Alternative party unity, “alliances”, and organisation seem to be going strong and taking firmer shape in this coming General Election (GE).
The National Solidarity Party (NSP) announced on Wednesday (24 June) that it will not be contesting in Pioneer single-member constituency (SMC), so as to provide leeway for Progress Singapore Party (PSP) to go up against the People’s Action Party (PAP).
This was in an agreement with Dr Tan Cheng Bock, chief of PSP, where his team will now contest in eight constituencies. These include three group representation constituencies (GRCs) – West Coast, Tanjong Pagar, and Choa Chu Kang – and five SMCs – Hong Kah North, Pioneer, Marymount, Yio Chu Kang, and Kebun Bahru.
This comes after another alternative party, the Reform Party (RP), announced on Wednesday that it refrain from contesting in West Coast GRC to make way for PSP.
PSP seems to be gaining traction in this year’s General Election, especially after Lee Hsien Yang, Prime Minister’s Lee Hsien Loong’s estranged brother, announced his membership with PSP yesterday – though it remains uncertain if he will be contesting in the coming GE.
Meanwhile, NSP has also dropped its plans to contest in Radin Mas SMC to give RP full rein in contesting against the PAP.
NSP will, however, re-contest in Tampines and Sembawang GRCs as they did in the previous GE.
NSP’s President Reno Fong will be spearheading the team in Tampines, where the party received 27.93 per cent of the votes in 2015, while the party’s Secretary-General Spencer Ng will lead the team in Sembawang, where NSP previously garnered 27.72 per cent of the votes.
NSP also contested in MacPherson SMC in GE 2015, where it received close to 1 per cent of the votes. Plans to re-contest there again are still being “deliberated”, according to Mr Ng, who “sincerely wants to avoid a three-cornered fight (with People’s Power Party and PAP)”.
