Chee Soon Juan calls for reforms to electoral system, says SDP will not retreat despite GE2025 losses
In his first public statement since GE2025, Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan also announced the launch of a social enterprise and co-operative to act as a "people-centric economic counterweight to the PAP-NTUC nexus".
Singapore Democratic Party party chair Paul Tambyah and secretary-general Chee Soon Juan speak during a press conference on May 18, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
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SINGAPORE: Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan reiterated his call for electoral reforms on Sunday (May 18), in his first public remarks since the party's losses at the 2025 General Election.
"Rather than retreating, what we're going to be doing is embarking on this renew, rebuild, reignite campaign," he told reporters ahead of an appreciation dinner for SDP members.
The opposition party lost in all four constituencies it contested in the election.
Dr Chee narrowly missed out on becoming a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament after obtaining 46.82 per cent of the vote in Sembawang West SMC.
The straight fight between Mr Chee and Ms Poh Li San of the People’s Action Party (PAP) was the third-closest contest of the election.
On Sunday, Dr Chee outlined three major initiatives that the party would be working on, the first of which was an online petition on electoral reforms.
The petition highlighted six "urgent and meaningful" changes that would ensure Singapore's political system "reflects the highest standards of transparency, accountability and democratic integrity".
It called for the Elections Department to be removed from the Prime Minister's Office, to "end gerrymandering" and abolish the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system.
The petition also said there should be a minimum three-week campaign period, a six-month gap between the announcement of new electoral boundaries and the dissolution of parliament, and a review of the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act in Singapore to allow media to be free and independent.
Dr Chee said this year's polls were "very much a smash-and-grab election" by the ruling PAP.
"This whole campaign was just conducted in unseemly haste," he said.
He added that the electorate hardly had time to grasp the "weighty" national concerns that affect Singapore's society before Polling Day arrived.
"This has been the feedback we've been getting over and over, especially if you're talking about younger voters," he said. By the time the voters start getting involved, they are "being pushed" to make decisions.
Dr Chee emphasised that the petition is a "non-partisan effort".
"They are foundational principles of good governance and democratic integrity," he wrote on Change.org. "Singapore is ready to take the next step forward in its political maturity by ensuring our elections are genuinely free and fair."
SDP chairman Paul Tambyah said the online petition is just a starting point, and could develop into legal challenges.
"Hopefully we'll be able to sustain this momentum," he said, adding that the party is taking a multi-prong approach to the next five years.
LAUNCH OF SOCIAL CO-OPERATIVE
The second initiative that the SDP announced is the Orange and Teal Social Enterprise Co-operative, which aims to create a "people-centric economic counterweight to the PAP-NTUC nexus".
Dr Chee said the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has "lost its way", but that Singapore has been "dominated" by the PAP and NTUC.
He said the co-operative is meant to operate from the ground up and will aim to offer fair-wage employment, compared to the top-down approach taken by the ruling party and the labour movement.
"We're looking for Singaporeans to own a part of this business," he said. Those who register as members will pay a S$100 (US$77) fee.
Its website said the co-operative wants to empower workers, freelancers, creatives, and small businesses in Singapore through shared ownership, community-driven innovation, and inclusive employment opportunities.
GROWING INTEREST FROM YOUNG PEOPLE
SDP also said it has seen an upsurge in interest from young people who want to be involved in the political process.
"We're going to tap into it," said Dr Chee, adding that some younger voters find the political process to be unsatisfactory.
The party attributed part of the increased interest to TikTok and memes that caught the attention of voters.
"One thing that's been quite interesting that we have seen is that many young people, even people who are too young to vote, have been coming forward, expressing an interest," said Mr Ariffin Sha, who was part of an SDP team that contested Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.
Many people felt that the election was too rushed and felt an "innate sense of injustice" when Bukit Batok SMC was "wiped off the map", he added.
Young Democrat representative Shawal Yeo said he hoped the party could direct the energy of the young people in a constructive way. "Don't get angry, get active," he said.
Dr Tambyah said that at a training event held this weekend, many participants described themselves as previously "politically apathetic" and were in a political party office for the first time.
"There was a certain amount of fear that was in there, but it's this transformation from fear to hope, which is what we hope to do within the next five years," he said.
