The dummy's guide to Singapore's political parties: The PAP edition

Unless you've been living under a rock, you should have some inkling of the People's Action Party (PAP) and the Workers' Party (WP).

But what about RP? Or PSP? Or SDP? If these acronyms mean nothing to you, then you're in the right place.

In this series — a cheat sheet of sorts — we sieve out the facts you ought to know about Singapore's political parties.

By the end of this, you should have a better idea of the parties which may be contesting in the upcoming general election and what they're all about.

Kicking our explainer off, it's the oldest player in the game.

The People's Action Party

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When were they formed?

The PAP was officially registered in 1954. Its founding members include familiar names such as Toh Chin Chye, Goh Keng Swee, C. V. Devan Nair and S. Rajaratnam.

Its first secretary-general was Lee Kuan Yew, who became Singapore's first prime minister after leading the party to victory in the 1959 general election.

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong took over leadership of the party from 1992 to 2004 before passing the baton to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 

What are they all about?

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The main goals of the party when it was first formed were to end colonialism, establish an independent national state of Malaya and to "establish an economic order which will give to all citizens the right to work and the full economic returns for their labour and skill".

Some of its key policies over the years include adopting an export-orientated development strategy which helped the nation flourish economically after separation from Malaysia, establishing the Housing and Development Board and public housing, as well as the Central Provident Fund.

Over 60 years later, PAP has evolved to become a conservative political party with a mission to "build a fair and just society where the benefits of progress are spread widely to all".

The party's core values are honesty, meritocracy, self-reliance and the belief in a "Singaporean Singapore" where every individual, regardless of race, language, and religion is "assured of justice and fairness".

Where are they contesting?

Where are they not contesting?

Track record

PAP has won every general election since Singapore's independence in 1965.

In the 2015 GE, PAP won 83 of the 89 seats in 29 constituencies and secured 69.9 per cent of votes.

This was an improvement from the 60.1 per cent it obtained in the 2011 GE, the party's lowest vote share since 1965.

Stay tuned for the next instalment in the series — the Workers' Party.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com