The Price of Victory: The 1997 Singapore General Election and Beyond

In the months leading up to the 1997 Singapore General Election, many observers were already billing it in terms of a "watershed" election that would chart the course of Singapore politics well into the 21st century. The ruling People's Action Party had seen its popular vote slide in the previous three successive elections and was determined to stem, if not decisively reverse, that slide. On the other hand, the opposition parties were determined to hand the ruling party a fourth successive reduction in its vote and, through that, establish a long-term trend in decline in support for the PAP. The outcome of the election, which was bitterly fought, will indeed have major implications for Singapore politics well into the new millennium. This book analyses the significant aspects of the election campaign, provides a host of interpretations for the election results, sets out alternative explanations to certain political phenomena given by other observers, and details some of the key implications the outcome of the elections will have for the Singapore body politic, in particular, and society at large, in general.