Signs of social unrest in Singapore?

Dec 04, 2012 | Comments 0

Last week Singapore experienced its most significant protest in thirty years, stoked by the city-state's questionable treatment of migrant workers – one of many pertinent issues that continue to bubble under the surface of its seemingly spotless international image.

Known for its hardline approach against public dissent, Singaporean authorities announced yesterday that 29 of the 171 striking bus drivers are set to be deported back to their native China. While the swift action may temporarily dampen international relations, this breach in the norm is unlikely to ruffle too many feathers in Beijing.

Looking at the bigger picture, however, last Monday's protest was just one of a number of minor 'unlawful assemblies' to have taken place in recent years as a result of the evolving social landscape. In 2008, the Singapore Democratic Party, which was the only party to experience an election-on-election vote increase in the 2012 national election, launched a demonstration against the island's escalating living costs under the slogan "Tak Boleh Tahan", roughly translated from Malay as "I can't take it anymore".

In the four and a half years that have followed, the cost of living in the financial centre has continued to soar, showing no signs of slowing, while the real estate sector has experienced consistent price hikes since the 2008 slump. Although foreign buyers have been slightly deterred in the last 12 months by an influx of cooling measures and local purchases experienced 35 percent growth, for the average Singaporean the opportunity to enter the property market is becoming an unrealistic goal. Anti-speculation measures, implemented in October, further restricted HBD and private home loans to 35 years and 60 percent of the total cost, placing additional obstacles in the way of potential first-time buyers.

While the government implemented cooling measures are obviously intended to restore equilibrium to the market and revive buyer confidence, which many analysts expect to be the case through 2013, the flickers of protest and public discontent, evident in the tripling of parliamentary opposition members in last year's election and growing jingoist sentiment seen on social-media platforms, appears to be mushrooming. A decade ago, an organised protest would never have made it on to the streets, never mind the pages of the international media. Perhaps this is a sign that the cracks, if only small, are slowly starting to show in the ruling party's stranglehold over the disciplined city-state and the quiet sound of citizens saying "I can't take it anymore" may come to be heard more often.

Filed Under: Blog

Tags: HBD • PAP • singapore property • Singapore protests

Source: http://www.news.thethailandlinks.com/2012/12/05/signs-of-social-unrest-in-singapore/