[Editor’s note, Oct. 29, 12:10am: An earlier version of this article inaccurately referred to the "The Coalition" as "People's Alliance". The article has been corrected.]
"The Coalition" has emerged in preparation of the upcoming General Election (GE).
It is a "non-formal partnership" between four opposition parties — National Solidarity Party (NSP), Red Dot United (RDU), Singapore People’s Party (SPP) and Singapore United Party (SUP).
To seal the deal, the four parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Oct. 28, 2023 afternoon, where they are resolved to avoid three-cornered fights, form a joint manifesto, and appeal to voters more, amongst others.
The Coalition said it hopes to contest in between eight and 10 constituencies.
Non-formal partnership
SPP secretary-general Steve Chia said during the MOU signing ceremony that the parties thought about a coalition after the 2020 GE, The Straits Times (ST) reported.
However, The Coalition is not prepared to have a formal agreement and register a new party at this current juncture, Chia said.
"That’s why we came up with this non-formal memorandum of understanding where we want to work together with the objective towards the election and beyond."
NSP vice-president Mohamad Ridzwan Mohammad said The Coalition is still open to dialogue and discussion, when he was asked if other opposition parties such as Workers’ Party (WP), Progress Singapore Party, and Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) have been approached to join.
RDU chief Ravi Philemon echoed Ridzwan and said The Coalition is not opposed to working together with other parties and added that the parties have always talked to "friends from the opposition fraternity".
One coalition, four parties
Philemon said that the non-formal partnership allows the four respective parties to retain their individual identities and branding as they are all serving different constituencies, ST reported.
At the same time, the parties will aim to build more recognisable brands and identities in specific constituencies through the coalition, according to RDU's Oct. 28 website post.
Chia said The Coalition did not have one dominant party or leader, but RDU would perform the secretariat role for administrative purposes.
SUP secretary-general Andy Zhu said to ST: "Respect is one of the guiding principles we have in mind. From here, we set aside diversity and have decided to come together... Teamwork is important and therefore with our coalition, we can be very productive."
The Coalition is also resolved to "speak with a unified voice" and manage its resources, which may include training polling and counting agents.
Give Singaporeans reasonable and credible opposition, reduce PAP's two-thirds majority in Parliament
The coalition aims to provide Singaporeans with a credible and reasonable opposition, ensure checks and balances, and "deny" the ruling party People's Action Party two-thirds majority.
"This strategic goal is driven by our commitment to safeguarding the interests of Singaporeans.
A two-thirds majority could potentially enable the ruling party to change the Constitution and make or amend rules that may disadvantage Singaporeans."
This is a goal that has been previously mentioned by WP's Secretary General, Pritam Singh.
That said, the coalition's primary focus is not to displace PAP, according to Red Dot United's Oct. 28 website post.
"We recognise that at this stage of our democratic development, most voters seek effective checks and balances rather than a complete change in government.
Singaporeans are looking for reasonable and credible opposition candidates to give their votes to, and this is precisely what the coalition aims to provide."
Gearing up for next GE
Philemon explained that the parties are announcing the coalition now as they have to be prepared for the next GE, which he said is nearer than the previous GE.
"I think there can be no better time than now to announce this coalition to say that we are prepared to face the contest," he said to ST.
The next GE must be called by November 2025.
ST also reported that the coalition's manifesto will likely focus on everyday issues such as inflation, cost of living and income, but will only be released after the election is called.
Top image from Red Dot United/Facebook