Goh believes his party will win S'pore elections

Goh believes his party will win S'pore elections

SINGAPORE (Agencies): Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong expressed confidence yesterday that his People's Action Party (PAP) would win a majority in parliament even before the first vote is cast in upcoming general elections.

Goh, 55, told journalists during a constituency visit that he did not expect the fragmented opposition to be able to field more than 40 candidates in the race for 83 seats in parliament.

Political parties are scheduled to unveil their final lineups today when they hand in their applications to contest the polls widely expected in the first week of January. The elections can be held as early as nine days afterwards.

Goh, who is to announce election day after the nomination exercise, slated for today, said he believed the opposition would be unable to contest all seats because of "quarrels" between rival parties and the reluctance of candidates to join them.

But Goh cautioned voters to exercise their franchise with care in parliamentary wards that will witness a contest, Channel Five television said.

Today's announcement of the polling date will end an agonizingly long guessing game over the timing of the exercise whose outcome has never been in doubt.

Election rumors have periodically surfaced in the wealthy and tightly governed island since 1995, and Goh kept the public tantalized and the opposition on hold.

The government finally announced on Dec. 16 that parliament had been dissolved -- but left the election date blank.

"The reason why I did not announce the polling date early is because when you go into battle, you must have the element of surprise," Goh told journalists after visiting an opposition-held constituency on Saturday.

The PAP has unveiled its lineup and manifesto, but opposition parties -- led by the Singapore Democratic Party which held three seats and the Workers' Party with one -- have not disclosed their full casts.

Unlike in other countries, the opposition in Singapore has not raised corruption as an issue against the government, whose highly-paid ministers are rated by independent analysts as the cleanest politicians in Asia.

Analysts say criticism would focus on the strict political controls and rising cost of living in the city-state, whose per- capita income now stands at more than US$25,000, higher than in some West European countries.

Goh said in a dialog with university students over the weekend that a survey among young Singaporeans showed that their gripes included "too many rules, laws and fines, no freedom ..."

Singapore has known only two prime ministers since gaining self-rule from Britain in 1959. It became a republic after separating from the Malaysian federation in 1965.

Goh's still influential predecessor Lee Kuan Yew, who now holds the title Senior Minister and serves as a roving ambassador, was in power for 31 years until stepping down in Goh's favor six years ago.

Lee, 73, is expected to seek reelection as an MP despite two operations this year to clear up a clogged coronary artery.