THE P.A.P. - Politics And Policies

A little general knowledge, just to keep the blog on the sensible and discussional.


The first elections in Singapore were held on 30 May 1959 with the People's Action Party (PAP) winning a landslide victory. Singapore eventually became a self-governing state within the British Empire on 3 June 1959 and Lee Kuan Yew was sworn in as the first prime minister of Singapore. Singapore declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963, then exited the short-lived interim Federation of Malaysia in 1964. Singapore officially gained sovereignty on 9 August 1965, with Yusof bin Ishak sworn in as President, and Lee Kuan Yew the first prime minister of the Republic of Singapore. The two-tier governing system has remained in place ever since with the PAP setting the course and the President taking on mostly ceremonial duties. In Singapore, the PAP may officially be the “People’s Action Party” but it is more commonly refered to, somewhat bitterly I would say, as the “Pay And Pay” party, on account of the endless cashflow from one’s bank account to any service that one might need. Given that I am enjoying the lower tax rates and also paying the deposits, upfronts and seemingly endless bills, I can see what they mean.
It’s a type of government policy that says to the nation, ‘we will create the infrastructure for you to live in, yes. But, your part, as model, sensible and responsible citizens (which we know you are) is to take care of yourself. We give you lower taxes, but that extra cash in your pocket is to use to look after yourself and your children into your old age’. It’s a noble aim, to trust your people and to delegate the responsibility to them. Whether it is the correct policy, the world shall see in time.


Discussing this with a friend last night, we agree that this may have worked when the penalty for not complying with the Government line was a severe caning or imprisonment and that overriding family values were those of austerity and prudence from many generations of chinese. But now that the brutal stick has been largely removed from the equation, globalisation has shown the nation objects of material desire and things feel like they are relaxing a little, what incentive really is there to ‘do the right thing’? Who is taking on the jobs that no one can do or wants to do? Maybe not by numbers, but by earning position at both ends of the scale are foreigners: senior management expatriats and unskilled labour from the surrounding ASEAN nations. What is the message that the endless commercialism and shopping is sending to the next generation of Singaporeans, that the latest and greatest handbags and gladrags are what it takes to be at the top? My initial thoughts are that at some level the populace is running on a tangent to the original values that the PAP espoused. In two generations time, who will be sweeping the streets, washing the cars, serving the drinks, clearing the tables? Who will be sitting in the driving seat, inventing new ways of doing things and ultimately setting the direction for a diverse region that Singapore feels like it is already leading? I don’t know. I honestly don’t and couldn’t hope to say right now. But these are my first thoughts on coming to a new country. I will certainly be looking to understand the motivations and concerns of Singapore; why there is a need to own a Lamborghini, Ferrari, or heck, even a gigantic Mercedes in a nation where the average speed limit on a busy motorway is between 50 and 60km/h and there is always a scrape or a ding coming your way in the tight back streets. Or why there is the need to own the latest mobile phone at the expense of your healthcare or pensionable savings.


Looking at the early history of a self-governing Singapore may give me a hint. The very basics are that early after the split from Malaysia there was mass unemployment, housing shortages, and a serious shortage of land and natural resources. For those who haven’t been here, it’s important to know that the island is a diminutive 50km east/west and 20km north/south, and equally short of natural resources. On top of that it was mostly jungle back in the 1960s. About 23% of Singapore's land area consists of forest and nature reserves and seemingly relentless urbanisation has eliminated many areas of former primary rainforest, with the only remaining area of primary rainforest being a place called Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big set of lungs for a small island, but poor Bukit Timah has to choke its way through a few hundred thousand cars on the island that idle at medium pace in fifth gear and the smog from the annual slash and burn fires from Indonesia’s reckless farming.


Taking the bull by the horns, during his first term as Prime Minister (1959-1990), Lee Kuan Yew’s administration tackled these problems, raising standards of living, extensive housing development and dredging up the very sea-bed to create more land. It was during this time that the foundation of the country's economic infrastructure was developed; the threat of racial tension was curbed; and an independent national defence system centering around compulsory male military service was created. Right from day one, the Government took on the responsibility to create the infrastructure, giving almost a blank canvas to new Singaporeans to build anew.


The PAP has been the ruling party in Singapore since self-government was attained. It’s got a lock on the driving seat, a tight Government system that has been described by The Economist Intelligence Unit as a "hybrid regime" of democratic and authoritarian elements. I like the following term from Freedom House, which ranks the country as "partly free". Partly Free, what exactly does that mean? Who is not free, who is free and what are they exactly free to do? Looking into the most simple barometer of openness, the media, it’s easy to see what this might mean. The Government says the media play an important role in the country, and describes the city as one of the key strategic media centres in the Asia-Pacific region and the aim is to be the major media hub in Asia. However, in line with the ‘partly free’ rating, Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore 147 out of 167 in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index. That’s not a glowing endorsement for freedom of speech.

State-owned MediaCorp operates all seven free-to-air terrestrial local television channels licensed to broadcast in Singapore, as well as 14 radio channels (that’s pretty much ALL the radio channels, but I look forward to finding the independents). Radio and television stations are all government-owned entities.
The print media are dominated by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), the government-linked publisher of the flagship English-language daily, The Straits Times. SPH publishes all other daily newspapers, including a free bilingual daily, My Paper, which claims to be the world's first with equal coverage in both English and Chinese. Having read a few editions of My Paper, it’s a far-cry from the regurgitation of news in the London Lite or Metro free papers in London. It’s more like reading the serialisation of Days of Our Lives, with action photography to match; very sensationalist and over-the-top chatty language. If it is an attempt to offer a less overbearing form of journalism, it’s somewhat below par. I think I’m missing the point here and need to really understand the purpose of the paper.

The government has also chosen not to follow some elements of liberal values in as much as I read that there are no jury trials and there are laws restricting the freedom of speech that may breed ill will or cause disharmony within Singapore's multiracial, multi-religious society. That’s an interesting standpoint to take. If you can’t say anything, you can’t annoy anyone. Surely though if you can’t say anything, where does the discussion and understanding go? That’s a tough nut to crack.