The ruling party in Singapore is about to change

SINGAPORE: The modern city of Singapore is a predictable place: it's hot and humid everyday, unscrupulous for business, immaculately clean – no chewing gum anywhere – and the government is usually headed by a Lee.

Last week, the wheels of change were set in motion following an opaque reorganization within the ruling ruling party (PAP), which established the likely successor of the prime minister. Lee Hsien Loong.

Prime Minister Lee, the son of Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, is almost 67 years old and announced his resignation at the age of 70.

Having been in power since 2004, he is expected to go after an election to be held by early 2021 and the end of the Lee era will put Singapore in a rare state of change at a sensitive time.

Singapore's business model is threatened, the country's "Crazy Rich Asians" inequality is worrisome, and social media has provided critics of the government – both sincere and factitious – with a platform they have not never seen before.

Since its separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore has become a rich, tiny rock of stability, surrounded by large, essentially Muslim, and politically less predictable neighbors.

Living on an island of 5.6 million inhabitants, the only country in Southeast Asia where Chinese ethnicity predominates, Singaporeans are very much aware of the value of stability and stability. Security.

This awareness, coupled with an appreciation of their relative prosperity, helps to explain a reluctance to tilt the boat.

The PAP has won every election since Singapore's independence more than half a century ago and there is no indication that the party's position is in danger.

But its leaders take nothing for granted, especially after the political earthquake that hit neighboring Malaysia, where a party that ran every post-colonial government suffered a humiliating electoral defeat in May.

"The ruling party, the PAP, does not have the monopoly of power, does not have the right to govern Singapore indefinitely," Prime Minister Lee said a few days after the Malaysian vote.

Lee is the third Prime Minister of Singapore after his father and Goh Chok Tong, who has had to face the rumors that he warms the seat of young Lee, who served as deputy prime minister for 14 years.

Lee, 66, has already stated that he did not think that any of his four children would enter politics. It is unclear whether Lee will withdraw completely from politics or retain influence as a senior state man, as both Goh and his father had done.

Succession in Singapore had already been decided for cakes and coffee years in advance, but this time it was left to a group of sixteen ministers, nicknamed the fourth generation, or 4G, to choose between them. This process has been compared to how the cardinals choose the pope.

The process ended last Friday, when Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, 57, was appointed to a key position in the party's highest decision-making body and declared "first amongst his peers".

When asked if Heng would take over the leadership of the PAP after Lee withdrew, a party spokesman questioned Reuters about local media reports describing him as the favorite or leader of younger ministers. of 4G. He did not provide any other comments.

A former jovial actor and banker of the central bank, Heng is perceived as a "safe hand" – one of Singapore's most pressing challenges is to keep his economy open on an equal footing in the face of growing protectionism and trade conflicts between world powers.

Commentators in Singapore's largely pro-government media noted that the PAP was striving to underscore its unity behind Heng, who in 2016 had suffered a stroke and collapsed during a blood drive. Cabinet meeting.

"Transitions of leaders in political parties are usually never smooth," Zakir Hussain, editor of the Straits Times, said in an article Saturday, highlighting recent political rushes in Australia, Britain and Germany.

"There is no reason to expect that the PAP – which has remained united for most of its 59 years of power – will not ever be subject to such divisions."

Former lawmaker PAP, Inderjit Singh, said the upcoming elections would be a "referendum" on the new untested leadership team.

"None of the leaders of 4G have introduced innovative policy initiatives … It is therefore important that 4G leaders show … their own initiative to put in place policies that satisfy Singaporeans and must do it quickly, "said Singh.

"If they fail, trust (in the PAP) will be eroded, which could change the political landscape of Singapore."

Recently popularized by the Hollywood movie "Crazy Rich Asians", Singapore is among the highest paid politicians in the world, partly to attract the most lucrative candidates to public service and to eliminate the temptations of corruption.

The Prime Minister, for example, earns 2.2 million dollars a year (6.71 million rand).

Singapore's rapid growth from colonial turmoil to low-tax financial center has enabled all boats to recover, and its poor are still far better off than in neighboring countries.

But inequality raises more and more concerns, especially as his society is aging rapidly.

Social media has given way to criticism and dissent, and the PAP's political transition comes as Singapore intensifies its fight against "false information".

In recent weeks, authorities have blocked access to a news site based abroad, social media group Facebook criticized for failing to post a message, and seized material from local blog The Online Citizen (OCD) in a defamation investigation.

These incidents have reinforced the calls of some legislators for legislation to fight what they call "deliberate falsehoods online".

"The reaction of recent times has been excessive," Terry Xu, editor-in-chief of TOC, told Reuters. "Typically, the Singapore government would simply issue defamation or general defamation."

As a result of the TOC incident, Human Rights Watch said in a statement that it was concerned that "attacks violating rights against attacks on freedom of expression will worsen." as the PAP, the ruling party, is considering an election in 2019 ".

Reporters Without Borders, which puts Singapore behind Russia and Myanmar for press freedom, also voiced concerns over the TOC incident and the possibility of a tougher government position on the media in the run-up to elections.

A spokeswoman for Singapore's Ministry of Communications said in an e-mailed statement that the TOC's investigation "was in no way related to the elections," adding:

"Robust discussions, including government criticism, are taking place every day on different platforms.

"But we will not allow the integrity of our public institutions to be questioned under the guise of freedom of expression." Gillian Koh of the Institute of Policy Studies, one of the experts quoted in a recent parliamentary report on false information recommending more legislation, said the upcoming elections are "an important factor" for lawmakers.

Singapore's vulnerabilities, the diversity of its society, the risk of terrorist threats and its financial center position are other good reasons for adopting such laws, she said.

The government's latest confrontations with the media "strengthen the government's position," said Koh, but added that the search for tougher laws could also fuel the cynicism that she was motivated by "partisan interests."