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.