Air-Conditioned Nation

Essays about Singapore / Cherian George

Category: Elections (Page 1 of 3)

SUCCESSION

4G AND THE 2 SHANS

Singapore’s fourth prime minister faces challenges not unlike Goh Chok Tong’s.

More earnest than magnetic, better at balancing budgets than rousing a crowd, Heng Swee Keat is unlikely to be saddled with unrealistic expectations when he becomes Singapore’s fourth prime minister. Being underestimated can be a political asset. It was a step in Goh Chok Tong’s ladder from a wooden technocrat to a popular leader. When Goh became prime minister in 1990, people regarded him as a seat-warmer for Lee Hsien Loong, and Lee Kuan Yew’s second- or third-choice one at that. But rather than provoke scorn, this image evoked empathy, which Goh cultivated into affection and even respect.

In late 2018, Heng Swee Keat was anointed as Lee Hsien Loong’s eventual successor in similarly unpropitious circumstances. Once again, this wasn’t the incoming leader’s fault: it had more to do with the public’s doubts about the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) unconventional selection process, and rumours that his seniors may have preferred others to be in charge. Once again, a sceptical public may give the new leader the benefit of the doubt and warm to him, mindful that alternative scenarios could have been worse.

[Cont’d]

This is a chapter from Air-Conditioned Nation Revisited: Essays on Singapore Politics (Singapore: Ethos Books, 2020).

PRESIDENCY

THE MISSED OPPORTUNITY OF THE 2017 PRESIDENTIAL TURNOVER

This chapter from my book, Singapore, Incomplete, can be downloaded here.

BEYOND GE 2015

A SECOND CHANCE FOR REFORM

The PAP’s stunning election victory doesn’t mean its remaking is complete.

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SCENARIOS

RESULTS AND THE LIKELY RESPONSES

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VOTE SHARE

IMPACT OF MINOR PARTIES

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OPPOSITION

LOOKS LIKE WP IS STILL IN FASHION

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CANDIDATES

TRADING PLACES: THE CURIOUS CASE OF L&L

When WP wants credentials and PAP craves street cred, here’s what you get.

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VOTERS

FREAK ELECTIONS AND OTHER SCARY STORIES

Elites consistently underestimate the sophistication of the Singapore electorate.

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PAP STRATEGY

THE PAP’S POST-2011 PLAYBOOK

Soften on social policy, harden against critics.

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DOMINANCE

FROM MAJORITY TO MONOPOLY

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