Singapore opposition politician Chee Soon Juan launches party manifesto as election chatter grows

The 39-year-old Singapore Democratic Party is aiming for a comeback after spending the last two decades out of Parliament, which is dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently formed a panel to review electoral boundaries, a traditional indication that a vote is imminent

Reading Time:4 minutes

Published: 8:15am, 29 Sep 2019Updated: 3:18pm, 24 Jun 2020

As talk of an impending general election heats up in Singapore, the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) launched its manifesto on Saturday, with its party chief insisting that unless the city state became more free and open, it would lag behind in fostering the creativity and innovation needed to drive progress.

“Previously, people would say, ‘democracy, that is a Western liberal ideal’. We’re beginning to find out that without democracy, without openness, without the ability to dissent, question, challenge authority, you cannot become a creative and innovative society,” Chee Soon Juan told his supporters.

“That is why you do not find the J.K Rowlings, you do not find the Steve Jobs, the Bill Gates coming from North Korea,” said the former academic, who has a PhD in neuropsychology.

The 39-year-old SDP is aiming for a comeback after spending the last two decades out of parliament.

In August, it announced it would battle the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in the same five constituencies as in the 2015 polls and has since been walking the ground there to promote its ideas to residents.