Publication

This paper discusses Singapore’s September 2015 general election, in which the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) won 70 percent of the vote, and why the opposition parties failed to build on the 2011 election results, when they won the highest number of seats since the country’s independence. Among other issues, the author outlines 1) the reasons why some people in Singapore choose to vote for the opposition in some elections, including how it may be more of a protest vote than support for opposition parties; 2) how Singaporeans mistrust differences in ideas and perspectives, and what this means for opposition political parties; and 3) the problem created by opposition parties catering to those on the left and the right of politics, rather than to the political center.