SINGAPORE - While the Workers' Party created history by winning two group representation constituencies (GRC) and new entrant Progress Singapore Party (PSP) scored 40.9 per cent of valid votes in the 24 seats it fought for, many of the smaller parties also did better than expected in Friday's (July 10) general election.
A total of 10 opposition parties had contested, the most in any general election since independence.
Of the smaller parties that contested 10 or fewer seats, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) made the biggest improvement on the 2015 election, upping their percentage of valid votes in wards contested from 25.27 per cent to 33.15 per cent.
Capitalising on the PAP's deployment of Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat to East Coast GRC, the NSP made inroads at his former Tampines GRC as it increased its vote share to 33.59 per cent from 27.9 per cent. Similarly at Sembawang GRC, the NSP improved from 27.7 per cent to 32.71 per cent.
The Reform Party (RP) also improved its performance in the two constituencies it contested. It claimed 28.09 per cent of the vote share for Ang Mo Kio GRC, up from 21.4 per cent, and more than doubled its vote share in Radin Mas SMC, from 12.7 per cent to 25.97 per cent.
Overall, RP received 27.8 per cent of valid votes in the wards contested, up from 20.6 per cent in 2015. Addressing voters, RP chief Kenneth Jeyaratnam said: "Of course, we are up against the Prime Minister, so there's a reason why no other party wants to fight Ang Mo Kio, but we've proven that RP is a party of substance... We are very pleased with the response, we are going to build on this."
At Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, Singapore People's Party (SPP) leader Mr Steve Chia was encouraged by his four-man team garnering 32.74 per cent of the vote share, up from 26.4 per cent in 2015. With 39.31 per cent of the vote share at Potong Pasir SMC, SPP's Mr Jose Raymond also improved on Mrs Lina Chiam's 33.6 per cent five years ago.
When asked if he would return to contest for the same GRC in the next election, Mr Chia said: "I will be here definitely. We will definitely re-strategise and do our best to prepare for the next one.
"It takes great courage and conviction to believe that somebody new will be able to do the job and do it better than the PAP."
Not all opposition parties improved on their 2015 performance though.
The Singapore Democratic Alliance, led by Mr Desmond Lim, saw its vote share at Pasir Ris-Punggol dip from 27.1 per cent to 23.67 per cent, but that was thanks to Peoples Voice (PV) also being in the fray, making it a three-cornered fight.
People's Power Party chief Goh Meng Seng moved to MacPherson SMC but could not prevent PAP's Ms Tin Pei Ling from extending her winning vote share by 6.2 per cent to 71.74 per cent.
The 50-year-old said it had been difficult to engage the ward's elderly population, since many told him they don't use Facebook, and social media was his main campaigning platform in light of Covid-19 restrictions.
While he had earlier said this would be his last election, Mr Goh added he would work to expand his party and hoped to form an alliance with other opposition parties.
Meanwhile, it was a mixed bag for the debuting parties. PV, fronted by Mr Lim Tean, contested in three constituencies and managed to trim the PAP's winning vote share at the Jalan Besar GRC from 67.7 per cent to 65.37 per cent.
However, the PAP's Mr Lim Biow Chuan handily beat PV's Mr Sivakumaran Chellappa by 73.84 per cent, increasing his vote share at Mountbatten SMC by 2 per cent.
PV was also involved in the only three-cornered fight for a GRC, at Pasir-Ris Punggol, only to see its slate of Mr Jireh Lim, Mr Gilbert Goh, Mr Nassir Ismail, Mr Prabu Ramachandran and Ms Vigneswari V. Ramachandran lose their $13,500 election deposit for missing the 12.5 per cent mark by 0.32 per cent.
Red Dot United (RDU) faced tough odds at PAP stronghold Jurong GRC anchored by Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Nevertheless, the RDU's five-man slate led by Mr Ravi Philemon cut PAP's vote share from 79.3 per cent to 74.62 per cent.
Business consultant Mr Cheang Peng Wah, this election's only independent candidate, also lost his election deposit, as he picked up only 2.78 per cent of the vote share at Pioneer SMC, where PAP's Mr Patrick Tay won with 61.98 per cent of the votes and PSP's Mr Lim Cher Hong received the remaining 35.24 per cent.
