Huge rallies boost opposition hopes in Singapore polls

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Dear brothers and sisters

what do you think? Even Indonesia newspapers say that PAP is hopeless.

But since the nine-day campaign began on September 1, opposition rallies have dwarfed PAP gatherings in both size and intensity.

The repressive tactics that the PAP long used to keep them at bay are gone, under pressure from the scrutiny of social media which sidesteps the government-friendly press, and observers are debating if this vote will finally see the emergence of a two-party system.

"It is not only curiosity. One could interpret the large turnouts -- by some accounts larger than 2011 -- as pointing to WP's message gaining traction," said political analyst Eugene Tan, an associate law professor at the Singapore Management University.

"It is my expectation that WP will pick up support and has a well-crafted campaign focusing on gradual gains and appealing to concerns of ordinary citizens," said Bridget Welsh from the Center for East Asia Democratic Studies at National Taiwan University. -

SDP chief Chee Soon Juan, one of those who endured jail time as well as bankruptcy in a long battle against the PAP, was welcomed like a celebrity and signed autographs.

A PAP rally at the same spot on Tuesday led by the prime minister drew a similar sized crowd but most of its other rallies had smaller turnouts. -

See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2....vMtdmGyG.dpuf


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