SINGAPORE — Former secretary-general of the now-dissolved Singaporeans First (SingFirst) party, Mr Tan Jee Say, wants to rejoin the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). 

In a Facebook post on Monday (June 29), Mr Tan said he had contacted Dr Chee Soon Juan, the secretary-general of SDP, to ask if he could return to the party, which he left in 2011. 

“Its alternative voice is what Singaporeans need. It will be my pleasure to work with them again for the people,” he said. 

SDP confirmed with TODAY that Mr Tan has applied to rejoin the party, but did say whether he has been accepted.

If Mr Tan is accepted, he would not be a new face in SDP.

Under the SDP banner, he contested in the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the 2011 General Election (GE). The party lost to the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP).

The former civil servant then quit the party to run in the Presidential Election in the same year, losing to Dr Tony Tan. 

He formed Singaporeans First in 2014, which was dissolved last week. 

In a statement on his Facebook page about the dissolution last week, Mr Tan said that the party came to this decision because it felt that a strong opposition would be best achieved with consolidation.

“This decision was not made lightly, but we believe that this move is in the best interests of Singapore,” he said on Thursday, adding that the party’s central executive committee was encouraging its members to join other parties that reflect their beliefs and values, to help them in the coming GE. 

Singapore will be heading to the polls on July 10 and political parties have to submit the names of the candidates they are fielding on June 30, which is Nomination Day.