Opposition parties against holding polls during pandemic

Opposition parties criticised the timing of the release of the new electoral boundaries yesterday and called on the Government not to hold a general election during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Party leaders said the release of the report by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee was a sign a general election was imminent, but that an election during an outbreak goes against all the precautionary measures rolled out to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

"The SDP calls on the PAP (People's Action Party) to refrain from such an irresponsible act," the Singapore Democratic Party said in an article on its website.

It said that all state resources should be focused on dealing with the spread of the coronavirus, with the situation possibly worsening considerably in the coming weeks and months, adding that the ruling PAP should not "capitalise on the crisis" and jeopardise public health.

Similarly, a spokesman for Dr Tan Cheng Bock's Progress Singapore Party (PSP) said that while the party is ready for an election at any time, it is "of the view that we should concentrate on fighting the Covid-19 for now", since there is still over a year to go before reaching the constitutional time limit for the general election. The general election must be held by April next year.

Yesterday, eight of the 11 opposition parties, including the Singapore People's Party (SPP), the Singaporeans First party (SingFirst), the National Solidarity Party, the Peoples Voice party, the People's Power Party (PPP) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), called for the general election to be put off until the outbreak starts to taper off.

But even as they called for the election to be delayed, party chiefs also made clear that they were ramping up preparations for polls. Several party chiefs said they have called emergency meetings this weekend to study the new electoral map, while others have started setting their sights on particular constituencies.

SPP chairman Jose Raymond told The Straits Times he is looking forward to contesting in Potong Pasir SMC - where party founder Chiam See Tong was MP for over two decades. ST understands the party's central executive committee will be meeting this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Singapore Democratic Alliance chairman Desmond Lim told ST: "We will still contest in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC."

The party contested there in the past three elections.

Mr Lim added that it might also contest in a new single-member constituency or group representation constituency.

Peoples Voice chief Lim Tean said his new party is eyeing contests in at least six constituencies, including Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.

The Reform Party has declared its intention to contest in the three constituencies it ran in the last election - Ang Mo Kio GRC, West Coast GRC and Radin Mas SMC. Chairman Andy Zhu told ST the party wants to "pick up where we left off".

SingFirst chief Tan Jee Say said that member parties of the proposed opposition alliance will likely stick with the constituencies they previously contested, though they are "studying" their options.

He said SingFirst and the three other parties - PPP, Reform Party and DPP - will be meeting "in the next few days" to discuss the report and their plans moving forward.

PPP secretary-general Goh Meng Seng also said the decision of where to contest will be made as an alliance, and not as individual parties.

"Nothing is firmed up. We have our base constituencies, but it is not non-negotiable," he said.