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Why Singaporeans Are Calling for a Stronger Opposition: It's Not About Instability—It's About Accountability
In recent years, a familiar warning has echoed from senior PAP leaders: that voting for the opposition will make it harder for them to assemble a strong, effective team to lead Singapore. This narrative has been repeated often, especially during election seasons, to frame the opposition as a threat to the stability and competence that Singapore is known for.
But increasingly, ordinary Singaporeans are not buying it.
We're not calling for chaos. We're calling for change. Not for the sake of disruption, but for the sake of representation, accountability, and fairness—values that are becoming harder to find in our current political landscape.
Let me explain why.
---
1. Stagnating Wages vs Soaring Costs
From 2019 to 2024, the real median monthly household income per household member grew by only 1.3% per annum. For many Singaporean families, this translates into little to no increase in purchasing power over the years.
Meanwhile, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.4% in 2024 alone, reflecting the escalating cost of essentials like food, transport, and healthcare. Housing prices are a major pain point—the HDB resale index hit an all-time high, and prices rose 9.5% year-on-year as of March 2025.
Despite Singapore's reputation as a well-managed economy, many citizens are feeling the squeeze. It’s a silent, persistent pressure—the kind that doesn’t make headlines, but shapes lives.
---
2. The Foreign Talent Debate: More Than Just Jobs
Singaporeans have long accepted that we are a small, open economy that needs foreign talent. But when the influx of foreign workers leads to real or perceived displacement of local professionals, it becomes an issue of economic dignity.
In recent years, the number of Employment Pass (EP) holders has rebounded strongly after the pandemic. While official messaging emphasizes that foreign workers complement the local workforce, many PMETs (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) feel they are being edged out of roles they are qualified for.
This isn't xenophobia. It's a plea for fairness. For a hiring system that doesn’t default to the cheapest or most “global” option, but genuinely values local talent.
---
3. Perceptions of Elitism and Detachment
Ask around and you'll hear the same sentiment: the ruling party is increasingly seen as elitist, out of touch with the everyday lives of Singaporeans.
It’s not just about ministers’ salaries, though that continues to be a source of discontent. It’s about how policy decisions are made—often with a top-down, technocratic approach that may be efficient on paper but feels cold and disconnected in practice.
When policies don’t reflect lived realities—like the need for more robust safety nets, or affordable child and elder care—it creates a growing emotional and political distance between the government and the governed.
This gap is where trust begins to erode.
---
4. Gerrymandering and Democratic Integrity
Another sore point is the perception that electoral boundaries are redrawn in ways that favor the incumbent party. The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) operates without transparency, and its recommendations are often announced just before elections—leaving little room for meaningful scrutiny or feedback.
In the 2020 General Election, several single-member constituencies were absorbed into larger GRCs, reducing opportunities for opposition representation. These changes feed the belief that the system is engineered to maintain dominance, rather than to serve democratic accountability.
---
5. The False Binary: Opposition = Instability?
For decades, the dominant political narrative has been: PAP equals stability, opposition equals risk.
But the world has changed, and so have Singaporeans. We are no longer content with binary thinking.
We understand that strong institutions—not just one party—are what make a country resilient. A democracy without contestation is a hollow one.
A stronger opposition does not mean chaos. It means better debate, greater accountability, and more representative policies. It means creating space for alternative voices, for scrutiny of decisions, and for course correction when necessary.
This is not a weakness—it is a strength of mature governance.
---
6. We’re Not Asking for a Revolution—We’re Asking to Be Heard
The desire for greater opposition representation isn’t radical. It’s rooted in a deep, quiet hope that things can be better. That policymaking can be more inclusive. That job security doesn’t have to be sacrificed at the altar of GDP. That rising costs won’t always outpace our earnings.
We want leaders who are in touch, not just with numbers and models, but with the lived experiences of ordinary Singaporeans.
The current system often feels like a closed loop—where dissent is discouraged, and the same few voices dominate discourse. A more balanced Parliament would help open that loop. It would give space to genuine feedback, not just sanctioned dialogues or carefully managed town halls.
---
7. Let’s Be Clear: Singaporeans Are Pragmatic, Not Reckless
Singaporeans are not naive. We value stability. We appreciate the good that the PAP has done, and continues to do. But we also see the cracks—and we believe they won’t fix themselves without pressure, without political competition, without accountability.
A vote for the opposition isn’t a rejection of Singapore. It’s a vote for a better version of it.
It’s a signal that we expect more. Not perfection—but progress.
---
8. Where Do We Go From Here?
If you’ve read this far, you might agree—or disagree—with what I’ve said. And that’s okay. What matters is that we continue having these conversations.
Singapore deserves more than one dominant voice. It deserves a chorus of perspectives, drawn from all walks of life, working together to build a fairer, more resilient society.
Let’s stop treating opposition as a threat. Let’s see it for what it truly is: a necessary pillar of a healthy democracy.
We owe it to ourselves, and to the generations that follow, to fight not just for economic growth, but for political maturity, transparency, and empathy.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about teams and parties.
It’s about people.
It’s about us.
In recent years, a familiar warning has echoed from senior PAP leaders: that voting for the opposition will make it harder for them to assemble a strong, effective team to lead Singapore. This narrative has been repeated often, especially during election seasons, to frame the opposition as a threat to the stability and competence that Singapore is known for.
But increasingly, ordinary Singaporeans are not buying it.
We're not calling for chaos. We're calling for change. Not for the sake of disruption, but for the sake of representation, accountability, and fairness—values that are becoming harder to find in our current political landscape.
Let me explain why.
---
1. Stagnating Wages vs Soaring Costs
From 2019 to 2024, the real median monthly household income per household member grew by only 1.3% per annum. For many Singaporean families, this translates into little to no increase in purchasing power over the years.
Meanwhile, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.4% in 2024 alone, reflecting the escalating cost of essentials like food, transport, and healthcare. Housing prices are a major pain point—the HDB resale index hit an all-time high, and prices rose 9.5% year-on-year as of March 2025.
Despite Singapore's reputation as a well-managed economy, many citizens are feeling the squeeze. It’s a silent, persistent pressure—the kind that doesn’t make headlines, but shapes lives.
---
2. The Foreign Talent Debate: More Than Just Jobs
Singaporeans have long accepted that we are a small, open economy that needs foreign talent. But when the influx of foreign workers leads to real or perceived displacement of local professionals, it becomes an issue of economic dignity.
In recent years, the number of Employment Pass (EP) holders has rebounded strongly after the pandemic. While official messaging emphasizes that foreign workers complement the local workforce, many PMETs (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) feel they are being edged out of roles they are qualified for.
This isn't xenophobia. It's a plea for fairness. For a hiring system that doesn’t default to the cheapest or most “global” option, but genuinely values local talent.
---
3. Perceptions of Elitism and Detachment
Ask around and you'll hear the same sentiment: the ruling party is increasingly seen as elitist, out of touch with the everyday lives of Singaporeans.
It’s not just about ministers’ salaries, though that continues to be a source of discontent. It’s about how policy decisions are made—often with a top-down, technocratic approach that may be efficient on paper but feels cold and disconnected in practice.
When policies don’t reflect lived realities—like the need for more robust safety nets, or affordable child and elder care—it creates a growing emotional and political distance between the government and the governed.
This gap is where trust begins to erode.
---
4. Gerrymandering and Democratic Integrity
Another sore point is the perception that electoral boundaries are redrawn in ways that favor the incumbent party. The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) operates without transparency, and its recommendations are often announced just before elections—leaving little room for meaningful scrutiny or feedback.
In the 2020 General Election, several single-member constituencies were absorbed into larger GRCs, reducing opportunities for opposition representation. These changes feed the belief that the system is engineered to maintain dominance, rather than to serve democratic accountability.
---
5. The False Binary: Opposition = Instability?
For decades, the dominant political narrative has been: PAP equals stability, opposition equals risk.
But the world has changed, and so have Singaporeans. We are no longer content with binary thinking.
We understand that strong institutions—not just one party—are what make a country resilient. A democracy without contestation is a hollow one.
A stronger opposition does not mean chaos. It means better debate, greater accountability, and more representative policies. It means creating space for alternative voices, for scrutiny of decisions, and for course correction when necessary.
This is not a weakness—it is a strength of mature governance.
---
6. We’re Not Asking for a Revolution—We’re Asking to Be Heard
The desire for greater opposition representation isn’t radical. It’s rooted in a deep, quiet hope that things can be better. That policymaking can be more inclusive. That job security doesn’t have to be sacrificed at the altar of GDP. That rising costs won’t always outpace our earnings.
We want leaders who are in touch, not just with numbers and models, but with the lived experiences of ordinary Singaporeans.
The current system often feels like a closed loop—where dissent is discouraged, and the same few voices dominate discourse. A more balanced Parliament would help open that loop. It would give space to genuine feedback, not just sanctioned dialogues or carefully managed town halls.
---
7. Let’s Be Clear: Singaporeans Are Pragmatic, Not Reckless
Singaporeans are not naive. We value stability. We appreciate the good that the PAP has done, and continues to do. But we also see the cracks—and we believe they won’t fix themselves without pressure, without political competition, without accountability.
A vote for the opposition isn’t a rejection of Singapore. It’s a vote for a better version of it.
It’s a signal that we expect more. Not perfection—but progress.
---
8. Where Do We Go From Here?
If you’ve read this far, you might agree—or disagree—with what I’ve said. And that’s okay. What matters is that we continue having these conversations.
Singapore deserves more than one dominant voice. It deserves a chorus of perspectives, drawn from all walks of life, working together to build a fairer, more resilient society.
Let’s stop treating opposition as a threat. Let’s see it for what it truly is: a necessary pillar of a healthy democracy.
We owe it to ourselves, and to the generations that follow, to fight not just for economic growth, but for political maturity, transparency, and empathy.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about teams and parties.
It’s about people.
It’s about us.
