At one end is the PAP team led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and comprising of Inderjit Singh, Balaji Sadasivan, Wee Siew Kim, Lam Pin Min and Lee Bee Wah.

At the other corner, 6 young candidates from the Workers's Party were busily submitting their own death sentences. These 6 kamikazas are Yaw Shin Leong, Glenda Han, Abdul Salim, Melvin Tan, Gopal Krishnan, Lee Wai Leng with an average age of 32.5.

This was the shake-up for Ang Mo Kio on Nomination Day on 27 April. The PAP team was expected to romp to an overwhelming victory over the upstarts from the WP.

However, when the polling results for Ang Mo Kio GRC were announced yesterday, the PM could very well had a shock of his political career. The PAP team led by PM Lee Hsien Loong only managed to poll 66.1% of the 146,059 valid votes casts. These meant that a substantial number of votes comprising 49, 468 of the valid votes went to the WP. The author deems this result as a coup for the Workers' Party.

It worth noting that the PM's support of 66.1% at Ang Mo Kio is even lower than the national average of 66.6% of the valid votes cast.

What was more shocking was the fact that despite a complete media blanket on the entire WP team contesting Ang Mo Kio GRC during the 9 days of campagning, the WP team could still polled in 33.9% of the total valid votes.

According to the PM, the percentages really reflect the logo of the WP more than the individuals. That was his reason why the 6 upstarts from the WP did so well.

Is that really the case?

The fact remains, 1 in 3 constituents and residents in Ang Mo Kio voiced themselves out in a loud and clear mannner, that the PAP have not done enough to make the life of Singaporeans better. This is significant !

Moreover, the suicide team from the WP achieved what it had set out to do in the first place.

1. To allow the 6 candidates to gain the experience and exposure.

2. To allow the former residents of Cheng San GRC to have a chance to vote since 1997.

3. To make sure that PM Lee is not a Walkover Prime Minister.

In a nutshell, it can be concluded that the WP team achieved not only its initial objectives but achieved even much more. The long-term branding, attention and publicity the WP is getting from this coup far exceed the impact of the actual results itself. This would only serve to attract more people to join its ranks, thus aiding in its renewal process. This in turn meant that at the next election in 2011, the WP could even be able to put up even more impressive, credible candidates; candidates who are more than qualified academically, sincere, passionate, honest and have the interests of Singaporeans at heart.

In this case, Singapore politics stand to be the biggest winner.


The author urge the PAP government to look at this result in Ang Mo Kio GRC seriously. This result could very well meant something inherently wrong with the PAP adminstration in the eye of Singaporeans; in its vision, aspirations for Singapore, and its support rate among the all Singaporeans, especially the young voters.

Is this the first serious sign of the lid of a boiling cauldron of disatisfaction with the PAP government opening up?

All in all, Kudos to the Workers' Party ! Their share of the valid votes increased 13.6% from the last election.