4
and to understand the societal, political and economic dynamics that make one
election different from another one.
The present study aims to evaluate the 2001 General Elections in Singapore from the
perspective of the uses and gratifications approach (Blumler, 1985; Blumler & Katz,
1974; Rosengren, 1974) and the media agenda setting theory (McCoombs & Shaw,
1972; Shaw, 1979). The roles that the mass media and interpersonal sources play in
increasing awareness of political issues and ultimately influencing voting behaviors
(Lazarfeld, Berelson & Gaudet, 1948; Takeshita & Mikami, 1995; Kuo, Holaday &
Peck, 1993; Karan, 1994) are addressed. The mass media in Singapore, operating
under a strict legal framework and licensing policies, plays a “pro-development and
hence pro-government” (Kuo, Holaday & Peck, 1993) role. In addition, given
Singaporeans’ growing adoption of the Internet, its usage and role in the elections has
also been factored in, along with the other traditional media.
The objectives of the study are threefold:
•
To present a brief review of the political scene in Singapore since its
independence, the electoral issues in agendas of political parties during the 2001
General Election and communication strategies and media used in election
campaigning by Singapore’s political parties.
•
To investigate the role of the media in the electoral process in the way media sets
the agenda as the electorate reads newspapers, listens to radio, connects to the
Internet, watches election broadcasts, analysis, interviews and the campaign
coverage on a day-to-day basis.
•
To evaluate the extent of co-orientation between campaign issues of political
parties and its leaders and the interests/concerns of the electorate by asking
respondents about the issues important to them and those reflected in elections
campaigns.
Through an analysis of existing literature, the investigators began piecing together
political system and voting decisions in a multicultural society of the small island
country with a different political culture that sustains the fortunes of one political
party while decimating the opposition (Singh, 1992). A content analysis of leading
Convention