The Perks and Downsides of a Single Party Government

Is winning one or two Single Member Constituency (SMC) or even one Group Representation a Constituency a big deal?

Picture Credit: Article 14

Till today the most ever a non-People's Action Party (PAP) has ever won is 1 SMC and 1 GRC. This translates to 6 seats or 6 seats for one opposition party and 1 for another non-coalition opposition party. In terms of it being a big deal in power, no it really isn't.

Winning 59% of overall votes is a reflection of general opinion. However, what really gets you power is winning the majority of seats. If a party wins 51% of every seat contested, they get 100% of seats.

The Singapore government is made up of  89 seats. The party with at least 45 seats will form government. Losing 6 seats isn't is a big deal as the government will have more than adequate number of votes even if a few members are away on other official duties. There is almost no way for a single opposition party with 5 of 89 seats to pass a bill if the government of the day doesn't support it. There isn't even space for negotiating bills.

The Perks

One may say that this stifles opinion. However having lived in Australia, and having worked for the local government for quite some time, I believe there is really quite a lot good about of a single party government. 

1. MPs can focus on long term planning instead of working on how to work around maintaining voter confidence.

Much of Singapore's successes in the last 50 years can be attributed to the stability of a largely single party government. Without having to worry about voter confidence, generations of the government has been able to make decisions which are mostly very positive towards building a rich and successful nation even if a decision may not be very popular at the point in time. 

I've seen first hand how changes in party changes decisions in many big ticket items in New South Wales. Our roads, trains, hospitals, schools seem to be at stake every election. Money only seem to be allocated for an upgrade every 3 years when there is an election. Money for maintenance doesn't seem very forthcoming, reflected in our road condition, as it isn't something 'sexy' to voters. I don't think in Singapore we want to vote for party politics, with flip flop decisions when different parties are voted in. 

2. MPs must attend every seating even if there are important official duties to attend to.

Why so? If Party A has 45 seats and Party B has 44, minus the speaker (likely from Party A), each party has equal votes. If a member has to go say on an overseas trip (say the Foreign Affairs Minister - Party A), effectively Party B has more votes to vote on a bill as members must be present to vote.

It will really stifle the effectiveness of the government if Ministers need to be away to do their duties but cannot as they need to be there 100% of the time to make sure bills can be appropriately voted against party lines.

3. No need to pay for a Opposition Leader.

In most democracies with a significant opposition in the house, there will be a member from the opposition having a paid roles as opposition leader. Do we really want to pay a bigger pay cheque when this happens?

The Downsides

But of course, there are down sides to a single party government.

1. Dealing with greed or corruption
I'm not saying that the current government is greedy or corrupt or neither. To be honest, I'm not savvy with such information. However, with a single party government, if in the case where information isn't as transparent, there are possibilities where greed and corruption can be hidden away much more easily than in a multi-party government.

In the case of the NSW government, in the last 10 years, countless MPs have been forced to quit due to corruption. Even Premiers of NSW, have been ousted mid-term due to corruption. It even came to a point in time, the Governor General of NSW was seeking legal advice if the government should be dissolved. What happened as a result was that at the next election, due to voter confidence, the opposition did come into power. However soon after, the new party came under fire for corruption again.


2. Dealing with transparency and public expectations
Information empowers people to understand and make decisions. However, information in the wrong hands can be easily twisted and misinform instead. Information also makes making mistakes less forgivable.

Governments all around the world struggle with "freedom of information". Most governments have information which they hide as "classified". In a single party government, without a significant opposition, the amount of "classified" information or information which isn't forthcoming can be potentially greater in volume. In a sense, if you don't know what to ask for in terms of information, you don't ask.

No one government is perfect no matter how hard they try. But the public should know how have decisions really affected them. After all, they have voted someone in to represent them in the government. However, Singaporeans on the other hand have to mature and have a more balanced view on what kind of mistakes are part of a government learning how to run versus a really unforgivable error (such as corruption).


3. Dealing with with a very minor Opposition 
A very minor Opposition, like what we have now, have significant disadvantages in the way they run. For example, in terms of collective bargaining of services, they have a significant disadvantage in terms of volume. This potentially have repercussions on running of things like Town Councils which affect the day-to-day lives of citizens. If this carries on, there will potentially be less and less motivation to vote for an Opposition party at all, losing the already very minor voice in the house.

Who to vote for?

No one can really tell another who to vote for. However, it is in my personal opinion to vote for those who truly love Singapore, someone who is proven capable to learn from mistakes, and has the capability and passion to keep improving systems for the greater good.

I don't actively support any party. I favour men and women who are capable and honest. Please don't vote for the opposition just because you don't like the government. Rather, take time to understand what the government has done in the last 10 years and what difference will it really make if you vote another party in. It's almost a risk management approach each individual should take when voting. Likewise, don't be afraid to vote in an good opposition member or team if you really think it will make a positive difference to the lives of your fellow Singaporeans.

Every voice matters.

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