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The Star
11-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Singapore govt asks inactive political parties including Barisan Sosialis for proof of existence
The Barisan Sosialis headquarters in Victoria Street, which was raided by the Singapore Special Branch during Operation Coldstore in 1963. - ST/ANN SINGAPORE: A total of 14 dormant political parties, including Barisan Sosialis - once Singapore's largest opposition party - have been asked for proof of their existence by the authorities. In a notice published in the Government Gazette on Aug 7, assistant registrar of societies Ravinder Kaur asked for the information, 'having reason to believe that the ceased to exist'. The political parties have three months to furnish proof of their continued existence, failing which the Registrar can then publish another notice in the gazette to declare them as defunct under the Societies Act. Barisan Sosialis, registered in August 1961, was formed by thirteen former PAP assemblymen following their expulsion for abstaining from a Legislative Assembly vote on the confidence of the government. Several of its members, including party leader Lim Chin Siong, were among the more than 100 people arrested in Operation Coldstore - a security swoop against leftists and pro-communists on Feb 2, 1963. At the 1963 general election, the Barisan won 13 of the 46 seats it contested. Following Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965, its MPs boycotted Parliament as they deemed the Republic's independence as 'phoney'. The Barisan returned to fight the 1972 general election, but failed to win any seats. It was last represented at an election in 1984, and merged with the Workers' Party in 1988. Among the other parties called upon to provide proof of their existence was the United People's Party (UPP), founded by former PAP leader Ong Eng Guan in July 1961 following his expulsion from the PAP. As with the Barisan, the UPP fielded 46 candidates in the 1963 general election. It won one seat - Hong Lim, where Ong was the incumbent. He left politics in 1965. The only party on the list registered post 2000s was the People's Liberal Democratic Party. The party was registered by former independent candidate Ooi Boon Ewe on May 2, 2006, but the application to set up the party was approved too late for him to run in the election held that year. Dormant political parties here have been revived in the past. At the 2015 general election, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) - which had been inactive for over a decade - formed a joint team with the Singapore People's Party to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. The PAP won with 73.59 per cent of the vote. The other political parties mentioned in the gazette notice were: Alliance Party Singapura, National Party of Singapore, Partai Rakyat, Singapore State Division, Parti Kesatuan Ra'ayat (United Democratic Party), People's Front, People's Republican Party, Persatuan Melayu Singapura, Singapore Chinese Party, Singapore Indian Congress, United National Front and United People's Front. The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Home Affairs, which the Registry of Societies comes under, for more information about the Gazette notice, such as the criteria used to judge if a society is defunct. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
11-08-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
S'pore Govt asks inactive political parties including Barisan Sosialis for proof of existence
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Barisan Sosialis, registered in August 1961, was formed by thirteen former PAP assemblymen following their expulsion. SINGAPORE - A total of 14 dormant political parties, including Barisan Sosialis - once Singapore's largest opposition party - have been asked for proof of their existence by the authorities. In a notice published in the Government Gazette on Aug 7, assistant registrar of societies Ravinder Kaur asked for the information, 'having reason to believe that the ceased to exist'. The political parties have three months to furnish proof of their continued existence, failing which the Registrar can then publish another notice in the gazette to declare them as defunct under the Societies Act. Barisan Sosialis, registered in August 1961, was formed by thirteen former PAP assemblymen following their expulsion for abstaining from a Legislative Assembly vote on the confidence of the government. Several of its members, including party leader Lim Chin Siong, were among the more than 100 people arrested in Operation Coldstore - a security swoop against leftists and pro-communists on Feb 2, 1963. At the 1963 general election, the Barisan won 13 of the 46 seats it contested. Following Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965, its MPs boycotted Parliament as they deemed the Republic's independence as 'phoney'. The Barisan returned to fight the 1972 general election, but failed to win any seats. It was last represented at an election in 1984, and merged with the Workers' Party in 1988. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers Business Singtel, StarHub shares fall after announcement of Keppel's M1 sale Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Singapore 79 arrested, over 3kg of heroin seized in 5-day drug blitz Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Asia Tourist spots in South Korea face complaints over rude service, price gouging during peak season Singapore Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650 million in healthcare costs by 2050: Study Among the other parties called upon to provide proof of their existence was the United People's Party (UPP), founded by former PAP leader Ong Eng Guan in July 1961 following his expulsion from the PAP . As with the Barisan, the UPP fielded 46 candidates in the 1963 general election. It won one seat - Hong Lim, where Mr Ong was the incumbent. He left politics in 1965. The only party on the list registered post 2000s was the People's Liberal Democratic Party. The party was registered by former independent candidate Ooi Boon Ewe on May 2, 2006, but the application to set up the party was approved too late for him to run in the election held that year. Dormant political parties here have been revived in the past. At the 2015 general election, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) - which had been inactive for over a decade - formed a joint team with the Singapore People's Party to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. The PAP won with 73.59 per cent of the vote. The other political parties mentioned in the gazette notice were: Alliance Party Singapura, National Party of Singapore, Partai Rakyat, Singapore State Division, Parti Kesatuan Ra'ayat (United Democratic Party), People's Front, People's Republican Party Persatuan Melayu Singapura, Singapore Chinese Party, Singapore Indian Congress, United National Front and United People's Front. The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Home Affairs, which the Registry of Societies comes under, for more information about the Gazette notice, such as the criteria used to judge if a society is defunct.
Business Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Times
GE2025: SDP's Paul Tambyah calls on Chan Chun Sing to reassure voters they can vote ‘without fear of retribution'
[SINGAPORE] Education Minister Chan Chun Sing should step forward to reassure Singaporeans that they can 'vote freely without fear of retribution', Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Paul Tambyah said on Tuesday (Apr 29). 'I would call on Mr Chan Chun Sing… to make a strong statement reassuring Singaporeans they can vote freely without fear of retribution, no matter whether they work in the civil service, the military, the police or any other government organisation,' said Dr Tambyah at an election rally. In addition to his education portfolio, Chan also serves as Minister-in-charge of the Public Service. Dr Tambyah cited a Straits Times article published on Monday, in which a 21-year-old law student – who attended an SDP rally the day before – declined to reveal her name after her father, an employee at a government-linked corporation, advised against it. Such fears could be 'generational', Dr Tambyah said in his 12-minute address, noting that the student's father 'may have grown up in the era of Operation Coldstore or Operation Spectrum, when the 3 am knock on the door was a reality for critics of the PAP'. 'It is disturbing that today, many young people still share the same fear,' he added. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Dr Tambyah was speaking at a lunchtime rally at UOB Plaza's promenade, an event traditionally known as the Fullerton rally. He was the seventh of eight SDP speakers, with party chief Chee Soon Juan delivering the final speech. In his 23-minute speech, Dr Chee criticised several incidents that occurred under the government's watch. Said Dr Chee: 'I'm going to list out a list of PAP scandals and screw-ups only because our PAP ministers keep running the propaganda that they are exceptional, and that they don't need an opposition to hold them accountable.' He cited Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong's handling of former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin affairs; the use of TraceTogether data for police investigations; the Ridout Road controversy; and the six-day MRT breakdown on the East West Line, as some examples. 'My message is not that the PAP (or) this government is 100 per cent bad or that it's 100 per cent good,' Dr Chee said. 'What I want to get across to you, is that the PAP is most certainly not the exceptional party that it says that it is. And if you're not exceptional, then be humble.' Tuesday's event was the second lunchtime rally of this year's General Election (GE), following the People's Action Party's (PAP) rally at the same venue on Monday. The SDP is the only opposition party to have held a lunchtime rally since 1997, when the Workers' Party last did so; the last time the SDP held such a rally in the Central Business District was during GE2015. Dr Tambyah is contesting Bukit Panjang SMC, where he faces a rematch against the PAP's Liang Eng Hwa, who narrowly defeated him five years ago with 53.73 per cent of the vote – the closest margin among all the single-ward contests that year. Fear tactics At the rally, other SDP candidates spoke about the ruling party's 'fear tactics', urging voters not to let 'fear guide (their) decisions'. 'As we turn into the final days of the campaign, you will hear the PAP turn up the fear rhetoric,' said James Gomez, a candidate for Sembawang GRC. 'When you vote for a stronger opposition, you are not hurting Singapore – you are only threatening the PAP's desire for total control,' he added. First-time candidate Ariffin Sha, standing in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, also urged voters to reject what he described as the 'policy of fear'. 'Do not let the PAP's fear tactics sway you in any way,' he said. 'You are not shortchanging yourself by voting for an SDP MP in Parliament – the government's programmes will still go on your estate.' Other speakers at Tuesday's lunchtime rally included Jufri Salim, contesting Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, as well as Alfred Tan, Damanhuri Abas, and Bryan Lim, who are all part of the Sembawang GRC slate.
