Quoting several government academics who styled themselves as “political scientists”, state media TodayOnline revealed that dictator Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be calling for an election as soon as “late next year” in 2019.
Citing “inconveniences” like the 2021 GST increase, the propaganda state media said 2019 will be just right as Lee Hsien Loong had planned for a national celebration of British colonisation. At his 2018 new year day speech, the Prime Minister said that he will be calling for the celebration of the “200th anniversary” of the British invasion in 1819.
Like the devious use of his father’s death and playing up sympathy support in 2015 General Election, Lee Hsien Loong will be using the anniversary event to remind Singaporeans how the country went from a third world fishing village to its modern economy – with thanks to the ruling party PAP. The Prime Minister intends to use the British invasion to gloss over a number of his government failures like losing tens of billions at GIC and Temasek Holdings, train breakdowns, increased poverty, rapid tax increases, surge in cost of living, declining standards of living and the HDB lease issue.
Government academic from SIM Global Education, Felix Tan, told state media reporters that the British invasion anniversary will provide “feel-good factor” advantageous to the PAP:
“It would be to the PAP’s advantage to tap the feel-good factor by calling the elections. It would reflect well upon the PAP to predicate all their achievements and also appeal to the emotions of Singaporeans. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they are able to use this event to great effect.”
Another academic on government payroll from NUS, Bilveer Singh, said that the government had just sweetened the ground with S$300 cash for the public and it is therefore ready for an election in 2019, or the 2021 GST increase will dampen the people’s support for the PAP:
“There is already indication that the Government has started to sweeten the ground by giving utilities rebates, among other things. Furthermore, ground sentiments might change as the implementation date of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike draws near.”
State media Todayonline also revealed that the ruling party supporters are divided over the 3 candidates for the new Prime Minister. Trade Minister Chan Chun Sing, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung were singled out as the leading contenders, to be decided by some 1,000 PAP cadres. Calling the upcoming October party conference a “democracy”, the state media wrote that the new Prime Minister will be holding the “first assistant secretary general” position.