Say what you want about the US president but he knows how to focus global attention on himself. He's so good at it, in fact, that he's become the main topic of elections in countries thousands of miles away – including Singapore.
This is an unexpected and likely unwelcome development by the local opposition, which had other plans for the electoral campaign.
Prices, not tariffs
It's clear that they were hoping to make cost of living the main angle of attack on the PAP government, trying to place blame for the rising prices on the authorities (especially after the GST hike from 7 to 9 per cent).
It became evident when Workers' Party leader, Pritam Singh, alleged that the higher tax "turbocharged" inflation through 2024 during the budget debate in February.
Like people around the world, Singaporeans are upset about rising prices. Even though data suggests that incomes have outpaced inflation on average, the reality is that not everybody got a similar raise. Some received more, some less. Besides that, how hard your private budget has been hit depends entirely on your very own, personal basket of goods, so people are affected in different ways.
It's no surprise then that the cost of living remains by far the most important topic for Singaporeans, according to Blackbox Research survey.
It therefore made sense for the opposition parties to make it the main topic of the election – just thrash the PAP, blaming it for everything: more expensive kopi, record COE and million dollar HDB flats (even though all are consequences of simple free market laws of supply and demand).
And it kind of worked, right until Donald Trump decided to carpet bomb the world with his tariffs, diverting attention from domestic prices to international trade.
Future, not past
All of a sudden it's not the past 3 years that deserve any attention but the uncertain future with the mercurial US president in charge of the preeminent global superpower.
While he has paused the most severe, so-called "reciprocal" tariffs announced a week ago, for 90 days, pending the outcome of bilateral negotiations with countries that responded by signalling their openness to talks, his future behaviour remains completely unpredictable.
For a country like Singapore, which depends on international trade, any events that may disrupt the flow of goods are a very significant threat – to the economy, jobs and budget revenues.
Progress Singapore Party tried to play down the threats but was forced to make an embarrassing turnaround a few days later after stock markets around the world imploded in fear.
It's clear that the opposition would like to avoid the "rally 'round the flag" moment which would benefit the PAP, but for the time being, and depending on when the GE is held, they have to exhibit unity, which is what Pritam Singh called for after Trump's announcement.
As we don't know what the US president may come up with the next day, it's very hard to plan political messaging ahead. Singapore and most other countries may temporarily be spared the worst, but Washington's tit for tat exchange with Beijing keeps escalating (currently having reached 145% in punitive tariffs), affecting Asian neighbours and intermediaries like the local port here.
What should Singapore's response be? How should the country adapt? What the new reality of international trade may look like?
These are some of the questions politicians will have to answer before Singaporeans cast their votes. Opposition parties must now scramble for ideas, since reviving complaints about GST may no longer be enough to get attention and secure voter support, given the storm the country is sailing into.
And it looks like they don't know what to do.
