Teaching the lesson on women in politics to the Hwa Chong students also provided an incredible opportunity for Ms. Relator and I to learn more about the upcoming elections in Singapore.
As a one-party parliamentary government, Singapore's electoral system is incredibly different than the U.S. two party system, and unapologetically so.
The Prime Minister recently explained in great detail why a one-party system is most suitable for Singapore.
Most Americans don't realize that in a parliamentary system there are often not fixed election dates (like we have in the US with our first Tuesday after the first Monday in November). I was confused our first few days in Singapore because I kept hearing on Channel News Asia (the largely government run television station) that the PAP (People's Action Party-- the main political party) had announced its new candidates-- yet no one could tell me when the election would be.
A few days later an election day was announced, May 7th. By the American concept of elections, this seemed like very little time to conduct a campaign. However, like everything in Singapore, this short turn around to the election date is purposeful and pragmatic, as it greatly reduces the cost of campaigning and the campaign fatigue that voters sometime experience in America (not that getting tired of the campaign would be issue in Singapore, since voting is compulsory).
One of the most interesting anecdotal things Mrs. Relator and I came across in examining the role of women in politics and probing the Singaporean students for their opinions on the upcoming election was the controversial candidacy of Tin Pei Ling, the youngest woman candidate ever from the PAP. A quick google search revealed a number of
youtube parody videos mimicking Ms. Tin, very reminiscent of Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice President in the states. Students were divided on why exactly Tin Pei Ling's candidacy was under such criticism-- was it her age? her gender? her immaturity? her intellectual shortcomings? They were nearly unanimous in the view that she was not a good candidate.
It will be interesting to see how the election in Singapore unfolds after we depart. Undoubtedly, the PAP will maintain power, but how many seats will the Opposition Parties obtain, and how will this shape the future of Singapore?
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