Overseas voting
Much ado about little
Only 500 of 100,000 overseas Singaporeans will be registered to vote in coming election; here’s why. By Seah Chiang Nee
Jan 22, 2006

Singapore’s mainstream media has hailed it as historical groundbreaking, the first time Singapore, the most global city in the world, will allow its citizens abroad to vote.

There are some 100,000 citizens abroad, but only some 500 will be registered to vote, a number so small as to make the exercise largely inconsequential - especially since the majority may be from ‘walkover’ wards.

Three reasons explain the low figure.

Firstly, according to the government, Singaporeans are scattered all over the world and it is virtually impossible to get everyone to the voting centres in the capital cities.

The same problem has affected other countries like Indonesia and the Philippines when they hold their polls overseas; only those in the capitals can vote.

Their embassies have few problems with organisation in Singapore, of course – a small city with a large group of voters. Singaporeans who witness this may wrongly use the wrong yardstick to ask, “What’s the problem?”

Secondly, it’s a sort of a trial run that will precede the bigger run.

Thirdly, the strict government criteria that will effectively disbar the vast majority of overseas Singaporeans from qualifying as voters.

The problem is few Singaporeans realise this. Until recently, the media has rarely reported the ‘limited’ nature of the exercise or the rules that govern eligibility.

Most citizens have probably been telling their family members or friends abroad “Hey, you know something, you can vote!” without informing them of the caveats that will prevent it.

A Singaporean resident in Hong Kong wrote to the Straits Times (Jan 21) that he did not understand why he didn’t qualify as an oversea elector – until he checked up on the criteria.

These were, he said: -

“One must be on full-time training or full-time service abroad as a member of the Singapore Armed Forces,
* or as a public officer or an employee of a Singapore public authority,
* or on full-time training which is sponsored by the Singapore Government
* or any Singapore public authority,
* or employed outside Singapore by an international organisation of which Singapore is a member,
* or any other organisation designated by the President under the Constitution.

The writer, William Sim Teck Sin, added, “I find these criteria unfair and biased. Why is it that only Singaporeans who work for/or are training with government or international organisations qualify?

“What about those of us who run our own business or are employed by private companies? We are all Singaporeans after all,” he said.

The writer omitted this qualification: the overseas voter “must have resided in Singapore for an aggregate of two years during the period of five years of being away as of the cut-off date of the Registers of Electors.”

To some Singaporeans 500 is better than nothing. Others, however, are likely to view as discriminatory to give some people more voting rights than others.

A TODAY newspaper columnist asked, very politely, “Should it not be time that Singapore broadens and deepens overseas voting as an institution?”

To put the issue in the right perspective, the government had said - at the second reading of the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill on April 19, 2004 - that it would be a “limited” effort to “allow us to gain some experience.”

The Home Affairs Minister, Mr Wong Kan Seng also promised, “We can then consider doing it on a larger scale.”

Mr Wong said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had estimated that “the current number of Singaporeans overseas is about 100,000.”

“For a start, overseas voting will be carried out at our Missions at Beijing, Canberra, Hong Kong, London and Washington.

“These Missions are chosen because of the significant number of Singaporeans living in China, Australia, Hong Kong, Europe and America, and the Missions have enough staff to conduct the elections.” He then announced the criteria for qualification.

That they specify only personnel sent abroad by the government or a government-related agency has led to charges of unfair selection, since these are likely to be supporters of the ruling People’s Action Party.

”It won’t benefit the opposition that's for sure, but because of the small number it doesn’t matter too much,” said a small-time businessman.

The qualification for voting was spelled out by Mr Wong. For a clearer understanding of readers, here it is: -

Registration for Overseas Voting
What are the qualifying criteria for registration as an overseas elector?
In addition to having your name in the Registers of Electors:
(a) you must have resided in Singapore for an aggregate of two years during the period of five years of being away as of the cut-off date of the Registers of Electors; OR
(b) you are - (i) on full-time training or full-time service abroad as a member of the Singapore Armed Forces, or as a public officer or an employee of a Singapore public authority;
(ii) on full-time training which is sponsored by the Singapore Government or any Singapore public authority;
(iii) employed outside Singapore by an international organisation of which Singapore is a member, or any other organisation designated by the President under the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore; or
(iv) the spouse, or a parent, child or dependent of a person referred to in sub-paragraphs (i) to (iii) above.
The above are provided under section 13A(1)(a) and (b) of the PEA.
(http://www.elections.gov.sg/overseasreg_faqs.htm#5)