Opposition bid to carve out territory crumbles
SINGAPORE — The opposition parties’ bid to carve out territory among themselves fell by the wayside yesterday, after the Workers’ Party (WP) did not turn up at the second round of talks to resolve multi-cornered fights.
The discussions at the National Solidarity Party’s (NSP) Jalan Besar headquarters were also marred by the Reform Party (RP) leaving discussions just 15 minutes in, with RP chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam questioning why the other parties were not informed beforehand that WP was not turning up, and telling reporters that he was leaving because the Singaporeans First (SingFirst) party insisted on contesting in Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC) which his party was interested in.
Nevertheless, the remaining opposition parties managed to cobble up a deal that would see all 29 constituencies likely to be contested in the coming General Election (GE), with up to four three-cornered fights — in Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Ang Mo Kio GRC, MacPherson Single-Member Constituency (SMC) and Potong Pasir SMC — possibly on the cards.
The first round of negotiations on Monday, which lasted about three hours, had failed to completely resolve potential multi-cornered contests. It emerged later that tensions ran high during the initial talks, particularly between the NSP and the WP.
The WP had sent three representatives to the talks on Monday, but NSP acting secretary-general Hazel Poa said WP chairman Sylvia Lim had sent a text message to say that the party would not be attending yesterday’s talks.
Speaking to reporters after yesterday’s talks, Ms Poa said: “(WP) said that they have made quite clear (their) intentions.” WP did not respond to queries by press time.
With the WP absent from the discussions, the NSP retained its interest in Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson SMC — although Ms Poa said her party will continue to seek talks with the WP.
Similarly, RP and SingFirst will be looking to hold more discussions bilaterally, said their respective chiefs. While the Singapore People’s Party was the only opposition party to stake its claims on Potong Pasir SMC, it could have to fend off the interest of independent hopeful Tan Lam Siong.
Mr Tan, who was not invited to the meeting, turned up outside the NSP headquarters and told reporters that he did not intend to budge. “I’m all for multi-cornered fights because I believe if you want true democracy, you’ve got to give the people choices and not restrict their choices,” he said.
Multi-cornered fights were averted in other constituencies including Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC — where the SPP and the Democratic Progressive Party will field a joint team - and Sembawang GRC, where the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) made way for NSP to contest.
The SDP had contested in Sembawang GRC in the 2011 General Election, and garnered 36.1 per cent of the votes. In a media statement, SDP chief Chee Soon Juan, who was not present at the talks, said it was a “difficult” decision.
“We apologise to the residents of the Sembawang GRC but we feel that in order that there be one-to-one contests between the PAP and the Opposition parties, compromise is key,” he said.
The SDP’s representatives at yesterday’s meeting were assistant secretary-general Christopher Ang and central executive committee member Gerald Sng.
On the NSP dropping its interest in constituencies such as Chua Chu Kang GRC, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC and Bukit Batok SMC, Ms Poa said her party did it in the spirit of cooperation.
Last night’s meeting began at about 7.45pm and lasted just over an hour.
Several individuals turned up uninvited outside the venue — including Mr Tan, who said he was conducting outreach activities nearby, and a man with a WP flag aloft on his backpack who claimed he had been doing a survey and found ground sentiments to be “sweet” for the People’s Action Party.
Former tutor Ooi Boon Ewe, a familiar face who has tried unsuccessfully to contest as an independent in previous elections, also showed up to speak to reporters.
WP NO-SHOW NO SURPRISE: ANALYSTS
Political analysts whom TODAY spoke to said they were unsurprised that the WP skipped the meeting.
They noted WP chief Low Thia Kiang’s comments the previous day when he made clear his party’s stance on multi-cornered fights. Speaking to reporters before his Meet-the-People session on Wednesday, Mr Low said his party’s representatives had attended the first round of talks with the intention of avoiding multi-cornered fights “as far as possible”. But he added that it is “quite difficult” for his party to shift its targets, given that it does not have the resources to venture far from its base, and it had given “due consideration” to the constituencies which it has set its sights on.
National University of Singapore (NUS) political scientist Bilveer Singh felt that the WP has “valid reasons” for staking its claims on areas where it had previously contested and lost relatively well.
“You can also say there is an ‘arrogance of power’ now because now they are the number one opposition party … (Mr Low’s) position is very simple, he is not asking for anything more, not anything less,” he said.
Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said that yesterday’s events showed cracks within the opposition camp, with the WP “prepared to go its own way”. “Though they have regarded themselves a part of the Opposition, they increasingly want to be apart as well if it gets in the way of their plans,” said Associate Professor Tan. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AMANDA LEE, LAURA PHILOMIN, LEE YEN NEE, KELLY NG AND HON JING YI
