Key differences in this general election (by Sze-Meng Soon)

[The author of this article is Sze-Meng Soon, an ex-Singapore Angle colleague, and is reproduced here with his permission.  Sze-Meng has also submitted a letter to ST Forum on home affordability and it can be read here. ]

Many of us employ the same successful strategies and tactics even when circumstances have changed. However, the upcoming elections have three key differences from prior elections which all candidates should consider for their election campaigning.

 The first difference is the visible daily signs of strain on physical infrastructure and social make up. Singapore has the highest population ever in this election. The Singapore Department of Statistics states that Singapore’s population was 5.07 million in 2010, up from 4.40 million since the 2006 election.  For the large majority of Singaporeans living in the heartlands who take public transport, shop at the suburban malls and use the public spaces which have been increasingly congested, the quality of daily living has been affected

 Singapore also has the highest absolute number of foreigners, and proportion of foreigners to citizen in this election too. In 2010, there were 3.23 million citizens and 1.84 million foreigners, compared to 3.11 million citizens and 1.29 million foreigners in 2006. Therefore, since the last election, the growth in Singapore’s population has been driven largely by foreigners, which has increased by 0.55 million. Simply put, for every 10 foreigners,  there are only 18 citizens.

 Many Singaporeans, including myself, welcome foreigners who choose to make a living in our country. Singapore has always been a land of immigrants. However, the rate of change is unprecedented with many more foreigners with unfamiliar behaviors, faces and languages around us adding to the congestion. 76% of respondents of the recent Mediacorp’s survey in March 2011 stated that influx of foreigners have resulted in greater congestion in our public transportation system and 54% believed that the influx has also resulted in the erosion of the Singapore identity.

 Given that the solutions of building up our infrastructure and tweaking our immigration policies will require long lead time, candidates must be able to convince the voters that they will be addressing these concerns through specific policies long after the election is over.

 The second key difference is that all constituencies are likely to be contested. In the 2006 General election, only seven out of the 14 GRCs were contested. For this election, almost all GRCs may be contested, including the SMCs that have always been contested. Many Singaporeans appear to be engaged, with a record number of 833,000 viewers watching the two recent political forums produced by MediaCorp. Therefore, the intensity of electioneering will likely be one of the highest in this election given the engagement with all the voters.

 Even as the electioneering heats up and emotions run high, candidates should and must remind themselves that their opponent is a Singaporean who has stood up to be counted. Joining politics is a difficult decision, given the level of scrutiny and loss of privacy in this small red dot. Candidates should refrain from engaging in personal attacks whenever possible. Treating each other with respect and dignity is not only the right thing to do, but also enhances the candidates’ moral authority to represent and lead fellow Singaporeans. The moral authority is especially important given that an MP is already well compensated. The estimated MP monthly allowance of $16,500 is more than three times of the median household income of $5,000 in 2010.

 The third difference is the explosion of online and social media usage. Social and online media will have a greater impact on the current election campaign than most have anticipated. The Institute of Policy Studies commissioned a survey in 2006 after the last General election which showed that only 33% agreed that the Internet is effective in shaping voter’s decision vs. 75% for newspaper. However, social and online media would likely pay a much more important role on voter decision in the 2011 election.

 2011 seems like a different era for social and online media, as iPhone, Facebook and Twitter were not present in the 2006 election, while YouTube was only just starting to be popular. Any candidate will be naive to think that online and social media usage is restricted to a niche group such as the tech-savvy young Singaporeans. Many of you may have noticed that smartphone and Facebook users include those in their 40s and older.

 The reach of Facebook is reflected by the estimated 2.5 million users in Singapore. Facebook is a game changer because almost no one is anonymous. In order to befriend others, you have to be who you are. Therefore, many are likely to be shaped more by their friends’ opinions, arguments and assertions than from traditional media sources, and also to influence all their friends directly. Most will also prefer to read relevant articles and videos recommended by their friends via their news feed. Almost all candidates have a Facebook page, but some are more successful in generating attention than  others. Since her introduction a week ago, National Solidarity party candidate, Nicole Seah, has managed to recieve 20,000 likes on her Facebook page.  The page is active, with comments made almost once a minute. Her replies captured on videos, posted on YouTube and RazorTV, and reposted multiple times via Facebook have been instrumental in driving her online popularity.

Given the extensive capture of information in the online and social media spaces in the past years, anyone can easily retrieve and share previous speeches, interviews and comments made by the candidates. Even during the rallies and walkabout, any smartphone user can record the candidate’s actions, and upload the video on YouTube and Facebook with his or her commentary by the time you finish reading this article. Minister Vivian Balakrishnan referring to a YouTube video to encourage voters to better understand the agenda of SDP candidate, Vincent Wijeysingha, will not be the first and only such reference during the campaign period.

 The ease of obtaining election news across different sources has kept all media channels more robust and balanced in reflecting different viewpoints. Mr. Low Thia Khiang has recently stated that the newspapers are more balanced in their reporting of the opposition due to new media. Alternative viewpoints and counter arguments are quickly made available in multiple sources. Toggling between the online version of this newspaper, websites of the political parties and The Online Citizen requires just one simple click, flick or touch.

 Most importantly, the explosion of online and social media usage provides the opportunity for candidate to help more Singaporeans make the best voting decision. Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America, expressed this opportunity succinctly, “I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society, but the people themselves; if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.”

 To win more votes, candidates of this upcoming election should reconsidering their prior electioneering strategies and tactics given these salient differences.