Rilek1Corner

Tag: NSP

  • A Reality Check For All Opposition Parties

    A Reality Check For All Opposition Parties

    I might be flamed by fellow opposition supporters for saying this, but I feel it’s better if we opposition supporters voice out our concerns BEFORE the upcoming GE.

    Firstly, not all opposition parties have the same status. The strongest opposition party at the moment is the WP which has 7 parliamentary seats and 2 non-constituency members of parliament. The WP is stable, has good leadership, party discipline, a strong brand name, strong grassroots network and has managed to attract a critical mass of skilled professionals. These factors explain why the WP has a better image and thus a better chance of winning than the other opposition parties. As was seen in the Punggol East by-election, in a multi-cornered fight, the WP candidate will attract a much larger share of votes than the minor opposition parties.

    Next in the ranking of the opposition parties, is the SDP. Why? Because this is a party with a history, alternative policies and a clear ideology. SDP’s grassroots potential is underused but not lacking, as it seems to be able to attract social activists and other liberals. Say what you may about the SDP but at least it does not give the image that it is an unstable party that lacks people. The party website is well designed and is kept up to date. SDP’s decision to pull out of the Punggol by-election and avoid being a spoiler earned it goodwill from opposition supporters and thus the SDP’s image was not tarnished by a great defeat. The SDP may have committed some blunders such as implying that they were unwilling to run a town council, but they have corrected that mistake! They realized that they have to turn their attention to municipal matters too. And thus, earlier this year, they published a paper detailing their plans on running a town council. The SDP is not perfect, but if your constituency is not contested by WP, it’s your best bet if you want an opposition win.

    Why did I not list the SPP which has 1 NCMP as the second pick for opposition supporters? Last GE, we saw a nationwide 6.5% vote swing AWAY from the PAP. Thus, every constituency that was also contested by the opposition in 2006 saw a larger percentage of the votes gained by the opposition in 2011. All constituencies save for one – Potong Pasir. SPP instead saw their votes in Potong Pasir drop by 6%, leading to their narrow loss of a safe seat to the PAP’s Sitoh Yi Pin!

    This is largely due to the choice of SPP to field Lina Chiam who was intended to be Chiam See Tong’s successor. This is widely perceived to be the reason why SPP lost. Mrs Chiam was not eloquent enough at her rallies. Nor did she attack the PAP candidate sufficiently. Most importantly, she did not manage to convince the swing voters that she had a good chance of winning against the PAP candidate. That was why there were 242 spoiled votes. If just half these votes had gone to SPP, she would have won!

    I’m not against SPP but I’m just saying that SPP has to deal with these REAL perceptions if they intend to field Mrs Chiam in Potong Pasir again. A party only stands a decent chance if it can generate hype among its supporters. Supporters and swing voters have to be convinced that the party can win. Remember, Sitoh Yi Pin has been the incumbent MP for Potong Pasir for 4 years now and he has a huge advantage over Mrs Chiam. It is no longer 50-50 as was the case in 2011. Even other opposition parties like the DPP are doubting Mrs Chiam’s ability to win again. That is why these opportunists want to cause a multi-cornered fight in Potong Pasir.

    SPP can still win back Potong Pasir if they field someone younger, whose appeal to the voters is stronger. If they wish to revive Mr Chiam’s legacy while renewing SPP, then why not field Mr Chiam’s daughter? As Nicole Seah proved in the last GE, it is possible for a young, eloquent and inspiring female politician to generate sufficient hype to shift the vote towards her party, even against a strong incumbent from the ruling party.

    SPP has been gifted with the entry of strong opposition personalities like Ravi Philemon and Jeanette Chong-Aruldoss, who is poised to give the PAP a tough fight at Mountbatten SMC once again. So why not build on that to renew the party’s overall image? I hope SPP can see the bigger picture and try to attract back swing voters.

    All the other opposition parties are not main contenders. NSP received a lot of bad publicity after GE2011 because they went through a change of 5 secretary generals in such a short time and furthermore lost almost all their top candidates in the last GE to other political parties. Singfirst and PPP are new parties with no history and swing voters usually stick to established parties when they vote. RP and SDA have been discredited by their secretary generals losing their deposits in the Punggol by-election. These parties will be entering the upcoming GE with voters perceiving them to have a low chance of winning. They have a lot of hard work ahead of them. It will be an uphill task for them to win a seat in parliament.

    Harold

     

    Source: www.tremeritus.com

  • Analysts: Multi-Cornered Fights Unlikely

    Analysts: Multi-Cornered Fights Unlikely

    Although several opposition parties have staked their claims to the same constituencies, the political analysts TODAY spoke to said multi-cornered fights are likely to prevail only in constituencies the Workers’ Party (WP) does not gun for. Multi-cornered fights, they said, hold “grave consequences” for other opposition parties that do not have a branding as strong as the WP’s.

    Singapore Management University law don, associate professor Eugene Tan, said the WP is in a “healthy bargaining position”, and unlikely to concede the places it staked a claim to.

    “In a case where there is nothing much to differentiate between the two or more opposition parties, voters may not know where or on whom to pool their votes. And this is where we are likely to see votes being split,” he said.

    WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang on Sunday (Jul 26) announced his party’s intention to contest in Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson SMC — the former being a ward contested by the National Solidarity Party (NSP) in the 2011 polls and the latter, a part of it until electoral boundaries were redrawn last Friday.

    The NSP has called for a meeting this Friday among opposition parties to hammer out deals and avoid multi-way fights.

    MULTI-CORNERED FIGHTS MORE LIKELY IN WEST, CENTRAL PARTS

    With the WP’s plans to expand eastwards, Assoc Prof Tan and former Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong felt multi-cornered fights are more likely to happen in the western and central parts of Singapore. Said Mr Siew: “I think most other opposition parties will be hesitant to challenge the WP.”

    Added political analyst Derek da Cunha: “The other opposition parties have yet to concretely demonstrate that they are on the same level as the WP in terms of voter appeal.”

    The analysts also cited the Punggol East by-election in 2013 as an example of why opposition camps should avoid multi-cornered fights that involve the WP. Ms Lee Li Lian from the WP won the single seat with 54.52 per cent of votes, while the PAP’s Dr Koh Poh Koon garnered 43.73 per cent.

    The Reform Party’s Kenneth Jeyaretnam and Singapore Democratic Alliance’s Desmond Lim raked in 1.2 and 0.57 per cent, respectively, and both lost their election deposits.

    National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Tan Ern Ser said the prospect of multi-cornered fights means opposition parties have to work harder. “They would have to try hard to differentiate themselves from one another, such as with more well-thought-out criticism of the ruling party and better ideas, better programmes that resonate with voters. Maybe even better candidates.”

    NUS political science associate professor Bilveer Singh suggested that fighting in single-member constituencies would be “more economical” for opposition parties, especially “the new ones that have no ground record”.

    CROSSOVER OF CANDIDATES

    An issue that may muddy the parties’ claims to contest for various seats is the crossover of candidates between parties since the last GE.

    For instance, Ms Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, who contested for the Mountbatten seat in the last election as part of the NSP, has announced her intention to fight for the same seat again, now under the Singapore People’s Party umbrella. She left the NSP earlier this year.

    “Many a time, they move because of bad blood, unhappiness. So, that makes the ability to make concessions, to give and take, somewhat more challenging,” said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.

    “We do not know if the trust and confidence among the opposition parties is strong enough for them to come up with a deal, where everyone would feel they have not been shortchanged.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Hazel Poa Appointed Acting Sec-Gen Of The National Solidarity Party

    Hazel Poa Appointed Acting Sec-Gen Of The National Solidarity Party

    Ms Hazel Poa has been appointed as the Acting Secretary-General of the National Solidary Party (NSP), following a meeting by the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Thursday (Jun 25).

    In a statement on Friday, NSP President Sebastian Teo said the decision was made not to appoint a new Secretary General “in view of the need to focus on preparations for the next General Election”.

    “The CEC felt this would not be an appropriate time to call for a Party Congress to elect a new Secretary-General,” Mr Teo said.

    In the meantime, Ms Poa will carry out the duties of the Secretary General. She held the role from 2011 till September 2013 before resigning, citing health concerns.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • 4 Sec-Gens In Four Years, NSP’s Rudderless Leadership Raises Questions

    4 Sec-Gens In Four Years, NSP’s Rudderless Leadership Raises Questions

    If you are the secretary general (sec-gen) of the National Solidarity Party (NSP), chances are that you won’t last very long in the position.

    The latest casualty of what some say is the result of internal political bickering is its sec-gen, 53-year old lawyer, Tan Lam Siong.

    The NSP announced on Wednesday, 17 June, that Mr Tan has resigned as its sec-gen.

    He had only been in the job for less than five months.

    The NSP statement, posted on its Facebook page, said Mr Tan is stepping down so as to “focus more on his passion for social and community work, and charitable pursuits while remaining as a congress member.”

    nsp4When he was elected into the NSP as its sec-gen in January, Mr Tan reportedly told the Chinese press that he “was surprised to be elected”.

    However, he added: “Since I have taken up this heavy responsibility, I will give it my all.”

    This seems to have lasted less than half a year – which, in the wider context of the shelf lives of the other sec-gens, has raised questions of NSP’s internal structure and politics.

    In the last five years, besides the exodus of ordinary members, which include Ms Nicole Seah, the party has seen a turnover of several sec-gens.

    All of them had had stints of less than two years each:

    Law Sin Ling: Aug 2006 – Feb 2008 (18 months)

    Ken Sunn: 2008 – 2009 (less than one year)

    Goh Meng Seng: Feb 2010 – June 2011 (16 months)

    Hazel Poa: June 2011 to September 2013 (15 months)

    Jeannette Chong: Oct 2013 – Jan 2015 (15 months)

    Tan Lam Siong: 26 Jan 2015 – 17 June 2015 (less than 5 months)

    When each sec-gen stepped down, diplomatic reasons were given by the sec-gens themselves and the party.

    nsp1For example, when Mr Goh resigned from his position after the 2011 general election, where he led the party’s campaign with NSP fielding the most number of candidates among all the opposition parties, he said it was “to reflect on his future”.

    Mr Goh said he would be on a sabbatical for at least two years, and noted that it is “timely to take stock of my future directions”, Yahoo Singapore reported then.

    Mr Goh’s successor, Ms Poa, cited personal health considerations for her decision to step down.

    And Ms Chong-Aruldoss, who stepped down after losing a bid for the president’s post in an internal election earlier this year, told the press that “she and the others harboured no acrimony towards the NSP.”

    nsp2Several NSP council members had quit the party together with Ms Chong-Aruldoss who subsequently joined the fold of Mr Chiam See Tong’s Singapore People’s Party.

    As for Mr Tan, he has kept silent so far on the reasons for his resignation as sec-gen.

    [UPDATE: Mr Tan has since written on his blog: “If there is a single reason why I choose to finally step down after putting in so much time, energy and resources in such a relatively short time, I can only say it is due to incompatibility issues.“]

    So, what really is the reason for such a high turnover of leaders in such a short span of time?

    One reason, as mentioned above, is the internal politicking, especially when new members join it.

    This was what Mr Goh felt when he stepped down at the helm.

    Speaking to The Online Citizen (TOC), he said he had “predicted NSP may not be sustainable due to too much internal politicking and partly due to the fact that the new comers who are ambitious to take over the party.”

    nsp3While he said there was “nothing .. wrong being ambitious in politics”, he explained that integration must be done “properly” as this was “the key to successful leadership.”

    “Everyone is a volunteer [in] the party and a leader of a political party cannot hire or fire [as he wishes],” Mr Goh said. “Therefore integration to the party and understanding of each member is important.”

    A recent incident involving the status of the party newspaper might be indicative of disagreements in leadership style behind the NSP doors. (See here.)

    Another reason for the frequent changes of sec-gens could be the role of the president of the party, which is currently being held by 67-year old, Mr Sebastian Teo. He has been a stalwart of the party and has been president for some 6 terms, or 12 years. (The party holds its central executive council election every two years.)

    According to the NSP constitution, one of the powers of the president is the casting vote afforded to him.

    A casting vote is an extra vote given to someone to decide an issue when the votes on each side are equal.

    In other words, he has veto powers.

    “The public would assume that the sec-gen is the leader and where there are such frequent changes, the public may view the ‘ship’ as being directionless,” Mr Ravi Philemon, a former NSP member, told TOC.

    “From that perspective it is not in NSP’s interest to have such frequent changes,” he said.

    Mr Philemon questioned if the party stalwarts, who seem to wield much control in the party, are ready for progress or new ideas which might take the party forward.

    “If you observe, all these former party sec-gens are not party stalwarts, but people who had joined the party fairly recently before they were elected as sec-gens,” he said. “So one theory [for the high attrition rate of sec gens] could be that the newer recruits to the party have a different view of how the party should move forward, which could be in contrast to how party stalwarts feel on that topic. That could be one reason for the frequent changes.”

    It is also rumoured that the party elders, who are getting on with age, see the next elections as their last opportunity to even contest the GE, and are obstructing internal changes which might or would require them to make way for new blood.

    NSP President, Sebastian Teo
    NSP President, Sebastian Teo

    With the next elections less than 2 years away, it would be disconcerting to party members, and indeed its supporters too, that the party seems to be rudderless, as far as leadership renewal is concerned.

    The NSP, which was formed in 1987, has only managed to put one MP in Parliament in all those 28 years – and even then, it was only a non-constituency MP.

    But with the constant changes at the top, it looks like the party will continue to lack the stability to accomplish more than this.

    The prize of an elected MP seat in Parliament for the party is as elusive as ever, if not more so now.

    *The NSP will be appointing a new sec-gen in the next few weeks

     

     

    Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

  • National Solidarity Party’s Sec-Gen Steps Down

    National Solidarity Party’s Sec-Gen Steps Down

    National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general Tan Lam Siong has stepped down less than five months after being elected to the position at the opposition party’s biennial central executive committee election in January.

    An NSP statement on Wednesday night said that he stepped down “to focus more on his passion for social and community work, and charitable pursuits”.

    Mr Tan told The Straits Times that he remains a “congress member” – or cadre member – of the party, with voting powers. He did not elaborate on the reasons for his stepping down or say who would succeed him.

    The NSP’s statement, signed by party president Sebastian Teo, said that during his tenure as secretary-general, Mr Tan had been “energetic and resourceful, putting in place new initiatives and introducing new perspectives into the party”.

    “Whilst the party is sad to lose him as our secretary-general, we would like to thank him for his contributions during this period, and wish him all the best in his pursuits.”

    Mr Teo added in a comment to The Straits Times that the next secretary-general will be decided on at a party meeting scheduled for next week.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com