Members of seven opposition political parties in Singapore are looking to a former People's Action Party member of parliament of 26 years to lead a coalition to contest the next general election in Singapore.

Ex-PAP MP Tan Cheng Bock could lead

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) announced that six other opposition parties attended a meeting hosted at the SDP headquarters on Saturday, July 28.

They discussed the possibility of forming a coalition with Tan, who is also a former presidential candidate, as leader.

The six other parties were: The People's Power Party (PPP), the Democratic Progressive Party, the Reform Party, the National Solidarity Party, the Singaporeans First Party, and the People's Voice Party, which is in the midst of being set up by former NSP chief Lim Tean

According to The Straits Times, former veteran opposition MP Chiam See Tong was invited to the meeting as a representative of the Singapore People's Party.

However, the Chiam's party did not send a representative.

No representative from the Workers' Party was present at the meeting.

What was said at the meeting

SDP chief Chee Soon Juan proposed that Tan lead the coalition, given his experience and leadership.

Those present reportedly did not object to this proposal.

Tan, 78, attended the meeting as an observer. He is not a member of any party. There was no indication if he was to join a political party to be the de facto leader, or if he is inclined to pick one from the pool.

He said: "If you want me to lead, then we must think of (the) country first. If we go in, we must go in as a team."

Tan, a PAP MP of 26 years, lost the 2011 Presidential Election by 7,382 votes or 0.35 percent.

The four-cornered presidential fight was won by Tony Tan.

According to Yahoo News Singapore, Tan’s spokesperson confirmed he was open to the idea of leading an opposition coalition.

No intention for SDP to spearhead efforts

Chee said in a media statement that the SDP has no intention to lead the coalition effort.

He said: "Rather, we see our role as a facilitator, of doing our part to contribute towards a common and greater good."

The motive of seeking out Tan was also questioned.

Asked if the move for a former PAP MP to lead was inspired by Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, who as a former prime minister led a coalition of opposition parties to secure a shock election victory in May, Lim, who is starting a new party, cited a global trend in politics for what happened.

"The Malaysian election is a continuation of the global trend of the last two years, which shows that people want change," Lim told ST. "I don't believe that phenomenon is confined only to the West or to Malaysia."

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However, the formation of the coalition has yet to be formalised. Chee stated that a joint resolution was proposed, but it was not yet signed on July 28.

There was no indication what the resolution consisted as well.

Top image from yoursdp.org