Revealing Singapore's political psyche

THIS General Election was not only about material issues. Deeply ingrained psychological traits in the electorate worked to give the People's Action Party (PAP) its strong mandate. Key among those traits is an almost biological dispensation towards insecurity, born of Singapore's small size, its lack of natural resources and its acute vulnerability in a Darwinian global order.

This sense of insecurity was reinforced by a national tragedy: the passing of Lee Kuan Yew this year. This was the death, not just of Singapore's chief political architect but of a national archetype. Mr Lee's personality and style embodied an unsentimental, pragmatic toughness.

Contemporary Singapore was unimaginable without his informing presence. So close was this association that the trust invested in him reflected an almost spiritual relationship between icon and devotee.