While chances of the next general election taking place this year are appearing increasingly slim, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) nonetheless kicked off its campaign on Saturday, Feb. 23.

A group of six of the party's leadership, including Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan, Chairman Paul Tambyah and former chairperson/assistant treasurer Wong Souk Yee gave rally-like speeches at the Mandarin Orchard hotel to fire their own starting pistol.

Chee's speech, in particular, was presented in the style of an Apple launch event, his words peppered with slides, snippets of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaking and sound effects, with his words greeted by loud cheers.

Speaking to about 200 audience members, including media, members of the public and cheering party supporters, he said:

"We have a government that is disturbingly indifferent to our difficulties, to our aspirations. Our nation desperately needs change. Are you ready for change?"

Friends and mentors

Chee hit familiar beats during his speech, mentioning issues like ministerial salaries, rising cost of living, and the spike in elderly suicides.

But he also reached into the past to reminisce about a meeting he had with left-wing politician and trade union leader Lim Chin Siong.

According to Chee, Lim had told him "Don't give up" about a year before he died, and Chee said he took those words to heart.

Chee also paid tribute to other politicians he had previously worked with, like J. B. Jeyaretnam, Francis Seow and Tang Liang Hong, as well as learning from people like Lim Hock Siew and Poh Soo Kai.

However, notably absent was a mention of party founder Chiam See Tong.

Paul Tambyah: Lack of accountability "a feature of the PAP leadership"

Party chairman Paul Tambyah, who began the proceedings, decried the proposed increase in the "regressive" Goods and Services Tax from Budget 2018.

He also cited Donald Low's recent opinion piece for Today, on the "mystery" of missing wealth taxes on things like like capital gains and dividends, and said that "trickle-down economics" doesn't work in the Singaporean environment.

However, he also touched upon other trending topics. Said Tambyah:

"It's not just the relentless rise in the cost of living, though, which has riled Singaporeans. It's the series of leaks and tragedies that has happened over the last few months that have caused many of us to question, is the PAP really up to the task of leading Singapore in a complex and rapidly-changing world."

He mentioned and lauded the example of the SQ006 crash in Taiwan in 2000, where then-Singapore Airlines CEO Cheong Choon Kong flew to Taiwan to tackle issues on the ground within hours, and conceded that accidents and acts of malice could not be eradicated completely.

But he said he was concerned that "no one takes responsibility or ownership" of these "disasters", perhaps in the way Cheong did.

"They set up review committees, the rapid reactions to beef up safety and security as the case may be, but the blame always seems to fall on the low-ranked individuals, rather than on the system or culture which does not encourage critical thinking.

This lack of accountability however, is not a Singaporean characteristic. It is more a feature of the PAP leadership."

Campaign timeline

Singaporeans will get the opportunity to examine the SDP's policies in depth over the next few months.

Outlined by vice-chairman John Tan, highlights include:

• March 2019: Cost of living and housing policies
• May 2019: Healthcare and population policies
• July 2019: A summary party policy handbook, including policies on education, the Malay community, and ministerial salaries
• September 2019: A "pre-election" rally at Hong Lim Park
• October 2019: A plan of how the party would run a Town Council

Seeking donations, volunteers

The party says it is also stepping up its efforts to attract donations and recruit a targeted 300 to 500 volunteers.

In her speech, Wong drew inspiration from the Chinese community, who came together and donated their savings and labour to build Nanyang University.

"What the Nantah story tells us about Singaporeans is crystal clear," she said.

"While Singaporeans are notoriously known to be kiasu and kiasi, I think that's a little bit unfair. We are actually a very passionate people who have a strong sense of justice, a strong sense of fairness, that everybody deserves a fair goal."

Wong added that the SDP needed to build up its "war-chest" of a "few hundred thousand dollars" in order to compete with the PAP.

Future SDP member?

Also present at the event was former Singapore People's Party and Democratic Progressive Party leader Benjamin Pwee, who earlier this week indicated he was joining the SDP.

Pwee said he was not officially a member of the SDP yet, and it would be decided at the next CEC meeting of the SDP.

Speaking to Mothership, he said he would like to see more non-PAP MPs elected at the next round of parliamentary polls:

"I think I would love to see one-third of Parliament (be) alternative MPs, to both keep the PAP in check and to voice alternative views in the policy-making process."

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Top photo by Andrew Koay