Another NSP leader quits, but MacPherson still on its radar

SINGAPORE — The troubles of the National Solidarity Party (NSP) continued today, with the resignation of a member of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) ahead of the coming polls, making it the second resignation from the party’s decision-making council in less than a week. 

But the party remains adamant about contesting in MacPherson, despite party member Steve Chia withdrawing his candidacy yesterday. 

Mr Mohamed Fazli Talip, who was on the list of the party’s potential candidates for the coming General Election (GE), had announced his resignation today, saying he objected to the party’s decision to contest in MacPherson. 

His move comes after a weekend of trouble for the NSP, where anonymous postings attacking party president Sebastian Teo and CEC member Steve Chia circulated over the Internet, leading Mr Chia to drop his plans to battle for the single seat in MacPherson in the impending GE. 

Last Wednesday, Ms Hazel Poa, once a star candidate for the party, resigned as the party’s acting secretary-general, saying she was against the NSP reneging on its earlier decision not to contest in MacPherson. Fielding Mr Chia would pit the NSP against the Workers’ Party (WP) and the incumbent People’s Action Party. 

The latest troubles follow a string of exits from the party. Former secretary-general Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss left earlier this year, taking two of the party’s ex-council members with her to the Singapore People’s Party. In June, Mr Tan Lam Siong resigned as secretary-general after only five months in the post, and has announced he would contest as an independent candidate in the GE. He was replaced by Ms Poa. 

Mr Mohamed Fazli said he resigned over the events that unfolded over the past week. “We want to have opposition unity, and that is why we held the opposition meeting. But to come from a party that advocates opposition unity, we decided to go into a three-corner fight. That made me feel a bit disappointed,” said Mr Mohamed Fazli, who contested in 2011 in East Coast GRC on the WP ticket.

Party members held a meeting at the NSP headquarters today, but Mr Teo, who has been silent over the debacle, did not attend. 

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, NSP organising secretary Spencer Ng said the party still plans to contest in MacPherson, adding that the party has worked the ground there for ten years, and was going back at the request of residents. 

The party will release their election manifesto in the next few days, he said.