The policies the PAP have put down thus far makes absolute sense when looking at the event in an economical sphere. However, politics is never solely reliant on economic logic, social factors have to come in play at some point, whether it's the need to please your voters at the polls in a democracy, or to prevent a general uprising in an absolute dictatorship.
The policies of the PAP have thus far largely ignored the growing dissent on the ground. Whether that dissent is entirely justified or not, I believe no man can answer. The point is, there is dissent and current government policies and measures do not take sufficient steps towards addressing such issues.
I personally believe that should the opposition claim 100% of the seats in Parliament, the situation could prove dire with inexperience bringing the potential for greater chaos to the fore. Yet, proceeding on with the current PAP's plan of action would lead to an inevitable future social calamity as tensions boil further than before. Today's riot was one such incident, no matter how interpreted, of social tensions in Singapore slowly building up to unsustainable levels.
Therefore, with the option of leaving either political sides entirely in charge out of the question, the best case scenario would then be a greater coalition between the two sides in an effort to come to a reasonable compromise that would placate either side. Should that fail, then perhaps the symbolic message of a greater majority of Singaporeans voting for the opposition would snap the PAP from their current slumber and perhaps push policy in the right direction.
Brennan
TRS Contributor