WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PARTY

• Formed in 1980 by veteran opposition icon Chiam See Tong

• Mr Chiam, running under the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) banner, won the Potong Pasir seat in the 1984, 1988 and 1991 General Elections (GEs). SDP won three seats in the 1991 GE, becoming the leading opposition party at the time

• Current secretary-general Chee Soon Juan joined SDP in 1992

• Dr Chee became party chief in 1993, after Mr Chiam left the party following internal disagreements

• SDP unveiled its manifesto for the coming polls in September 2019 and launched its “4Y1N” campaign in April, which stands for "Four Yes, One No". It refers to the party’s proposals to say “yes” to retrenchment benefits, an income for retirees, putting people first and suspending the Goods and Services Tax, while saying “no” to a population of 10 million in Singapore.

NEW CANDIDATES UNVEILED SO FAR

Benjamin Pwee, 52

Mr Pwee is a business development strategist and consultant for multinational corporations, charities and governments. A former civil servant, he had held various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs.

This is the first time Mr Pwee will be contesting under the SDP banner. In GE2011, he ran under the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) and then in GE2015 as secretary-general of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The plight of senior citizens in Singapore motivated him to enter politics because he felt that they needed to have better support in the later stage of their lives.

“I believe in serving all our SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) to help them grow and develop their businesses into the world and creating jobs and income for all Singaporeans.” 

Min Cheong, 34

Ms Cheong is a marketing and communications professional, with experience working with multinational corporations, startups and non-profit organisations.

She is passionate about reforming the way people live and work, as part of an overall approach called “workforce wellness”. This includes matters ranging from socio-economic sustainability to personal wellbeing.

“As a firm believer in open public discourse, it’s my hope that we will nurture a real appetite and aptitude for critical thinking and meaningful debate, empathy, as well as an unwavering desire to fight the good fight for people who need support, alongside causes worth championing,” she said.

Robin Low, 44

Mr Low is an entrepreneur who also co-founded Relief 2.0, a non-governmental organisation that promotes efficient disaster response and sustainable disaster recovery.

He joined SDP in March 2019, crossing over from DPP along with Mr Pwee. He had previously volunteered for other political parties, including the Workers’ Party and SPP.

“I enjoy working with communities on solutions, because I believe that communities hold solutions for the problems we face.” 

Alfred Tan, 54

Mr Tan is the director of Kopi Ong, a food-and-beverage chain. He also has worked in international banking and corporate finance.

His mother inspired him to serve in the committees and boards of various non-profit organisations. While growing up, he noticed that she would actively visit church members in hospitals and homes, and said that she has continued to do so till this day.

Mr Tan started volunteering with the party in 2015 as he believed in the freedom of expression and responsible citizenship.

“I believe in a democratic society where in Parliament, the views of the citizens are represented, where laws are debated and established by the people and for the people, and where the Government is held accountable for the decisions it had made.” 

WHERE IT’S EXPECTED TO CONTEST

• Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC)

• Bukit Panjang SMC

• Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC)

• Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC

• Yuhua SMC

RESULTS IN GE2015

• Lost in Bukit Batok SMC, getting 26.4 per cent of the vote

• Lost in Bukit Panjang SMC with 31.62 per cent of the vote

• Lost in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC with 33.38 per cent of the vote

• Lost in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC with 31.27 per cent of the vote

• Lost in Yuhua SMC with 26.46 per cent of the vote

RESULTS IN 2016 BUKIT BATOK BY-ELECTION

• Lost in Bukit Batok SMC, getting 38.8 per cent of the vote