NSP BREAKAWAY: THE WAY FORWARD

About time – after the persistent bouts of rumours milling around, the National Solidarity Party strikes out on its own, and leaving the Singapore Democratic Alliance whittling down to three component parties: the Singapore People’s Party, led by stalwart Chiam See Tong, the Singapore Malay National Organization (Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura, or PKMS) and the Singapore Justice Party.

As much as the split was presented amicably (with laudable praises being heaped upon Chiam) to preempt the state media from playing up the line of intra-opposition disunity, the undertones – and issues of contention – revealed a different picture. The grapevine has thrown up that the NSP was pushing for a full merger of the four party, instead of the current formal alliance, which Chiam was against due to the dominance that NSP would garner from the new arrangement. Also, the refrains that Chiam was ‘lethargic’ when it comes to leadership succession and renewal cannot be ignored, as the discontent spreads far and wide – the other (and former) SDA point-man, Steve Chia, did express his concern about the dire straits of renewal before taking his leave from politics post-election.

Nevertheless, detractors are up against the wantaway NSP, pointing to its relative anonymity and lack of strong public personalities to anchor the party – although its quite hard to believe how staying within the SDA would have allowed them to develop its own individual reputation and prominent figures. While a number of people can recognize Steve Chia’s affiliation to SDA, whether the same number can identify that he was the former secretary-general of NSP is moot.

Keeping in mind that the coalition structure not only restricted the NSP’s ability to bolster its own identity, but prevented them from playing a substantive role in the SDA itself (in lieu of the veto that Chiam apparently wields by virtue of SPP’s status as the leading party in the alliance), their request to amalgate into a single party was fair. The merger would have allowed them to acquire full ownership of the SDA on par with the other parties so they could proactively lead in the formative development of the new party, instead of being left in the quandary of punching in the shadows of an alliance which they have little say in despite being relatively dominant.

The merger will undeniably come at the expense of Chiam’s power in SDA – and may potentially leave him at the mercy of an NSP-dominated CEC that, as an internet forummer phrased it, “holds his parliamentary seat hostage” – an unenviable throwback to his old days when his Potong Pasir seat did not compel the loyalty of the SDP CEC during the Chee Soon Juan’s hunger strike debacle, leading to an ignominous resignation from his post as secretary-general. That episode, the ramifications of which are still obvious today in Chiam’s reported reluctance to invest trust in new recruits, must have been etched clearly in his mind as he refused the merger proposal.

Hence, it only makes sense for the NSP to defect from the SDA – since the latter does not provide much opportunity for the NSP to flourish and grow. For the chairman of SPP to state that “it will be much harder for NSP to succeed on its own” is pretty tenuous, since its becoming increasingly clear that SDA needs NSP more rather than otherwise: beyond the SPP, the alliance now comprises of two real non-entities in the SJP and PKMS, whose notable feature has been their dormancy with periods of abberration during elections (and who wouldn’t hazard a candid guess that the PKMS is meant to supply the token Malay candidate in GRCs, other than having its Changi Road building serve as a meeting place.)

For all the talk of the NSP being without any credible public personality, the SDA will suffer the same fate once Mr Chiam leaves the scene: the SDA is without any viable successor post-Chiam, and the lack of urgency in grooming one is troubling – at the very least, the NSP breaking away suggests its intention to prime its own recognizable figures. This however does not render quitting the alliance a viable move in itself; the NSP needs to be judicious and sufficiently exploit the opportunity presented by the breakaway. For all the bluster, if the NSP does not aggressively develop and promulgate its identity, platform and leaders, the possibility of being marginalized and sinking away from the mainstream as warned becomes very real.

Hence, whether the NSP could regard this defection as a truly momentous occasion lies in how it capitalizes on the latitude that is provided after the shackles of intra-coalition politics is removed, although it will be interesting to find any distinguishing and profound difference in policy principles relative to the Worker’s Party and SDA, since all the centrist parties in Singapore seem to muddle along with the issue of the day (along with the standard of being a check to the government), with the notable exception of the SDP with their obsessive advocacy of human rights and the ilk. Goes without saying, if the NSP broke away to pursue a much radical and left-socialist outlook to rival SDP (minus the angst maybe), that would liven up the political scene – and garner them the attention to leave a very indelible impression upon the public. Unlikely though.

While the result of this flurry (and whether the NSP was correct to quit) will reveal itself in the not-so-distant future, Chiam and SDA faces a far greater challenge – renewal and staying relevant to avoid fading into the very same obscurity that it is warning the NSP of. Chiam is 71, and even the most ardent supporter must concede that serving for two more terms till he’s 81 is already stretching things – he should quit while being in his prime, not serving till the last moment possible (and that goes for a Minister Mentor as well) for the simple reason that his experience and age will become imposing to and crowd away the younger generation (which again, goes for a Minister Mentor too.) It is not about disregarding his former contributions, but rather allowing a new generation of political opposition leaders to rise to his mantle and develop a new legacy – Chiam already has his, and it should only be fair for him to relinquish the duty to someone much younger. Although this does not make it necessary for him to instanteneously fade away from politics, for he could still serve as an elder opposition figure dispensing regular dosages of counsel and advice.

Hence, if the loss of NSP does not compel more urgency in him to pursue renewal aggressively – not only in terms of leadership, but party-wide since neither the SDA nor SPP is known for attracting the P65 generation, the SDA’s star is about to lose its shine. At present circumstances, it probably make sense for the SPP to acquire the SJP and PKMS, although its improbable that the PKMS would forsake its illustrious pre-independence history (since that’s all it has to mention about.) The dissolution of SDA as an alliance make sense since it is hard to discern any obvious advantage of having a formal alliance with two lightweight parties – informal cooperation will probably deliver the same results, if not better.

The political scene will inevitably mature with due time, although the underlying looming issue will be the course of future development: between coalition consolidation into a mega-entity to challenge the PAP monolith, or small but numerous credible alternatives with slight differences in political orientation and possessing specific geographical enclaves as present: WP in the north-east region, SDA taking the south-east, SDP in the west while the NSP possibly taking up the northern constituencies. The former plays to the romantic notion of a united opposition front that captivates the psyche of every Singaporean who views intra-opposition disputes with disdain, and probably present the most viable strategy to dislodge the PAP from power. However, the primary objective of most opposition parties essentially remains to serve as a check in Parliament – even the Workers’ Party, arguably the most prominent, does not have its sights yet to claim Parliament. Therefore, it would seem more prudent to allow relatively small parties to develop since most parties do not have adequate resources to commit to a parliamentary takeover, much less the experience of running a town council. Instanteneous consolidation into an opposition alliance may seem to be enticing with its sheer promise at first impression, but the SDA experience points out the possible shortcomings of component party feudings. Consolidation through natural progression – yielded either by acquisitions or full integrations between parties as they seek to expand and grow – would prove to be more substantive than the relatively flimsy party alliances.

To challenge the PAP for control of Parliament, it is undoubtedly necessary to require a huge party with an elaborate machinery of grassroots network. However, consolidating all parties into an SDA-esque alliance to provide the deceptive impression of size will not work; for a true party to develop enough clout to rival the PAP, time is needed – with all the nitty-gritty groundwork of establishing grassroots presence. This would render it more worthwhile to allow the smallish parties to grow and prosper on their own accord, and allow contemporary political realities to cajole and nudge the consolidation process – rather than having a grand alliance that reeks of superficiality and is fundamentally weak beyond grandiose pronouncements.

NSP leaves Chiam’s 4-party alliance, The Straits Times
Jan 19, 2007

A LEADING opposition party in the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) headed by Mr Chiam See Tong is quitting the group.

The National Solidarity Party (NSP) is leaving the four-party grouping because it wants ‘more space to develop’, said its president Sebastian Teo.

He insisted it was not Mr Chiam’s leadership that drove the party away.

‘The point is that we have to stand on our own feet,” Mr Teo told reporters after a three-hour meeting with 11 of his party leaders.

In a statement released after the meeting, the party said the majority had voted for an ‘amicable parting’ from the six-year-old alliance, which was formed in 2001 for opposition parties to contest the general election as a united force.

Mr Chiam, who is chairman of the SDA and MP for Potong Pasir, could not be reached for comment.

Besides the NSP, the SDA is made up of Mr Chiam’s Singapore People’s Party (SPP), Singapore Justice Party (SJP) and Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS). At the last General Election, the NSP, formed in 1987, fielded 12 out of the 20 SDA candidates.

Yesterday, the NSP statement also dismissed talk that its departure was prompted by Mr Chiam’s poor leadership and ‘lethargy in the development of the opposition’.

It was fulsome in its praise of Mr Chiam, calling him a tireless statesman who moulded the alliance into a respectable political force, and an exemplary beacon for the institution of democracy in Singapore.

‘The NSP has the utmost respect for the chairman of SDA,’ it added.

The statement also said that by being on its own, the party will have more room to ‘manoeuvre, re-engineer and rebuild’ for growth.

It said that it was less efficient to be in the alliance, noting that ‘a big grouping like the SDA, which comprises members with different priorities, can produce complexities in coordination.”

However, it declared that it will continue to work with the SDA in future activities.

Talks of a split was discussed officially by SDA leaders on Tuesday.

Mr Sin Kek Tong, chairman of SPP, said leaders of all the four parties were present.

‘We all tried to convince them (NSP) to stay on, but they were quite firm about parting ways,’ he said.

‘I believe it will be much harder for NSP to succeed on its own,” he added, noting that it lacked a brand name or a recognisable leader.

But that had not deterred SPP member Elvin Ong from defecting to the NSP. Mr Ong contested in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in the May 6 General Election last year.

NSP is also not without its problems. One of its council members, Mr Martin Lee, quit late last year to join the Workers’ Party.

NSP, in its statement, said it intends to contest in every electoral ward in future elections ‘to offer voters credible alternatives to the incumbent PAP’.

When asked whether the party is concerned that it is now weaker without Mr Chiam, Mr Teo said: ‘Are you saying you need an MP to produce another MP? The point is we have to stand on our own feet.”

sueann@sph.com.sg
kenkwek@sph.com.sg

Press Release – Re-positioning of the NSP
Thu, Jan 18, 2007

A vote was conducted on the 18th January 2007 at the National Solidarity Party (NSP) party office to appraise the inclination of the party insofar as our continual membership in the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) is concerned.

This voting exercise constituted an important part of the continuous half-yearly internal periodic review of our party. The review process serves to improve our operational performance, strengthen the collective party resolve on crucial issues, and to focus the party on achieving its common goals.

After an open-minded and objective process, the majority had opted for the position of an amicable parting from the SDA.

The party took the view that the autonomy will harmonise our party’s aspiration to grow with our quest to explore new possibilities through wider latitude to manoeuvre, re-engineer, and rebuild the NSP.

The respect for collectiveness within a big grouping like the SDA which comprises members with different priorities can produce complexities in coordination, leading to less than optimal operational efficiency. We hence seek to re-prioritise our position, from one of integral teamwork by virtue of the status of component member of SDA, to one of external strategic partnership with the SDA by collaborating on future activities.

Contrary to the popular misguided speculation on Mr Chiam’s poor leadership and lethargy in the development of the Opposition, we would like to emphasise that the tireless statesman has performed a commendable feat of cementing the alliance over the years into a respectable political force which saw it underwent 2 successive General Elections with ever improving percentage of public support.

Mr Chiam is also widely acknowledged as one of the most successful Opposition figures in Singapore, deserving inarguably a place in the history of our nation. The public accolades heaped upon Mr Chiam are a testimonial to his merited symbol as an exemplary beacon for the institution of Democracy in Singapore.

The NSP has the utmost respect for the Chairman of SDA.

Moving forward, the NSP will strive to contribute significantly to the overall objective of the Opposition to contest in every electoral ward, so as to offer voters credible alternatives to the incumbent PAP.

We welcome the inclusion of anyone with moral standing and sincere passion for advancing the social, economic, and political demands of a maturing nation.

Despite the cordial parting, the NSP is confident of future joint engagements with both SDA and Mr Chiam. We will continue to strengthen the bedrock of mutual trust and understanding between the Opposition parties so as to build a true society for all.

Central Executive Council
National Solidarity Party
(emphasis theirs)

~ by burningrepublicstate on January 19, 2007.