There is something quite clumsy about the way the PAP is claiming to have exclusive legitimacy to rule the country. Sometimes, their rhetorical slip-ups speak for themselves. One of the sillier propositions that the PAP has put forth is that it has a monopoly on virtue. Do not take the opposition at its word! They simply want to get into power! This implies, of course, that the opposition is enthralled by power for its own sake, but the PAP, purified by the saintly white garb they don, is able to resist the insidious allure of unchecked control – which, apparently, is precisely why we should give it to them.

Having a credible opposition is an advantage, albeit not a decisive one, because it provides competition in Parliament. It is ironic when they argue more competition leads to inefficiency in decision-making, when in making these statements, they are engaging in precisely the wasteful competitive behaviour they so decry. Instead of acknowledging and addressing the opposition’s policies, of which there is plenty to be said, more often than not the PAP chooses to overlook policy debate and reiterate the already moot point that Singapore is better off with a single overbearing party.

The PAP's candidates for Aljunied GRC taking a break. Has the PAP become complacent? (Channel NewsAsia)

There are some who believe that we should not rock the boat and change a system that is not broken. These arguments are based on the belief that what we do not touch will not change. However, things do not remain in stasis; the system changes in itself. The PAP, institutionalised over half a century as the dominant party in the country, may well grow complacent. Even if they do not change, the surrounding world might, and different circumstances may make a monolithic political bastion irrelevant. We should not fear rocking the boat despite apparent calm on the surface, because we might not see that the undercurrents are shifting.