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AsiaOne
08-07-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform; 2 parties remain, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — The Reform Party (RP) will withdraw from the People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), leaving the opposition group with two of its four founding members. The People's Power Party (PPP) did the same in February ahead of the general election on May 3, while the Peoples Voice (PV) and Democratic Progressive Party remain. RP secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam announced his party's resignation, which takes effect at the end of July, in a post on the party's Facebook page on Monday (July 7). "We thank Lim Tean for his leadership and wish him and the other remaining parties in PAR all the best in the future," he said, referring to Mr Lim, secretary-general of PV and the PAR. Mr Jeyaretnam was the chairman of the alliance. Mr Lim told The Straits Times that the alliance, which will retain its current name, will continue into the next election "much bigger and stronger". Many new members and volunteers have joined since the polls, and the party's principles and message resonate with many, he added. The party intends to "greatly increase" its numbers in the coming years. "We wish the Reform Party well in their future endeavours and thank them for having been part of the alliance," said Mr Lim. The alliance's formation was announced in June 2023 with hopes of "opposition unity" and reducing three-cornered fights. But in February 2025, the PPP led by Mr Goh Meng Seng withdrew from the alliance, citing "irreconcilable strategic differences". Mr Lim said then that the remaining alliance members did not agree with the PPP's insistence on contesting Tampines GRC in a four-cornered fight, and also disagreed with the party's position on the Covid-19 vaccine. The PAR eventually fielded 13 candidates in six constituencies: Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar GRCs and Potong Pasir, Queenstown, Radin Mas and Yio Chu Kang SMCs. Both Potong Pasir and Radin Mas saw three-cornered fights in which PAR candidates lost their deposits. The alliance received 19.1 per cent of the votes across the six constituencies. The bulk of the candidates fielded were from PV, a party founded by Mr Lim in 2018. RP had one candidate in Queenstown — Mr Mahaboob Batcha. PV contested 10 seats at the 2020 General Election. The PAR held a meeting for volunteers and supporters on July 6, according to Mr Lim's Facebook page. He said the party was "quietly rebuilding" and had learnt from the recent election. After the session, which involved a number of PAR candidates from the 2025 election, Mr Lim said in a post that the alliance had come up with a plan which would be put into effect immediately. "A plan is of no use to a political party unless it is able to win elections. We are confident our plan will work and you will see its implementation in the coming years," he said. The Straits Times has contacted RP for comment. [[nid:719881]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform, two parties remain
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Reform Party's resignation from the People's Alliance for Reform takes effect at the end of July. SINGAPORE – The Reform Party will withdraw from the People's Alliance for Reform, leaving the opposition group with two of its four founding members. The People's Power Party did the same in February ahead of the general election on May 3, while the Peoples Voice and Democratic Progressive Party remain. RP secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam announced his party's resignation, which takes effect at the end of July, in a post on the party's Facebook page on July 7. 'We thank Lim Tean for his leadership and wish him and the other remaining parties in PAR all the best in the future,' he said, referring to Mr Lim, secretary-general of Peoples Voice and the PAR. Mr Jeyaretnam was the chairman of the alliance. Mr Lim told The Straits Times that the alliance, which will retain its current name, will continue into the next election 'much bigger and stronger'. Many new members and volunteers have joined since the polls, and the party's principles and message resonate with many, he added. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Singapore's second mufti Shaikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Business OCBC sets loan target of $5b and covers more territories in boost for serial entrepreneurs Singapore Shell heist: Second mastermind gets more than 25 years' jail for siphoning $100m of fuel Asia 72-year-old man on diving trip to Pulau Tioman in Malaysia found dead on the beach The party intends to 'greatly increase' its numbers in the coming years. 'We wish the Reform Party well in their future endeavours and thank them for having been part of the Alliance,' said Mr Lim. The alliance's formation was announced in June 2023 with hopes of 'opposition unity' and reducing three-cornered fights. But in February 2025, the People's Power Party led by Mr Goh Meng Seng withdrew from the alliance, citing 'irreconcilable strategic differences'. Mr Lim said then that the remaining alliance members did not agree with the PPP's insistence on contesting Tampines GRC in a four-cornered fight, and also disagreed with the PPP's position on the Covid-19 vaccine . The PAR eventually fielded 13 candidates in six constituencies: Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar GRCs and Potong Pasir, Queenstown, Radin Mas and Yio Chu Kang SMCs. Both Potong Pasir and Radin Mas saw three-cornered fights in which PAR candidates lost their deposits. The alliance received 19.1 per cent of the votes across the six constituencies. The bulk of the candidates fielded were from the Peoples Voice, a party founded by Mr Lim in 2018. RP had one candidate in Queenstown – Mr Mahaboob Batcha. PV contested 10 seats in the 2020 general election. The PAR held a meeting for volunteers and supporters on July 6, according to Mr Lim's Facebook page. He said the party was 'quietly rebuilding' and had learnt from the recent election. After the session, which involved a number of PAR candidates from the 2025 election, Mr Lim said in a post that the alliance had come up with a plan which would be put into effect immediately. 'A plan is of no use to a political party unless it is able to win elections. We are confident our plan will work and you will see its implementation in the coming years,' he said. The Straits Times has contacted RP for comment.
