It's about time -- Singapore Elections get sociable with Facebook

Politics is always a touchy topic in Singapore, and with election fever heating up, forums and the local blogsphere are bound to start churning out some long-drawn posts. Something new on the social networking scene though is a new Facebook group called Singapore Elections, with fans from both the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) as well as opposition political parties.

According to the Straits Times, 300 people have signed up to date, including Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu, PAP Members of Parliament Lim Biow Chuan and Zaqy Mohamad, as well as grassroots organizations such as Aljunied GRC. From the opposing camps are National Solidarity Party's secretary-general Goh Meng Seng and Singapore Democratic Party's youth wing chief Jarrod Luo.

A quick look at the discussions being hosted shows some landmine topics, including "Are GRCs really necessary?" and "While S'pore is giving out PRs liberally, Australia is cracking down in their skilled migration program," but the interaction is still rather lackluster. We do see a lot more people jumping on the political discussion bandwagon when the General Elections draw nearer.

The Facebook group, from the website of the same name, Singapore Elections, is a great resource site for data on parliamentary and presidential election results in Singapore, dating back to the legislative council elections in 1948. Head down to the Facebook page or their website at www.singapore-elections.com.