The dummy's guide to Singapore's political parties: The WP 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.

The second party we're looking at is Singapore's most prominent opposition party.

The Workers' Party

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When were they formed?

Founded in 1957 by David Marshall, the party's early goals were to stop "man's exploitation of man", fight for the "basic equality of all human beings" and equal opportunities for all.

Following Marshall's resignation in 1963, Chiang Seok Keong took over the ropes, followed by Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam in 1971.

Jeyaretnam rejuvenated the party and became the first opposition member elected to Parliament in post-independence Singapore when he won the 1981 Anson by-election.

Low Thia Khiang was secretary-general of the party for 17 years before bowing out from the role in 2017, saying it was time for younger leaders to step up. 

WP is currently led by Pritam Singh.

What are they all about?

According to WP, it endeavours to "provide the voters of Singapore with the choice of voting for candidates with a different political philosophy from that of candidates put up by the ruling PAP".

WP believes in highlighting its disagreements with the ruling party's policies and pushing for reform "through the existing political processes and within the limits of the law".

The party had a major breakthrough in the 2011 GE when they won Aljunied GRC, thus becoming the first opposition party to win a GRC.

Where are they contesting?

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WP is expected to defend Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC in the upcoming general election.

Speculation is also rife that the party will contest Sengkang GRC, Marine Parade GRC and East Coast GRC after members were spotted on the ground and participating in community activities.

However, none of this is set in stone yet. After the release of the electoral boundaries report in March, WP had said it would "decide on the areas where it can best serve Singaporeans" and "make its announcement when the elections are called".

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Track record

WP is the biggest opposition party in Singapore, with six elected MPs and three NCMPs.

It currently holds Hougang SMC, which it first won in 1991, and the five-member Aljunied GRC.

In the 2015 GE, WP contested and lost Sengkang West and Fengshan SMCs — both of which have been absorbed into other GRCs this year.

WP also failed to defend Punggol East SMC, losing it to PAP. WP's Lee Li Lian had previously won the SMC in a by-election in 2013.

Punggol East SMC has since been absorbed into the new Sengkang GRC.

In case you missed it 

Here are the other parties we've covered:

• People's Action Party

Stay tuned for the next instalment in the series — the Democratic Progressive Party.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com