The PAP and the people - A Great Affective Divide
Encyclopedia
“The PAP and the people – A Great Affective Divide” is the title of a political commentary which was published in Singapore
’s main newspaper, The Straits Times
, on 3 September 1994. It was written by Singaporean author Catherine Lim
, who believed there existed a division in Singaporeans’ attitudes towards the ruling party
in government, the People's Action Party
(PAP). In the essay, she argued that while Singaporeans respected the PAP’s efficiency and were grateful towards it for bringing Singapore economic success, they lacked any real affection or warmth for the political party
.
as a way out of its problems, and to accordingly “slap down ruthlessly” any perceived potential threats to that aim. Such consistent commitment towards this goal requires “special qualities” of the government, like impersonality and a no-nonsense attitude, but they are what cause Singaporeans to see their leaders as lacking an “affective dimension”, and feel isolated from them.
In a related point, Lim mentioned that the PAP’s success in election
s, being a result of the economic prosperity it has brought Singapore, could be complicated by the tendency of Singaporeans to equate the PAP with Singapore itself. Given the disaffection that Singaporeans had for the PAP, they would be unlikely to express any patriotism
towards Singapore. Instead, they felt a loyalty towards neither their government nor country, but to the “good life which the country has come to represent”. Such a loyalty would be fickle and easily vanish, or be displaced, once the good times ended.
Thus, Lim felt that the “affective divide” was a serious problem which could lead to a divorce of “head…from heart”, where Singaporeans seemed to support the Government but said otherwise in private. However, she thought the problem was a “two-way thing” and would require a “co-operative solution” between the Government and the people.
(PM) Goh Chok Tong
wrote to Lim that while he had not felt a need to respond to the first essay, he “could not leave the second article unrebutted”. On 4 December, The Straits Times published a reply by the PM’s press secretary
to Lim’s claims, which promised that the PM would respond “robustly” and “sharply” to any attacks towards himself or his policies. The letter also called for Lim to “take responsibility for her views”, and enter politics if she wished to continuing airing them. These remarks were later reiterated by PM Goh himself at a PAP function that same day.
The controversy eventually led Lim to make a public statement in The Straits Times that, in writing those articles, she had only wished to share her feelings on what she felt to be a problem and had never had any intentions to “belittle or upset anyone”, nor enter politics. Lim had also written a personal apology to PM Goh earlier, in which she expressed her “greatest respect and regard for your Government”. In a reply to Lim on 13 December, PM Goh then stated some of the OB marker
s which Singaporeans were allowed to discuss. They did not include, he said, “demolishing the respect for and standing of the Prime Minister and his government by systematic contempt and denigration in the media”.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
’s main newspaper, The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
, on 3 September 1994. It was written by Singaporean author Catherine Lim
Catherine Lim
Catherine Lim is a best-selling Singaporean fiction author known for writing about Singapore society and of themes of traditional Chinese culture. Hailed as the "doyenne of Singapore writers", Lim has published nine collections of short stories, five novels, two poetry collections and numerous...
, who believed there existed a division in Singaporeans’ attitudes towards the ruling party
Ruling party
The ruling party or governing party in a parliamentary system is the political party or coalition of the majority in parliament. Within a parliamentary system, the majority in the legislature also controls the executive branch of government, thus leaving no possibility of dueling parties...
in government, the People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP). In the essay, she argued that while Singaporeans respected the PAP’s efficiency and were grateful towards it for bringing Singapore economic success, they lacked any real affection or warmth for the political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
.
About the essay
Lim suggested that this “affective divide” arose as a result of Singapore’s troubled history during the PAP’s early years. It led the PAP to make a commitment towards Singapore’s economic developmentEconomic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
as a way out of its problems, and to accordingly “slap down ruthlessly” any perceived potential threats to that aim. Such consistent commitment towards this goal requires “special qualities” of the government, like impersonality and a no-nonsense attitude, but they are what cause Singaporeans to see their leaders as lacking an “affective dimension”, and feel isolated from them.
In a related point, Lim mentioned that the PAP’s success in election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s, being a result of the economic prosperity it has brought Singapore, could be complicated by the tendency of Singaporeans to equate the PAP with Singapore itself. Given the disaffection that Singaporeans had for the PAP, they would be unlikely to express any patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
towards Singapore. Instead, they felt a loyalty towards neither their government nor country, but to the “good life which the country has come to represent”. Such a loyalty would be fickle and easily vanish, or be displaced, once the good times ended.
Thus, Lim felt that the “affective divide” was a serious problem which could lead to a divorce of “head…from heart”, where Singaporeans seemed to support the Government but said otherwise in private. However, she thought the problem was a “two-way thing” and would require a “co-operative solution” between the Government and the people.
Consequences
The article, together with a second political commentary also by Lim which was published on 20 November, drew a harsh response from the Government. The then-Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
(PM) Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
wrote to Lim that while he had not felt a need to respond to the first essay, he “could not leave the second article unrebutted”. On 4 December, The Straits Times published a reply by the PM’s press secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
to Lim’s claims, which promised that the PM would respond “robustly” and “sharply” to any attacks towards himself or his policies. The letter also called for Lim to “take responsibility for her views”, and enter politics if she wished to continuing airing them. These remarks were later reiterated by PM Goh himself at a PAP function that same day.
The controversy eventually led Lim to make a public statement in The Straits Times that, in writing those articles, she had only wished to share her feelings on what she felt to be a problem and had never had any intentions to “belittle or upset anyone”, nor enter politics. Lim had also written a personal apology to PM Goh earlier, in which she expressed her “greatest respect and regard for your Government”. In a reply to Lim on 13 December, PM Goh then stated some of the OB marker
OB marker
An OB marker, short for "out of bounds marker", is a term used in Singapore to denote what topics are permissible for public discussion. The full form of the word is rarely used....
s which Singaporeans were allowed to discuss. They did not include, he said, “demolishing the respect for and standing of the Prime Minister and his government by systematic contempt and denigration in the media”.