ISBN: 9789814342070
Straits Times Press

Breakthrough: Roadmap for Singapore's Political Future
by Derek da Cunha

What political party helps an opposition to come into power? Why should we not demolish them before they get started? Once they get started it's more difficult to demolish them. - Lee Kuan Yew
The People's Action Party, the nation's ruling party since 1959, made Singapore a byword for political status quo. The electorate was known to be stolid, politically apathetic, indifferent. Until 2011. In a general election that witnessed Singaporeans' desire to alter the political landscape, the PAP saw its vote slide to an all-time low since Singapore's independence. The opposition Workers' Party secured six parliamentary seats. It was a significant breakthrough. Opposition parties have always been confronted with major obstacles on their road to Parliament, not least the multi-seat electoral divisions known as Group Representation Constituencies. With the fall of Aljunied GRC to the WP and the defeat of two Cabinet ministers, GE2011 shattered the ruling party's aura of virtue and invincibility.

Breakthrough: Roadmap for Singapore's Political Future examines the circumstances and context of WP's parliamentary gains, and where almost 2 out of 5 Singaporean voters opted for an opposition party. Singapore's electorate, post-GE2011, is polarised between those who subscribe to the status quo and those who want it altered irrevocably. As a consequence, Singapore's political future is certain to be marked by unexpected twists and turns, many of which will likely be counter-intuitive.

The Question Book
Mikael Krogerus, Roman Tschäppeler

The number one bestselling Decision Book authors return with compulsive questions about every aspect of our lives

What would be your ideal job if you didn't have to worry about money? Would you like to have more responsibility or less? How far would you go for a promotion? When did you last stand up for what you believe in? What are you afraid of?In this unique handbook to your own life and work, there are no right or wrong answers: only honest ones. Featuring sections on subjects everyone can relate to, from the professional (work and finance), to the personal (sex and relationships),The Question Bookcan be used alone, like a journal; or with a colleague, partner or friend. It will probe and enlighten on everything, including what your boss really thinks about you, whether you are in the right job, and what motivates you to get out of bed every morning. These wide-ranging questions - which provoke short'yes or no's as well as open-ended responses that dig deeper - are pertinent, direct, and compulsively fun to answer. InThe Question Book, you are under the spotlight. And only you have the answer.