July’s Book club: Is the PAP here to stay?
On the 27th of July, ReadNUS had it’s very first monthly book club session “Lirra’s Hangout” where the book “Is the PAP here to stay” by Professor Singh was discussed. The online (zoom) book club session had participants from various faculties from architecture to nursing. The event was led by members of the book club committee from ReadNUS where the team facilitated a discussion of the book in mini break-out groups. The aim of the Lirra’s Hangout to provide a platform for students to have meaningful conversations over the book of the month. “Is the PAP here to stay” by Professor Singh was chosen in light of the elections that were held in July. The book provided a good understanding of Singapore’s political scene enabling fruitful discussions of the book as well as the elections 2020 results.
The Book
Written by Professor Bilveer Singh, Is the People’s Action Party Here to Stay attempts to answer the debate about the PAP’s continued dominance by examining the PAP’s past electoral performance and political events in Malaysia that could signal “the way ahead” for Singapore politics. To do so, he describes the history and key aspects of Singapore’s political structure, exploring issues such as the Group Representation Constituency (GRCs). More emphasis is placed on recent elections, where Singh provides reasons for PAP’s drop in vote share in the 2011 elections and its subsequent gains in the 2015 elections. However, the book’s main focus is the implications that Malaysian politics might hold for the PAP’s continued dominance, with the May 2018 collapse of the long-ruling UMNO party-led Barisan Nasional (BN) government in Malaysia raising the spectre of a similar prospect for the PAP.
The Discussion
The conversation that evening centred around the differences between the electorate of the present day as well as the past. To analyse whether the opposition parties could come to power in the future, participants discussed their views of the current 4G leadership as well as the manner in which political parties (both the PAP and opposition parties) present themselves and the policies that they undertake. Moreover, participants came to an understanding that there is also a need to understand how the general public views the opposition parties. Whether the opposition parties are viewed as an alternative voice, or an alternative competent party or a party to replace the PAP is also important in predicting whether the opposition would gain more power in the future. Structural reasons for the PAP’s continued dominance in the Singapore political arena were also brought to the conversation. The importance of the role of social media in the GE2020 Elections was undeniable especially due to the lack of mass rallies that are usually held prior to the elections as well as the online discussion of politics amongst the general public in light of incidents involving Ivan Lim and Raeesah Khan. Lastly, the PAP’s role in allowing the rise of the opponents in the form of naming Pritam Singh the leader of the opposition was also discussed by the participants.
Overall, it was a fruitful evening that was attended by a wonderful group of participants and facilitators who were engaged in a meaningful conversation around the politics of Singapore.
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