Contentious Acts in Controlled Spaces: A Protest Event Analysis of Singaporean Demonstrations

Abstract

Maintaining its hegemonic role in Singapore has been one of the defining features of the People’s Action Party (PAP) rule since the country gained independence in 1965. To quell rising frustrations resulting from its wide-reaching control, the party has overseen a series of limited liberalisations, including the 2008 introduction of legalised protests. However, in recent years the PAP has sought to reduce the influence of protests, suggesting it sees potential political challenges to its continued dominance over various aspects of Singaporean life. To examine these potential challenges, this article performs a protest event analysis and provides the first dataset of Singaporean protests since legalisation. The central argument of the article is that although protests have had limited impact on the institutional control the PAP has over the Singaporean political system, they have influenced public discourse and contributed to the expansion of politicised and contentious space in Singapore. This represents an important development in the emergence of Singaporean civil society. While this impact is currently limited, the article highlights the potential for more substantial challenges to emerge from protests in response to changing economic and political conditions.