Election campaign unfolds in three acts over a nine-day sprint to the polls

Foreign interference and 'negative politics' among hot issues that emerged

- Linette Lai

If the last general election felt uncharacteristically muted — held as it was during the Covid-19 pandemic — the past nine days of campaigning have more than made up for it in colour and sound.

Every neighbourhood, except Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC which saw a walkover on Nomination Day, has had its lamp posts and street signs plastered with election posters. Fiery speeches have been made in floodlit stadiums, with candidates throwing verbal punches that are parried by their opponents the next day.

On May 1 — the final night of the hustings — parties made one last push with 11 election rallies and a second round of televised political broadcasts, each hoping to leave a lasting impression as the clock ticked towards Cooling-off Day at midnight.

Looking back at the campaign, one might say it has played out in three 72-hour acts: a measured exposition, followed by an abrupt tonal shift, and a furious sprint towards the May 3 polls.

Apart from the Nomination Day surprises — last-minute PAP redeployments and the first walkover since 2011 — the first three days of campaigning unfolded along predictable lines.

But this plodding pace did not last. Opposition parties soon hit out at what they perceived to be the PAP's biggest missteps, sparring with the ruling party over policy proposals, such as the PSP's pitch for a minimum wage, and the Singapore Democratic Party's plans for cheaper public healthcare.

Politicians also revisited the well-trodden ground of whether Singapore should have more opposition MPs in Parliament, and how much municipal issues should matter at the ballot box.

As the first 72 hours of the hustings drew to a close, it became clear that three constituencies — Tampines GRC, Punggol GRC and the single seat of Jalan Kayu — were where the fiercest battles would be fought.