Pick your pick...

Singapore's general election is this coming Saturday. Not that it really matters since we (those who vaguely know Singapore's political situation) know that PAP is going to win again. But I think there are some issues regarding the election itself that are troubling, for the lack of better word, to me.

For those who don't know how the election works here, in short the whole Singapore is divided into tiny regions and every party can nominate one or more member of parliaments for that region. The people in that region will vote and the winner will be the member(s) of the parliament. The party with the most (I think) member of parliament will form the government.

The matter of concern here is the division into regions. It is very clear which region supports which party and this, in turn, will relate that region to a particular party. This is somewhat similar with America where a state can be related to a particular party. However, America is a federated country and thus, the impact of supporting the minority party is somewhat reduced. In Singapore, however, this is not the case and it's clear to see. Minority areas are more likely to be picked last for upgrading than majority areas.

Is is wrong for the government (in this case PAP) to do that? Heck, no. Well, at least legally. That's the point of democracy isn't it? You make a political decision and you reap the benefit or, in this case, the consequence. Democracy, in a way, is a dictatorship by majority. So is it wrong for them to do that? Again, legally no.

So why do I feel "slightly" disturbed by this? Firstly, because of the PAP (at least some of its members) comment that there is no need for oppossition MPs in the parliament because PAP itself can act as an oppossition. I'm sorry, but I can't accept that. However you try to convince me that every member of PAP can act as a responsible human being regardless of his/her party commitment (and I'm sure they can. Well, at least some of them), that is an utopic idea. Numerous factors take part in a political action and sometimes, sadly, conscience takes a back seat. Why would you want MPs that can act as a check and balance to the government instead of MPs who, for sure, act as a check and balance to the government (however insignificant it will be)?

Secondly, because I don't feel the playing field is balanced. Well, of course it's not balanced. Media biasness, for once, is heavily tilted against the oppossition. Everything election related is decided by the government and only the government. Will it ever be balanced? No. But, a bit more balanced would be nice.

Thirdly, because I think most Singaporeans are ignorant to political issues. Why? Because they don't affect the people directly. That's why the issues being brought up are those that are directly affecting the people. Lift upgrading, progress package, etc. Wouldn't this will encourage "selfish" voting? I'll vote for the party that will upgrade my lift. Is this bad? Well, I'm not sure. A lot of people vote this way and it's a perfectly fine reasoning to vote for a party. But to concentrate only on the small issues (I regard lift upgrading as a small issue compared to, say, gay acceptance) is missing the bigger political picture. Vote should go to the party that you feel represents your political view. And here is why I think most Singaporeans are ignorant about political issues. It's because they concentrate on the economic issues. And, hey, PAP did a great job on that, hence PAP get the most votes.

[Edit: On second thought, some people do not have the energy or the means to think about the bigger political issues. It's hard to think about the government speaking about foreign investment or free trade deal when you are not even sure how to pay the rent for next month. This is mostly true for the older generation. So perhaps in a way, "selfish" voting can be justified.]

I think the most important thing here is to vote, to practice your political right. Not that it matters for most Singaporeans since only few regions are contested while the rest are won by PAP with no contest.

p.s. political blog is not allowed during election campaign so I'm not even sure I'm allowed to write this.