
We will confess. We were shocked at the election results. Even the pro-government writers within our midst did not expect such a lopsided victory for the PAP. There are many speculations explanation within both mainstream media and online publishers about what could have happened. Given that none of these media outlets (including ourselves) predicted this outcome, we will take all these reasons given with a grain of salt.
The only thing we know for a fact is that Singaporeans voted, and that 7 out 10 of them voted for the PAP.
Before we close this chapter on GE2015, we like to take one last look on some of the true “winners” of the election.
1. The People’s Action Party (PAP)
Let’s not beat around the bush. The PAP were the big winners in this General Election. Not only did they stave off the speculation that they will lose more seats to the opposition, they also won back one seat (Punngol East), easily cruised to victories in other hotly contested seats (Potong Pasir, Fengshan, East Coast) and dare we say, were unlucky not to win back Aljunied GRC with a group of candidates that we won’t even consider a “B Team.”
Before the elections, there were some discussions about gerrymandering. On hindsight, all these discussions were pointless, the PAP won close to 70% of the total votes, which represent a 9.76% swing of votes for them.
There are many explanations for the results. SG50 celebration, the passing of Lee Kuan Yew, the fact that all seats were contested, new citizens headcount. We will never know what were the true reasons. What we do know, however, is that the PAP have improved tremendously and were the big winners in the election.
2. Tin Pei Ling
Despite the online flak she received during the 2011 General Election, Tin Pei Ling has moved on to show Singaporeans that as long as you put your heart and head into something you believe in, you will succeed.
Leaving her previous job to focus as a full time Member of Parliament, her strong presence in her ward is now beyond doubt. She recognised the needs of her residents and introduced appropriate initiatives like the MacPherson Care Fund to take care of those with needs with their healthcare expenses.
Her hard work has paid off in this election, where social media is only filled with praises and positive remarks about her. Winning 65.58% of the votes in MacPherson SMC is evidence of that. For comparison purpose, she fared almost as well as Vivian Balakrishnan’s Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. All these while competing against a Workers’ Party candidate.
3. Chee Soon Juan
We remember the time where Chee Soon Juan name will always be associated with negative comments. Not anymore.The recent electoral battle was the first for Mr Chee in 14 years, having only recently been discharged from bankruptcy.
Zooming in to last week, Mr Chee’s newfound image, his speeches and the way he reacted to political attacks have turned heads and Singaporeans can’t help but to be impressed by what they saw from the man whose words were seldom taken seriously in the past.
He might have lost in terms of votes in this General Election, but the improved positive impression he now commands make him a winner.
4. Charles Chong
If there is a secret weapon for the People’s Action Party, it has got to be Charles Chong. For the second time in back-to-back elections, Charles Chong was parachuted into a Single Member Constituency and won with a very small margin. For the record, Mr Charles Chong is now a 7-time winner in the General Elections.
This time, he was up against Worker Party’s Lee Li Lian and won by a margin of 1,156 votes. What is worth mentioning is the respect he showed for his opponent after he won, where he requested his supporters not to celebrate too much and even thanked Miss Lee Li Lian for doing her best for the constituency. A true gentleman.
5. The Silent Majority
According to Prime Minister Lee, General Election 2015 was a good result for the People’s Action Party and an excellent one for Singapore.
Prior to voting day, the speculation have been about the continuous momentum that the opposition parties, mainly the Workers’ Party, will continue to gain, and which PAP seats will be the next to fall.
On polling day, Singaporeans voted. And they decided.
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