The dummy's guide to Singapore's political parties: The SPP 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 who may be contesting in the upcoming general election and what they're all about.

Even if you're not familiar with our next party, its former leader Chiam See Tong, the longest-serving opposition MP, should ring a bell.

Singapore People's Party

When were they formed?

SPP was founded in 1994 by Sin Kek Tong.

Its founding members were a faction that had splintered off from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) after a power struggle between Chiam and his protege, Chee Soon Juan.

Sin led the pro-Chiam SPP until Chiam himself left SDP and took over the reins in 1996.

In 2001, SPP banded together with four other opposition parties to form the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), Singapore's first — and only — registered political alliance.

The alliance showed that the opposition was capable of working together, Chiam told reporters then. He added: "Hopefully when we know each other better, the idea is to amalgamate and form another party."

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However, SPP eventually left SDA in 2011 after the alliance's Central Executive Committee voted to remove Chiam from his role as chairman.

Chiam continued to lead SPP before stepping down in 2019.

SPP's current chief is Steve Chia, who was formerly secretary-general of the National Solidarity Party.

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What are they all about?

In its early days, SPP called itself "the moderate version of the SDP". Now, it says it aims to provide a "constructive and valid" representation of Singaporeans and be the "people's voice" in a PAP-majority government.

For the upcoming election, the party is all about accountability, commitment and empathy. 

Titled "A Better Tomorrow", SPP's manifesto lays out the party's positions on some key issues such as empowering the youth, strengthening the workforce, lowering the cost of living, combating climate change and improving mental health. 

Its suggestions include:

• Lowering of the voting age to 18 to allow more youths to have a say
• No further increase in GST
• Instituting a national minimum wage
• All companies listed on the Singapore stock exchange to disclose their carbon emissions and make plans to divest from carbon-intensive operations
• More subsidies for mental health services

Where are they contesting?

SPP confirmed to reporters that it will field chairman Jose Raymond in Potong Pasir SMC, where Chiam served as MP from 1984 to 2011.

The party is also set to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. Chia will lead the team, which consists of vice-chairman Williamson Lee, Osman Sulaiman and Melvyn Chiu.

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Track record

In its heyday, the party had the honour of being the largest opposition party represented in Parliament.

In 2001, Chiam had held a seat as Potong Pasir MP while Chia had accepted a seat as a Non-Constituency MP.

The only other opposition politician in Parliament then was WP's Low Thia Khiang.

However, the party has had less success in recent years, failing to win seats in the 2011 and 2015 elections.

The coming election — the party's sixth — will see the smallest SPP line-up since 1997.

While the party had expressed in March interest in contesting Marymount and Mountbatten SMCs, it later axed the wards from its list due to manpower and logistics constraints, the Straits Times said.

In case you missed it

Here are the other parties we've covered:

• People's Action Party
• Workers' Party
• Democratic Progressive Party
• Singapore Democratic Party
• National Solidarity Party

Stay tuned for the next instalment in the series — Reform Party.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com