The '2006 Singapore parliamentary general election' was held on
May 6 2006. 1.22 million out of the 2.16 million eligible Singaporeans voted for
Members of Parliament and elected their next government.
[1] The
People's Action Party (PAP) won 66.6% of the overall votes and gained 82 out of 84 seats. The PAP returned for a twelfth consecutive term in office under
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
[2] The general election was held under the
first-past-the-post system. The
parliament was dissolved by
President S R Nathan on
20 April, three weeks before the election. On Nomination Day, the PAP gained 37 seats in divisions which were uncontested by other parties.
[3] The main election issues included employment, cost of living, housing, transport, education, the need for an effective opposition voice in parliament, and the quality of the candidates.
Background
The 2006 General Election was the 15th General Election in Singapore and the 10th since independence. The governing
People's Action Party (PAP) sought to secure their twelfth consecutive term in office since 1959. This would be the first election since
Lee Hsien Loong became its Secretary-General.
Political parties
Besides the ruling PAP, the other major political parties were the
Workers' Party of Singapore (WP) led by
Low Thia Khiang, the
Singapore People's Party (SPP) led by
Chiam See Tong, the
National Solidarity Party (NSP) led by
Steve Chia Kiah Hong, and the
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) led by
Chee Soon Juan, who himself was ineligible to run in this election because of a 2002 conviction.
[4]
Four parties, including the SPP and the NSP, contested the election as members of the
Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA).
.
Election deposit
For this election, the deposit for each candidate was set at S$13,500 (approximately US$8590 or £4620) which was about 8% of the total annual salary to a Member of Parliament in the preceding year, rounded to the nearest S$500. The regulations of the elections stated that the deposit was to be forfeited if the candidate failed to obtain at least one-eighth of the votes.
[5]
Electorate
All citizens above 21 years of age, based on the
Registers of Electors, were eligible to vote. The Elections Department had completed its revision of the Registers and made them available for public inspection from
January 17 through
January 30,
2006.
[6] There were 2,158,439 eligible voters.
[7] The 2006 elections was the first election where more than half the electorate were of the post-independence generation, i.e., those born after
Singapore's independence in
1965.
For the first time in Singapore's election history, Singaporeans living overseas were able to vote at designated polling stations located within Singapore's
High Commissions,
Embassies or
Consulates in other countries.
[8] To be qualified to vote in overseas, they must have had either resided in Singapore for an aggregate of two of the past five years, or be overseas for reasons of employment or
education related to the
Singapore government.
[9] There were several overseas polling stations, namely
Tokyo,
Canberra,
Beijing,
Shanghai,
Hong Kong,
London,
Washington, D.C. and
San Francisco. 1,017 Singaporeans overseas had registered for overseas voting by
March 22 2006, although only 558 voted as the rest had a walkover in their constituencies.
Electoral divisions
Main articles: List of Singaporean electoral divisions,
constituencies of Singapore
On
March 3,
2006, the
Electoral Boundaries Review Committee published the updated list of electoral divisions. There were fourteen
Group Representation Constituencies, each with five or six seats, and nine
Single Member Constituencies. The total number of seats remained the same at 84 as the previous
general election in 2001. The two opposition held SMCs i.e.
Hougang SMC and
Potong Pasir SMC were intact. Also unchanged was the
Chua Chu Kang SMC which saw a close contest in the previous election between the ruling PAP's
Low Seow Chay and NSP's
Steve Chia who later became a
Non-Constituency Member of Parliament until 2006.
Two new Single Member Constituencies (
Bukit Panjang SMC and
Yio Chu Kang SMC) were created and two (
Ayer Rajah SMC and
Bukit Timah SMC) were absorbed into Group Representation Constituencies.
East Coast Group Representation Constituency was reduced to five seats and
Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency was increased to six.
[10] Significant changes in GRC boundaries include a major shuffle within 3 GRCs, they are
East Coast GRC,
Aljunied GRC and
Marine Parade GRC. Parts of
Bedok New Town,
Bedok North Green,
Chai Chee Gardens and
Kampong Chai Chee were transferred from East Coast to Marine Parade GRC. An area bounded by the
Pan Island Expressway,
Jalan Eunos and
Sims Avenue East were transferred from Aljunied to Marine Parade GRC. In return, the
Serangoon division was transferred to Aljunied GRC.
[11] In other changes, a part of
Yishun from
Sembawang GRC was transferred to
Nee Soon East SMC, and a section of
Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC (now
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) was transferred to
Tanjong Pagar GRC.
Singapore Electoral Boundaries, released in March 2006.
Election issues
As in previous elections,
bread and butter issues —
including jobs, medical care and cost of living — dominated the election campaign.
[12] Other major election issues are listed in the following.
[13][ PAP Manifesto 2006 ]
★ Social
★
★
Integrated Resorts and legalisation of casino gambling
★
★
Education policy★
★
Public transport★
★
Public housing policy★
★
Lift Upgrading Programme(LUP)
★ Governance
★
★
Progress package and Budget 2006★
★
Group representation constituency system
★
★
Central Provident Fund scheme
★
★
Internal Security Act and civil liberties
★
★ Ministerial pay
★ Others
★
★
National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal★
★ Integrity of the candidates, such as the
James Gomez incident
Pre-nomination day events
Main articles: Pre-election day events of the Singapore general election, 2006#Pre-nomination day events
Dissolution of Parliament
On
20 April 2006, Parliament was dissolved by
President Sellapan Ramanathan on the advice of
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
[14] Later that day, the President issued the
Writ of Election and the government announced that the election would be held on Saturday,
6 May 2006, with nomination day on Thursday,
27 April 2006. The
Returning Officer was to be
Tan Boon Huat, Chief Executive Director of the
People's Association.
[15]
New candidates
This election saw a large number of new candidates as the major political parties had undergone self-renewal in recent years. Many of the new candidates belong to the post-1965 generation. PAP introduced 24 new candidates, including 7 women. The opposition Workers' Party and the Singapore Democratic Alliance also introduced many first-timers for this election including three women from the Workers' Party.
Goh Chok Tong of the PAP, speaking at a rally at Potong Pasir SMC. The banner behind him shows the campaign slogan of the party, "Staying Together, Moving Ahead".
Budget day and progress package
On
17 February 2006,
Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary General of the PAP delivered the country's Budget Statement to the
Parliament. He released details of a S$2.6 billion on a "progress package" including S$500 million for
Central Provident Fund top-ups, S$400 million for
workfare bonuses, and S$200 million bonuses for
national servicemen. Largely due to this package, the 2006 Budget incurred a deficit of S$2.86 billion.
[16][17]
Low Thia Khiang (WP) came out strongly against the progress package which he said was no more than a vote-winning tool for the PAP. Low called for greater transparency on how the government intend to financing the package and to compensate for the budget shortfall.
Wong Kan Seng (PAP) later dismissed claims that the ''progress package'' constitutes a form of vote buying.
[18][19]
Workers' Party manifesto
The
Workers' Party (WP) launched an update to its
manifesto on
14 January 2006, becoming the first party to do so.
[20] Amongst its policy proposals, WP called for the
Presidency to revert to its former ceremonial role and the abolishment of the
GRCs, the
Ethnic Integration Policy for
Housing and Development Board flats, the
Resident Committees and the
Citizen Consultative Committees. It also revealed its intentions to establish a central agency in the provision of
public transport, set up of a national
unemployment insurance scheme and a more comprehensive
national health insurance scheme among a host of other things.
On 21 January, PAP launched a coordinated attack on the WP's proposals, describing four of their proposals as "four time bombs...[which] will weaken and tear Singapore apart".
[21] Khaw Boon Wan, revealed various changes in medical policies, including the
Medisave scheme, which had been a constant target for criticism by opposition parties. He also chided the WP for its "failure to understand what makes inter-racialism work in Singapore and why we are different from the rest of the world", referring the four points brought up by Ng Eng Hen as "poisons"
[22] Workers' Party Chairman
Sylvia Lim released a press statement
[23] on 22 January, responding to each of the four "time bombs" criticised by Ng and adding that the party was standing firmly by its manifesto.
[24]
Goh Chok Tong's special assignment
On 19 March,
Lee Hsien Loong said that PAP was aiming to win all the constituencies including the two opposition wards in Hougang SMC and Potong Pasir SMC, stating that "We want to win, this is not masak-masak
[a Malay term meaning a child's game]". The PAP candidates for these two wards would be Eric Low and Sitoh Yih Pin respectively. Both lost in the previous elections but had been working the ground in these wards since. They were assisted by
Goh Chok Tong who had been given the special assignment to help the PAP win the two wards.
[25]
Goh had suggested that if Eric Low and Sitoh Yih Pin won the election, they would be given extra latitude when speaking and voting in parliament and not be subjected to the political
Whip. Goh also said that he would help Sitoh to gain a post in the new Cabinet if he was elected.
[26] Hougang and Potong Pasir residents were also been promised housing upgrades worth $100 million and $80 million dollars respectively if PAP was to retake the two seats. Since they were won by opposition parties, both of these constituencies have not been selected for housing upgrading or provided with lifts that stop on every floor. When the PAP shaved the Worker's Party's vote share from 58% to 55% in the 1997 General Election, then prime-minister Goh offered to upgrade Hougang estate if the WP's chief's share of vote was reduced to 52%. Nonetheless, Hougang remains in opposition hand.
Remarks in ''The New Democrat''
In
April 2006, the SDP published an article headlined "Govt's role in the NKF scandal" in the SDP party newspaper ''The New Democrat'' regarding the
National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal. On
22 April,
letters of demand were served on twelve members of the SDP and the publisher.
Drew and Napier, the law firm acting for Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Kuan Yew, said that the newspaper article had alleged that the two Lees were "dishonest and unfit for office", that Lee Kuan Yew "devised a corrupt political system for the benefit of the political elite", and that he managed the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation in a "corrupt manner". In addition, according to the letter of demand, the newspaper also alleged that Lee Hsien Loong had "perpetuated a corrupt political system for the benefit of the political elite" and how he and his Government "had access to the information which has now been unearthed about NKF but corruptly concealed and covered up the facts to avoid criticism".
[27] The letters demanded that damages be paid and an apology made in the media by
April 25.
[28]
Four of SDP's eleven committee members later apologised, while the chairman of the party had refused to apologise as it would constitute "an admission of guilt". An apology had been formally rejected by the party, though the party would not oppose individual members from making personal apologies. M Ravi, the lawyer representing most of the accused, had rejected claims made in the letters that allegations made in the paper were "highly defamatory", and he "[does] not see how a government or public body could be defamed". On
27 April, Chee said that the threat of legal action was already seriously affecting SDP's campaign at Sembawang GRC: "Lawyers for Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Lee Hsien Loong have gone as far as to sue the printer, so much so that he is so frightened he dares not publish our election material."
[29] SDP was still seen selling the publication, and the Lees were seeking aggravated damages.
[30][31] Only the Chee siblings have yet to make a public apology.
SDP podcast
On 25 April, Elections Department warned SDP that it would take action against the party if they did not remove audio files and
podcasts from the party's website as they were against election advertising regulations under the
Parliamentary Elections Act. Within hours after the notice was issued, SDP posted a notice on its website that the podcast service was suspended.
[32]
Nomination day
Planning for nomination day by political parties
As early as January 2006, when it became clear that the election would be held soon, the political parties began making definitive plans for Nomination Day.
[33][34][ Aljunied GRC MP Cynthia Phua asks PAP leadership about ward line-up ][ Opposition parties jostle to contest hot seats ][35][36][ NSP president may contest against PAP's Seng Han Thong in Yio Chu Kang ward ][37]
On
10 March 2006, the major opposition parties held a meeting, after which they announced their intention to contest 57 of the 84 seats in Parliament.
[ Opposition parties unveil plan to contest 57 seats in next General Election ] Nonetheless, the full detail of the opposition's plan was not revealed until Nomination Day itself. Steve Chia told reporters: "Any self-respecting politician will hold his cards close to his chest."
[38]
There were nine SMCs with 1 seat each for the election. For smaller political parties and independents who do not have sufficient candidates and resources to contest the GRCs, the SMCs were the only constituencies that they could afford to run. In addition, many believe that opposition candidates have a higher chance of winning in SMCs than in GRCs. Since there were only nine SMCs, all were expected to be contested. The opposition tried to avoid three-cornered fights by coordinating with each other.
Chiam See Tong (SPP) said that "if we enter into one
[three-cornered fight
], we're only going to kill ourselves. We're not that stupid."
[ Opposition should aim for a GRC win: Chiam ]
In March 2006, it was thought that there could be a potential three-cornered contest in MacPherson SMC, where both
Mansor Rahman, Chairman of Democratic Progressive Party, and
Sin Kek Tong, Chairman of Singapore People's Party had indicated their parties' interest to run for that seat. Later, the parties managed to reach an agreement and avoided the unfavourable contest.
Tan Lead Shake, previously a prominent member of DPP, later joined the
Singapore Democratic Alliance, and became a member of SDA's team contesting Tampines GRC.
By
26 April 2006, the opposition had indicated they would contest at least half of the seats in the 84 member Parliament. There were forty-seven candidates standing for election with ten new candidates facing the opposition. Candidates standing for election had only an hour to present their nomination
papers, and must be accompanied by their proposers, seconders and assentors. Observers projected that 37
People's Action Party candidates from seven Group Representative Constituencies would return unopposed and the PAP would be denied a majority on nomination day,
[39] an eventuality that proved to be true.
Early announcement of intention by parties
Some of the opposition parties, such as
Workers' Party and
Singapore Democratic Alliance, adopted the strategy of announcing early their plans on which constituencies they intended to contest, even before changes in electoral boundaries were published. This was seen as a tactical move to earmark those divisions in order to discourage any third party from contesting in the same divisions leading to three-cornered fights. Another cited reason was that, if the Government electoral commission redrew those boundaries, the opposition would be able to exploit such actions by accusing the PAP of gerrymandering to avoid the ballot challenge.
[40]
Nomination day results
Electoral map showing the various contests. The PAP fielded candidates in all 84 seats, with 37 seats (shown in blue) won as walkovers on nomination day. The battlegrounds were the remaining 47 seats contested by WP (yellow), SDA (red), and SDP (green).
On nomination day
3 7 GRCs totalling 37 seats, were uncontested and returned to the PAP. This was less than half the number of 84 seats, and for the first time since 1988, the PAP was not returned to power on nomination day. The Elections Department announced that over 1.2 million Singaporeans, 56.6% of eligible voters, would be able to cast votes.
The opposition parties' 47 candidates for the 2006 election was a large increase from the 29 candidates in the previous election in 2001. In addition, there was no three-cornered fight as all contests were between the PAP and one opposition party. There was also no independent candidate participating in this election; this was a rare occurrence as independent candidates had participated in every election since 1955, except in 1980.
Diversity of candidates
All eighteen candidates for the SMCs were male Chinese. On
28 April, Lee Kuan Yew (PAP) referred to this fact when defending the
Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system on the grounds that it ensures minority and women representation in parliament.
[41] Nonetheless, there is no requirement that GRCs should have at least one female candidate.
Over the years, each GRC team has been steadily increased by the government from 3 to 5 or 6 members. WP had called for the abolishment of the GRC system which it considered as a mean introduced by the PAP to make it difficult for opposition who lack sufficient resource to contest the large electoral division.
Events between nomination day and election day
Main articles: Pre-election day events of Singapore general election, 2006#Post-nomination day to election day events
Campaign posters for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC
The huge crowd attending a Workers' Party rally in Hougang on
30 April 2006. Photo courtesy of www.yawningbread.org
Campaign banners for Aljunied GRC, one of the election hotspots where a fierce fight was expected.
Campaign posters for Ang Mo Kio GRC. The bottom poster presents the six members of WP's "suicide squad" sent to challenge the flagship PAP team shown above.
A large crowd attending the first Workers' Party election rally at Ubi on
28 April 2006. (©
Alex Au, used with permission only.)
With the nominations completed, the opposition was contesting 47 seats with the remaining 37 returned to the PAP. The PAP was thus denied a walkover majority to form a government on nomination day, the first time since
1988.
[42]3[43]
Between
28 April to
5 May, a total of 50 political rallies were held by the parties at 24 designated sites during nine days of campaign. The "Lunchtime Rally Site" at
Boat Quay, next to
UOB Plaza, made a comeback in the election; it was removed from the list of rally sites in the
previous election due to fears of terrorist attacks after the
September 11, 2001 attacks.
[44]
The Workers' Party had put up their strongest team, consisting of its more prominent candidates led by Chairman Sylvia Lim, to contest
Aljunied GRC challenging the PAP team led by
Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo. The constituency eventually had the fiercest GRC contest in the election. The strongest GRC team for the SDA was one contesting
Jalan Besar GRC. It was led by
Sebestian Teo and its members include former MP
Cheo Chai Chen.
The hotly contested Single Member Constituencies include
Chua Chu Kang SMC where incumbent MP and
Minister of State for Education and
Manpower Gan Kim Yong was challenged by NSP's secretary-general
Steve Chia.
Low Thia Khiang (WP), the incumbent MP for
Hougang SMC faced a strong challenged from PAP's
Eric Low Siak Meng.
Nee Soon East SMC was hotly contested with
Senior Minister of State for Law and
Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee against
Poh Lee Guan (WP).
Potong Pasir SMC, another opposition seat held by
Chiam See Tong since
1984 was also hotly contested by PAP's
Sitoh Yih Pin.
Workers' Party fielded a very young team in Ang Mo Kio GRC, with candidates mostly born after
1965, to compete with the flagship PAP team led by Lee Hsien Loong.
[45] On
29 April 2006, Lee referred to his opponents at
Ang Mo Kio GRC as "敢死队" (suicide squad) adding that even the bookies would not take bets on the outcome in that constituency contest.
[46] In response, Low Thia Kiang of the WP said that it was better to be a "敢死队" (suicide squad) and not a "怕死队" (squad that is scared to die). WP's candidate
Yaw Shin Leong added that his team-mates and himself were mentally prepared to lose but they were not push-overs.
[47]
James Gomez saga
Main articles: James Gomez
Controversy arose during the election surrounding the application for a minority-race candidate certificate by
James Gomez of
Workers' Party. On the
24 April, Gomez went to the
Elections Department to fill up the minority-race candidate certificate application form accompanied by the chairperson
Sylvia Lim. Instead of handing in the application form to election official, Gomez slipped the form in his bag and went off for an
interview. At the time, Sylvia Lim had went to a waiting area and did not witness the event.
On the eve of Nomination Day, James Gomez went to collect his minority-race candidate certificate claiming he had submitted the application form. After failing to get the certificate, Gomez warned an elections officer of the "consequences". At 1pm that day, an Elections Department staff called Gomez and told him that he did not submit the Indian and minority candidate certificate form. During the call, which was recorded, Gomez changed his story and said that he would get back to them. When the media asked him about the issue, Gomez initially refused to discuss about the issue, but later conceded.
[48] Following two days of dispute between both sides, the Elections Department was able to produce video evidence showing that James Gomez did not submit the application form; a day later, James Gomez apologised to the Elections Department at a Worker's Party rally saying he was distracted by his busy schedule.
[49]
During the controversy, PAP raised questions about the credibility of Gomez. He was accused of attempting to discredit the Elections Department by claiming they misplaced the form. Two PAP leaders
Wong Kan Seng and
Lee Kuan Yew called Gomez a "liar" and Lee dared Gomez to sue him and Wong.
[50] George Yeo (PAP) also suggested that the Worker's Party should sack Gomez and field a four-member team for the five-member Group Representation Constituency. This was rejected by Low who asserted that PAP was trying to divert public and media attention from main election issues.
[51]
Party political broadcast
On both
29 April 2006 and
4 May 2006, the four contesting parties made their political broadcasts over television and radio in the four official languages — the
English,
Mandarin,
Malay and
Tamil languages. Each party was given an allocated time based on the number of candidates it fielded. The People's Action Party (PAP) was given 12 minutes with 84 candidates fielded, the Workers' Party (WP) and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) were given 4.5 minutes each with 20 candidates fielded, and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) was given 2.5 minutes with 7 candidates fielded. The SDP was represented by
Chee Siok Chin, the Workers' Party by
Sylvia Lim on the first broadcast and by
Tan Hui Hua on the second broadcast, the SDA by
Chiam See Tong on both broadcasts, with the PAP by Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong on the first broadcast and by PAP chairman
Lim Boon Heng on the second broadcast.
[52]
Debate on housing and lift upgrading
The upgrading of public housing, including the
Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP), was a major issue in this election. As in previous elections, PAP had tied the scheduling of housing upgrades to the number of votes the party received in the election. The PAP argued that government was successful in raising the standard of living in the country, and those who supported its various policies, including the upgrading, should be given priority. In the hotly contested Aljunied GRC, George Yeo (PAP) placed lift upgrading the "top of [his] priority list" so that the lift would stop on every floor in as many blocks as possible.
[53] Sylvia Lim (WP) accused the PAP of being selective in its upgrading programmes, arguing that this was a divisive policy.
[54]
Large turnout at opposition election rallies
The election featured large turnouts at some of the election rallies of the opposition parties, which was unheard of since the 1980s. A report by Malaysian press ''
The Star'' estimated that around 10,000 people attended the Workers' Party rally on
30 April at Hougang.
[55] At the last rally of the Workers' Party at Serangoon Stadium on
5 May, the audience filled up most of the field and even spilled outside the stadium.
The PAP dismissed the significance of the crowds, suggesting that crowd size would not necessarily translate into votes.
A large number of supporters turn up at the last Worker's Party Rally for Aljunied GRC, filling up much of the field in Serangoon Stadium.
Election results
Summary
This electoral map shows the result of the election with the PAP winning 82 of the 84 seats.
Full results
Election aftermath
Victory parades
To continue with tradition, the winning candidates toured their constituencies to thank voters for their victory in the election.
[56] These parades were held in all contested seats as well as walkover
Group Representation Constituencies. Victory parades are usually held in the late morning and early afternoon in conjunction with other events organised by the
grassroots committee. The candidates were driven on trucks as they broadcasted message of appreciation to the residents. Some losing candidates also toured their constituencies to thank their supporters although their parades were usually smaller than those of the winning candidates.
Non-Constituency Member of Parliament
The
Elections Department announced that one member of the
Workers' Party team for
Aljunied GRC would be appointed as
Non-Constituency Member of Parliament. The team had received 44% of the votes, the highest losing votes in the 2006 election. The Central Executive Committee voted for
Sylvia Lim to be the NCMP with nine in favour and one objected. Lim would not represent any constituency but she said she was looking forward to the opportunity to fulfil her obligation to supporters and also to voice people's concerns. She took over from incumbent NCMP
Steve Chia.
[57]
Detaining and questioning of Gomez
On
7 May 2006, a day after the elections, Gomez was detained by police at
Singapore Changi Airport when he was about to take a flight to
Sweden for work. The police was investigating an "alleged offences of criminal intimidation and providing false information". The Elections Department had earlier filed a police report regarding the incident during the election period in which Gomez spoke to an election official in a threatening tone, an episode that was caught on
closed-circuit television. Gomez was brought to the
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at
Police Cantonment Complex for questioning and to file his statement, after which he was released at midnight.
[58] His
passport was impounded by the police to prevent him from leaving the country and his
air ticket was forfeited as it was non-refundable. He also suffered a loss of income due to his absence from work.
On that night,
Sylvia Lim and
Low Thia Khiang were also asked to give statements at the CID. On
9 May, Gomez was called again to CID for a questioning session that lasted five hours. Gomez later told the media that he was giving the police "the fullest cooperation."
[59]
After three questioning sessions, James was let off with a stern warning by the police who issued a statement stating that the public prosecutor was satisfied that Gomez had committed the offence of using threatening words towards a civil servant but the police decided to release Gomez as he had no prior criminal records.
[60] His passport was returned to him and he left for Sweden on
16 May.
Chee Siok Chin's challenge of polling results
On
24 May 2006, SDP member Chee Siok Chin filed a
summon on the High Court asking to declare the election results void. In her affidavit, Chee claimed that the PAP had used the HDB upgrading scheme and gave out shares and cash to induce voters to vote for the party and hence secure electoral victory. Chee also wanted the High Court to declare the ban on podcasting during election period as unconstitutional.
[61] Chee did not pay the $5000 security costs on time, and the Elections Department did not accept her payment as a result. Senior State Counsel
Jeffrey Chan said her petition would be deemed to have lapsed the moment she failed to meet the deadline to furnish the security amount for costs and asked the election
judge to dismiss the matter.
[62] On
22 June, Election Judge
Andrew Phang dismissed her application and awarded costs to the
Attorney General whom Chee had named as defendant. Her attempt to extend her security deposit payment time was denied by the High Court. As a result, a hearing scheduled on
June 27 did not take place. Chee had not follow the rules of the
Parliamentary Elections Act which requires them to pay the security deposit within three days after filing the petition.
[63]
New cabinet
The
new cabinet was sworn-in on 30 May 2006. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made few changes in his administration. In the only change at the ministerial level,
Raymond Lim was promoted to be the
Minister for Transport replacing
Yeo Cheow Tong. Five new faces were sworn into political office, namely
Lui Tuck Yew,
Lee Yi Shyan,
Grace Fu,
Teo Ser Luck and
Masagos Zulkifli. They hold the roles of
Minister of State or Parliamentary secretaries in political office.
Minister for Education Tharman Shanmugaratnam was given another role as Second Minister for Finance. Transport Minister Raymond Lim relinquished his roles as Second Minister for Finance and Minister in the
Prime Minister's Office.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan also had a second post as
Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts as he relinquished his Second Minister for Trade and Industry
portfolio. Senior Minister of State
Balaji Sadasivan relinquished his position as Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Health for the
Foreign Affairs Ministry. However, he continued as Senior Minister for State for the MICA.
Heng Chee How took Balaji's place as Senior Minister of State for Health; he relinquished his appointments in the
Ministry of National Development and Mayor for the
Central Community Development Council.
Zainul Abidin Rasheed was appointed Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and
Koo Tsai Kee Minister of State for Defence. Re-elected MPs namely
S Iswaran,
Amy Khor and
Zainudin Nordin took political office as well.
[64]
Influence of the Internet
The
Internet played a much more significant role compared to previous general elections. Singapore has a large number of computer users, with 74% of households owning computers and 2 in 3 households having Internet access.
[65] Podcasts, blogs, and online political discussions have become common in Singaporean cyberspace. A blog called "SGRally"
[66] was set up to collect recorded rally speeches in this election. Opposition candidates had complained about insufficient rally sites allocated to them in past elections.
In
August 2005,
Singapore Democratic Party became the first political party in Singapore to launch a
podcast called ''RadioSDP'' on its party website.
[67] Several members of the Workers' Party are active in
blogsphere; the notable bloggers are
James Gomez,
Goh Meng Seng, and
Melvin Tan.
On
25 February 2006, the Department of Political Science,
National University of Singapore organised a public forum on politics titled "The (In)Significance of Political Elections in Singapore?" Among the speakers were 2nd Assistant Secretary-General of
Workers' Party James Gomez,
Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP)
Geh Min, and former NMP
Chandra Mohan. A recording of the forum is available via podcast.
[68]
Regulations
An article in ''Today'' newspaper on 18 March 2006 describes the issues concerning political websites during election period. Anonymous bloggers are depicted as faces covered by paper bags.
Regulation of political content online was an issue throughout the election period.
The
Media Development Authority (MDA) had reminded Internet content providers to comply with the
law of Singapore, including those relating to political content. Online bloggers and podcasts are subject to the
Parliamentary Elections Act.
[69][70]
In a notification issued by MDA under the
Broadcasting Act,
[71][72] all political websites are required to register with the MDA. These websites include those belonging to political parties as well as to "individuals, groups, organisations and corporations engaged in providing any programme for the propagation, promotion or discussion of political or religious issues relating to Singapore on the World Wide Web through the Internet."
[73] A MDA spokesperson said that only a handful of websites have registered and that they mostly belonged to political parties or registered political associations.
Political analyst Cherian George noted that the regulation would hinder the development of
citizen journalism in Singapore.
[74] A number of bloggers and political commentators had commented that the rules are too broadly defined and were unsure how they would be enforced. They protested that this was a violation of
freedom of speech. A candidate
Goh Meng Seng (WP) refused to register his blog, saying "I don't see the need to do so as an individual citizen. We have our rights to our political views."
[75]
In a parliament session on
3 April 2006,
Balaji Sadasivan, the senior minister of state for information, communications and the arts, made some clarification on the regulation in response to a question by
Low Thia Khiang. Balaji said that podcasting and streaming of videos were prohibited during the election. On the other hand, pictures of election candidates, political party histories and manifestos were allowed to be used as election advertising on the Internet. He added that bloggers who persistently promoted political views had to register with the MDA. During elections, only political parties, candidates and election agents are allowed to advertise. Balaji warned that those who violate the rules would face prosecution, and said "In a free-for-all internet environment, where there are no rules, political debate could easily degenerate into an unhealthy, unreliable and dangerous discourse, flush with rumours and distortions to mislead and confuse the public."
[76][77] The regulation of political content on the Internet had previously led to the closing down of a popular discussion forum website ''Sintercom'' in 2001, after the owner refused to register with the authority and voluntarily shutdown his website.
[78]
Publications of election surveys during the election period or exit polls were banned.
References
1. Singapore calls general election for May 6
2. Singapore's PAP returned to power
3. Singapore rulers face poll fight
4. SDP's Chee Soon Juan declared bankrupt, cannot stand for elections till 2011 By Farah Abdul Rahim.
5.
6. Elections Dept completes revision of registers of electors
7. Press Release: Certification of Registers of Electors, 2006 (PDF) - Election Department, February 17, 2006.
8. Voting Overseas Elections Department Singapore (Last updated on September 7, 2005)
9. [1] Elections Department Singapore
10. Singapore unveils electoral map in hint polls could be near
11. The numbers game
12. Business to vote for Singapore, election no issue
13.
14. Singapore Parliament dissolved, paving way for general election
15. General Election 2006
16. Singapore Boosts Welfare Spending, Offers Tax Breaks
17. Budget debate starts in Parliament on Monday
18. PAP dismisses claims that Progress Package is vote buying
19. Too much of a good thing?
20. Workers' Party unveils manifesto, plans to contest 3 single wards & 4 GRCs - by Farah Abdul Rahim
21. Workers' Party manifesto threatens social harmony: Dr Ng Eng Hen - by May Wong
22. Straits Times, 22 January 2006
23. Workers' Party Manifesto 2006 - Response to Ministers' Remarks - by Sylvia Lim
24. The Workers' Party on those four 'time bombs' - by Lee U-Wen
25. SM Goh to help PAP candidates win back Hougang, Potong Pasir seats
26. I'll push for Sitoh in Cabinet if he wins, vows SM Goh
27. PM, MM demand apology from SDP over NKF remarks
28. PM Lee, MM Lee demand apology from SDP for NKF remarks
29. SDP papers over Ling-Chee cracks
30. Chee adamant, but SDP member apologises
31. Two more SDP members apologise to PM and MM
32. SDP told to remove podcasts from website
33. No significant change in electoral districts
34. Electoral districts allocation among opposition parties (Chinese)
35. National Solidarity Party says by-election strategy not on the cards
36. Singapore's opposition aims for 57 parliamentary seats
37. SDP eyes on Sembawang GRC
38. All smiles, but what happened?
39. All eyes on whether PAP will stay in power on Nomination Day
40. HOT tactic HOT seats HOT air
41. MM Lee explains his tough stance against Opposition, throws a challenge
42. More contests in general election good for Singapore: PM
43. Singapore's election - A rational choice
44. Media Release - Election Meeting Sites
45. The straight-forward fight
46.
47. WP team for Ang Mo Kio GRC prepared to lose to PM Lee's team
48. Elections Dept releases CCTV pictures on encounter with James Gomez
49. WP's Gomez admits he did not submit form to Elections Dept
50. MM Lee says Gomez is a liar, a bad egg in Workers' Party
51. Lose Gomez and get back on track: FM Yeo to WP
52. S'pore Election: Parties Speak To S'poreans Via Political Broadcasts
53. PAP team in Aljunied says lift upgrading tops priority list
54. Looking out for workers
55. Taking on the mighty PAP
56. Singapore won big: SM Goh
57. Singapore's Workers' Party names chairman Sylvia Lim as next NCMP
58. WP's Gomez detained over Elections Department complaint
59. James Gomez questioned by police for second time
60. WP's Gomez let off with stern warning in run-in with Elections Dept
61. SDP's Chee Siok Chin wants High Court to void GE results
62. Judgment reserved on Attorney General's petition to dismiss Chee's suit on GE
63. SDP's Chee Siok Chin loses petition to extend time to pay deposit for GE court suit
64. PM Lee announces changes to Cabinet line-up Hasnita A Majid
65. More Singaporeans own computers, have internet access: survey
66. SG Rally: The Singapore Elections Rally Archive
67. Dr Chee takes his message on to the Internet
68. NUScast: The (In)significance of Political Elections in Singapore. - National University of Singapore, 25 February 2006.
69. Bloggers, podcasts online may be subject to Parliamentary Elections Act
70. Singapore Statutes Online Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218)
71. Singapore Statutes, Chapter 28, Section 9
72. Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification, (PDF) Media Development Authority, 15 July 1996
73. Internet Policies and Guidelines Media Development Authority, Singapore.
74. Election Coverage & Commentary, Cherian George, 2 October 2005.
75. bloggers@elections.net
76. Singapore warns bloggers against political postings
77. Parliament Questions
78. Speaking your mind online without fear
External links
★
Official elections webpage - Elections Department Singapore
★
Singapore-elections - a comprehensive archive of elections results, as well as past ones
'Official websites of political parties'
★
National Solidarity Party
★
People's Action Party,
Manifesto (PDF)
★
Singapore Malay National Organisation, (Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura)
★
Singapore Democratic Party,
Manifesto
★
Singapore People's Party,
Manifesto
★
Workers' Party of Singapore,
Manifesto 2006
'News medial special coverage'
★
Asiaone
★
Channel NewsAsia
★
Lianhe Zaobao
★
Xinhuanet
★
Yahoo! Singapore news
★
The Singapore Elections Rally Archive - with pictures and videos
'Other official information'
★
Parliamentary Elections Act Singapore Statues Online, Chapter 218
★
Internet Policies and Guidelines - Media Development Authority, for information on regulations regarding political websites
★
Singapore Police Force media releases - for list of election rallies.
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