In Singapore, an Election Brings Choices, Change and – Tingles
NEED TO KNOW
In Singapore, an Election Brings Choices, Change and – Tingles
SINGAPORE
For years, elections in Singapore produced little excitement, mainly because the governing People’s Action Party (PAP) has never lost a general election in the six decades since the country won independence from Malaysia.
It was never even close.
However, the vote on May 3 is actually looking a little more interesting, with opposition gains over the past decade promising a different kind of governance.
Analysts say the election will be a test for the PAP and its relatively new leader, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who took over last year from Lee Hsien Loong – the son of Singapore’s founder, Lee Kuan Yew – after two decades in power. As such, it’s looking as if the party might actually have some real competition this time around.
The PAP “faces a far more competitive landscape and by far its biggest electoral challenge yet,” wrote World Politics Review. “Yet, even if the PAP still wins a majority in the upcoming elections and continues to control the government, major opposition gains … would (still) change the political landscape in Singapore dramatically.”
In calling the election, Wong is seeking a mandate to navigate a US-initiated global trade war that is already impacting the city-state, the wealthiest country in Asia, which is dependent on free trade for its prosperity.
“(The world) is becoming more uncertain, unsettled and even unstable,” Wong said recently in a Facebook post. “The global conditions that enabled Singapore’s success over the past decades may no longer hold.”
And in a stark warning to parliament recently, Wong said the “era of rules-based globalization and free trade is over,” adding that, “We risk being squeezed out, marginalized, and left behind.”
Already, analysts have downgraded economic growth forecasts for 2025, predicting recession.
Wong also wants a mandate to tackle Singapore’s other big issue, inflation.
So far, he has tried to ease Singaporeans’ pain by implementing a host of measures, including cash handouts, subsidies for groceries and other necessities, energy and income tax rebates, childcare subsidies, and, for the first time, unemployment benefits – all part of his recent $109 billion budget request for 2025.
Still, some voters say it isn’t enough, Bloomberg noted. Singapore is one of the most expensive countries in the world, and now, housing has become out of reach for some in a country that has long prided itself on its public housing programs and its extremely high homeownership rates.
Still, the PAP is hoping that the electorate will opt for stability in turbulent times and choose the party’s candidates. However, analysts say voter dissatisfaction over kitchen-table issues such as inflation, housing, and jobs is likely to play a much larger role in their choice.
“Elections in Singapore tend to be a domestic affair, with the focus very much on local and municipal issues that are personal to the voter and less about foreign issues,” Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, told the South China Morning Post. “Singapore is not immune to the trade war, so the ruling party will emphasize it to the voters, but I don’t think there is substantial mileage to gain from it.”
Instead, analysts say that voters may punish the ruling party for two hikes in the sales tax over the past two years that hit as the cost-of-living was already rising.
The opposition, meanwhile, says that Wong is fearmongering over US tariffs and that by implementing his relief measures, he is likely to “turbocharge” inflation.
Moreover, they add, it is necessary to have diverse voices in parliament to better represent the country of nearly six million people and serve as a check on the PAP.
“(Singapore could be a) much better and stronger country with more balanced politics,” said Harpreet Singh, a rising star in the Workers’ Party, the country’s main opposition party, in an interview featured on a local podcast, Yah Lah BUT. “We need to have a reset where we treat our critics, people with different ideas, people from outside the system, with more respect and not suspicion.”
Analysts say the ruling party’s popularity has dimmed in recent elections, with the opposition steadily gaining more ground in parliament: The Workers’ Party won an unprecedented six seats in 2011 and 2015, and then 10 in 2020 – the most ever won by the opposition.
Then, the public was angry after the PAP was rocked by a series of scandals – including a senior minister’s arrest in a corruption probe, as well as the resignation of two lawmakers over an extramarital affair.
Those threatened the squeaky-clean image of the government that Singapore has long been proud of, one that has helped win the PAP its mandates.
And while almost no one expects the PAP to be ousted from power or even lose a large share of the vote, there are other factors helping the opposition.
The upcoming election will have four more seats compared with the last vote in 2020, and the PAP is fielding at least 30 new candidates in the largest turnover of the PAP’s slate by a new prime minister, Agence France-Presse wrote. Also, demographics help the opposition: Younger voters are increasingly open to alternative candidates.
Also, the young have less tolerance for the suppression of civil rights: The PAP has long been criticized for its tight government control over personal matters and a paternalistic stance toward citizens, media censorship, restrictions on free speech, the use of oppressive laws against dissidents, and the repression of the opposition through gerrymandering and other tactics.
So far, while polling is banned in the country after an election is announced, the PAP will likely win at least 60 percent of the vote: Pollster YouGov found that 63 percent of respondents in March said they would vote for the PAP and 15 percent would back the Workers’ Party. Still, that leaves 22 percent of voters as undecided – but they will have to choose: It’s mandatory for Singapore’s 2.75 million eligible voters to cast ballots.
Some say that regardless of the election results, Singapore’s political landscape and the country itself are already changing.
“In Chinese tradition, the end of 60 years marks the completion of a full life cycle and symbolizes the dawn of a new beginning,” wrote Singapore’s Straits Times. “(It’s) rather fitting, then, that as Singapore celebrates its 60th year of independence in 2025, the leaders of its two largest political parties have renewal on their minds.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
India, Pakistan Trade Fire Following Kashmir Killings
KASHMIR
Tensions between India and Pakistan continued to escalate Monday, roughly a week after militants killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, with both countries exchanging fire across their de facto border, prompting both China and the United States to urge de-escalation, Reuters reported.
On Monday, Indian officials said the country’s forces responded to “unprovoked” small arms attacks from various Pakistani army posts around midnight Sunday, though no casualties were reported. Pakistan’s military has not commented on the matter.
The cross-border clashes began days after the April 22 attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region: Indian officials and survivors said the gunmen targeted Hindu civilians before shooting them at close range.
The attack sparked outrage in Hindu-majority India and calls for action against Muslim-majority Pakistan. New Delhi has repeatedly accused Islamabad of funding and sponsoring terrorism in Kashmir – a region both nations claim and have fought two wars over.
Indian officials identified two of the three suspected militants as Pakistani nationals, but Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for a “neutral, transparent probe.”
Kashmir Resistance – a group Indian authorities link to the Pakistan-based jihadist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba – initially claimed responsibility but later denied involvement, citing a “cyber intrusion.”
The killings sparked a spate of diplomatic tit-for-tat between the neighbors, with India suspending visas for Pakistani visitors, expelling diplomats, and halting the Indus Waters Treaty regulating water-sharing between the two nations. Pakistan responded by closing its airspace to Indian airlines and suspending cross-border trade.
Meanwhile, Indian authorities have detained more than 1,500 people and demolished the homes of suspected militants, with political leaders urging restraint to avoid harming innocents, NPR noted.
Amid concerns of a broader conflict breaking out, China called on both countries to exercise restraint.
The US also urged both sides to work towards a “responsible resolution,” while publicly condemning the Pahalgam attack but refraining from criticizing Pakistan, Reuters wrote separately.
Even so, analysts noted that India has become significantly closer to Washington than Pakistan, especially as the US seeks to counter China’s regional influence. They warned that the US’ strong support for India could embolden New Delhi and further inflame tensions.
Lebanon’s President Calls On US, France, To Stop Israeli Strikes
LEBANON
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is calling on the United States and France to take action to halt Israel’s ceasefire violations, after Israeli jets attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs over the weekend, the BBC reported.
The Lebanese president condemned the attack and called on the US and France, who had brokered the ceasefire deal, which came into effect in November, to “assume their responsibilities” and pressure Israel to stop the strikes.
The president said that Israel’s attacks are a risk for the stability of the region.
Israeli jets attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, after ordering the evacuation of a building that it believed was occupied by the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.
This attack marks the third Israeli strike on the Lebanese capital since the ceasefire that came into effect.
In a statement, the Israeli military said the target was a precision-guided missile storage facility for Hezbollah, arguing that the storage of such equipment is a violation of the agreement reached for the ceasefire, according to the Associated Press.
From late 2023 until November, Israeli drones and fighter jets regularly attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, where strikes killed multiple top Hezbollah leaders and also members of its militia.
Over the past few months, the Lebanese army, under a new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, has deployed in the country’s south, attempting to confiscate Hezbollah’s arms and neutralize its positions as per the ceasefire agreement, noted the Washington Post.
For now, 6,000 Lebanese troops are deployed close to the border with Israel, with 4,000 more planned to deploy, according to military officials.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to strike targets it believes are linked to Hezbollah, with three airstrikes on Beirut in the past month, the Washington Post said.
According to Western officials, Hezbollah has mostly respected the terms of the deal, but has refused to completely disarm, while Israel has not respected the truce, the BBC wrote. However, the leader of the group said that if Israeli attacks continue and if Lebanon’s government doesn’t take steps to stop them, Hezbollah will resume its fight against Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel “will not allow Hezbollah to grow stronger.”
Trinidad and Tobago: Surprise, There’s an Election
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Voters in Trinidad and Tobago went to the polls Monday to choose their representatives in what was described as one of the most unpredictable legislative elections in decades, wrote the Guardian.
The election was called after former prime minister Keith Rowley of the governing People’s National Movement (PNM) unexpectedly resigned in March – the first leader to do so without losing at the polls – and Stuart Young, 50, was sworn in as prime minister. He immediately dissolved parliament and called for an election, wanting to win a mandate.
He will face off against the leader of the opposition United National Congress (UNC) party, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 73, who served as prime minister from 2010 to 2015. While her party has struggled with internal party turmoil, high-profile resignations, and numerous electoral defeats, analysts say she has a loyal base of support.
The top priorities for voters, polls show, are rising crime, US tariffs, and inflation. They also highlight how Persad-Bissessar has taken the lead, Agence France-Presse reported.
The islands are dealing with a wave of gang violence, which triggered a three-month state of emergency earlier this year. Trinidad and Tobago, with a population of about 1.5 million, saw 624 homicides last year – the country is one of the most violent in the region.
One important outcome of the election will be offshore natural gas projects between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela: The US revoked two licenses it had granted. Analyst Hamid Ghany said it’s possible that those grants might be reinstated if the UNC wins, given Persad-Bissessar’s favorable attitude toward the Trump administration. The current prime minister is seen as close to Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, who is under US sanctions.
DISCOVERIES
Location, Location, Location
India is the snakebite capital of the world.
About half of all snakebite deaths occur in India, killing as many as 138,000 people annually.
And the main perpetrator, the Russell’s viper, or Daboia russelii, which is common on the Indian subcontinent, maims or kills more people than any other species of snake.
“As a result, it is important to precisely unravel the composition, activity, and potency of Russell’s viper venoms and understand the role of biotic and abiotic factors in shaping them,” said Kartik Sunagar, the author of a new study on the snake and how its venom impacts humans, in a statement.
According to the study, the snake’s venom changes across regions, meaning that a person bitten in one location will show different symptoms than another bitten by the same snake somewhere else, according to Cosmos Magazine.
That’s because a combination of climatic factors – temperature and precipitation, researchers said.
Previous research has shown that biotic factors – like dietary changes during development – may affect the composition and toxicity of Russell’s viper venom. However, the consequences of abiotic – environmental factors have not been studied until now.
To arrive at the conclusions, the researchers analyzed venom samples from 115 snakes collected at 34 locations across India. They then used historical climate data to examine how venom composition relates to local climates, which can vary significantly even over short distances.
The study showed that the Russell’s viper venom from dryer regions contained more protein-degrading enzymes, a major component of the venom that causes the most serious symptoms for humans who have been bitten.
Other venom components showed no correlation with climate.
With this data, the team created a map predicting venom types across the range of Russell’s vipers in India to predict the symptoms of the bite depending on the region, findings that could help doctors decide on the most appropriate treatment.
Correction: In our top story on Canada’s election Monday, we quoted a voter who spoke to the Canadian Broadcasting Commission. He, in fact, spoke to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. We apologize for the error.