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The Workers' Party

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"The potent combination of school branding, streaming and extreme meritocracy has generated what I feel is an unhealthy level of stress. Many parents feel the overriding purpose for their children’s education is to score well in examinations. This has led to a flourishing private tuition market. The well-resourced are able to tuition their children to better results. This is leading to lower social mobility in our society."






What does it take to educate our children?
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Recent moves by the Ministry of Education to reduce competition MOE had just announced that with immediate effect, it will stop the practice of announcing the top-scoring students at all nat...




 

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MOE should just set the syllabus, school principal to carry out their policies, just let the teachers teach and let the children learn and enjoy their schooling.
 

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[h=1]Workers' Party of Singapore [/h] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Workers' Party of Singapore
<small class="nickname">新加坡工人党
Parti Pekerja Singapura</small>

LeaderLow Thia Khiang
ChairmanSylvia Lim
Founded1957
Headquarters216-G Syed Alwi Road
#02-03
Singapore 207799
Youth wingWorkers Party Youth Wing
Membershipunknown
IdeologyModerate
Political positionCenter
ColoursBlue
Parliament
6 / 87

Website
wp.sg

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</tbody>
The Workers' Party of Singapore (simplified Chinese: 新加坡工人党; traditional Chinese: 新加坡工人黨, often referred to simply as "The Workers' Party" or "WP") is a major centre-left opposition political party in Singapore. The party currently has six elected seats in Parliament, with the party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, Chairman Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh serving as Members of Parliament (MPs) for the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC), and Png Eng Huat as the MP for the single-member constituency of Hougang.
The Workers' Party was founded by Singapore's former Chief Minister, David Marshall, in 1957.
In 1981, the party's then-leader J.B. Jeyaretnam became the first opposition MP to be elected to Parliament since Singapore's independence in 1965, when he defeated the candidate of the governing People's Action Party (PAP) at a by-election in the constituency of Anson. He was re-elected at the 1984 general election, but subsequently lost his seat in Parliament in 1986 following a conviction for falsely accounting the party's funds (a conviction Jeyaretnam has always maintained was politically motivated). Since the 1991 general election, the party has held parliamentary seat of Hougang. Low Thia Khiang was elected as MP for Hougang in 1991 and re-elected at the 1997, 2001 and 2006 general elections. Low moved to Aljunied GRC for the 2011 general election where he led the first team from an opposition party to win a GRC, while Yaw Shin Leong also held the Hougang seat for the party. Yaw was expelled from the party in February 2012 for a lack of accountability (after it was discovered that he had had an extra-marital affair with another party member). This triggering a by-election in Hougang, which was won by the Workers' Party's candidate, Png Eng Huat.
A number of Workers' Party members have also served as Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs). Lee Siew Choh served as an NCMP from 1988 to 1991. Jeyaretnam returned to Parliament as an NCMP from 1997 to 2001, and Sylvia Lim has served as an NCMP from 2006 to 2011. Two members of the party currently serve as NCMPs – Gerald Giam and Yee Jenn Jong.
In recent years, The Workers' Party's candidates have worn a uniform of light blue shirts while campaigning to represent the party's links with the blue collar workers.
 

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[h=2]History[/h]
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[h=3]Founding[/h] In 1956, Singapore's first Chief Minister, David Marshall, resigned following to the failed Merdeka Talks that had sought self-governance for Singapore.[SUP][1][/SUP] Initially he remained a backbencher in the Legislative Assembly for the Labour Front (the largest party in the assembly at the time), but he left the party in 1957 and founded the Worker's Party of Singapore. Marshall lost his seat in the assembly at the 1959 general election (in which the PAP became the majority party and the Worker's Party did not win any seats), but he returned in 1961 when he won a by-election in the constituency of Anson. The Worker's Party also won four seats in the 1957 City Council elections. However elected member Chang Yuen Tong resigned later that year, and in 1963 Marshall left the party. After that, the party did not enjoy any electoral success until the 1980s.
[h=3]1965–1986[/h] Singapore became independent in 1965, and at the first post-independence general election in 1968, the PAP won all 58 of the seats in Parliament after the main opposition party at the time, the Barisan Sosialis, boycotted the elections. The PAP maintained this 100% electoral record at the 1972, 1976 and 1980 general elections and all intervening by-elections up to 1981.
Having become a small and fairly insignificant party by the late-1960s, the Worker's Party was revived by a group of lawyers in 1971, led by J.B. Jeyaretnam, who became the party's Secretary-General.
In 1981, the Worker's Party became the first opposition party to win a seat in Parliament in post-independence Singapore when Jeyaretnam won a by-election in Anson. He defeated the PAP's Pang Kim Hin by 7,012 votes (51.9%) to 6,359 (47.1%), with a third candidate taking 131 votes (1.0%). He was re-elected as the constituency's MP at the 1984 general election, in which he defeated the PAP's Ng Pock Too by 9,909 votes (56.8%) to 7,533 (43.2%).
However two months after his re-election, Jeyaretnam was charged with falsely accounting the party's funds. In 1986, Senior District Judge Michael Khoo found him innocent of all charges but one. However the prosecution appealed, and the Chief Justice ordered a retrial in a different district court. At the retrial, Jeyaretnam was found guilty on all charges. The judge sentenced him to three months' imprisonment (later commuted to one month) and fined him S$5,000, as a result of which he was disqualified from serving in Parliament and standing for elections for a period of five years, and was also disbarred as a lawyer. Jeyaretnam was not able to appeal his conviction to the Privy Council, but he exercised his right to appeal the disbarment, and the Privy Council reversed the decision on his disbarment and, when they issued their judgement, severely criticised his conviction by the Singapore court. However the convictions and Jeyaretnam's disqualification from Parliament remained (and the following year, the Singapore government placed further restrictions on Singaporeans' right to appeal to the Privy Council). Though he was no longer in Parliament, Jeyaretnam continued to be The Workers' Party's Secretary-General.
[h=3]1987–1990[/h] In 1987, some Worker's Party members were among a group of 22 people arrested by Singapore's Internal Security Department, accused of being Marxists. They were released on condition that they kept out of politics.
Prior to the 1988 general elections, the Barisan Sosialis and the Singapore United Front were absorbed into Workers' Party.
At the 1988 general election, The Workers' Party did not win any constituencies, but came very close to winning the Eunos Group Representation Constituency (which was then a three-member constituency). The party's team of Francis Seow, Lee Siew Choh and Mohd Khalit bin Mohd Baboo won 49.1% of the votes to the PAP team's 50.9%. Only one opposition MP was returned to Parliament (Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Party). This meant that the Worker's Party was eligible to nominate two members of its team from Eunos to become Non-constituency MPs, as they had the highest percentage of the vote secured by losing opposition candidates at the election. The party had refused to nominate NCMPs in the past, but this time they nominated Seow and Lee to become NCMPs. However Seow (a former head of the Bar Society who had become a thorn in the government's side and had briefly been detained under the Internal Security Act prior to the general election) was subsequently accused of espionage and fled to the United States before he could take up an NCMP seat. Lee Siew Choh (a former leader of the Barisan Sosialis) became Singapore's first NCMP, serving until the 1991 general election. In Parliament, he took up several issues, including the Internal Security Act, living costs and welfare.
Jeyaretnam was sued slander by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew for comments he made at a Workers' Party election rally in 1988. Jeyaretnam lost the case and was ordered to pay Lee damages of S$260,000 plus costs.
[h=3]1991–1996[/h] At the 1991 general election, Low Thia Khiang, who was then The Workers' Party's Assistant Secretary-General, was elected as the MP for Hougang. He defeated the PAP's Tang Guan Seng by 10,621 votes (52.8%) to 9,487 (47.2%).
The party also polled strongly in Eunos GRC again, losing to the PAP's team by 47.6% of the votes to 52.4%. During the election campaign, one of The Workers' Party's candidates in Eunos, Jufrie Mahmood, drew particular fire from the PAP and Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who accused him of being a Malay chauvinist, an accusation Jufrie strongly denied.
No NCMP seats were offered to any of the opposition parties following the election as the opposition won a combined total of four seats (Low of The Workers' Party plus three MPs from Singapore Democratic Party).
Low captured national attention for his performances in Parliament, receiving praise for his assertiveness, good analytical ability and his willingness to be constructive rather than oppose for the sake of opposing.
A by-election in the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency in 1992 was expected to mark the return of Jeyaretnam to electoral politics after his Parliamentary ban had expired. But one of Workers' Party's candidates backed out at the last minute and failed to turn up on nomination day, preventing the party from registering its team for the election.
In 1996, Jeyaretnam was sued for an article he wrote in an issue of The Workers' Party's newspaper, The Hammer, in which he called the PAP's Indian leaders a bunch of stooges. He was ordered to pay damages of S$465,000 and S$250,000 in court costs.
Lee Siew Choh left The Workers' Party in 1996, citing differences with Jeyaretnam.
[h=3]1997–2000[/h] Low was re-elected as Hougang MP at the 1997 general election.
The party also performed strongly in the Cheng San Group Representation Constituency, where Jeyaretnam was one of the party's candidates. The party lost to the PAP's team in the constituency by 45.2% of the votes to 54.8%.
Besides Low, only one other opposition MP was elected (Chiam See Tong, who had left the Singapore Democratic Party to join the Singapore People's Party). As The Workers' Party's team in Cheng San had polled better than any other opposition losing candidates, they were invited to select an NCMP. Jeyaretnam therefore returned to Parliament as an NCMP.
During the election campaign, another of the Worker's Party's candidates in Cheng San, lawyer Tang Liang Hong, drew particular attention from the PAP, who accused him of being an anti-Christian and anti-Muslim Chinese chauvinist. Tang, who insisted all he was trying to do was to "better represent the Chinese community and ask questions on their behalf", vigorously denied this charge and accused the PAP of trying to win votes by sowing fear into the electorate. He also attacked the PAP on the issue of the Hotel Properties Ltd case (which started when the Stock Exchange of Singapore criticised Hotel Properties Ltd for its "tardiness" in disclosing details of sales of its condominium units to directors and their family members).[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP] Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who had purchased one of the units, claimed that Tang was trying to milk this issue for political capital and sued him for defamation. Tang was also sued for branding the PAP leadership as a bunch of liars. He was eventually sued by the whole PAP leadership for a total of S$13.6 million, and fled to Australia soon after the election.
[h=3]2001–2005[/h] In 2001, Jeyaretnam lost his NCMP seat when he was declared bankrupt after failing to keep up with payments for damages owed from a libel suit brought by Goh Chok Tong and other PAP leaders following comments he had made at an election rally in 1997 (for which he had been ordered to pay S$100,000 plus S$20,000 in court costs).
Low Thia Khiang became the Worker's Party's Secretary-General in 2001 following the resignation of Jeyaretnam. The transfer of party leadership took place in bitter acrimony as Jeyaretnam later accused Low of not doing enough to help him pay the damages from the libel suit. In response, Low claimed that he had always looked upon Jeyaretnam as an elder and had done everything possible to help him.
Observers speculated that with Low at the helm, The Workers' Party would tone down its more hard-line stance and take on a more centrist outlook at the 2001 general election. Indeed soon after Low took over, Jeyaretnam and a faction which was loyal to him left the party (and later formed the Reform Party), and a group of new, younger members were recruited by The Workers' Party. Among them were James Gomez, Yaw Shin Leong and Sylvia Lim.
Low was re-elected as Hougang MP at the 2001 general election. The Party's fortunes reached a low as it only contested in two seats, in Hougang and Nee Soon East SMCs and had its entire Aljunied GRC team disqualified on Nomination Day.
[h=3]2006–2010[/h]
A Workers' Party election rally at the Serangoon Stadium.


The Workers' Party launched an updated manifesto in January 2006. The 52-page booklet outlined the party's stand on issues and policies, covering areas from economic and judicial policies to media and sports and recreation.[SUP][4][/SUP] The manifesto, which had last been updated in 1994, took one year to work on according to Low. The manifesto was attacked by the PAP for containing "time-bombs".[SUP][5][/SUP] In response, The Workers' Party quipped that its manifesto contained only time bombs which threatened the PAP's power.
At the 2006 general election, Low was elected as Hougang MP for the fourth time. The party also polled strongly in the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, losing to the PAP's team with 43.9% of the vote to 56.1%. This gave the party the right to the NCMP seat reserved for the best-performing opposition losers, and the party's Chairman, Sylvia Lim, was selected to become the NCMP.
During the 2006 election campaign, controversy arose over one of The Workers' Party's candidates in Aljunied GRC, James Gomez, who claimed that the Elections Department had lost his minority race candidate's certificate, and was forced to apologise when closed-circuit television evidence showed that he had placed the form in his briefcase without submitting it. The PAP attacked Gomez for the incident, with Lee Kuan Yew publicly calling him a "liar". One day after the election, Gomez was prevented from leaving Singapore on a trip to Stockholm and questioned by police over whether he had committed criminal intimidation in his dealings with the Elections Department. He was subsequently released after being given a warning, and was allowed travel to Stockholm. Gomez has since joined another opposition party, the Singapore Democratic Party and he contested the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency in 2011.

[h=3]2011–present[/h] The manifesto for the General Election 2011 was entitled 'Towards a First World Parliament'. This was also used as a slogan during campaigning. One key proposal was for more affordable public housing such that Housing Development Board (HDB) lessees should be able to pay off their mortgage loans within 20 years rather than 30 years. On April 27, 2011, Low announced his candidacy for the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency along with Lim and three other "A-list" candidates, vacating his seat of Hougang and leaving it to Yaw Shin Leong.
On 7 May 2011, six Workers' Party candidates were returned as Members of Parliament. Yaw Shin Leong successfully retained the party stronghold of Hougang with a majority slightly under 65%, while Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh were victorious in Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, claiming 54.71% of the votes to unseat the incumbent PAP team which included two cabinet ministers, including the Foreign Minister George Yeo. Including overseas votes, the percentage of valid votes cast in favour of the WP team was 54.72%.
In addition, the party was eligible to take up two additional Non-Constituency seats in Parliament, by virtue of being the best-performing losers at the polls for Joo Chiat Single Member Constituency and East Coast Group Representation Constituency respectively. The party nominated Yee Jenn Jong (who contested in Joo Chiat Single Member Constituency) and Gerald Giam (who was part of the team which contested East Coast Group Representation Constituency) to take up the two additional Non-constituency Member of Parliament seats. Including the Non-constituency Member of Parliament seats, the party won a total of 8 seats, the most for any opposition party in Singapore since independence.
On 12 June 2011, The Workers' Party launched its grassroots arm for Aljunied GRC,[SUP][6][/SUP] called the Aljunied Constituency Committee (AJCC).
It also combined the Hougang and Aljunied town councils to form the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council.
On 15 February 2012, Workers' Party expelled Yaw Shin Leong, MP for Hougang SMC, for failing to account for allegations made against him.[SUP][7][/SUP] Yaw has been accused of several indiscretions in his private life. With the expulsion,a by-election for Hougang SMC was announced and the nomination day was set on 16 May 2012 followed by polling day on 26 May 2012. Yaw had up to 24 February 2012 to appeal against his expulsion.
A by-election was held on 27 May 2012 to fill the vacant seat, which the Worker's Party candidate Png Eng Huat won to retain the Hougang SMC seat for the party.[SUP][8][/SUP] Veteran party member Poh Lee Guan registered to be a candidate for the same election without consulting the party council, personally explaining his role as a backup for Png. In July 2012, Poh was expelled by the party executive council as the party council found his reasoning unacceptable.[SUP][9][/SUP]
[h=2]Central Executive Council[/h] As of 5 September 2012:

[h=2]References[/h] <dl><dt>Notes</dt></dl>

[h=2]External links[/h]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers'_Party_of_Singapore
 

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27 May 2012 Last updated at 06:24 GMT [h=3]Share this page[/h]

[h=1]Singapore opposition retains seat in by-election[/h]
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Workers' Party candidate Png Eng Huat, centre, celebrated the win

Continue reading the main story [h=2]Related Stories[/h]

Singapore's opposition Workers' Party has won a closely fought by-election, retaining a seat vacated after an MP was expelled by the party in February.
Candidate Png Eng Huat polled 62.09% of votes in the district of Hougang. Desmond Choo, of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), polled 37.91%.
Workers' Party Secretary General Low Thia Khiang described the win as a "very good result".


PM Lee Hsien Loong said he was pleased that PAP's share of the vote increased.
The vote took place a year after the PAP - which has been in power more than half a century - suffered its worst performance in a general election.
"I respect the choice of Hougang voters. The PAP will continue to be present in Hougang, and I am confident that we will win back the constituency in a future election," Mr Lee said.


Analysts said issues such as a liberal immigration policy, a growing income gap and high salaries for cabinet ministers had stopped the PAP winning more votes.
Hougang, in the island's north-east, has been represented by the opposition for more than 20 years.
The former MP, Yaw Shin Leong, was expelled by the Workers' Party (WP) on 15 February over allegations of an extramarital affair.



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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged voters to elect the 'best candidate'

Mr Yaw had won the seat over the PAP's Mr Choo in last year's general election, with 64.8% of the votes.


The last poll in 2011 was seen as a landmark election for the city state with significant gains for the opposition, which took six of the 87 seats - their best performance since Singapore's independence in 1965.


Although the ruling party won the great majority of seats, the party's share of the popular vote slipped to around 60% - a drop from about 67% in 2006.
After months of speculation on whether a by-election would be called, President Tony Tan issued the writ of election on 9 May.
Following that, Prime Minister Lee posted a statement on his recently set-up Facebook page.


''The by-election will give Hougang residents the chance to elect a new MP to serve them. I encourage Hougang voters to use this opportunity wisely, to elect the best candidate with commitment and integrity," he said.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18185982
 

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[h=1]Workers' Party gathering? More like CNY gathering[/h]

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By Clement Yap
AsiaOne
Sunday, May 27, 2012


SINGAPORE - 'Huat ah!' 'Yam.......Seng!' These were the calls that resounded throughout the usually quiet neighbourhood of Hougang Ave 5. Beginning at 7pm, a throng of supporters poured into the coffeeshop at Block 322.


These supporters came prepared. Their arms consisted of placards, flags, and even a giant hammer. At one point in time, one supporter showed up with a enormous drum and a trumpet.


From eight at night till one in the morning, these supporters kept up a never-ending chorus of chants and cheers. Whenever a PAP candidate appeared on the TV, they would block the screen with a giant placard that read 'Huat ah!', and drown out the TV with their own jeers.


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Mr Lan, an Hougang resident in his 60s, has been an ardent Workers' Party (WP) supporter for many years.
According to him, the gathering at Block 322 was no surprise. He told AsiaOne in hokkien: "Although I wasn't the one who organised this, this happens every year. That coffeeshop is the traditional gathering ground for Workers' Party supporters in Hougang in every election."


Since the Workers' Party had not applied for a gathering permit, this quiet neighbourhood became the de facto gathering point for Workers' Party supporters from all over Singapore.


The police were already in position but told AsiaOne that their orders were only to wait and observe.

By 8pm, the coffeeshop was filled to capacity and the crowd spilled over on to the grass and to the Chinese medicinal store next door. An estimated 3,000 people were in attendance.


Some Singaporeans even used the situation to exhibit their entrepreneurial spirit.
A store selling muah chee and chilled drinks sprung up by the roadside outside the coffeeshop, where the crowd made it nearly impossible to order drinks anyway. A local resident confirmed that this store was not a regular fixture in the neighbourhood.


The owner of the store, who declined to be named, explained that she heard about the gathering on the evening news, and immediately came to set up shop.
She said: "I usually follow Getai performances around, but when an opportunity like this came about , I would definitely grab it. And business is good."
In contrast to the subdued atmosphere at the PAP end, there was never a moment of doubt in the Workers' Party camp that they would not emerge victorious. In fact, the results shocked many WP supporters, who had expected a 40-60 split in the votes.


When the results were announced, the WP supporters were jubilant. For the next 15 minutes straight, they cheered, chanted, and toasted to Mr Png's victory, deafening all in earshot.


A few even hung a giant banner at the HDB block across from the coffeeshop, eliciting even more cheers from the crowd. The supporters then lined up on both sides of the road, patiently waiting for the newly-elected MP to arrive.


For over two hours, the supporters kept up their vigil by the side of the road, punctuating the night with their cheers. Many vehicles that drove past honked their horn in tune to the cheers, making the scene seem like a giant party.


At around 12.30am, Mr Png and his entourage arrived from the back of the coffeeshop, slowly making their way through the crowd for a victory lap.
For those in attendance, it was not a night they would easily forget.


A group of friends told AsiaOne: "We had just finished dinner and decided to come here after reading about it on Twitter."
Echoing the sentiments of everyone present, they said: "Although we are from all over Singapore - Bedok, Woodlands, Tiong Bahru, we wanted to come here and show our support for the Workers' Party."

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120527-348623.html
 

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[h=3]By Chun Han Wong[/h]
<dl class="wp-caption alignleft caption-alignleft " style="width: 359px"><dt class="wp-caption-dt">
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</dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd" style="text-align: right">Associated Press


</dd><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="text-align: left">Supporters surround Workers’ Party candidate Png Eng Huat, center front, after his win at the Hougang by-election on Saturday, May 26.

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Singapore’s ruling party lost its bid to reclaim a longtime opposition bastion in a Saturday by-election that was widely billed as a referendum on the government’s efforts to ease swelling socioeconomic tensions in the city-state.


The People’s Action Party government still dominates Parliament despite the setback, retaining its 81 seats in an 87-member legislature, while the Workers’ Party—winners of Saturday’s vote in the Hougang ward—restored their ranks to six lawmakers. But the result, a widely expected one, echoes strident public calls for more government remedies to deal with high living costs, infrastructural failures and a widening gap between rich and poor—concerns that dragged the PAP to its worst general election showing last year.


Workers’ Party candidate Png Eng Huat, a 50-year-old businessman, received 62.09% of valid ballots cast, an election official said late Saturday. The PAP’s Desmond Choo—a 34-year-old trade union executive and Mr. Png’s sole rival in the vote—received 37.91%. Nearly 94% of Hougang’s 23,368 eligible voters showed at the polls.


Mr. Choo’s loss was his second in Hougang, even as his vote share improved by 2.7 percentage points from last May when he lost to Yaw Shin Leong, then of the Workers’ Party, by a near 30% margin. His defeat also marked the PAP’s sixth straight setback in Hougang, which the Workers’ Party has controlled since 1991.


The by-election, Singapore’s first since 1992, came as an unexpected test for the PAP, triggered after the Workers’ Party sacked Mr. Yaw in February for failing to respond to allegations of marital infidelity.


“This is a very positive and very good result under the circumstances,” Workers’ Party Secretary General Low Thia Khiang said in a news conference late Saturday. “I thank the voters of Hougang for keeping faith with the party despite setbacks and distractions” from the PAP’s attempts to discredit Mr. Png during the campaign, Mr. Low said.


Analysts credit the slight vote swing toward the PAP to Mr. Yaw’s disgraced exit, tensions within the Workers’ Party, as well as the greater opposition presence in Parliament since the last general election. This, analysts say, may have convinced some voters out of the urgency of having more opposition voices in Parliament, and may have persuaded some to prioritize local issues like upgrading of government flats.


“I had expected a Workers’ Party win [but] with a reduced vote share [and] a bigger swing to the PAP,” said Siew Kum Hong, a former independent lawmaker and a political analyst in the city-state. “[There was] disappointment with the Workers’ Party due to…their internal issues, and their generally underwhelming performance in Parliament.”


Over a nine-day campaign, Mr. Choo tried to cast the poll as a local contest based on municipal issues, although senior PAP leaders—including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong—too made regular campaign stops. But the Workers’ Party framed the vote as a fresh chance for citizens to rebuke the government for its policy failures.


“A vote for the PAP will be a sad day for the future of our children because there will be one voice less in Parliament to protect their interests,” Mr. Png said in a speech on Thursday. “A vote for the Workers’ Party will send a clear signal to the PAP that they are hearing but they are still not listening to the people.”


Already, voters have twice chastened Singapore’s ruling establishment in bruising electoral battles last year. The PAP was first stunned at the general election last May, when its vote share fell 6.5 percentage points to 60.1%—the lowest since Singapore became a nation in 1965. An unexpectedly heated presidential election followed in August, in which the government’s favored candidate won by just 0.35-percentage point over the closest of three rivals.


Those results prompted government leaders to pledge reforms and policy tweaks to alleviate citizens’ woes, including steps to cool a buoyant housing market, boost low-end incomes, and slow the inflow of unpopular foreign workers.


“The PAP government has done its best to address important national issues like housing and transportation, immigration and population, economic upgrading and workers’ incomes,” Prime Minister Lee said in a statement after the result.


“We have made progress, but there is much more to be done. Now that the Hougang by-election is over, we should refocus on these longer term issues,” Mr. Lee said.
Some analysts, however, maintain that the Hougang constituency remains an anomaly, as a rare opposition stronghold where the ruling PAP remains an underdog—making it difficult for the election to been seen as a litmus test for national sentiment toward government policies.


“Hougang is an exception, and for the foreseeable future is quite simply invulnerable,” said Cherian George, a professor at Nanyang Technological University. “Not even the PAP ever claimed that the positive effects of its reforms would be felt so soon on the ground, and entered the campaign moderating expectations…it has only been one year.”


Saturday’s result drew a boisterous crowd—numbering in the high hundreds—onto Hougang streets, where they greeted and cheered Workers’ Party leaders into the wee hours of Sunday morning.


“It’s important that the Workers’ Party defended Hougang,” said Tan Hock Huat, a 62-year-old retiree who has lived in the district for over 10 years. “We need an alternative party in Parliament, to place a check on the PAP and challenge their policies.”


–Shibani Mahtani contributed to this article.

http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/05/26/singapores-ruling-party-fails-by-election-test/
 

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[h=1]Low Thia Khiang [/h] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Low Thia Khiang


Low Thia Khiang during his rally speech at Serangoon Stadium as a candidate of the Workers' Party of Singapore.

Leader of the Opposition (Singapore)
<small>(as Secretary-General of the Workers' Party of Singapore)</small>
Incumbent
Assumed office
2001
PresidentS. R. Nathan
Tony Tan
Prime MinisterGoh Chok Tong
Lee Hsien Loong
Preceded byChiam See Tong
Member of Parliament
for Aljunied GRC
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2011
SpeakerMichael Palmer
Preceded byGeorge Yeo
Majority12,433 (9.43%)
Member of Parliament
for Hougang SMC
In office
31 August 1991 – 7 May 2011
Preceded byTang Guan Seng
Succeeded byYaw Shin Leong
Personal details
Born5 September 1956 (age 56)
Singapore
Political partyWorkers' Party of Singapore
Alma materNanyang University
National University of Singapore
ProfessionBusinessman, teacher
ReligionBuddhism[SUP][1][/SUP]

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This is a Chinese name; the family name is Low.

Low Thia Khiang (simplified Chinese: 刘程强; traditional Chinese: 劉程強; pinyin: Liú Chéngqiáng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lâu Thiâⁿ-kiàng; born 5 September 1956) is a Singaporean politician and businessman. He is the current leader of the opposition Workers' Party (WP), and since 1991 has been a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Single Member Constituency (SMC) of Hougang until 2011 where he contested and won in Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (Aljunied GRC). He is in charge of the Bedok Reservoir – Punggol Division.[SUP][2][/SUP]

Low is currently one of six elected opposition MPs in Singapore's 12th Parliament.

[h=2]Background[/h] Low was educated at Lik Teck Primary School and Chung Cheng High School, before going on to study at Nanyang University where he majored in Chinese language and literature, and government and public administration. In 1981, he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese studies at the National University of Singapore. In 1982, he completed a diploma in education. He worked as a teacher for a few years, before starting his own business.[SUP][3][/SUP]
[h=2]Political career[/h] Low joined the Workers' Party (WP) in 1982, and was subsequently appointed its Organising Secretary. At the 1984 general election, he was the election agent for the party's then Secretary-General, J. B. Jeyaretnam, in his successful campaign to win the parliamentary constituency of Anson.
In 1988, Low represented the WP in a televised debate with the PAP government on proposals to create an elected Presidency for Singapore, where he engaged Ong Teng Cheong and Lee Hsien Loong (who would later become the President and Prime Minister of Singapore respectively). In the general election later that year, Low, together with Gopalan Nair and Lim Lye Soon, contested the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) of Tiong Bahru and finished second with 42.2% of the vote.
In 1991, Low, as the Workers' Party's Assistant Secretary-General, won the Hougang constituency in the 1991 Singapore General Elections and entered Parliament. In 1992, Low was appointed by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong to be a member of the Cost Review Committee. After a year of intensive study, Low decided to produce his own independent report as he had a different perspective from the other members of the committee.
Low was re-elected as the MP for Hougang at the 1997 general election.
On 27 May 2001, he became the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party, replacing J. B. Jeyaretnam. He was re-elected again as the MP for Hougang at the 2001 general election.
At the 2006 general elections, Low won his fourth straight term for the Hougang constituency. He received 13,987 of the votes cast, a 62.74 per cent victory margin which is an increase of 7.74% from the last general election in November 2001. His opponent from the People's Action Party, Eric Low, received 8,306 votes.[SUP][4][/SUP]
Between 1997 and 2011, Low and Chiam See Tong were the only two elected opposition Members of Parliament (MP) in Singapore's Parliament, which had 83 seats. However, he led the Workers' Party to a historic breakthrough in the 2011 Singapore general elections, with a victory in Aljunied GRC. The win marked the first time ever that an opposition party had won a GRC, bringing an additional five Workers' Party MPs into Parliament.
[h=2]Current posts[/h]
[h=2]Electoral record[/h]
General Election 1991: Hougang
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WPLow Thia Khiang10,62152.8+11.8
PAPTang Guan Seng9,48747.2-11.8
Majority1,1345.6+23.6
Turnout20,56695.8-0.4
WP gain from PAPSwing+11.8

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General Election 1997: Hougang
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WPLow Thia Khiang13,45858.0+5.2
PAPHeng Chee How9,73642.0-5.2
Majority3,72216.0+10.4
Turnout23,50596.2+0.4
WP holdSwing+5.2

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General Election 2001: Hougang
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WPLow Thia Khiang12,07055.0-3.0
PAPEric Low Siak Meng9,88245.0+3.0
Majority2,18810.0-6.0
Turnout22,24795.4-0.8
WP holdSwing-3.0

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General Election 2006: Hougang
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WPLow Thia Khiang13,98962.7+7.7
PAPEric Low Siak Meng8,30837.3-7.7
Majority5,68125.4+15.4
Turnout22,57495.0-0.4
WP holdSwing+7.7

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General Election 2011: Aljunied GRC
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WPChen Show Mao
Sylvia Lim Swee Lian
Low Thia Khiang
Muhamad Faisal Manap
Pritam Singh
72,28954.72+10.81
PAPLim Hwee Hua
Ong Ye Kung
Cynthia Phua
George Yong-Boon Yeo
Zainul Abidin Bin Mohamed Rasheed
59,82945.28-10.81
Majority12,4609.4
Turnout133,90693.5-0.1
WP gain from PAPSwing+10.8

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[h=2]Personal life[/h] Low is married with two sons and a daughter.
Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by
Tang Guan Seng
Member of Parliament for Hougang
1991 – 2011
Succeeded by
Yaw Shin Leong
Preceded by
George Yeo
Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC
2011 – present
Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
J.B. Jeyaretnam
Secretary-General of the Workers' Party
2001 – present
Incumbent

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[h=2]References[/h]
 

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The Workers' Party


Did you know that the Workers' Party's first electoral contest was at the 1957 City Council Election, when it won 4 out of 5 seats contested? Find out more about the Party and its people at our Open House tonight, 8pm at 216G Syed Alwi Road, #02-03. We hope to see you there!


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55 years ago, on 3 November 1957, David Marshall founded the Workers' Party. These 55 years were filled with ups and downs, with 2011 marking the Party's first breakthrough in winning a GRC. All this would not have been possible without the continued support of our voters and supporters, and for this we thank you.

Today, the Party's philosophy to give power to the people remains unshaken. The endeavour for social justice and the strengthening of Singapore's parliamentary democracy through a viable political alternative is still our mission. The future of Singapore is in the hands of every Singaporean. Let's work together for a better Singapore!



 

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[h=1]Workers' Party's National Day Message 2012[/h]<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TvWW8wOkIzg?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

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[h=1]GE: Low Thia Khiang's move decided "long ago" - 27Apr2011[/h]<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ybY2i2XrlHo?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Related News
• GE: WP's Low Thia Khiang contests in Aljunied GRC
Special Report
• Vote 2011

SINGAPORE: Workers' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang said his "calculated decision" to move out of Hougang Single-Member Constituency (SMC) had been made "quite long ago" because he felt the opposition as a whole had not progressed in the time that he has been an elected member.

The gerrymandering of the People's Action Party (PAP) - shifting voters out of Hougang into other constituencies like Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC) - made him even more determined that moving out of his ward was the right decision, he said.

He said he is leaving the decision of how Singaporeans want the Republic's political system to develop in the hands of voters by presenting what he calls "a team to break through Aljunied" - including party chair Sylvia Lim, prize catch Chen Show Mao, as well as Pritam Singh and Muhamad Faisal Manap - to contest Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo's team.

Using a Mandarin proverb to describe how he feels about facing Mr Yeo and his team, Mr Low said: "We know there is a tiger in the mountain but we are moving towards it and taking it head on. Thats the spirit of the WP."

He added that he feels the ground in Aljunied is sweet and is confident of the bid, but declined to speculate on the results.

He also acknowledged that the stakes are high but he felt that the time was right for the WP to make the move.

On his decision to deploy organising secretary Yaw Shin Leong to defend his Hougang seat, Mr Low said 34-year-old Mr Yaw has been accompanying him on house visits in his ward for the past three years.

Mr Yaw has also been very active in the ward as a town councillor and in the organisation of many grassroots activities, making him a familiar face in the estate.

By now, all of the residents must have Mr Yaw's name card, Mr Low added.

Mr Yaw admitted that it was a "heavy responsibility" to retain Hougang, which has been a stronghold for the past 20 years, but he pledged to do his best.

Mr Low also reiterated his stand: No NCMP seat for him should he fail in unseating the PAP in Aljunied.
 

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[h=1]Aljunied GRC results, May 8[/h]<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/siMO5hxhJJk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

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[h=1]Workers Party MP Chen Show Mao Parliament speech[/h]
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[h=1]1 MIN Before & After: Moments Before Returning Officer Announcing Hougang By-Election Results[/h]<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JiLKUACIUNQ?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

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[h=1]Do You Hear The People Sing?[/h]<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vA2dlcmdWyA?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

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[h=1]Workers' Party Block 322 Kopitiam HQ[/h]<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xjbC12URX8k?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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