From the Editor’s Desk
08 January 2011
The Elections Department (elections.gov.sg) has announced another round of changes to boundaries of polling districts. The update can be accessed here.
By itself, changes to polling district boundaries need not be indicative that a general election will soon be called. The last time polling district boundary changes were announced was in February 2010. Only when the Electoral Boundaries Report is released by the Elections Department can we be sure that elections would be held within a few weeks time.
Nonetheless, it is expected that elections will be held soon, as there are only two possible time-frames for elections to be held this year. One is after the budget is announced, and another possible period is the last three months of this year. It is unlikely elections will be held next year so close to the Feb 2012 constitutional deadline.
The Prime Minister has also ordered an update of the register of electors to be completed by Feb 28. The last revision also occurred around the same time last year. Repeated revisions allow the ruling party to include as many eligible voters as possible, especially new citizens who are inclined to vote for the incumbent PAP.
In a related development, Aljunied GRC MPs have thrown in more incentives for residents to vote for the ruling party again. It unveiled last Friday a five-year scheme which includes plans for lift upgrading, high-speed Internet access, and a 13-kilometre park connector which is touted to improve access to three new MRT stations — Kaki Bukit, Bedok Town Park and Bedok Reservoir.
Widespread lift upgrading works have also been carried out in the past year throughout Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, and most HDB blocks are expected to have lifts that stop at every floor within the next few months, in time for a mid-year election.
No comments:
Post a Comment