In 1981, 10 months after another record 100% thumping of the opposition in the 1980 General Elections, an Indian man with his comparatively rag-tag team of party members and supporters made history and the country proud. In Dec 1980, PAP secured Anson with 84.1% of the votes. In 1981, a By-elections was called. It was going to be a mammoth challenge for anyone to pry the seat from the PAP.
On nomination day, JBJ, Chiam and Habans Singh turned up. Chiam after a brief discussion with JBJ decided to stand aside and have the senior opposition fighter take the opposition cause to the voters. Voters remembered his act of grace and the display opposition unity. They repaid him handsomely at the next context where in 1984, he not just won but with a 60% of the votes and beat a President Scholar and a Cabinet designate.
JBJ first stood for elections in 1972. He contested 3 general elections and 2 by-elections unsuccessfully. His last three contest was in the same locale - Radin Mas and Telok Blangah, both of which are next to Anson. Since 1977 he had become a familiar in that locale.
The PAP could not touch him on character and therefore had to handle him on issues of the day. So what changed dramatically in 10 months to cause a massive swing of 37%. And more importantly it was period of fear, political detainees were still locked up in Changi, and Opposition did not have the internet or the reach that they have today. Yes, the era of knuckleduster and arbitrary detention was order of the day. And lets not forget that Singapore did not have a single opposition figure in Parliament since 1966 when Barisan walked in and led to a PAP monopoly of 15 years. Inertia was therefore a factor that could not be ignored.
For the opposition to take Bukit Batok, it requires a swing of 24% or just another 6,300 voter over and above the 6,585 votes that SDP's Sadasivam garnered in 2015. One can safely assume that the previous votes came from hardcore opposition voters as I am sure Mr Sadasivam himself would acknowledge he is not well known neither is he well credentialed as other Opposition candidates or Chee. Can Chee convince another 6,300 voters to make the move. Did he get his strategy right. Was the historical baggage and the failure to acknowledge the past an obstacle.
Statistically anything over 10% is a challenge. Lee LiLian did it as recently as 3 years ago in 2013 at the Punggol By elections with a swing of 13.49% and she was a relative nobody, did not come from the an established profession and was too young to have established a career. She however contested for the first time 2 years ago, in the same constituency garnering a respectable 41% of the votes.
On nomination day, JBJ, Chiam and Habans Singh turned up. Chiam after a brief discussion with JBJ decided to stand aside and have the senior opposition fighter take the opposition cause to the voters. Voters remembered his act of grace and the display opposition unity. They repaid him handsomely at the next context where in 1984, he not just won but with a 60% of the votes and beat a President Scholar and a Cabinet designate.
JBJ first stood for elections in 1972. He contested 3 general elections and 2 by-elections unsuccessfully. His last three contest was in the same locale - Radin Mas and Telok Blangah, both of which are next to Anson. Since 1977 he had become a familiar in that locale.
The PAP could not touch him on character and therefore had to handle him on issues of the day. So what changed dramatically in 10 months to cause a massive swing of 37%. And more importantly it was period of fear, political detainees were still locked up in Changi, and Opposition did not have the internet or the reach that they have today. Yes, the era of knuckleduster and arbitrary detention was order of the day. And lets not forget that Singapore did not have a single opposition figure in Parliament since 1966 when Barisan walked in and led to a PAP monopoly of 15 years. Inertia was therefore a factor that could not be ignored.
For the opposition to take Bukit Batok, it requires a swing of 24% or just another 6,300 voter over and above the 6,585 votes that SDP's Sadasivam garnered in 2015. One can safely assume that the previous votes came from hardcore opposition voters as I am sure Mr Sadasivam himself would acknowledge he is not well known neither is he well credentialed as other Opposition candidates or Chee. Can Chee convince another 6,300 voters to make the move. Did he get his strategy right. Was the historical baggage and the failure to acknowledge the past an obstacle.
Statistically anything over 10% is a challenge. Lee LiLian did it as recently as 3 years ago in 2013 at the Punggol By elections with a swing of 13.49% and she was a relative nobody, did not come from the an established profession and was too young to have established a career. She however contested for the first time 2 years ago, in the same constituency garnering a respectable 41% of the votes.
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