Alternative policies, refreshed image fail to lift SDP

SINGAPORE — Despite a campaign run on its alternative policies and a refreshed image of party chief Chee Soon Juan, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) failed to make headway in this General Election and fared worse in the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC) than in the 2011 election.

Dr Chee, who led the four-member team that also comprised medical professor Paul Ananth Tambyah, nursing home administrator Chong Wai Fung and compliance auditor Sidek Mallek, won 33.38 per cent of the vote in the constituency, 6.54 percentage points lower than in 2011, when the SDP won 39.92 per cent of votes.

The team fielded by the party in the same constituency four years ago was different, and included Mr Tan Jee Say and Dr Ang Yong Guan, who are now with the Singaporeans First party.

The SDP’s vote share in other constituencies were 26.46 per cent in Yuhua, 31.62 per cent in Bukit Panjang, and 26.4 per cent in Bukit Batok. In Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, it secured 31.27 per cent of the vote.

Dr Chee said its result in Holland-Bukit Timah was “hugely disappointing”, but also noted the swing against the Opposition in every other constituency. “So, we take it in our stride. People have made their decision and the only thing we can do is continue to look forward,” he said.

The SDP had campaigned on its alternative policies, including plans to implement a minimum wage as well as a non-open-market scheme for public housing.

Dr Chee also sought to appeal to the better nature of voters in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC — which has the highest percentage of private estates in Singapore — saying he believed they care about issues such as the elderly struggling to cope with daily expenses.

He had called for a campaign without personal attacks, after his People’s Action Party (PAP) rivals raised incidents from the 1990s such as his rift with his one-time mentor Chiam See Tong. “We wanted to present to Singaporeans a message of inspiration. We presented to them an alternative vision for Singapore and we persuaded them to elect us into Parliament,” he said.

That was not to be, but the SDP still believes in its message and approach to politics in Singapore, said Dr Chee, who also congratulated his PAP rivals.

“I think we’ve won a lot of hearts and, hopefully, that will put us in good stead as we go into the future, to the next election,” he said.

Professor Tambyah said it was important to acknowledge that the PAP had run a “spectacular campaign”.

“They called the election early, more than a year ahead of time. And they took advantage of all the right things that needed to be done in politics — a combination of SG50, the memory of the passing of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the population changes.

“And essentially, that’s good politics, and we have to hand it to them and give them all the credit for the results they’ve achieved,” Prof Tambyah said. The ground lost by the Opposition suggests that “a lot of these factors are beyond our control”, he added.

The PAP’s Holland-Bukit Timah team leader, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said he was happy with residents’ endorsement of the “hard work and relationship-building, which ... is not something you can do over nine days”.

On the SDP’s campaign, Dr Balakrishnan said: “I think voters have cast their judgment on their policies, and I think we’ll move on from there.”

When asked about the increased vote share won by his team, Dr Balakrishnan said: “I think there’s been a national swing. Secondly, the voters appreciated the hard work on the ground and the relationship that we’ve built over the years.

“Thirdly, I think they also endorse the policy directions that the PAP is moving towards, and … I’m very glad that residents in both the private and Housing and Development Board estates supported us uniformly.”

Prof Tambyah said the SDP would continue to press for a Singapore where freedom, democracy, justice and equality are just as important as material success.

In an attempt to lighten the sombre mood at the end of the SDP’s press conference at its Ang Mo Kio headquarters, Dr Chee said: “If anything positive has come of this, it’s that I’ve gotten a couple more tubs of Haagen-Dazs.”

He was referring to a speech that he had given at a rally last week, where he had said he opted for cheaper Wall’s ice cream instead of a pricier brand at the supermarket.