Opposition parties strike deal to avoid clashing in constituencies
Members of the National Solidarity Party meeting and greeting residents on a walkabout in Sembawang GRC. Photo: Robin Choo
SINGAPORE — The Opposition yesterday resolved three out of four potential multi-cornered fights among political parties in the coming General Election, after a week of back and forth on the constituencies in which they sought to contest.
The National Solidarity Party (NSP) announced first that it will not contest in Marine Parade and MacPherson constituencies, and the Singaporeans First party (SingFirst) then withdrew its interest in Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
The remaining constituency that could feature two candidates against the ruling People’s Action Party is Potong Pasir. The single-seat ward could feature a candidate from the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) and independent hopeful Tan Lam Siong, whose personal assistant said is not backing down.
The NSP’s pullout from Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson averted a fight with the Workers’ Party (WP) for opposition votes. It is now set to contest 11 seats in Sembawang and Tampines GRCs and Pioneer Single Member Constituency in the General Election. The issue was unresolved after last Thursday’s talks among opposition parties, which the WP did not attend.
The NSP was prepared to contest in only two GRCs this time, and the Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) withdrawal last week from Sembawang GRC, in which it contested in 2011, created room for compromises to be struck, the NSP said in a press release.
The NSP had wanted to make its announcement on Marine Parade and MacPherson jointly with the WP, but an email sent out last Friday went unanswered, said NSP acting secretary-general Hazel Poa during its first walkabout in Sembawang GRC yesterday morning.
The WP posted its response on Facebook a few hours later, thanking the NSP for announcing its decision “early”. WP chairman Sylvia Lim said her party will “continue to focus on its preparations and campaign on the 10 constituencies announced”.
Asked if the NSP would be seen as backing down against a stronger opposition party, Ms Poa said she chose to look at the “bigger picture”: Singaporeans’ desire for “a more diverse Parliament”. “We recognise that if we were to enter into a three-cornered (fight), that would only make it less likely for an opposition party to win the election. Therefore, it’s better that we step out,” she said.
Unlike in 2011, when the NSP spread its strong candidates across various constituencies, Ms Poa said the party will “put the best in one place and hope to win one constituency” this time.
Party activists were heard telling Tampines residents on Sunday that it would send an “A team” to the GRC, but Ms Poa said its line-up for the constituencies will be made known later.
Meanwhile, SingFirst secretary-general Tan Jee Say said the party will not contest the Ang Mo Kio GRC.
SingFirst, which conducted house visits at The Pinnacle@Duxton last evening, will focus on Tanjong Pagar and Jurong GRCs, he said.
The Reform Party garnered 30.67 per cent of votes in Ang Mo Kio in 2011. The party thanked SingFirst in a Facebook post last night for “graciously deciding” not to contest there.
“We hope that we can now form an alliance with them, the NSP, SDP, People’s Power Party, SPP and Singapore Democratic Alliance in our common objective of taking at least a third of the seats in this election,” wrote the Reform Party.
“We also hope that Workers’ Party will retain their seats and more ... and also look forward to building on our relationship with them.”
Wild cards, however, could still materialise in the form of independent candidates. For instance, a meeting yesterday between the SPP and Mr Tan had been arranged by SDA chairman Desmond Lim to help avoid a three-cornered fight in Potong Pasir. But Mr Tan’s personal assistant Jacky Goh told TODAY that Mr Tan “stands firm”. At the meeting, an SPP representative had asked Mr Tan to join its Bishan-Toa Payoh tie-up with the Democratic Progressive Party instead, but Mr Tan said no, according to Mr Goh.
In a reply that came early this morning, however, SPP chairman Lina Chiam said she was unaware of the meeting, and that her party denies any constituency trade-offs with Mr Tan.
