Singapore Politics

From SgWiki

The Politics of Singapore has a fairly recent history.
Since Indepedence from the British rule, Singapore has changed its political attachment to different links. First it was the British who were the sole political master, then the administration was linked to the Federation of Malaya and become part of Malaysia then finally it opted for self rule as an independent State. Slowly it evolves into a Nation. Upon acquiring nationhood status she became the Republic of Singapore.165.21.154.113 01:00, 29 Sep 2005 (SGT)alien

The People's Action Party (PAP) is a political party in Singapore.It is tied to the whole history of the Nation. The party was formed in 1954 by English-educated middle-classmen who had returned from Britain. PAP first contested the legislative elections (25 of 32 seats were allowed to be elected) of 1955, winning three seats, one by Lee Kuan Yew. PAP has controlled the Singapore government since the party won the first full general elections of 1959, winning all or vast majority seats of every general election.

Between 1963 and 1965, Singapore was a part of Malaysia and PAP functioned as a Malaysian party. However, the prospect that PAP might rule Malaysia upset PAP relations with UMNO and the Malay nationalist belief in the Tanah Melayu. The clash of personalities between Lee Kuan Yew and the Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman resulted in an ensuing crisis and led to Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965. Upon independence, PAP ceased operations outside of Singapore.

Because almost all professional politicians in Singapore are members of the People's Action Party, PAP has held the overwhelming majority of seats in Parliament since 1966, when the opposition Barisan Sosialis Party (Socialist Front), a left-wing group that split from PAP in 1961, resigned from Parliament, leaving PAP as the sole representative party. In the general elections of 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980, PAP won all of the seats in an expanding parliament. After that, opposition parties could win at least 1 or 2 seats. Adopting a traditionalist Leninist party organization together with a vanguard cadre from its communist-leaning faction the PAP Executive later expelled the leftist faction, bringing the ideological basis of the party into the centre, and later in the 60s, moving further to the right.

For many years the party was led by Lee Kuan Yew, who was prime minister from 1959 to 1990. The current prime minister, and secretary general of PAP, is Lee Hsien Loong who succeeded Goh Chok Tong on 12 August 2004. Lee Hsien Loong is the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew. Even though PAP can be credited with the economic success of Singapore, it rules the country with authoritarianism.

It suppress political opposition in ways such as sueing the opposition for libel and seeking high damages, requiring government permits to hold demonstrations, and controlling the press through state monopolies, and the imprisonment of opposition political leaders without trial.

One example of such oppression is all demonstrations against the 2003 Iraq war withered due to lack of demonstration permits registered by the demonstrators. The leading newspaper of Singapore, the Straits Times is often perceived as a propaganda newspaper because it rarely criticises of government policy, and covers little about the opposition. The PAP is alleged to commit gerrymandering, the redrawing of electoral districts before general elections to ensure that most of the districts elect PAP candidates. Both the Housing Development Board (in charge of public housing) and Land Transport Authority (in charge of public transit) have based the provision of their services on the voting of individual districts.

1 PAP's Election results
2 Who go there?
3 Now the PAP garmen indeed heard and took action!
4 Quotable quotes

[edit] PAP's Election results

1955: won 3 of 25 elected seats, % NA.(PAP began in opposition with Lee Kuan Yew as opposition leader. The Labour Front won 13 seats and was the governing party.)
1959: won 43 of 51 seats, with 53% of the vote (since 1959, voting in Singapore has been compulsory).
1963: won 37 of 51 seats, with 47% of the vote (opposition votes were spilt between the Barisan Sosialis Party and the United People's Party).
1968: won all of the seats, with 84% of the vote.
1972: won all of the seats, with 69% of the vote.
1976: won all of the seats, with 72% of the vote.
1980: won all of the seats, with 77% of the vote.
1984: won all except 2 seats, with 65% of the vote.
1988: won 80 of 81 seats, with 63% of the vote.
1991: won 36 of 40 contested seats, with 61% of the vote.
1997: won 34 of 36 contested seats, with 65% of the vote.
2001: won 25 of 27 contested seats, with 75% of the vote.

<above article mirrored from wikipedia> on the People Action Party[[1]]with 165.21.154.113 01:00, 29 Sep 2005 (SGT)my intro.comment at top

[edit] Who go there?

>. ...

When some old retired people went to the Bank (Hong Leong) to put in their lifesaving for a higher interest return..the bank people (financial advisors) told them Lehman Brother a well known old setup financial banking system in USA are paying higher interest, would they consider it? So they agreed and signed below the dotted line...... Unknowingly just as even the financial advisers were unaware - exactly one year later the Lehman Brothers filled for bankruptcy protection in USA. Millions of retired people all the world over were shocked. How could the oNE OF (4TH?) largest banking system collapsed so fast? (in just One day!) Just like 9/11 eh? However, it was never a joke with those serious people who trusted the advisers & their banks etc, etc..
What to do lah? all my saving gone like that? So a bunch of old retirees and people who lost their savings went out to protest (legally only at ) the Speakers' corner!

[edit] Now the PAP garmen indeed heard and took action!

The garmen told the banks: "Do right, get it done right!" I do hope they all get some of their savings back..maybe the garmen who is responsible to ensure the whole banking (eg. MAS) system works also do right!..amen? so it be..

HEONG LEONG OFFERED TO BUY BACK MINIBOND HELD BY THOSE BUYERS WHO IS 62 ABOVE, AND WITHOUT THE BENEFITS OF A PRIMARY 6 EDUCATION!

..GOTO[[2]]

[edit] Quotable quotes

I am a elected representative of the people and my actions as such not answerable to an officer of the garmen... quote from the late Lim Chin Siong

In the past we had fought and won the battle against the old British colonial system imposted upon us, now we must fight against all the unfair system in the Garmen which is no less imposing as the old colonial system.. it's the lightning party which only represent the selfish interests of a few<the elite> in among Singaporeans...see the NKF senario and you will understand a little how the PAP had totally taken all darconian powers into their own hands to work this great enslaving system among us here.. no different from the old colonial rulers in the past!: Alien ^talk 07:22, 22 March 2006 (SGT)

goto read tweaking

Let my people go free! 07:30, 22 March 2006 (SGT)

All are born free

Emancipation

All are born equal

All are destined to die

Each and everyone is given a name

Each and everbody has the right to choose

All are accountable to one another

That is basics to all human constitution

But Some may claim
All are born free, but some more freer than others
All are born equal, but some more equal than others
Each and everyone is given an ID plus a name or nickname name too @alias then U choose Ur a.k.a.
Each and everyone has the right, some more right than others
All are destined to die, but some are destined to live as if forever!
All are accountable, but they want other to be given accounts
This is basically what we do to our own constitution

goto:<find out> who am I really? GotoSEE FREEDOM

== Who is the top BOSS? == (goto see Disclaimer on Political Satires and Allegory in unorthodox writing alien 165.21.154.114 15:57, 2 Oct 2005 (SGT))

Without answering to that rhetorical question, let's presume the Boss as the Lion in the Jungle where indeed the wild life are in total awesome respect for their king or simply known as the old King. He's<Lion>still King of the jungle, mind you.

Even among all the older folks, camaraderie & respect for the fighting spirit of the King determine their own present abode and peace of mind, BTW who dare to rebel? Those who did left and are gone to far away places, but from a safe distance and someone did talk back, but that’s closed history too!

Well another old lion did it, and the single animal was gracefully allowed to be the only one on the old neglected shelf to collect dust as a statute, and no formal display or showing-off again, it's the old Boss domain! Others tried but not very successful! Where are they now?

Whatever and whosoever rule determine the rules of the game, so loyalty counts and some old spirit of that initial founding pioneering status attribute to positions in the Jungle are no surety of staying. Eventually one by one needs to leave to make way for the young and stronger animals to come in and take over the reins. Did it hit back on you staying there to serve the domain of the Lion? It’s loyalty that’s still counts, remember! (Don’t think U r important, only One is..at any time of the day!)

The Lion had so much difficulty find the right people to ran the Garmen since it had became a moral issue of supporting the policies of the Garmen. The Public perceived it with foreboding bad omen such as "never join the Politics" and even the head hunters with their tea parties could never find few good men or women, and had to resort to foreign talents! I meant there are no available talents or was it the right talent?

When the young Lion came into the political arena, he brought new blood all his co-horts from the Jungle camp, I meant these were the best animals now that they had commanded armies and won great paper victories for the Jungle domain!

So one generation passed on to another, and yet another has come to run the show: this time now is another game in the jungle with definitely new vigorous leadership among the young lions plus some recruits from the jungle warfare domain. I kow-tow too, I have nothing to lose other than my own skin and perhaps a few unnecessary things which need to go to trash when I too, kick the bucket!

Behind the the old jungle of the Lion's habitat are many wild animals who supported the Lion, one clever sly fox suddenly come out, but he was on the front Page of News just yesterday!

Politics is okay if you are in the right with the Lion, the left will be risky!

GOOD MORNING! I need to go for my cup of morning wake up cooffee!bye!165.21.154.110 10:02, 30 Sep 2005 (SGT)alien

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