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Growing voters' expectations and public scrutiny hampering Singapore political parties' recruitment efforts
During then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s parliamentary statement in 2005 to propose the development of the IRs, he said that the two resorts were meant to complement each other by attracting different types of visitor.
MBS, with its excellent architectural design and business and convention facilities, would attract “MICE” visitors, those who come for meetings, incentive tours, conventions and exhibitions.
RWS, on the other hand, would attract families and tourists who are coming for a holiday.
Nearly 15 years have passed since the two multi-billion-dollar IRs opened their doors in 2010, and initial concerns about their casinos’ potentially undesirable impact on society have slowly faded from public consciousness.
Residents and tourists alike have taken to the Marina Bay skyline and embraced the vibrancy of Sentosa.
“As an introvert, I really can't see myself all up in the public's eye. I also value my and my family’s privacy,” the commerce strategic projects manager, now aged 37, said.
“I'm pretty firm about it because in politics, somehow everything you do is just wrong in the public's eye.”
What reinforced his decision was his experience volunteering for President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's presidential election campaign last year. He had front-row seats to the scrutiny that candidates and their families faced.
Dr Luqman, who is not a member of any political party, said: "I don't think I can put myself and my family through that level of scrutiny."
