The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has revealed its candidates for the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, where they will go against Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his team for the upcoming 2025 General Election.
They are SDP’s organising secretary Jufri Salim, founder of alternative news site Wake Up Singapore Ariffin Sha, theatre director Alec Tok and former chief executive of Gulf Oil China Dr Gigene Wong.
SDP chief Chee Soon Juan introduced the candidates yesterday (April 14) after a walkabout at Marsiling Lane Market and Food Centre.
Mr Jufri has been a long-time member of the party; however, the remaining three candidates have been members of other opposition parties.
Mr Alec was a former candidate for Red Dot United (RDU), while Dr Gigene was a former candidate for the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) in the 2020 General Election.
Mr Ariffin, on the other hand, was the assistant secretary-general of the Singapore People’s Party before he reportedly resigned in 2020.
When asked if their candidacy would make residents question their loyalty or commitment as candidates, Dr Chee said: “The only thing I find relevant in this election is the loyalty to Singapore”.
He was also questioned about Ariffin’s criminal defamation charge last year, following the publication of a fabricated story about KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Dr Chee dismissed concerns, stating, “Going forward into this election, let’s not get to the situation [of] character assassination, personal demonisation. That’s not keeping with a mature, civilised election.”
SDP feels “very at home” at the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC
On contesting against PM Wong and his team in the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Dr Chee emphasised that the party will focus on pressing bread-and-butter issues like the rising cost of living and migration.
He said that these are concerns the SDP has been campaigning for since the 2020 General Election.
“Despite telling [the Government] of the difficulties Singaporeans are facing and not to proceed with the increase in GST, the government has seen it fit to increase GST in 2023 and 2024,” Dr Chee said.
[PM Wong] must clearly articulate a plan that will take Singapore and address the people’s foremost concern, and that’s the huge rising cost of living in Singapore.
SDP chief Chee Soon Juan
Dr Chee also added that the party “feels very at home here (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC)”, having contested in the constituency during the last two elections.
In both instances, they were defeated by the People’s Action Party (PAP), securing 31.27% of the vote in GE2015 and 36.82% in GE2020.
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Featured Image Credit: SDP Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC via Facebook
