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Independent Singapore
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
Is Singapore really too expensive? A closer look at the debate behind the complaints
SINGAPORE: With the city-state's recent elections, online media is bursting with feisty debates, mostly around one prickly issue — the cost of living. Among the many voices, one Redditor crossed the noise with a piercing question: 'People who are complaining that Singapore is too expensive to live in—mind sharing your financial position and why you hold such strong views?' It wasn't meant as an attack but a challenge to the mounting upsurge of frustration online. The poster admitted the escalating costs—food, housing, and everyday overheads—but also added that this situation isn't limited to Singapore. Nonetheless, what hit them most was the tenor of the discussion. 'I see a lot of rage online about the election results, people saying Singaporeans deserve the government they vote for, etc.,' the post continued. 'If you're earning S$10k a month, using CPF (Central Provident Fund) to pay off your HDB (Housing & Development Board) but are upset you can't upgrade to a condo or travel like you used to—I can't empathize as much.' That triggered an outbreak of responses, exposing a polarised public sentiment. Some commenters claimed that Singaporeans relish making complaints, even when they're comparatively prosperous. 'Nah. Singaporeans just love to complain in general… They drive their Tesla or Mercedes, then complain that a bowl of noodles is S$6,' one user stated ironically. 'Yet they have no qualms feeding their high-SES lifestyle.' What this user is saying is that most of the grievances come from those who are not really economically stressed or struggling to survive but are upset by their failure to sustain what they have or to elevate to a more comfortable lifestyle. However, others disagreed with the idea that it's all pure grumbling. Among the most reverberating points was articulated by a user who clarified that while Singapore may not be unbearable to survive in, it has become excessively expensive to enjoy. 'SG isn't expensive to survive in, but SG is expensive if you want to enjoy having nice things,' the user wrote. 'I don't even mean luxury goods—just things like convenience, aesthetics, and comfort. A cozy café to read a book and sip coffee? That'll cost you quite a bit.' The problem, the user claimed, lies in Singapore's lack of space and the commercialisation of every available nook. On the contrary, the same user noted going overseas shows just how reachable comfort and quality of life can be somewhere else for a lesser amount of money. Another reaction focused on expectations. According to this netizen's view, many Singaporeans are rushing to a standard of living that they may no longer be able to pay for. 'A big chunk of this demographic doesn't live within their means,' a user weighed in. 'They expect lifestyles that now align more with the upper middle class. But for every couple that doesn't get a BTO (build to order), there's one that did—and they're laughing all the way to the bank.' Other voices talked about the bigger picture. One commenter recognised Singapore's extraordinary economic advancement but doubted its significance to the ordinary citizen's everyday existence. 'Yes, the country's economy is thriving, but what's the point of a thriving country when its people can't enjoy any of it?' the commenter asked. 'Are we building this country to impress the world or to serve the people who live here?' All of this discussion ties in with politics, and many found the chance to echo the election results. Many voiced discontent with the present circumstances, but others contended that Singaporeans are calling for better change and not just any kind of change. See also SingFirst's reply to CNA on PM Lee's speech 'The fact that PAP is still being voted in, including in younger GRCs, says a lot,' one experienced voter said. 'People want quality change. Not emotional speeches or promises of free vouchers. Real policies. Real solutions.' The netizen named candidates like Jeremy Tan as illustrations of the kind of grounded, policy-driven direction that reverberates. 'He focused on the specifics. I would've voted for him if I was in Mountbatten,' the commenter added. So, is Singapore too expensive? That hinges on what you're trying to measure – comfort, aspiration, or survival. What's clear is that Singapore's affluence and accomplishment do not touch everyone and that the path forward, economically and politically, will demand more than just GDP growth or sleek global standings. It will necessitate confidence, distinction, and leaders prepared to pay attention and listen beyond the noise.
CNA
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Non-Constituency MP positions filled by Workers' Party's Andre Low and Eileen Chong
SINGAPORE: Mr Andre Low and Ms Eileen Chong from the Workers' Party (WP) will take up the two Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seats in Singapore's 15th parliament. Mr Low contested in Jalan Kayu SMC while Ms Chong was part of the WP's five-member team in Tampines GRC. These were constituencies that saw the highest vote percentages among losers at the polls. In a media release on Monday (May 19), the Elections Department said that the Returning Officer wrote to the group of candidates from WP who contested in Tampines GRC on May 9, 2025 and asked the group to determine amongst themselves the candidate to be declared elected as NCMP. The group informed the Returning Officer on Sunday of their decision to nominate Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan as the candidate to be declared elected as NCMP. NCMP seats are typically offered to the best-performing losing opposition candidates if the number of elected opposition candidates falls short of a stipulated number. Changes to the NCMP scheme in 2016 increased the minimum number of opposition MPs in parliament from nine to 12. The change also gives NCMPs the same voting rights as elected MPs. With the WP successfully defending its 10 parliamentary seats – namely the five-member Aljunied GRC, four-member Sengkang GRC and single-seat constituency Hougang – two seats became available for NCMPs. One of which went to Mr Low, the 34-year-old WP newcomer who lost to labour chief Ng Chee Meng, 56, with 48.53 per cent of the vote. The WP's team in Tampines garnered 47.37 per cent, losing in a four-cornered fight to the PAP. The team was led by WP vice-chair Faisal Manap, 49, and comprised four newcomers – Mr Jimmy Tan, 53, Dr Ong Lue Ping, 48, Ms Eileen Chong, 33, and Mr Michael Thng, 37.
CNA
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Commentary: GE2025 cements Workers' Party as Singapore's leading opposition party
The Workers' Party (WP) stood its ground at Aljunied, Sengkang and Hougang, and put up close fights at Jalan Kayu and Tampines, retaining 10 seats and adding two more Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seats. This cements WP as the leading opposition party in Singapore. As the dust settles from GE2025, it has become apparent that opposition parties fall into three tiers. WP is Tier 1, having demonstrated an ability to breach the 40 per cent vote share in the constituencies they contest. Tier 2 parties are the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) who can break past 30 per cent. Tier 3 parties are the rest, including Red Dot United (RDU) and the People's Alliance for Reform (PAR). For political survival, Tier 3 parties need to consider banding together to offer a unified message. Having contested 62 compared to 50 seats by Tier 1 and 2 parties, their courage and commitment are commendable. However, it will be more effective to have fewer parties doing more work together than many parties doing limited work on their own. LACKLUSTRE RESULTS FOR SDP AND PSP Moving up the tiers, both SDP and PSP have expressed disappointment in poorer-than-expected showing. SDP's Dr Paul Tambyah's vote share dropped 7.7 percentage points in Bukit Panjang SMC. This loss may be a result of the PAP's Liang Eng Hwa's ground operations since GE2020. Mr Liang seized the incumbency advantage and worked the ground to swing votes in the PAP's favour. That makes Dr Chee Soon Juan's performance extraordinary, winning nearly 47 per cent when he stood for the first time at Sembawang West SMC against incumbent Poh Li San. Dr Chee may be on a cusp of a breakthrough into parliament as NCMP or MP in the next GE. The disappointment stung most for PSP at West Coast-Jurong West GRC, who cited redrawn boundaries as the key driver for its loss. Boundary changes are a 'known unknown' in every election that could affect vote share either way. It is curious why the A-team of Tan Cheng Bock, Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa did not secure more than 40 per cent of the vote. Could the Biden factor, where old age is a consideration, weigh on voters' minds with regards to Mr Tan? Were voters dissuaded by Mr Leong's belligerence in parliament? While we unpack voter perceptions of the PSP, we cannot discount the PAP's performance in West Coast-Jurong West GRC, and the 'anchor minister effect' provided by National Development Minister Desmond Lee. His ministry's recent HDB policy changes may have blunted criticisms in this regard by the PSP. WP PLAYS THE LONG GAME Much will be debated about the WP's strategy. Were they too conservative by not contesting more wards, or sending more party stalwarts into new territory? I think not. In turbulence, Aljunied GRC voters preferred the status quo where WP's vote share has stabilised to nearly 60 per cent. By keeping the slate of candidates mostly unchanged, it also consolidated its hold on Sengkang GRC. The WP was rewarded with a 4 percentage point bump in Sengkang, suggesting that ground operations and hard work outweighed the Raeesah Khan saga. It is unrealistic to win a GRC on a first try. WP seems to be playing the long game by fielding the best possible teams, without compromising Aljunied and Sengkang, to gauge baseline support in new playing fields. Now that they know, they can anchor and adjust going into the next GE. VOTERS WANT IDEAS, NOT JUST IDEALS What is remarkable is how the independent candidates performed in GE2025. Despite no party platform and machinery, Jeremy Tan punched above his weight in Mountbatten SMC to achieve the vote share of Tier 2 opposition parties. Singapore voters may have appreciated independent candidates for their fresh policy proposals, backed by research. This augurs well for our maturing political landscape where Singaporeans are putting candidate above party. More broadly, parties in the upper tiers leaned into foregrounding their policy ideas in manifestos, and airing them during rally speeches. WP's Andre Low who secured 48.5 per cent of votes in Jalan Kayu SMC spoke passionately about public housing policies. The SDP proffered their single-payer healthcare system across several rallies while the PSP emphasised changes to the Goods and Service Tax. THE NEW PROTEST VOTE? Several observers have sounded the alarm that voter turnout in 2025 was the lowest since 1968 in terms of percentage. If spoilt votes are added, nearly 1 in 10 Singaporeans didn't vote or spoilt their vote in 2025 (excluding voters in walkover constituencies) – a 50 per cent jump from 2020. While some have attributed voter absences to the timing of GE2025 over a long weekend, when Singaporeans could have been travelling, it is worrying if it arises from a broader pattern of political disengagement. Could this be the new protest vote? Previously, a protest vote was framed as a vote for the opposition. As our democracy matures, a protest vote seems to be shifting from an opposition vote to a non-or-spoilt vote. This is more insidious and chips away at our political exceptionalism. Could this present a unique opportunity for opposition parties? Might it be easier to convince undecided, apathetic or disillusioned voters than convert PAP supporters? Regardless, this is a phenomenon that bears watching.
Independent Singapore
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
Australian think tank piece says GE2025 results mean Singaporeans have become ‘incredibly savvy voters'
SINGAPORE: The Lowy Institute, a think tank based in Australia, issued an analysis of this year's polls, asking what could be learned from an election 'where nobody lost.' In that, it referred to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) again keeping its supermajority, and that it, as well as every other party, neither lost nor gained any of the elected seats it had from the last time Singaporeans trooped to the polls in 2020. However, the author of the piece, the academic Kazimier Lim, underlined two main takeaways. 'First, Singaporean voters proved they are far more politically engaged and sophisticated than often assumed,' he wrote. Mr Lim gave the results of the four-cornered fight at Tampines GRC as an example, saying that 'voters showed remarkable clarity.' Contrary to fears among many in Singapore prior to the polls that opposition votes would be spilt between the Workers' Party (WP), the People's Power Party (PPP), and the National Solidarity Party (NSP), voters appeared to consider the fight to simply be between the PAP, which won with 52% of the votes, and the WP, which received 47.4%. This meant that the other two parties both received less than 0.5% of votes, and their candidates lost electoral deposits of $13,500 each. Narrowing down the choice between the PAP and the WP showed, for Mr Lim, how 'Singaporean voters have demonstrated both discernment and pragmatism.' He also cited a term for the smaller opposition parties only showing up during campaign periods but not providing viable policy alternatives is ineffective. 'Singaporeans are clearly not apathetic to the politics of the day and are incredibly savvy voters,' the author added. His second takeaway concerned how the WP has managed to ensure a relevant place in the city-state's political arena for the coming decades, with the highest-ever number of MPs from an opposition party. Not only this, Mr Lim pointed out how the WP 'also narrowly outperformed the PAP overall in constituencies where it ran, averaging 50.1% of votes compared to the PAP's 49.9%.' He cited the party's messaging and high calibre of its candidates, who may have easily contested under the PAP banner, as being part of the reason why the WP succeeded. The author also called WP chief Pritam Singh 'one of the most effective public orators in Singapore since the late Lee Kuan Yew.' On Monday (May 5), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong confirmed that Mr Singh would remain as Leader of the Opposition going into the next Parliament. The WP leader is the first to officially hold this designation. 'It was clear at the start that the incumbent PAP's political future would likely be secured with a supermajority for at least another five years. But it is now also clear that Singapore's political future belongs to a sophisticated and savvy electorate that understands exactly how – and when – to make its voice heard. And as Singh knows, it pays to listen,' the author added. /TISG Read also: After polling day, Singaporeans look for 'silver lining' and 'bright side' of poll results
