NSP leaves Chiam's 4-party alliance

ST Jan 19, 2007

A LEADING opposition party in the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) headed by Mr Chiam See Tong is quitting the group.

The National Solidarity Party (NSP) is leaving the four-party grouping because it wants 'more space to develop', said its president Sebastian Teo.

He insisted it was not Mr Chiam's leadership that drove the party away.

'The point is that we have to stand on our own feet,'' Mr Teo told reporters after a three-hour meeting with 11 of his party leaders.

In a statement released after the meeting, the party said the majority had voted for an 'amicable parting' from the six-year-old alliance, which was formed in 2001 for opposition parties to contest the general election as a united force.

Mr Chiam, who is chairman of the SDA and MP for Potong Pasir, could not be reached for comment.

Besides the NSP, the SDA is made up of Mr Chiam's Singapore People's Party (SPP), Singapore Justice Party (SJP) and Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS). At the last General Election, the NSP, formed in 1987, fielded 12 out of the 20 SDA candidates.

Yesterday, the NSP statement also dismissed talk that its departure was prompted by Mr Chiam's poor leadership and 'lethargy in the development of the opposition'.

It was fulsome in its praise of Mr Chiam, calling him a tireless statesman who moulded the alliance into a respectable political force, and an exemplary beacon for the institution of democracy in Singapore.

'The NSP has the utmost respect for the chairman of SDA,' it added.

The statement also said that by being on its own, the party will have more room to 'manoeuvre, re-engineer and rebuild' for growth.

It said that it was less efficient to be in the alliance, noting that 'a big grouping like the SDA, which comprises members with different priorities, can produce complexities in coordination.''

However, it declared that it will continue to work with the SDA in future activities.

Talks of a split was discussed officially by SDA leaders on Tuesday.

Mr Sin Kek Tong, chairman of SPP, said leaders of all the four parties were present.

'We all tried to convince them (NSP) to stay on, but they were quite firm about parting ways,' he said.

'I believe it will be much harder for NSP to succeed on its own,'' he added, noting that it lacked a brand name or a recognisable leader.

But that had not deterred SPP member Elvin Ong from defecting to the NSP. Mr Ong contested in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in the May 6 General Election last year.

NSP is also not without its problems. One of its council members, Mr Martin Lee, quit late last year to join the Workers' Party.

NSP, in its statement, said it intends to contest in every electoral ward in future elections 'to offer voters credible alternatives to the incumbent PAP'.

When asked whether the party is concerned that it is now weaker without Mr Chiam, Mr Teo said: 'Are you saying you need an MP to produce another MP? The point is we have to stand on our own feet.''