NSP reconsiders its withdrawal from MacPherson SMC after appeal from residents

National Solidarity Party (NSP) has released a press statement about its reconsideration on the withdrawal of the party’s interest of contesting for MacPherson SMC in the upcoming General Election.

National Solidarity Party’s press release in full

Opposition parties in Singapore must be prudent in their allocation of limited resources to effectively contest in the General Elections. This explains the usual norm of respecting the efforts invested by each party in the constituencies they have contested in the past, by allowing the party that previously contested to directly compete against the incumbent PAP MPs within a given constituency.

In recent weeks, NSP leaders have been receiving feedback and pledges of support from many residents in Marine Parade and Macpherson, where it had garnered 43% of the votes from the constituency’s electorate.

When WP announced to the media that it will contest in Marine Parade and Macpherson among other wards, the other opposition parties had no prior knowledge of their intentions and have heard of it for the first time. The first meeting on 3 August was held with the agenda of de-conflicting contest areas and avoids three-cornered fights.

Unfortunately, the issue regarding contestation over Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson SMC was not resolved. The following meeting on 6 August was also to no avail as WP was not in attendance. NSP initiated contact with WP after the follow-up meeting but there has been no response.

Although our previous statement on 10 August signalled our intent to withdraw from contesting in both Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson SMC, the NSP CEC has deliberated on this at length and decided to strike a balance between avoiding unnecessary conflict and keeping faith with our supporters. We have decided to give up contesting in Marine Parade on the merit that Joo Chiat has previously been contested by WP.

As for MacPherson, the CEC strongly supports the decision to proceed with contesting in the SMC where considerable outreach has been done prior to the 2011 General Elections. This decision made by the CEC is final, and reflects our view that maintaining Opposition unity requires mutual respect and a spirit of compromise on the part of all parties.