Aftermath of Punggol East By-Election

Punggol East aftermath: PAP government needs to tackle root cause of discontent

by Alfred Siew on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 2:18pm ·

A tired, downcast Teo Chee Hean faced the cameras last night and explained that it was always an uphill battle in a by-election, where users are perhaps more willling to pick an Opposition candidate knowing the PAP is safely in power.

What the Deputy Prime Minister didn't say, but probably knew, is that people also voted the Workers Party's candidate because much of the unhappiness that has festered in the past several years has not gone away. Indeed, for many Singaporeans, things seem to have become worse.

By-election effect or not, housing prices have not come down, causing young couples to wait years to have their own marital homes.

COE prices are past S$90,000, meaning many middle-class families cannot afford a car to drive their elderly or young around. To make that worse, the transport situation has not improved, with frequent reports of train breakdowns, even in new lines like the Circle Line.

And the PAP government is still to unveil its population plan for the future. Will it continue to import talent to Singapore, up from the current 5.3 million to 6 million or more, even when the infrastructure is strained at the seams?

The PAP has changed in the past year or so, after GE 2011. After much soul-searching, and the rejection in the Hougang by-election in 2012, it seems to have changed tack, at least in its campaign this time in Punggol East.

The PAP ran a "clean" campaign. It did not immediately go after the Workers Party candidate by casting doubt about her. It unveiled a "son of Punggol" who was keen to emphasise his heartland credentials. By many accounts, Dr Koh Poh Koon is a likeable candidate, and a fresh face, at least. 

The Workers' Party also did not pick any of its new guns, for example, Associate Professor Daniel Goh, who was unveiled during the hustings. Instead, its previous candidate in GE2011, Lee Li Lian, just 34 years young, won comfortably with about 54 per cent of the votes.

This is the problem for the PAP. What used to work for it now works for the WP.

Where it used to depend on its brand and track record to win over people, it now faces a WP brand that has taken root among Singaporeans.

Where it used to be able to bring well-qualified candidates to the fore - even mocking Opposition stalwart Chiam See Tong's O level results in the past - it now brings in party members who have joined just weeks before an election.

The Workers' Party, on the other hand, has steadily brought in new talent. After Chen Show Mao in 2011, it unveiled a couple of lawyers along with Daniel Goh at the hustings. It is preparing for the next general election with talent being brought through its ranks. Nothing seems like a last-minute decision; its candidates these days don't seem to be parachuted in.

What can the PAP do to arrest the slide? Well, it has three years until the next general election to reverse years of policy that has clearly alienated a lot of Singaporeans.

This is not just about winning over the social media crowd - DPM Teo and his team ran a tight campaign, responding immediately to a WP rally one evening, for example. This is not just about "communicating" better, or bringing out a person who could identify with the heartland.

There are structural problems with the way the PAP has run the country, the residents of Punggol East seem to suggest. That they are from a relatively young, middle-class estate tells the PAP that this is not a fluke result or another "Hougang", which is uniquely pro-Opposition.

Rather, the party has to rethink some of its big strategies for the country. 

Can it continue this growth-at-all-costs push by bringing in more immigrants? What happens when these folks too get old and need health care? Should Singapore import even more immigrants to overcome the greying population? 

What happened to the innovation-driven economy that the country was aiming for? 

Indeed, what is the long term goal for the country, the PAP is being asked now. Its answer so far has been unconvincing, the voters in Punggol East appear to be saying. 

The big question now is whether it can show Singaporeans it is still the best for the job come 2016.

The Punggol East by-election is a watershed in that the PAP's past glories are no longer a guarantee for success. Neither is its insistence that it has the best candidates all the time.

In three years, the PAP will have to turn around the problems with transport, housing, healthcare, cost of living, education and more. 

Many Singaporeans grew up with a Singapore dream. Many have achieved these bread and butter goals, a better life, alongside PAP over the years. 

Once again, the PAP has to prove it can provide. Failing that, it will get more than a tight slap. It knows it could well be shoved out of the driver seat.