After polls come post-mortems: What went right? What went wrong?

MPs-elect formally analyse performances as parties figure out how to win over thosewho voted for the other side

By Aaron Low, Sue-Ann Chia
May 13, 2006
The Straits Times

THE polls over, elected MPs have started their groundwork of Meet-the-People sessions.

But the election still weighs on their minds as they gather at meetings with grassroots leaders and activists to dissect the results. That is also the case for the opposition candidates who lost.

All are seeking answers to several questions. Among them: What went right in the campaign and what did not work? How to win over those who voted for the other side?

At Aljunied GRC, which saw a tight contest, the People's Action Party (PAP) team is in the midst of a post-mortem.

'A post-mortem is essential. It is the way to move forward and see how to tackle the issues that surfaced during the election,' said MP-elect Cynthia Phua.

The five-member team, led by Foreign Minister George Yeo, wants to reach out to residents who picked the rival Workers' Party (WP) team, which secured 43.9 per cent of the valid votes.

'We want to let them get to know us better, and win their hearts and minds,' said Ms Phua.

As for her initial reading of why residents voted for the opposition, she cited three reasons.

One, the GRC surrounds the WP's stronghold of Hougang, held for a fourth term by party chief Low Thia Khiang.

'There is an impact of an outflow of support for WP into Aljunied GRC,' Madam Phua said.

Second, the 'Gomez effect' might have affected the margins. She was referring to the WP's Aljunied GRC team member James Gomez, whom PAP leaders called a 'liar' after his run-in with the Elections Department over a minority certificate application.

Third, there was voters' desire for more opposition voices in Parliament, she said.

At Ang Mo Kio GRC, which is helmed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a similar review is being carried out even though the team won with 66.1 per cent of the vote.

But that one in three voted for a young group of WP candidates there raised some eyebrows.

Team member Inderjit Singh said: 'The Gomez saga which dragged on for so long may have cost us a few percentage points.'

But he also had another take on the results.

'With the PM in the constituency, people there would have voted on national concerns, instead of directly local ones.'

Hence, the team's result was nearly on par with the PAP's national average of 66.6 per cent of the valid vote.

His teammate, newcomer Lee Bee Wah, felt voters may have opted for the WP due to its brand name and to give the opposition a chance.

Other MPs-elect have yet to formally analyse their performances but plan to do so soon.

One of them is Mr Ong Ah Heng, 62, who was disappointed despite winning Nee Soon Central with 65.4 per cent of the vote against WP first-timer Lian Chin Way, 36.

The veteran unionist, who asked if the age factor had a part in his lower winning margin, will meet his grassroots leaders next week to ponder the question.

The PAP's six-member Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC team, which won with 68.7 per cent of the vote, will also 'eventually sit down to see what we could have done better, what we did wrong, and what requires more attention', said MP-elect Charles Chong.

'We will also be looking at what was effective about the opposition's strategy,' he added.

But initial findings show that the PAP team managed to capture the support of young voters.

Mr Desmond Lim, his GRC opponent from the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) team, agreed: 'I went to polling centres and older voters gave me the thumbs up. The younger crowd gave me the cold shoulder.'

His team has fixed a post-mortem for Monday.

But he disclosed that he plans to set up an office in the GRC and play the role of 'shadow MP...to make sure PAP MPs do their job and keep their promises'.

Other SDA candidates, like Tampines GRC team leader Arthero Lim, realised after meeting on Thursday night that they did not get to know residents enough, and needed better-qualified candidates.

WP chairman Sylvia Lim, who led the party's Aljunied GRC team, was silent about the findings from an initial post-mortem.