Denying PAP The 2/3 Majority

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[SDP aims to deny PAP 2/3 majority in Parliament, calls for united opposition: Chee Soon Juan

Wan Ting Koh

23 February 2019, 9:05 PM GMT+8

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) aims to deny the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) a two-thirds majority of seats in Parliament at the next general elections (GE), its Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan said on Saturday (23 February).

Speaking at an event to kick off the opposition party’s pre-GE campaign at Mandarin Orchard Hotel, Dr Chee said that the SDP was open to working with other opposition parties ahead of the GE, which must be held by January 2021.

SDP will be contesting for the same 11 seats that it did at the last GE in 2015.

“Right now our main goal is to make sure we go in and deny the PAP its two-thirds majority. And not just for the sake of depriving, it’s to make sure we advance our policies,” Dr Chee told*Yahoo News Singapore*after the event, which was attended by some 230 members of the public.

Under Singapore’s parliamentary system, a ruling party is required to win a two-thirds supermajority of seats to be able to make constitutional amendments.

The seats that the SDP will focus on are subject to any changes in the electoral boundaries, Dr Chee added.

“It’s really hard to give you a definitive answer. But if nothing changes, then at the minimum, we’ll be contesting in the same seats…But our message is very clear, that we need to deny the PAP the two-thirds majority,” he said.

At the 2015 GE, the SDP fielded 11 candidates in the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC and three Single Member Constituencies – Bukit Panjang, Bukit Batok and Yuhua – and lost all the seats to the PAP.

Dr Chee also lost to PAP’s Murali Pillai in the Bukit Batok by-election in 2016.

Calling for public support, united opposition

Unveiling its campaign slogan “SDP Now” on Saturday, vice chairman John Tan revealed that the party plans to present policy papers in the months leading up to a possible GE in September.

SDP leaders also urged members of the public for more support and funding. When asked to elaborate, Dr Chee said the party requires a “ballpark figure” of 300 to 500 volunteers to conduct walkabouts in the areas that it plans to contest.

As for a possible coalition between the opposition parties, Dr Chee encouraged the other parties to sit down to work towards a common goal, saying that the SDP is currently facilitating such a discussion.

“I cannot guarantee that we will get there in the months to come, but the important thing is that we need to get the initiative going” Dr Chee said.

He added, “The first step is really to get everybody to sit at the same table and just to ask the question what is it we are trying to achieve. If it’s just getting into Parliament no matter what, then we will fail.

“I continue to encourage our opposition friends to think about what we are fighting for.”

On 23 July last year, the SDP organised a meeting attended by members from six other opposition parties – the Democratic Progressive Party, the National Solidarity Party, the People’s Power Party, the Peoples Voice (PV), the Reform Party and the Singaporeans First Party – and former PAP Member of Parliament Dr Tan Cheng Bock.

At the meeting, SDP proposed that Dr Tan lead an opposition coalition. In response, Dr Tan said then, “If you want me to lead, then we must think of country first. If we go in, we must go in as a team.”

SDP’s campaign occurred just as two new opposition parties had been announced in the past six months. The establishment of PV, led by ex-National Solidarity Party’s chairman Lim Tean, was approved by the Registry of Societies (ROS) in October last year while last month, Dr Tan announced that he had applied to form the Progress Singapore Party.

If Dr Tan’s application with the ROS were successful, there will be 10 active opposition parties in Singapore.

Originally slated to take place at an industrial area in Eunos Ave 3, SDP’s campaign was nearly derailed following a last-minute cancellation by the venue’s management.

In a Facebook post on Friday, the SDP alleged that the management KCC (Kingdom Community Church) Ventures cancelled the event that afternoon, citing “inspection reasons”.

However, SDP chairman Paul Tambyah said in his speech at the campaign that KCC later informed the party that political events were not allowed at its venue.

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It's a game changer and in really hope Oppositions do unite and deny PAP the 2/3 majority.

9 or 10% GST, or remaining at 7%, it's the people's choice.

[stargazer]

My opinion still unchanged - we don't need so many opposition parties. Come together as ONE and there will be fighting chance.

[therat]

I dont want a mix party n against for the seek of against.

Neighbour PH has shown what will happen if few party group under 1 umbrella just for election

Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk

[millenium]

Cos sure got moles. Spy vs. Spy.

[mictok]

Dr Chee no chance, we need another younger Chiam or Low to helm the opposition for next generation.

[hkh]

Originally Posted by mictok

Dr Chee no chance, we need another younger Chiam or Low to helm the opposition for next generation.

Not easy for good and capable guys to join the Oppositions.......they will be under a lot of scrutiny by the Whites......

[richardg]

Originally Posted by mictok

dr chee no chance, we need another younger chiam or low to helm the opposition for next generation.

tcb ........

[globalcookie]

Every Opposition has their own agenda and direction. No one is perfect fit.

Dr TCB seems most suited, largely due to his long history in politics, his mellowed approach, but sometimes, when writings from him are posted, he doesn't always comes across as intrigued. More a down to earth simple man.

Mr CST, people like him maybe cos he has been very careful with words, served as opposition for many years.

A quick read on CST...
In 2010, Chiam tried to bring the Reform Party into the SDA. He reportedly accepted the conditions the Reform Party set out for joining the alliance, however the terms of entry were opposed by other members of the SDA's Council who blocked the move. In 2010 and early-2011, it was also reported that some members of the SDA's Council felt that Chiam was unable to properly fulfil his role of Chairman of the alliance, after he had cut back his political activities following his stroke in 2008. On 28 February 2011, the SDA's Council voted to relieve Chiam of his role as chairman, however the Council stressed that they still hoped to field Chiam as a candidate at the next general election. But two days later, on 2 March 2011, Chiam announced that the Singapore People's Party was withdrawing from the SDA, and that he would stand under the banner of the SPP instead of the SDA at the next general election.

Is he really as what is perceived?

Mr LTK is smart enough to step aside and have the party leadership be injected with new blood. Never mind conspiracy theory that he is still holding the reins there (is it proven, or just plain hearsay?)