Who are the voters of Singapore and what do they want? This is the question that every Singapore politician faces. And this question was particularly apropos in 1957, with an election imminent in which Singaporeans would be fully enfranchised for the first time. With no further repression possible, Singapore’s politicians would actually have to fight and compete with each other for votes. And in these circumstances, Singapore reached the apogee of its democracy. In this episode, PJ Thum describes how the party platforms converged on what Singaporeans wanted; explains the implications of these priorities; and argues that Singaporean democracy worked, laying the foundation for Singapore’s future prosperity.

Please send questions, comments, and feedback to thehistoryofsingapore@gmail.com or visit thehistoryofsingapore.com. Support the show at patreon.com/pjthum. For all the previous episodes in this series, search for "History of Singapore" on bfm.my