- 60% approval rating for current gahmen, down 6% from last election
- 6 opposition MPs in Parliament up from 2
The good bits
I think the people have come around to the general concensus that they aren't exquisitely happy with the power that be. So the overall decline in approval is a strong sign that the PAP needs to change. I also think that the 60% figure would have been smaller if not for the fact the PM said sorry a few days before the election. Vivian B also came out to say he was sorry about the comments he made about welfare payouts back in 2007 (thank god for youtube in reminding us of this parliamentary folly). Even WKS reminded us he apologized for losing Mas Selamat. So the whole theme of "don't listen to the opposition because they're dangerous and stupid, and we're smart and know what you need" became "so sorry we hurt your feelings, perhaps we sound arrogant, please vote for us". So the gahmen has got it's proverbial "slap in the face" with the lowest approval rating in a long, long time.
The other thing to be happy about is the how involved people got about politics, especially the internet generation. What apathy? Yes, people may have been attracted to the inflammatory comments spread on various websites and blogs but hey, it takes a kick sometimes to get the engine going. People started thinking more about the political situation they've lived with for decades and now, with the chance to actually cast a vote, had to put some perspective and intelligence behind the cross (or heart-shape or star or whatever) in the box of choice.
The bad bits (and there are several)
With all but one GRC being contested, only one opposition party won its way through to Parliament. The NSP which put up the most candidates sadly didn't manage to put any member through although there were a few close calls. It would have been nice if Jeanette Chong-Aruldoss got in for Mountbatten on the merit of promoting cohesion among the races and also having a fancy name in Parliament.
The joker of the gahmen bunch is still in. MBT and his housing shenanigans have not been adequately dealt with in my books, even though his constituency gave him a low win with a 11% increase in the thumbs down. He better buck up and keep housing in check. We don't care about the half-assed spiel on asset enhancement, we care about retiring with savings.
Mr Chiam took a gamble and it didn't pay off. Well what to do. Voters in Bishan-Toa Payoh didn't give him sufficient support to oust WKS and his bunch of merry men (a few ministers there too) despite the Mas Selamat saga. Sad lah. Singaporeans perhaps have put their head first before their heart when it came to possibly kicking out a long-serving, one-time folly-prone MP. Well Mr Chiam did have a good run at it, having being the dashing, smooth-talking oppostion member in the late 80s (there are many YouTube videos to peruse). His wife who stood for Potong Pasir lost out by the most narrow of margins - 100 plus votes - in a poll where there were 200 plus spoilt votes. How tragic. Anyway, the PAP have been grinding at Potong Pasir since 1984 and now with welcome arms and large purse, its residents can look forward to overhauls galore and perhaps a merge with Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC in 5 years to quell any protesting voices.
George Yeo is out. A victim of politics and the Singapore system. After all the pent up emotion resulted in a 9% swing for the Workers' Party, Aljunites and Singaporeans alike also commiserated in the loss of a good man. In one of his maniacal ravings before Election Day, Lao Goh of Marine Parade asked what George Yeo had done to deserve a potential boot out of gahmen, unlike WKS who let Mas Selamat go and MBT who created housing and transportation related issues. This statement, a vicious sellout of his own peers, nonetheless also bring to light the realities of politics here. George Yeo and his 4 other MPs are out on their bums. No more $15k a month paycheck. Isn't George also PM Lee's best friend? What's a man to do?
So we wait to see how Low Thia Kiang and his wonder team will now take on the PAP and wow us with their opinions and proposals. Viva la democracy!
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