A lazy Sunday afternoon google docs analysis of the 2006 and 2001 parliamentary elections aka general elections done here shows the following.
In 2006, 65.8% of votes from 53.6% of all voters, gave the PAP 97.6% of seats in Parliament.
Or, in 2006 more starkly, about 2/3 of about 1/2 gives 97.6% of seats to the PAP.
Or, in 2006 and more appropriately, about 1/2 of all Singapore citizens did not get consulted at the polling station.
Five years before, in 2001, the situation was even worse. Only 67.1% votes from 33.2% voters gave the PAP 97.6% of seats in Parliament. WOW!
Or, in 2001 more starkly, about 2/3 of about 1/3 gives 97.6% of seats to the PAP.
Or, in 2001 and more appropriately, fully 2/3 of all Singapore citizens did not get consulted at the polling station.
Minority rules win.
That’s what’s wrong with the walk-over regime of the Singaporean election process. And, that, is a Hard Truth.
Need to look at the results from 1997 and earlier, going all the back to 1955 and run the same analysis. It is left as an exercise for the reader to do it for yourself with the entire data set available here.
What would it be for 2011? How many citizens will get to exercise his/her human right to vote?
Will the number of people who CAN vote increase? Or will the ugliness of a walkover prevail?
