Advantage and Disadvantages of one party rule in China, how one party rule in Singapore affects us.

China:

Advantages:

-China’s one-party system is efficient. It can institute critical policies rapidly. 

-Having a single party allows the leaders to steer the country in one direction.

China could formulate a long-term plan for national development and ensure stabilization of its policies without being affected by the alternation of parties with different positions and ideologies. On the other hand, a two-party or multi-party system forces each party to serve party interests, sometimes at the expense of the country's progress.

-less corruption. in democratic societies, many officials are elected with fixed terms, and they then will not fall out of power before the expiration unless they break the law or make wrong decisions or take no action. However, in china, their officials must be responsible for their incompetence, negligence of duty or mistakes at any time.

Disadvantage:

-China's leaders can and do make major mistakes with no personal consequences. In democracies, leaders who make bad and even disastrous decisions are punished at the ballot box. When China’s leaders make such mistakes, there are no referendums or regular elections to replace them. In fact, their massive propaganda machine can transform failures into successes.

-no opposing party to help voice out the cries of the citizens

Singapore:

In recent years, the People's Action Party (PAP) leadership has found it near impossible to lay to rest yearnings for a two-party system. One of the main reasons is that many of us think that PAP are not doing things for the best of our interests. PAP has embarked on policies that are unsustainable in the long run. Our immigration and labour policies have put strain on our social fabric, depressed our incomes, and lowered our level of productivity. Our economic growth has come primarily from population expansion rather than growth in productivity and innovation. This clearly is unsustainable. Unless we reign in the excesses of our immigration and labour policies, Singapore will be heading toward the edge of a sharp cliff.

If the PAP continues to dominate Parliament, there will be little political incentive for it to change its policies for the better, or to strive for more wholesome growth for Singapore, as opposed to “growth at all cost”.  It is only when there is a strong and credible opposition in Parliament that the PAP will be motivated to act in the best interests of voters.

The best thing about more alternative voices is the prevention of GROUP THINK in the whole parliament. Members of the same political party would often not oppose party leaders and toe the party line. The presence of an alternative can challenge the existing one and help to build better ideas together.

--by Jia Rong