With the general elections on the horizon, this is set to be Singapore’s first pandemic election, or the country’s first true “Internet election”. In the next few weeks leading up to Polling Day, we speak to voters, observers, and researchers, with the hope of better understanding what is at stake and making an informed decision.
What is “the Opposition” in Singapore? Today, we speak to Loke Hoe-Yeong and Dr. Elvin Ong, discussing opposition unity and coordination, opposition party credibility, as well as strategies associated with past electoral success.
Hoe-Yeong is a political analyst, who authored the books "Let The People Have Him: Chiam See Tong, The Early Years" in 2014 and "The First Wave: JBJ, Chiam & the Opposition in Singapore" in 2019. Elvin is a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, in the University of British Columbia. His primary research interests are the politics and policies of authoritarian regimes, with a specific focus on the dynamic formation of opposition coalitions.
(Correction, June 25, 2020: The Workers' Party was not part of the 1976 Joint Opposition Council. The parties were the Barisan Socialis, the Justice Party, the PKMS, and United Front.)
socialservice.sg presents: "Before the Ballot"