Will Singapore’s politics change as its parties shift to Gen Next?
Both the ruling party and opposition are preparing to move on from established leaders. Their choices will set up the upcoming electoral battle and define the national issues over the next decade
The new office of Singapore’s strongest opposition party sits on the fourth floor of a nondescript building, just streets away from the country’s infamous red-light district in Geylang.
Neat and well-lit, the unit is more humble than haughty. At just 110 square metres – roughly the size of a large public housing flat – it cost the Workers’ Party (WP) about S$900,000 (US$685,000) last year.
The purchase alone is hardly significant in property-mad Singapore. But in a political scene where opposition parties are so weak that many struggle to even rent an office, a permanent home signals an increasingly confident outfit craving ownership both in postcode and polling counts.
It is a transition that will further gather pace from this weekend, as Singapore’s second-oldest active party elects a new leader, moving on from current chief and opposition leader Low Thia Khiang, who has steered the ship for almost two decades.
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The succession is unlikely to be without problems, given the standing and longevity of Low.
And with just over two years to prepare for the next general election, due to be held by January 2021, the runway for the new man is short.
