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SDP responds to questions by Senior Report Zul Othman from TODAY. This is first published here.
The Singapore Democrats will be fielding a team of candidates of both new and familiar faces in the next general elections. The names and gender of the candidates will be announced at the appropriate juncture on this website.
(Left: SDP Rally during General Election 2006)
The number of candidates available to the opposition has always been a casualty of the climate of fear in Singapore. Given the autocratic nature of the political system Singaporeans have been fearful of joining the opposition.
So the question of the increased number of NCMP seats or single-seats is not as relevant as the fear factor inasfar as the ability of the opposition to attract candidates is concerned.
As to where and how many seats the SDP will be fielding, and whether in GRCs and/or SMCs, these questions will depend on the re-drawn boundaries and the number of GRCs and SMCs available in the next GE.
As such the SDP calls on the Government to release the electoral map without further delay. In the past the PAP has done this at the last minute. In one of the recent elections, the new boundaries were made known the day before elections was called.
This is a shameful practice which no confident ruling party would do and which no democratic system would accept. The PAP needs to stop all these shenanigans and reveal the boundaries immediately.
Chee Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party
Questions from Mr Zul Othman:
1. PAP has identified potential candidates – what about the SDP?
2. Do you have fresh faces? How many?
3. Will they be contesting more seats than in the last GE, as PM said?
4. And if so, is it because of more potential candidates or, as PM suggested, the lure of more NCMP seats, single member wards and smaller GRCs?
5. Will the SDP be targeting more single member wards or the GRCs?
6. Any potential candidates you’d care to name? Would it be alright for us to contact them?
7. Will the SDP be fielding more women this time around?
8. How far down the recruitment chain are you?
