The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is fielding 11 candidates in the upcoming elections, and is contesting in three SMCs and 2 GRCs.
Bukit Batok SMC
SDP Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan is contesting in the Bukit Batok SMC, facing off against People’s Action Party (PAP)’s Murali Pillai.
Dr Chee contested for the Bukit Batok seat in the 2016 by-election, also against Mr Pillai, and got 38.8% of the votes.
He entered politics in 1992 under Mr Chiam See Tong who was the then Secretary-General of SDP. He has previously contested in the Marine Parade GRC, Macpherson SMC, Jurong GRC, and the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
Bukit Panjang SMC
SDP Chairman Dr Paul Tambyah will be contesting in the Bukit Panjang SMC, against PAP’s Liang Eng Hua. Dr Tambyah was in the SDP team with Dr Chee, contesting the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in 2015, getting 33.4% of the votes.
Dr Tambyah is a professor of medicine at the National University of Singapore, and the President-Elect of the International Society of Infectious Diseases (ISID). He was initially set to contest in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, but was swapped to the Bukit Panjang SMC after Mr Tan Jee Say rejoined SDP.
Yuhua SMC
SDP’s candidate for the Yuhua SMC is political newcomer Mr Robin Low. He co-founded Relief 2.0, which aims to promote efficient disaster response and sustainable disaster recovery.
Mr Low has been seen on walkabouts in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and was expected to be a part of the team contesting in that ward, but was nominated for the Yuhua SMC.
Mr Low will be facing off against PAP’s Ms Grace Foo.
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
The four-member team contesting in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC for SDP comprises Mr Tan Jee Say, Dr James Gomez, Ms Min Cheong, and Mr Alfred Tan.
Mr Tan Jee Say applied to rejoin SDP on June 29, after dissolving his Singaporeans First (SingFirst) party on June 25. He has previously contested under SDP’s banner in the 2011 General Elections and faced off against PAP in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, getting 39.9% of the votes. This was SDP’s best showing in the 2011 elections.
Dr James Gomez is a political scientist with experience working with various organisations. He is currently the Regional Director of Asia Centre, a think-tank based in Thailand and Malaysia. He has also previously contested under the SDP banner, in the Sembawang GRC in the 2011 elections against the PAP, getting 36.1% of the votes.
Ms Min Cheong is a writer and marketing communication strategist, and is passionate about promoting workforce wellness and believes in open public discourse.
Mr Alfred Tan is a businessman and entrepreneur who launched the famous local cafe chain, Kopi Ong. He shared that he joined SDP as its values of building a nation that is prosperous, caring, just, and fair, resonated with him.
The team will be running against the PAP team which comprises Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Mr Edward Chia, Ms Sim Ann, and Mr Christopher de Souza.
Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC
The four member team for SDP contesting in the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC comprises Mr Bryan Lim Boon Heng, Mr Damanhuri Abas, Mr Benjamin Pwee, and Mr Khung Wai Yeen.
Mr Bryan Lim first contested under the SDP banner in 2001 for the Hong Kah GRC and is a member of the SDP Central Executive Committee (CEC).
Mr Damanhuri Abas stood in the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the 2015 general elections along with Mr Lim, with the team getting 31.3% of the votes against the PAP team.
Mr Khung Wai Yeen joined the SDP after reading its 2011 shadow budget. He stood against the PAP’s Mr Teo Ho Pin in the Bukit Panjang SMC in the 2015 elections, getting 31.6% of the votes.
Mr Benjamin Pwee is a business development strategist and has stood as a candidate for the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC in 2011 together with Singapore People’s Party (SPP) leader Chiam See Tong, and in 2015 under the SPP-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) team.
Mr Pwee had been conducting walkabouts in the Yuhua SMC, but was ultimately nominated in the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.
The team will be facing off against PAP’s Mr Lawrence Wong, Mr Zaqy Mohammad, Mr Alex Yam, and Ms Hany Soh.