Opposition
Will the parties merge?
Unless they do so, its prospect of making it big in the next election will be limited but merger is easier said than done. By Seah Chiang Nee.
May 20, 2006

Within hours of the results of Election 2006 being announced, opposition leaders were already receiving a one-word advice that still reverberates today: Merger!

People who wish them well are telling them they should unite to contest all the Parliament seats in a one-to-one contest with The People's Action Party (PAP) in 2011.

What are the chances of this happening? Will there or won't there be a merger?

The strategy for the Workers Party (WP) and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) to pool together their weak, fragmented forces makes good sense from the national point of view. (The third, Singapore Democratic Party, needs first to stabilise its existence).

As separate entities, these two parties' resources - although buoyed in recent years - are still a pale shadow of what is needed to make a real dent on PAP's dominance in Parliament.

Their forces are scattered, their efforts duplicated and dispersed and their ability to attract and recruit quality members rather limited.

One of the earliest advocates of merger was Littlespeck.com reader, Mr. Thomas Pang, a 28-year-old sales executive, who told me in an e-mail that the idea of a 'One People's Party' struck him at 5 am on May 7 after he had digested the results.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) graduate said he was contacting www.littlespeck.com and www.yawningbread.org to suggest they write an article about the possibility.

He declared that he was not anti-PAP, but was pro-opposition 'for the good of the PAP', and the results had reflected Singaporeans' realisation that Parliament opposition was necessary to check the government.

"But if they don't work together one way or another and maximise their already thin resources, they can never hope to win more seats.

"This I am very, very sure about."

Thomas also said it would be better if the SDP could also join but felt that with Mr. Chee Soon Juan's 'radical, non-conformist approach', it might not work and may even be 'a very big liability to drag down the whole party.'

"Therefore I am wondering if it is possible for you to come up with an article for Singaporeans to read objectively," Thomas said.

"People want a credible party and people want a party just like PAP.. so that if they vote for them they don't have to worry!

"Such is the mindset that is so deeply ingrained into us. With this, my proposal for One People's Party (OPP) came naturally," Thomas said.

It was an idea, which has probably hit thousands of others, too, including the WP and SDA leaders.

So, okay Thomas, here's my view on your proposal (by the way, thank you for your encouragement.)

A merger will have an impact on history, heralding a two-party era in Singapore. It will convince people that opposition leaders are ready to put aside their personal differences and ambitions for the common good.

I am not trying to pour cold water on what is obviously a desirable target, but will list some of the obstacles that stand in the way.

Issues like who will be number one and who will play second fiddle are not easy to resolve. Besides, there are contrasting sets of objectives and priorities that may not be easy to reconcile. Personalities differ.

They deal with emotions, perceptions and even human pride.

They are, of course, not impossible to resolve; it makes it a tough act to accomplish. Otherwise, it would already have been tried.

Some political observers I talked to have made the following suggestions: -

1. Any serious discussion should centre around the Workers Party, (which celebrates its 50th birthday next year) with its long history and larger membership base, as the dominant partner, under its name (maybe calling it "New Workers Party"). SDA, by comparison, is a relatively new creation with only one very prominent leader.

2. Mr. Chiam See Tong, who is the oldest opposition MP (1984), could be made the chairman of the new combined party. He is very popular among Singaporeans, young and old. Mr. Low Thia Khiang may find it acceptable to be deputy chairman out of deference to him. Because of his age, it can't be many more five-year terms for Mr. Chiam to serve.

3. The SDA is an alliance of four parties so balancing the feelings and office portfolios could be a lot harder. Each of these separate entities has its own calculations that have to be taken into account.

4. SDA also has a small Malay component partner, the Singapore Malay Organisation (PKMS) - the former UMNO (Singapore branch) when Singapore was in Malaysia. But as Singaporean Malays moved away from ethnic-based or KL-connected politics, PKMS lost much of its support base to the PAP. If the differences could be worked out with WP, its small infrastructure could provide a base for the opposition to rally middle class Malays.

5. Five years may be a long time in today's politics. Much could change both for the People's Action Party (it has powerful resources to improve its performance) as well as for the opposition. I foresee a greater political awareness among Singapore's new graduates, especially those who return from studies abroad - including those on government scholarships.

The PAP will recruit a large number of them, but I believe an increasing number will join the opposition parties - once they have served out their bonds.

This could be a major factor in future politics in Singapore.

By Seah Chiang Nee