Bankrupt politicians don’t win elections

In most parts of the world, bankrupt politicians are barred from contesting in elections. But nowhere is it more prominently used than in Singapore. There the ruling leaders have made it part of their strategy to bankrupt opposition political leaders to ensure easy election victories.

In the past, many prominent opposition leaders had been barred from contesting after they were made bankrupt following their failure to pay hefty damages handed down in defamation suits.

The ruling leaders will usually file a defamation suit just before the elections – usually based on what has been said in political publications or meetings (and on flimsy grounds) – and will always have rulings and damages in their favour.

And invariably the opposition politicians would not have the financial means to pay the damages and they will end up paying for their political careers.

The ultimate outcome will be an easy win for the ruling PAP. The dearth of opposition is so glaring that in the past three elections - in 2001, 1997, and 1991 - the PAP won the election on nomination day, after the opposition failed to put up candidates for more than half the seats.

This time around, things do look different for the ruling elites. Political awareness is taking place in this nanny state and the PAP will have to fight it out in the elections as opposition candidates fielded enough candidates for the May 6 poll.

However we can still expect the old tactic of defamation suits and bankruptcy proceedings to derail any major victory for the opposition.

Like many previous elections, a defamation suit against one of the opposition parties will hang over the campaign.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, have launched a defamation suit against the Singapore Democratic Party and eight of its leaders, including party sec-gen Chee Soon Juan, over articles in the SDP newspaper, which attacked the government for its handling of a recent charity scandal.

(Chee has already been made a bankrupt after he had failed to settle the damages to the PM and his father in an earlier suit. He will not contest in this election)

In a country where the government dictates everything for its citizens, it has also now ordered them not to be influenced by the opposition campaigning. To this end, the government has barred the use of pod-casting of political broadcasts.

The ban during the election period also extends to the distribution of online video messages, as well as blogging, or posting political opinions on Web sites.

This, in a state where the opposition has to rely on the Internet as the media here is state-owned.

The government has also threatened to cut public funding in constituencies which support opposition candidates.

For all its ultra modern settings and high economy growth, Singapore is failing where it matters most – it is not a place to see political freedom flourishing. Until that happens, its citizens will continue to have the sheep mentality.


more reads:

Singapore's authoritarian rulers tangled in web (via asia times)
Democratic Party to contest Lees' legal action (via bloomberg)