On Wednesday morning (4 September), lawyer and opposition politician Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss announced on Facebook her resignation from the Singapore People’s Party (SPP).
She said, “On Monday 2 Sep 2019, I handed in my resignation from the Singapore People’s Party (SPP). I did so after much thought and careful deliberation.”
Mrs Chong-Aruldoss expressed her gratefulness for the support from SPP members during her time with them.
“I am also very grateful for the support given by SPP members, several of whom I have become good friends with. I hope we will remain good friends.
I wish SPP, Mr & Mrs Chiam and SPP members all the best in their future endeavours. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Lina Chiam for her guidance, counsel and mentorship.”
Mrs Chong-Aruldoss went on to say that she entered politics in 2009 because she was ‘convinced that the PAP held too much power” and she was ‘worried for Singaporeans”. She said she felt that Singapore desperately needed more opposition in parliament to redress the imbalance.
She asserted, “My convictions have not changed. If anything, I feel more strongly than ever that we must have more non-PAP MPs in Parliament. The fight for more political balance remains urgent and imperative.”
She concluded her statement by noting that there are many ways to serve Singapore and its people, saying “I hope to continue serving the cause of Singaporeans in one way or another.”
Mrs Chong-Aruldoss has been a member of the SPP since 2015. Before that, she was with the National Solidarity Party (NSP) from 2011 to 015 where she served as the party’s Vice President from 2011 to 2013 and then as Secretary-General from 2013 to 2015. Before that, she was a member of the Reform Party between 2010 and 2011.
She has stood for election twice, in 2011 and 2015, both in the Mountbatten Single Member Constituency against Lim Biow Chuan of the People’s Action Party (PAP). In 2011 she stood as a candidate for the NSP when she lost with 41.35% of the votes while in 2015, she stood as a candidate for the SPP, this time losing with only 28.16% of the votes.
Earlier in June 2019, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss took to Facebook to say that she was still unable to say whether she would be running at the Mountbatten SMC again in the next election due to uncertainty in the electoral map.
She explained that there was a possibility that Mountbatten SMC would be merged into a new GRC instead, adding that until the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) announces the electoral map for the next election, no one knows where the boundaries lie.
She continued, “We also have to expect that electoral boundaries may be re-drawn in such manner that it becomes difficult to decide in which constituency to run, and whether to run at all.”
As such, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss said she didn’t want to participate in a 3-corner fight, preferring to “bow out of the race” instead.
“As far as I am concerned, I will contest at the next GE only if it is a straight fight between SPP and the ruling party,” she added.
Despite her apprehension, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss continued to walk the grounds at Mountbatten SMC with her dedicated volunteers. TOC understands that she has become a common sight at the ward for the residents, a vast improvement from when she started off, first campaigning at the SMC in 2011.
On their Facebook page on Wednesday, before Mrs Chong-Aruldoss’ post, SPP issued a statement thanking her for her service and wished her all the best in her future endeavours.
