Singapore Democratic Party

Singapore Democratic Party

In a surprise turn of events, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) announced that it will not contest in the by-election.

“We have decided to withdraw from the race,” said party chief Dr Chee Soon Juan during a media conference on Tuesday.

He said Singaporeans have feedbacked that they do not want to see a multi-party race, and the party is “heeding the people”.

"In politics, it's equally important to listen as it is to speak. We note the genuine concern that the PAP may get returned if there is a split in the opposition support between the SDP and WP. For this reason, we are stepping aside.”

Last Friday, Dr Chee proposed that the party run a joint campaign with the WP in the by-election. They would field a SDP candidate, and if elected, the SDP will enter Parliament and the WP will run the town Council. However, the WP rebuffed the proposal, saying its “focus continues to be fulfilling our promise to offer a choice to voters in Punggol East”.

The SDP was expected to field either National University Hospital Senior Consultant Paul Tambyah or party treasurer Vincent Wijeysingha as its candidate.