In countries with elections but single-party dominance, that party tends, sooner or later, to lose power (for a while at least): the PRI in Mexico; the KMT in Taiwan; the LDP in Japan. In an election due in the next few months in Malaysia, the sibling nation from which Singapore was separated in infancy, the coalition that has governed since independence in 1957 faces its biggest challenge yet. Does the PAP, too, face a mid-life crisis?
Probably not. Mr Lee, the prime minister, was quick to point to the “by-election” effect. Voters can register their disgruntlement without any risk that the opposition might take power. The Workers’ Party’s campaign offered constructive opposition to the PAP, not alternative government. Even some within the party itself say it is not large enough to develop its own policies. And the PAP has some unused weapons in its armoury. The elections department, which tinkers with constituency boundaries, is under the prime minister’s office. And although the recent campaign was a polite affair, the PAP has in the past played on fear and greed, threatening to deprive opposition-voting constituencies of funds for public-housing improvements, for example. It has also sued vocal opposition candidates for defamation. Full story
