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NSP drops Pioneer seat to make way for PSP, will still contest in two GRCs

SINGAPORE — The National Solidarity Party (NSP) will drop its plans to contest the Pioneer Single-Member Constituency (SMC) as part of an agreement with Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general Spencer Ng during a walkabout earlier in March this year. Mr Ng told TODAY on Wednesday that his party would continue to stand in the Tampines and Sembawang Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) as planned in the polls on July 10.

National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general Spencer Ng during a walkabout earlier in March this year. Mr Ng told TODAY on Wednesday that his party would continue to stand in the Tampines and Sembawang Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) as planned in the polls on July 10.

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  • NSP to contest in Tampines and Sembawang GRCs
  • Drops Pioneer SMC to make way for Progress Singapore Party
  • People’s Power Party’s Goh Meng Seng to contest in MacPherson SMC

SINGAPORE — The National Solidarity Party (NSP) will drop its plans to contest the Pioneer Single-Member Constituency (SMC) as part of an agreement with Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

NSP secretary-general Spencer Ng told TODAY on Wednesday (June 24) that his party would, however, continue to stand in the Tampines and Sembawang Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) as planned in the polls on July 10.

PSP announced this week that it would vie for the Pioneer seat along with seven other constituencies in the upcoming General Election (GE).

Mr Ng said he would lead NSP’s team in Sembawang GRC, where he contested in the 2015 polls. The team garnered 27.72 per cent of the vote at that time.

The party’s president, Mr Reno Fong, meanwhile will helm the Tampines GRC team. NSP garnered 27.93 per cent of the vote there in 2015.

Besides these GRCs, NSP stood in the Pioneer and MacPherson SMCs in GE 2015, garnering 23.65 and 0.82 per cent of the votes respectively.

As for MacPherson SMC, Mr Ng said that the party was still deliberating its options.

While it “sincerely wants to avoid a three-cornered fight”,  it may continue with its plans even if there is one.

“We have our plans ready. It’s not like an overnight thing,” he said.

Mr Ng said that NSP was in talks with politicians from other parties, including the People’s Power Party’s (PPP) Mr Goh Meng Seng, who indicated his interest on Wednesday to run there.

Mr Ng previously told TODAY that the party had 13 or so potential candidates lined up for the next election.

NSP is likely to introduce its candidates on Sunday, two days before candidate nominations are to be filed on June 30.

PPP EYES MACPHERSON

Meanwhile, Mr Goh, PPP’s secretary-general, said that he would be focusing on MacPherson SMC as he was familiar with the area from his days as a member of the NSP, which he left in 2011.

He said his party would also make way for the Reform Party to contest Radin Mas SMC.

In the 2015 GE, he contested in the Chua Chu Kang GRC under PPP, which he set up before the polls that year. The team garnered 23.09 per cent of the vote.

When told that NSP may contest in MacPherson, Mr Goh said that NSP had yet to communicate this decision to him.

“We are very cordial, although they are not part of our alliance,” said Mr Goh, referring to an informal alliance among the PPP, RP, Singaporeans First party and the Democratic Progressive Party, which are coordinating to avoid competing against one another.

When asked what his plans would be should another party decide to join the contest for MacPherson, Mr Goh said he would still go ahead with his plan.

He said he is getting his logistics and posters ready.

“There is no turning back from this point,” he said.

Related topics

NSP Spencer Ng Tan Cheng Bock Goh Meng Seng PSP PPP Singapore General Election SGVotes2020

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