Singaporeans are, by and large, practical people, being mainly immigrant stock.
They value security, livelihood, and holding on to whatever good fortune they currently enjoy.
Thus they overwhelmingly voted the PAP, which has always championed economic growth, by hook or by crook.
Opposition parties that rocked the boat – by doggedly questioning the unfairness of the foreign worker policy, like the PSP; idealistic parties that railed against the lack of democracy, like the SDP; honest parties that called a spade a spade, and want to hold the government accountable, like the PPP – were all crushed at the polls.
These parties, not treating political office as a career promotion, but as a calling, have no qualms asking uncomfortable questions to expose the PAP.
Only the WP – which shrewdly saw that the people do not want to rock the boat, but only check the arrogance, double standards, even declining morality, of the PAP – has done well in the polls, having declared itself the “co-driver”.
The people do not want liberty, because that would rock the boat; they want economic enslavement. But to be fair, they are often driven by fear, of which the PAP is the master fear-mongerer.
In short, the people want the PAP.
The PAP is an extreme totalitarian party – extreme because economic growth is its be-all and end-all, all other agendas are to support growth or a consequence of it; totalitarian because it holds all the power of the state, having changed the Constitution at will since Independence, thanks to its supermajority in Parliament.
An extremely pro-business government can only bring liberty and happiness to a small minority, namely the rich, while oppressing the majority.
A moderate government, on the other hand, balances liberty amongst the various segments of society, so that happiness is spread all around.
But it is not surprising the people have yet again voted for economic enslavement – because they have never known liberty. If they had, they would have jealousy guarded it. Instead, they have bought into the PAP’s corrupt game of asset enhancement.
They will be rich compared to many other nations, yet, shallow, arrogant and unhappy.
The PSP, SDP and PPP would have moderated the PAP’s “growth at all cost” mentality had they been voted into parliament, but the people do not want change; they just want an opposition voice, and voted the WP.
The WP made history in 2011 by winning a GRC, and won another in 2020, in addition to its one SMC. Its secretary-general, Mr Pritam Singh, was made Leader of The Opposition by the government. Yet, the PAP has become even more extreme during that period.
In the end, nothing will change, until the people realize that liberty is just as important as economic stability; or when their assets start shrinking dramatically, and they feel betrayed by the PAP.
Foong Swee Fong
