A Reflection on the Presidential Elections

My body woke up naturally at 6 just after going to sleep at 3am. Typically, I just slept in till 11 or even 1. But today was different.

Tony Tan had barely, and when I say barely I am comparing it to the closest elections on an International skill, not the 10% vote difference "close fights" we typically see here in Singapore.
it came down literally, to the wire. 0.34%, or 7269 votes in 1 direction. That's shocking, even to me. I predicted a roflstomp by Tony Tan due to the diluted opposition votes, with Tan Jee Say close 2nd due to his political base.

I was wrong. I underestimated Singaporeans' political maturity. But I am happy to be wrong. Let me explain why:

Now, lets analyze this by vote share, since numbers are too confusing.

Tony Tan: 35.19%
Tan Cheng Bock: 34.85%
Tan Jee Say: 25.04%
Tan Kin Lian: 4.91%

Up until this point I believed Singaporean elections were based on bases, ie. the lowest denominator of each political side. I believed there are 3 demographic bases to appeal to: 1 pro-PAP, 1 anti-establishment opposition, 1 independent.

We never really got to see how big are they, and this election shown them in clear daylight. 25% of Singaporeans who voted for Tan Jee Say wanted a clearly opposition member in office. Thats the opposition base, while 35% voted for Tony Tan, a man who is generally despised by most Singaporeans. I understand the actual bases are significantly different, and I know of people who voted for opposition in the GE but Tony Tan in the PE. But the margins are roughly there, and thats the rough shape we need to make sense of politics. They voted for a clear side while there are alternatives, period.

This means the majority of Singapore is not polarized, instead, will make wise votes. And that is a whole 40% of swing votes in any next election, which give me hope of actually having a substantial opposition stay in parliament, not just that 2 people for show. This shows political maturity, not like what you see in the world's oldest democracy, where both party only appeal to the bases, not moderates, causing polarization. For Singapore, it shows we are indeed listening to feedback about various candidates and making a choice.

This also means the PAP is, indeed, an legitimate government which has been voted in by voters who know what they are doing, not "vote PAP because I don't care". Take this for what you will; personally, I am just reinforcing my notion that the PAP, despite its clear flaws, is a good government which the people indeed want.

It also shows how weak Tony Tan' presidential support will be. I am pretty sure this is the closest election we ever had in Singaporean election, and this is the first one where a candidate with minority votes actually won. Singaporeans have spoken: Tony Tan is disliked, or at least, not preferred by 70% of us.

But this is how elections vote. The diluted votes from the pro-opposition and independent bloc are the sole reason, I believe, Tony Tan was victorious. But I will not have it any other way. In most countries, years of political dilution has caused all politics to condense into a 2 party system, polarizing issues, misrepresenting what people really want. This showed up with the American government failing in spectacular fashion in front of the world just a few months ago. Singapore can't be afford to like that- like the PM said, we are small, and a political deadlock means we are all screwed. I much rather have a bunch of smaller opposition with enough say but not given too much power.

I may not necessary agree with the results, but this is how elections work. Expecting anything else from the cold hard numbers and current political state means you don't fully understand this type of widely practiced democracy. There are NO runoffs, thats just a rule to live by. You can argue its needed, but not for this results. Electoral law supersedes any ongoing debate, and you must acknowledge Tony Tan is the rightful winner.

I may not politically agree with him, but I will support him. Maybe not his policies, but I know he has been the legitimate winner of the ballot. Thats how a democracy works. Someone you didn't like won? Sit down, deal with it. The majority had said otherwise, and fighting would be pathetic. Its the beauty of democracy, of elections, where officials go to office knowing there are people willing to vote them out if the fuck things up too much for either side and must toe the line between various kinds of people. So, lets wait, shall we? Whether is him or Sitoh Yi Pin, they won fair and squared, and should recieve our support, at least until they fuck up in out opinions. Give them a chance, because many of us wanted the other side of the isle to give the opposition a chance in the GE. We should have this double standard.

-Fin. Maybe I'll go back to sleep, but I'am too energized. MLG and revision. :D