Singapore opposition makes election breakthrough

The People\'s Action Party (PAP) has ruled since the former British colony became self-governing in 1959 but despite the poll victory it sank to its lowest ever approval rating and lost a key district to resurgent opponents.

The PAP won 81 of the 87 parliament seats in Saturday\'s election, down slightly from its 82 out of 84 seats when Singapore last voted in 2006.

Its share of all votes cast -- the equivalent of an approval rating in a country that does not publish surveys about government performance -- fell to a an all-time low of 60 percent from 67 percent in 2006 and 75 percent in 2001.

The opposition\'s win in six seats may appear modest but it was their best performance since Singapore became independent from the Malaysian federation in 1965, upstaging a previous ballot result of four seats in 1991.

"This is a watershed general election," Premier Lee said in a televised post-election address.

"It is taking place after five very eventful years. This is a very different world in 2011 as compared to 2006, and a very different Singapore."

He said the PAP will undergo "soul searching" and expressed willingness to work with lawmakers from the opposition, which gave the PAP a tough fight across the island that is not fully reflected in the numbers.

Four days before the election, Lee apologised in public for the government\'s shortcomings after voters berated the PAP over the rising cost of living, competition from immigrants and foreign workers, and other grievances.

In the most intensely fought contest, Foreign Minister George Yeo and four other PAP candidates lost to the Workers\' Party in a group constituency, forcing him out of the cabinet.

Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at the Singapore Management University, stressed the significance of the opposition\'s first ever win in a group representation constituency (GRC), a setup widely seen as favouring the ruling party but now shown to be vulnerable.

"The GRCs have been a cornerstone of one-party dominance in the Singapore state, and the breaking of its GRCs is really allowing a diversity of political views in the country," Welsh said.

Six opposition parties took part in the election with the modest goal of winning more seats from the PAP -- resigned to the dominance of the party that led Singapore to political independence and economic prosperity.

They divided electoral districts among themselves to fight the PAP on several fronts.

But Cherian George, one of Singapore\'s leading social commentators, warned against expecting a radical transformation in Singapore after the vote.

"The problem is that Singapore society has been systematically depoliticised over the decades and is mired in apathy," he wrote in an essay.

"While there has been a noticeable revival of civil society over the past decade, activists of all kinds are still used to forging ahead only to finding nobody behind them."

He said the PAP could seize the opportunity to overhaul itself and address Singaporeans\' grievances in time for the next election five years from now.

"The sobering truth for the opposition is that the vast majority (of its supporters) will return to their private lives tomorrow, and continue to outsource public affairs to politicians."

The PAP was co-founded by the prime minister\'s father Lee Kuan Yew, who governed Singapore for 31 years and was re-elected to parliament unopposed on Saturday at the age of 87.

Tens of thousands of supporters attended opposition rallies held over the past week, far greater than the PAP\'s crowds.

The opposition also relied heavily on the Internet, particularly social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, because the mainstream local media are widely regarded as PAP mouthpieces.

The PAP has long touted its economic record to convince Singaporeans to return it to power and kept the opposition in check by imposing curbs on political activity except during elections.

© Copyright AFP Agence France-Presse GmbH - All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed. All reproduction or redistribution is expressly forbidden without the prior written agreement of AFP.