The election was historical in many ways. For the first time ever, the opposition (Worker's Party) successfully contested a GRC and won 5 seats. The voices and actions of young people made a significant impact on the results of the election - they voiced their dissent through Twitter and Facebook, which culminated in a tidal wave that the PAP (and especially MM Lee) could not have expected.
However, aside from this seemingly positive move towards democratization, its implications are sobering. The Worker's Party platform, which claims they need to be in parliament to keep the PAP in check, is not a valid reason for the residents of Aljunied to support them. The first and foremost responsibility of these MPs are to address the concerns of residents in their daily lives, improve living standards, bridge the income inequality gap, and so on. Their job is NOT to use Aljunied as a platform for future electoral success while ignoring the actual problems of people they are representing. The people, too, are voting for the opposition not because of their policies, but out of hatred for the PAP. Is that really a legitimate reason? Voting for an inexperienced group of politicians simply because the PAP has been in power too long does not seem to be the best solution for improving lives of these individuals. Furthermore, the young generation seems to have completely forgotten Singapore's humble beginnings and the tough issues the country still faces. They need to elect a government capable of producing the best for the country, not those who want power simply for the sake of "democratization".
What does the 2011 election mean for Singapore? Only time will tell...
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