Singapore Democratic Party
Established in 1980 by Chiam See Tong, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is the leading opposition party in Singapore. Prior to forming the party, Chiam was an independent politician and ran as an independent candidate for elections. In the 1976 and 1979 general elections, Chiam ran against prominent People's Action Party (PAP) candidates but received approximately one-third of the electoral votes. After forming the SDP, Chiam won the Single Member Constituency (SMC) at Potong Pasir in the 1984 and 1988 general elections.
The SDP was viewed as a moderate party under Chiam's leadership. In 1993, there was a split in party leadership. Chiam resigned from the Central Executive Committee and later established the Singapore People's Party (SPP). Chee Soon Juan took over the Singapore Democratic Party leadership and has since taken a more aggressive approach in dealing with the PAP. The government-controlled media, however, have portrayed him as an unreliable and dishonest person. While the SDP has made headway in international media coverage, it has made little progress in political mobilization locally.
Further Reading
Ho, Khai Leong. (2000) The Politics of Policy-Making in Singapore. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
Singh, Bilveer. (1992) Whither PAP's Dominance? An Analysis of Singapore's 1991 General Elections. Selangor, Malaysia: Pelanduk.
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