The 2020 general election was a much closer contest than many had foreseen.
11 parties ran for office- two of whom were contesting in their first general election – and all 93 seats in parliament were contested for only the second time since independence.
The biggest story of the election was the Worker’s Party’s (WP) upset victory in Sengkang GRC, where they beat out a People’s Action Party (PAP) team which included three political office holders.
That, along with its successful retention of Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC, accorded them 10 seats in parliament, the highest number for an opposition in the nation’s history.
But they won’t be the only opposition party in parliament.
The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) was offered two Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP) seats after its good showing in West Coast GRC where they received 48.31% of the vote.
Two of its members accepted the offer, and will soon be in parliament trying their best to stay awake.
But who exactly are the PSP and what are their aims? Well, grab a bubble tea, put your feet up, and let Goody Feed feed you some tasty information, one fact at a time.
1. It Was Founded in 2019
Take one look at PSP’s secretary-general and you might think that PSP has been around since the 1980s.
But the party was founded just last year on 28 March by former PAP MP Dr Tan Cheng Bock.
One of the reasons Dr Tan and his team formed the party was because they believed the PAP had “lost its way”, and wanted to hold the ruling party accountable.
2. It Has Several Ex-PAP Cadres
Besides Dr Tan, PSP has three ex-PAP cadres (a party worker or official).
This includes:
- 68-year-old Wang Swee Chuan, who has extensive grassroots experience in West Coast GRC
- 81-year-old G K Singam, formerly a technician at the Republic of Singapore Air Force
- 72-year-old Wong Chow Seng, a retired technician and grassroots volunteer
Both Wang and Wong have worked under Dr Tan when he was in the PAP.
3. PM Lee’s Brother is One of its Members
A few days before nomination day, PSP revealed that the Prime Minister’s estranged brother, Lee Hsien Yang, had joined the party.
Many were ready to grab the biggest bag of popcorn they could find to watch some good old sibling rivalry in parliament, but they had to put away their popcorn in the end, sadly.
On Nomination Day, Lee Hsien Yang explained in a Facebook post that he wouldn’t be running for political office because he believes “Singapore does not need another Lee”.
Lee said that entering politics would have been the most natural thing to do, being the son of Singapore’s first Prime Minister.
“But political leadership in Singapore needs to be much more than about one family or one man. The empirical evidence shows that dynastic politics causes bad government.”
4. Its Secretary-general Has Served as a PAP MP for Over Two Decades
PSP’s chief Dr Tan is one of the few opposition party members to have served as an MP for the ruling party.
Dr Tan had served as PAP MP for the now-defunct Ayer Rajah SMC from 1980 to 2006, a total of 26 years.
After receiving 83% of the vote in his first election, Tan earned an average of 77% in subsequent elections and was one of the best-performing candidates in Singapore. In his last election with the PAP – GE2001 – he won 88% of the votes in his constituency.
5. He Also Nearly Became President
In addition to being an MP for over two decades, Dr Tan also stood in the 2011 presidential election against Tony Tan, Tan Jee Say, and Tan Kin Lian.
The PSP chief won the second-highest number of votes – 34.85% – and lost marginally by 0.35% to the winner Tony Tan.
You can’t get much closer than that.
6. One of its Members Was the First Person Ever to get POFMA-ed
If you weren’t familiar with the Protection From Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), the fiery election campaign for GE2020 certainly would have changed that.
But back in November of last year, POFMA was still very much a new baby bird that hadn’t taken flight yet.
That is until PSP member Brad Bowyer made a Facebook post that the Minister for Finance disagreed with.
Bowyer’s post allegedly implied that the Government was involved in individual investment decisions of GIC and Temasek, something they labelled “false statements of fact”.
PSP has called for a review of the fake news law, saying it falls short of the party’s values of transparency, accountability, and independence.
7. It Launched its Manifesto on 29 June 2020, With the Slogan “You Deserve Better”
11 days before nomination day, PSP launched its manifesto with the slogan “You Deserve Better”.
Its manifesto advocated:
- Prioritising Singaporeans for jobs
- Stronger support for local SMEs
- Creating a stronger social safety net
- More effective use of national budget surpluses and Net Investment Returns Contribution funds
- A review of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act
- More affordable housing
- Freedom of speech
8. GE2020 Was Its First-Ever Election
PSP is Singapore’s second youngest political party, with Red Dot United being the youngest.
As it was for Red Dot United and People’s Voice, this was PSP’s first time contesting in a general election.
Hazel Poa, the party’s vice-chairman, is the only PSP member besides Dr Tan that had election experience, having contested Chua Chu Kang GRC in 2011 with the National Solidarity Party (NSP).
9. It Contested In Nine Constituencies and Nearly Won One
Despite it being the party’s first general election, PSP fielded 24 candidates to contest in nine constituencies, even more than the Worker’s Party who sent 21 candidates.
And it put up some pretty respectable numbers as well.
According to TODAYonline, PSP’s average result for the constituencies that it had contested was just over 40%, with its best performances in Marymount SMC – 44.96% – and West Coast GRC – 48.31%.
10. Two PSP Members Will Take Up NCMP Seats
In case you don’t know, since 1984, the ‘best losers’ of general elections are offered Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP) seats.
As the name indicates, these politicians will not be part of any constituency but will be able to debate and bring up issues in parliament like other MPs.
NCMPs will also have the same voting rights as MPs in parliament, due to amendments made to the scheme in 2016.
Before GE2020, Dr Tan said he would decline the NCMP seat even if he were offered one, because he believed it was a “ploy” to encourage voters to opt for the ruling party, since there would already be seats reserved for opposition candidates.
However, due to PSP’s good showing in West Coast GRC, the party was offered two NCMP seats, which they accepted.
Hazel Poa and Leong Mun Wai, who were part of the five-member team in West Coast GRC, will take up the two seats, saying it was an opportunity to bring their voices into Parliament.
“We will demonstrate to the Singaporean voters that a strong alternative voice is very good for the country”, Leong said.
Even without Low Thia Khiang, parliamentary sessions in the next five years promise to be a little more interesting, with 12 opposition politicians taking the ruling party to task.
You can read more about PSP’s objectives and proposals here.
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