ANALYSIS The extremely narrow - less than one percent - victory of PAP stalwart Dr Tony Tan for Singapore’s presidency is yet another marker of the political transformation sweeping the island republic.

After the May 2011 polls secured the strongest opposition victory in history, with a win of a Group Representative Constituency and 40 percent of the popular vote, this month’s presidential polls serves to illustrate that Singaporean politics is increasingly competitive, as 65 percent of the electorate voted for candidates not endorsed by the PAP establishment and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

From afar, this comes as a surprise as the political transformation is taking place at an unexpected level and pace. Yet in Singapore, the signs and reasons are clear that the country is moving towards new politics - a politics of greater empowerment, democracy and ... uncertainty...