It's been a long, hard-fought campaign, but we're coming to the final stretch.
At the end of it all some people will be delighted, others will be disappointed, but there will be a clear winner and life will go on.
But enough about Liverpool FC winning the English Premier League, let's look at General Election 2020 -- Singapore edition.
In years to come, this election will (hopefully) stick out like a sore thumb among the ones that came before and after it, its circumstances never to be repeated.
Singapore's official campaign season is short when compared to countries like the U.S., but there have been some traditions that have sprung up over the years. Walkabouts where people jostle for selfies, jam-packed rallies at stadiums, going door-to-door to knock and introducing yourself.
Thanks to Covid-19, all that changed.
Physical rallies were out. Walkabouts had to adhere to safe distancing measures. In-person press conferences were junked. Even the most basic element of campaigning -- the photograph of a candidate -- was complicated by Elections Department (ELD) guidelines that masks should be worn at all times when out in public.
One might reasonably expect to recognise Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong even if he's masked, but for the new candidates and those with less media attention, they might have found it hard to attract attention.
Adapt or else
But like the rest of Singapore, politics adapted. Technology was harnessed to fill the gap.
Press conferences were live streamed, with new candidates introducing themselves via split-screen.
In place of outdoor rallies at stadiums, we had political and constituency broadcasts over every platform imaginable, from Channel 5 to Facebook.
Parties and candidates themselves made full use of social media to get their message out to the masses. And in some cases, social media struck back -- resulting in repercussions for two candidates in particular.
This election reflected what society itself must do to respond to the changes wrought by the virus.
Let's assess the online presence of the four main political parties in Singapore, and how well they have fared leading up to Polling Day.
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)
The SDP kind of had a head-start on the others, holding a rally in Hong Lim Park in 2019 before everyone in the world had heard the term Covid-19.
But this is an online election, and as of 6:30pm on July 8, here are their social media statistics:
- Facebook page: Over 70,000 followers.
- Twitter: Around 39,500 followers.
- Instagram: Over 1,000 followers.
- Telegram channel: Does not have one.
Their online rallies, hosted on Facebook garners 100 to 1,000 reactions on average, with views in the low tens of thousands.
Screen shot from SDP Facebook.
But a clear trend emerges -- the SDP's secretary-general and chairman, Chee Soon Juan and Paul Tambyah, have the most popular videos on their pages.
Screen shot from SDP's Facebook page.
Perhaps the party leaders have greater name recognition. This could well be part of SDP's consideration as both are standing in SMCs instead of a GRC.
SDP's party Instagram appears cluttered, with videos, infographics and photos uploaded altogether.
Screen shot from SDP Instagram.
However, Chee himself has nearly 11,000 followers on Instagram, more than 10 times that of the party's account.
Even if text-heavy images are uploaded, they are usually accompanied by a photo of Chee as well, personalising them.
Progress Singapore Party
A fairly new party, but in many ways, a significant presence in Singapore politics.
By mid-June, it had raised about S$500,000 in funds and had over 1,000 members.
The party also boasts a former veteran PAP Member of Parliament as its standard-bearer, Tan Cheng Bock, and Lee Hsien Yang, brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as a member. It is also the opposition party contesting the most seats.
Here's their online presence:
- Facebook page: Nearly 50,000 followers
- Twitter: 1,019
- Instagram: Around 10,900
- Telegram channel: 1,422
Not bad for a relatively new party. But like the SDP, their most notable online efforts revolve around their most recognisable member, Tan.
For an octogenarian, Tan seems strangely clued in to zoomer culture. He attributes this to learning about online concepts from his younger fans.
As surreal as it was to see the doctor repeat phrases like "woke" and "hypebeast" -- sometimes inaccurately -- its very strangeness helped it to go viral.
It got to the point where Hypebeast.com itself wrote an article about Tan's embrace of the term.
Perhaps Tan and his inner circle had heard the criticism that the PSP is just an "old man's party". But in the Age of Irony, senior citizens can easily become icons of cool.
But it remains to be seen if Tan's media-savviness will translate directly into electoral success.
The Workers' Party
By some metrics the Workers' Party is the most successful opposition party in Singapore, with the most number of candidates serving in Parliament, whether MPs or Non-Constituency MPs.
Having undergone a tectonic shift after the stepping down of party stalwarts Low Thia Khiang and Png Eng Huat, it falls to the younger Pritam Singh to lead the party next.
The WP fielded a youthful-looking slate of candidates in GE2020, with the social-media friendly Nicole Seah and Jamus Lim leading the charge. Here are their media statistics:
- Facebook page: Over 142,000 followers
- Twitter: 55.8k followers
- Instagram: About 30.1k followers
- Telegram channel: 5,501
At first glance, the WP social media strategy was impressive. Their debut video, released shortly after Parliament was officially dissolved, was professionally-shot and looked slick:
Their Telegram blasts follow a set template, with messages and infographics keeping the same white-and-blue colour scheme, providing consistency:
Their video messages strike a balance of the professional, with simple illustrations for policy proposals:
And also the personal, with candidates sharing what the campaign has meant to them on an emotional level:
Seah continues to be a social media star, this time for the WP. Her "Nicole at home" video, shared on July 4, has garnered over 13,000 reacts and 5,500 shares.
But their other secret online weapon may just turn out to be Low himself.
A video message by the former party chief released on the eve of polling day racked up over 5,000 reacts and 2,000 shares.
The People's Action Party
The party who in all likelihood will form the next government after Polling Day approaches its online outreach in much the same manner as its other policies -- fast, efficient and organised.
Candidates were rolled out before the media in a conveyer-belt line, telling their stories and sharing what they hoped to achieve as part of the party and hopefully, in Parliament.
Their numbers are formidable:
- Facebook page: Over 210,000.
- Twitter: 81,900.
- Instagram: Around 38,300 followers.
- Telegram channel: 2,296
And the PAP has two not-so-secret weapons up its sleeve -- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
PM Lee did not let Covid-19 stop him from giving the traditional lunchtime rally, usually held at Fullerton, as his father Lee Kuan Yew had done several times in the past. But this year, it was done at Party HQ.
Then came Tharman, who gave a well-received speech about social mobility and the PAP's vision of building an inclusive society.
https://mothership.sg/2020/07/tharman-rally-moving-escalator/
And the e-rally by the Sembawang team garnered 43,000 viewers:
With many of its 4G leaders like Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee continuously walking the ground, the PAP's online presence may just be the cherry on top of a substantial ground operation cake.
Top image from Facebook.