A “GOOD” SHOWING FOR WP, OR “SLOW PROGRESS”?
Political observers CNA spoke to were split on whether there were positive takeaways from the performance of Singapore’s main opposition party in the elections.
Associate Professor Chong noted that the WP had bucked the wider trend of a national swing away from opposition parties and towards the PAP, by not only retaining but increasing its vote share in constituencies it was defending.
“It’s in some ways a good election; of course they would have liked to do better, I’m sure,” he added. “They have momentum going into the next parliamentary session and the next election.”
Dr Teo noted that the WP had secured over 40 per cent of the vote in all new constituencies it contested, while the only other opposition party to do so was the Singapore Democratic Party, whose chief Chee Soon Juan managed 46.81 per cent in Sembawang SMC.
“It does show that the WP has grown its brand significantly amongst voters,” she said.
Mr Singh, the former PAP MP, said however that the WP “should be seen as making too slow a progress”.
“I am sure winning another GRC will give them more credibility than just winning a few more votes overall,” he said.
He said the WP had spread its stronger candidates too thinly across constituencies when they should have focussed in one “sure-win” GRC and SMC each.
“PAP also outsmarted WP with DPM Gan’s move to Punggol and therefore denying WP’s star catches a win,” Mr Singh added, referring to Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong’s last-minute switch from Chua Chu Kang GRC to Punggol GRC, where the WP fielded senior counsel Harpreet Singh.
The PAP team won with 55.17 per cent of the vote to the WP’s 44.83 per cent, in a constituency many had expected to be closely contested.
