political parties In Singapore, political parties must be registered under the Societies Act. Most operate under a constitution similar to that of the People’s Action Party (PAP). One feature of these constitutions is a cadre system, which tends to ensure that an inner group will elect their chosen candidates onto the party’s central executive committee.

The first registered political party in Singapore was a branch of the China- based Kuomintang. It was registered in 1912 but banned by the British in 1914. Arguably, the first local political party in Malaya was the Kesatuan Melayu Singapura (KMS) (Singapore Malay Association), established in 1926 to express dissatisfaction with the plight of Singapore Malays. Leaders of the KMS were English- educated Malays such as Mohammed Eunos Abdullah, Tengku Kadir and Dr Abdul Samad. The party succeeded in attracting the attention of the British who helped improve the lot of Malays. It was the activism of KMS and other similar groups on the Malay Peninsula that led to the formation of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).

The first post- war political party was the Malayan Democratic Union, formed on 21 December 1945 and voluntarily dissolved in 1948. The most important party in the immediate post- war period was the Progressive Party, formed on 25 August 1947. Other important parties that emerged during this period included the Singapore Labour Party (1948), Labour Front (1954), PAP (1954), Workers’ Party (1957) and Barisan Sosialis (1961). The ‘golden era’ for multiparty politics in Singapore lasted from 1955 to 1961; voters were offered a staggering choice of candidates and political platforms during the 1955 and 1959 general elections. By 1961, the PAP had emerged as Singapore’s dominant political party.

The split within the PAP that led to the formation of the Barisan Sosialis marked the end of this era. The Barisan’s decision to abandon parliamentary politics and take the struggle to the streets in 1965 allowed the PAP to dominate Singapore’s political landscape from then on.

Since 1980, a number of new political parties have been formed. Among them are the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) (1980); the National Solidarity Party (1987); and the Singapore People’s Party (1994). Most of Singapore’s active political parties are essentially political vehicles for individual politicians. The SDP is dominated by Chee Soon Juan, the Singapore People’s Party by Chiam See Tong, and the National Solidarity Party by Tan Chee Kien and formerly Steve Chia. One notable exception is the Workers’ Party, which was founded in 1957 by David Marshall. In the 1970s, the Party was revived by lawyer J.B. Jeyaretnam, who became the first opposition politician to break the PAP’s hold on Singapore parliamentary politics when he won the Anson by- election (1981). Unlike many other parties, the Workers’ Party has succeeded in recruiting new blood and managing a successful transition in its top echelon. Although dominated by secretary- general Low Thia Kiang, it brought in prominent local activists such as James Gomez and Sylvia Lim, who took over chairmanship of the party in 2004.