chu Kang SMC where incumbent Member of Parliament for the seat and Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Kim Yong aginst National Solidatary Party's secretary-general Steve Chia of the Singapore Democratic Alliance. Hougang SMC which is an opposition ward was also a hotly contested SMC with the PAP attempting to win the seat back, but failed. The race was between incumbent Workers' Party secretary-general and Member of Parliament for Hougang Low Thia Khiang against the PAP's Eric Low Siak Meng. Nee Soon East SMC was hotly contested with Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee against Poh Lee Guan of the Workers' Party. An opposition seat which has been held by Chiam See Tong since 1984 was Potong Pasir SMC which was hotly contested. The PAP fielded Sitoh Yih Pin for that seat, but the PAP lost.

According to media reports, at Fajar Secondary School Nomination Centre, Ling How Doong had told the media that he and Wong Hong Toy, SDP assistant secretary-general who was with Ling at that time, had considered an ouster of Chee Soon Juan from the party's central executive committee (CEC). This was later denied on the same day by a media release on the SDP website which claimed that the local media is "waging a campaign against SDP". The SDP held a press conference later that day and denied any splits in the party, Ling was not present at that time.

Since nomination day, the PAP had stepped up its negative campaigning effort against the opposition. Lee Kuan Yew (PAP) had referred the opposition as not having "First World" quality and described some of their candidates as of poor quality and lacking in "intellectual content". He repeated his attack on 28 April saying "I want a world-class opposition, not this riffraff."

cabinet minister Lim Boon Heng said that the SDP is already being written off by Singaporeans. Lee Hsien Loong said the opposition had no clear vision or views on Singapore's major challenges.

On 29 April 2006, Lee Hsien Loong referred to his opponents at Ang Mo Kio GRC, the relatively young WP team, as "敢死队" (suicide squad) adding that even the bookies will not take a bet on the outcome in that constituency contest. In response, Mr Low Thia Kiang of the WP said that it is better to be a "敢死队" (suicide squad) rather than a "怕死队" (squad that is scared to die). WP's candidate Yaw Shin Leong added that his team-mates and himself were mentally prepared to lose but it does not mean they were push-overs.

James Gomez saga

Controversy arose during the election surrounding the application for a minority-race candidate certificate by James Gomez of Workers' Party. On the 24 April, Gomez went to the Elections Department to fill up the minority-race candidate certificate application form accompanied by the chairperson Sylvia Lim. Instead of handing in the application form to election official, Gomez slipped the form in his bag. At the time, Sylvia Lim had went to a waiting area and did not witness the event. However, on the eve of Nomination Day, James Gomez went to collect his minority-race candidate certificate claiming he had submitted the application form. Following two days of dispute between both sides, the Elections Department was able to produce video evidence showing that James Gomez did not submit the application form; a day later, James Gomez apologised to the Elections Department saying he was distracted by his busy schedule.

During the controversy, PAP raised questions about the credibility of James Gomez. He was also accused of attempting to discredit the Elections Department by claiming they misplaced the form. Despite not having enough concrete video or audio evidence, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew called James Gomez a "liar" and Lee Kuan Yew dared Gomez to sue him and Wong Kan Seng. George Yeo (PAP) also suggested that the Worker's Party should sack Gomez and field a four-member team for the five-member Group Representation Constituency.

Party political broadcast

On both 29 April 2006 and 4 May 2006, the four contesting parties made their political broadcasts over television and radio in the four official languages — the English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil languages. Each party was given an allocated time based on the number of candidates it fielded. The People's Action Party (PAP) was given 12 minutes with 84 candidates fielded, the Workers' Party (WP) and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) were given 4.5 minutes each with 20 candidates fielded, and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) was given 2.5 minutes with 7 candidates fielded.

SDP broadcast
The SDP was represented by Chee Siok Chin on both days. Chee said that while the ministers were enjoying high salaries, the lowest income group in Singapore were facing greater financial burden compounded by increasing cost of living. She said that financial difficulty has contributed to higher divorce, suicide rates and increase in bankruptcy filed in recent years.

Chee declared in the 4 May broadcast that the Ministers were paying themselves the highest political salaries in the world. She also declared that the PAP is trying to undermine the SDP, but the SDP will stand strong.

WP broadcast
The WP was represented by its Chairman Sylvia Lim in 29 April. Lim said that the Workers' Party has a committed group of candidates in this election to pursue greater democracy in Singapore. She criticised the PAP for using taxpayers' money to selective upgrade constituencies that voted for the PAP. She called this a narrow-minded and divisive policy, and it encourages voters to act on self-interests instead of national interests. She added that this threatened to split the fabric of the nation, and run contrary to the spirit of national service that calls for personal sacrifice. She further labelled this as a a time bomb and that it set a bad precedent on how the government allocates public funds and service. She asked voters not to succumb to the threat of the PAP, and to vote for the opposition needed to press the government on other important policies such as containing the cost of transport, utility and healthcare.

Lim also criticised the PAP for using public funding to give bonuses before election, calling it a populist budget. She also point out that the PAP had used its position as the government to entrench and promote the party through public funded grassroots organisations. She questioned whether PAP is a first world government, which she said should put national interests ahead of party interests, and operate on a level playing field.

Tan Hui Hua represented the WP on 4 May.

SDA broadcast
SDA's Secretary-general, Chiam See Tong, read the party's political broadcast on both 29 April and 4 May. Chiam pointed out that in this election, the PAP is aiming to win all seats. He asked voters whether they want a one-party system. Chiam argued that a multi-party system would be needed for democracy to survive in Singapore, and that a free Singapore with room for diverse views and opinions would be necessary for the social, cultural and political well-being of the people. Chiam urged the people to act decisively to vote for the opposition, to ensure that Singapore would not degenerate into a one-party state. He said that "a vibrant and cosmopolitan Singapore needs creativity of the mind" and that "these can only flourish in an atmosphere of freedom and an environment where there is no fear." He reminded viewers of the old saying, "absolute power corrupts absolutely."

PAP broadcast
PAP's political broadcast was read by its Secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong on 29 April. Lee highlighted the successes of the PAP government since the last election, especially in creating jobs, reducing unemployment, retraining workers, and investing in young people. He argued that the strategies were working and economy was striving, and that PAP had united the people under the threat of terrorism. He reminded viewers that Singapore would have great opportunities as well as major challenges ahead as Asia was rising, and the PAP would make Singapore a land of opportunity for all people, and each person could find his or her own niche and excel. He said that the government would educate each Singaporean to be the best they can be.

Lee said that the country must ensure that as it progresses, that no one is left behind, and to help those who have difficulty keeping up. He gives this reason for implementing the progress package that was given out. Lee said that the PAP government would take care of older Singaporeans and help them work longer. PAP would install elevators on every floor of every HDB block, make the city barrier free and transport system wheelchair friendly.

He continued to say that the PAP would make medical care more affordable, and the coverage of Medisave would be extended. He said these strategies would improve the lives of all Singaporeans and help create a fair and just society and a safe and harmonious community. He added that the PAP is the best team assembled; it is a diverse team with candidates committed to serve. He asked viewers for support, to help build a nation where every person could develop himself to the fullest and everyone contributed to "this vibrant city".

Debate on housing and lift upgrading

The upgrading of public housing, including the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP), is a major issue in this election. As in previous elections, the PAP had tied the scheduling of housing upgrades to the number of votes the party received in the election. The PAP argues that government is successful in raising the standard of living in the country, and those who support its various policies, including the upgrading, should be given priority. In the hotly contested Aljunied GRC, George Yeo (PAP) has placed lift upgrading the "top of * priority list" so that the lift would stop on every floor in as many blocks as possible.

Sylvia Lim (WP) accused the PAP of being selective in its upgrading programmes, arguing that this is a divisive policy.

Large turnout at opposition election rallies

The election featured large turnouts at some of the election rallies of the opposition parties, which was unheard of since the 1980s. A report by Malaysian press The Star estimated that around 10,000 people attended the Workers' Party rally on 30 April at Hougang. At the last rally of the Workers' Party at Serangoon Stadium on 5 May, the audience filled up most of the field and even spilled outside the stadium.

The PAP dismissed the significance of the crowds, saying that it does not necessarily translate into votes.

Election aftermath

Victory parades

To continue with tradition, the winning candidates toured their constituencies to thank voters for their victory in the election. These parades were held in all contested seats as well as walkover Group Representation Constituencies. Victory parades are usually held in the late morning and early afternoon in conjunction with other events organised by the grassroots committee. The candidates were driven on trucks as they broadcasted message of appreciation to the residents. Some losing candidates also toured their constituencies to thank their supporters although their parades were usually smaller than those of the winning candidates.

Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

The Elections Department announced that one of the members of the Workers' Party team for Aljunied GRC will be the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament. The Elections Department discussed with the Central Executive Committee of the Workers' Party at its headquarters at Syed Alwi Road. The Workers' Party received 44% of the votes for the Group Representation Constituency, making it the largest opposition loser in the 2006 election. The announcement for the NCMP was made at a news conference after an hour meeting with the Elections Department. Twelve of the fifteen members of the Central Executive Committee voted for Sylvia Lim to be the NCMP in Parliament. Nine were in favour of her, one objected and two exempted for voting. The two members who did not vote were Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang and Chairman Sylvia Lim herself. She will not represent any constituency but she said she is looking forward to the opportunity to fulfil her obligation to supporters and also to voice the concerns of the people. She will take over as NCMP from incumbent Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Steve Chia of the Singapore Democratic Alliance which he held the post for the past five years.

Detaining and questioning of Gomez

On 7 May 2006, a day after the elections, Gomez was detained by police at Singapore Changi Airport when he was about to take a flight to Sweden for work. The police was investigating an "alleged offences of criminal intimidation and providing false information". The Elections Department had earlier filed a police report regarding the incident during the election period in which Gomez spoke to an election official in a threatening tone, an episode that was caught on closed-circuit television. After he was detained at the airport, Gomez was brought to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at Police Cantonment Complex for questioning and to file his statement, after which he was released at midnight. His passport was impounded by the police to prevent him from leaving the country and his air ticket was forfeited as it was non-refundable. He also suffered a loss of income due to his absence from work.

On that night, Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang were also asked to give statements at the CID. On 9 May, Gomez was called again to CID for a questioning session that lasted five hours. Gomez later told the media that he was giving the police "the fullest cooperation"

After a total of three questioning sessions, James was led off with a stern warning by the police. The police issued a statement stating that the public prosecutor was satisfied that Gomez committed the offence of using threatening words towards a civil servant but the police decided to release Gomez as he has not committed any criminal offence before the incident. His passport was returned to him and he left for Sweden on 16 May.

Chee Siok Chin's challenge of polling results

On 24 May 2006, SDP member Chee Siok Chin filed a summon on the High Court asking to declare the election results void. In her affidavit, Chee claimed that the PAP had used the HDB upgrading scheme and gave out shares and cash to induce voters to vote for the party and hence secure electoral victory. Chee also wanted the High Court to declare the ban on podcasting during election period as unconstitutional.

New cabinet

The new cabinet was sworn-in on 30 May 2006. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made few changes in his administration. In the only change at the ministerial level, Raymond Lim was promoted to be the Minister for Transport replacing Yeo Cheow Tong.

Influence of the Internet

The Internet played a much more significant role compared to previous general elections. Singapore has a large number of computer users, with 74% of households owning computers and 2 in 3 households having Internet access . Podcasts, blogs, and online political discussions have become common in Singaporean cyberspace. A blog called "SGRally" SG Rally: The Singapore Elections Rally Archive was set up to collect recorded rally speeches in this election. Opposition candidates had complained about insufficient rally sites allocated to them in past elections.

In August 2005, Singapore Democratic Party became the first political party in Singapore to launch a podcast called RadioSDP on its party website. Several members of the Workers' Party are active in blogsphere; the notable bloggers are James Gomez, Goh Meng Seng, and Melvin Tan.

On 25 February 2006, the Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore organised a public forum on politics titled "The (In)Significance of Political Elections in Singapore?" Among the speakers were 2nd Assistant Secretary-General of Workers' Party James Gomez; Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Geh Min, and former NMP Chandra Mohan. A recording of the forum is available via podcast. NUScast: The (In)significance of Political Elections in Singapore. - National University of Singapore, 25 February 2006.

Regulations

Regulation of political content online was a large issue throughout the election period. The Media Development Authority (MDA) had reminded Internet content providers to comply with the law of Singapore, including those relating to political content. Online bloggers and podcasts may be subject to the Parliamentary Elections Act. Singapore Statutes Online Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218)

In a notification issued by MDA under the Broadcasting Act (Singapore Statutes, Chapter 28, Section 9) Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification, (PDF) Media Development Authority, 15 July 1996 , all political websites are required to register with the MDA. These include websites belonging to political parties as well as to "individuals, groups, organisations and corporations engaged in providing any programme for the propagation, promotion or discussion of political or religious issues relating to Singapore on the World Wide Web through the Internet." Internet Policies and Guidelines Media Development Authority, Singapore. A MDA spokesperson said that only a handful of websites have registered and that they are mostly belonged to political parties or registered political associations. Goh Meng Seng (WP) refused to register his blog, saying "I don't see the need to do so as an individual citizen. We have our rights to our political views." Cherian George, a political analyst, noted that the regulation would hinder the development of citizen journalism in Singapore. Election Coverage & Commentary, Cherian George, 2 October 2005.

Many bloggers and political commentators had commented that the rules are too broadly defined and were unsure how they would be enforced, and protesting that this was a rampant violation of freedom of speech. In a parliament session on 3 April 2006, Balaji Sadasivan, the senior minister of state for information, communications and the Arts, made some clarification on the regulation in response to a question by Low Thia Khiang. Balaji said that podcasting and streaming of videos were prohibited during the election. On the other hand, pictures of election candidates, political party histories and manifestos were allowed to be used as election advertising on the Internet. He added that bloggers who persistently promoted political views had to register with the Media Development Agency. During elections, only political parties, candidates and election agents are allowed to advertise, he stated. Balaji warned that those who violate the rules would face prosecution, and said "In a free-for-all internet environment, where there are no rules, political debate could easily degenerate into an unhealthy, unreliable and dangerous discourse, flush with rumours and distortions to mislead and confuse the public." The regulation of political content on the Internet had previously led to the closing down of a popular discussion forum website Sintercom in 2001, after the owner refused to register his website with the authority and voluntarily shutdown his website.

Publication of election surveys during the election period or exit polls being conducted on polling day were both banned.

References

External links

Official websites of political parties

News medial special coverage

Other official information

Elections in Singapore | Politics of Singapore | 2006 elections | Singapore general election, 2006

2006年新加坡大選

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Singapore general election, 2006".

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