Singapore deregisters 14 inactive political parties, including Barisan Sosialis

SINGAPORE – Fourteen inactive political parties in Singapore have been deregistered, after they did not meet their obligations under the Republic’s foreign interference laws.

These parties, whose cessation was published in a notice in the Government Gazette on Dec 4, include Barisan Sosialis – once Singapore’s largest opposition party – and United People’s Party, which was founded by former PAP leader Ong Eng Guan in 1961 following his expulsion from the PAP.

Following this deregistration, Singapore now has 20 registered political parties, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which the Registry of Societies comes under, told The Straits Times in response to queries.

In August, the registrar sought proof via a notice in the Government Gazette of the existence of the 14 inactive parties as they had not complied with the

Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (Fica)

.

Under the law, all political parties here are categorised as defined politically significant persons, and have to meet annual requirements related to donations, volunteers, leadership and affiliations.

For instance, they have to report single donations of $10,000 or more, and are not allowed to receive donations from foreigners. Individuals also need to disclose whether they have been granted migration benefits, such as honorary citizenship or permanent residency, by foreign governments.

MHA told ST then that the 14 political parties

had not complied with their reporting obligations

, possibly because they have ceased to exist, and that the Registry of Foreign and Political Disclosures, another unit under it, had been unable to contact them.

The Registry of Societies therefore began the cessation process under the Societies Act, publishing a notification in the Gazette calling on the parties to furnish proof of their existence within three months.

On Dec 4, MHA told ST that in the three months, none of the 14 political parties had furnished proof of their existence.

The parties are Alliance Party Singapura; Barisan Sosialis; National Party of Singapore; Partai Rakyat, Singapore State Division; Parti Kesatuan Ra’ayat (United Democratic Party); The People’s Front; The People’s Liberal Democratic Party; People’s Republican Party; Persatuan Melayu Singapura; Singapore Chinese Party; Singapore Indian Congress; United National Front; United People’s Front; United People’s Party.

A number of these political parties had ties to pre-independence Singapore, and most were active in the 1950s and 1960s.

For instance, Alliance Party Singapura was a federation of the Singapore People’s Alliance – led by former chief minister Lim Yew Hock – the Singapore branch of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC).

It contested only the 1963 general election that was held five days after Singapore merged with Malaya, and lost all seven seats that its constituent parties had previously held.

The party’s poor performance contributed to deteriorating relations between Singapore and the federal government, which culminated in the Separation in 1965.

The Singapore Chinese Party and Singapore Indian Congress were Singapore branches of the MCA and MIC respectively.

The People’s Front, or Barisan Rakyat, was a breakaway faction of Barisan Sosialis which contested the 1972 general election. By the following election, most of its members had joined the Workers’ Party.