Singapore govt woos voters as opposition fumes

Singapore govt woos voters as opposition fumes

Reuters
Singapore

Singapore's ruling party began courting voters on Friday with its
36-year record and promises of more spending as opposition
parties slammed the government for giving scant notice of the
election on Nov. 3.

Opposition parties, which hold just two of parliament's 83
seats, also complained about a new electoral map with more five-
and six-seat wards that will tax their cash and candidates.

In Singapore's version of the "first past the post" system,
the party winning the vote in a super-ward takes all the seats.

The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) manifesto, unveiled a
week after a S$11.3 billion ($6.2 billion) stimulus package to
help the recession-hit economy, stressed the government's ability
to deliver stability in uncertain times.

"I ask you to vote for me, my PAP team and our program for
you," Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said in a letter to the city
state's two million voters. "Place your trust in us again to take
Singapore safely into the future."

Opposition parties often complain the system is unfair but
have long had problems mounting a credible challenge to a
government that has delivered vast improvements to Singapore's
standard of living over the past 36 years.

The PAP, which has dominated politics since independence in
1965 and stands little chance of losing many seats, was widely
expected to go to the polls before the August 2002 deadline.

Singapore's economy grew a blazing 9.9 percent in 2000 but
sank into recession in the second quarter, brought on by slumping
electronics demand and the ill health of key trading partners.