2020 Election is not the only election held during a National Crisis
Given that Singapore is currently fighting COVID-19 and global recession, it may seem only wise to focus on overcoming these challenges first before calling for an election. However, holding an election does not necessarily hamper efforts to fight recession.
2001 General Election
Looking back in history, the 2001 General Election was held on 3 November amidst worsening global economic crisis due to the September 11 Terrorist Attack. Singapore then was facing the worst recession since its independence. However, the short “disruption” did not lead to any significant impact on the government’s ability to bring the economy on track. Singapore was lifted out of recession in 2002 with GDP growth rate of 3.92% from -1.07% in 2001.
If Singapore was able to hold an election successfully without any disruptions to revitalising its economy in 2001, I’m sure Singapore can do it again this year.
But should we have an election now?
Speculations about an upcoming General Election have started as early as February 2019. The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (ERBC) was formed in August 2019. Many of us had expected GE to be held in late 2019 or early 2020 but unexpectedly COVID-19 hit us hard. The current parliament has been sitting for about 4 years and 5 months. We do not know if COVID-19 can be resolved before the 5-year term is up. Postponing GE would only set a negative precedence that elections can be postponed if the country is facing challenges.
yoursfaithfullysg 