Singapore general election, 2001
Encyclopedia
The Singapore parliamentary general elections of 2001 were held on 3 November. The People's Action Party
, the incumbent ruling party, won 82 out of 84 seats in the election, including 55 walkover
s. Due to the large number of uncontested seats, only 675,306 of the 2,036,923 eligible voters (33.2%) actually voted.
originally intended for the election to take place in 2002, but in late 2001, Singapore was saddled with the worst economic crisis since independence, after the events of the September 11 attacks in the United States
.
For the first time since 1963, a formal political umbrella emerged from within the opposition. The four-party Singapore Democratic Alliance
was established with Chiam See Tong
as chief, consisting of the Singapore People's Party
he led, which was the leader party, National Solidarity Party (NSP), PKMS and Singapore Justice Party
(SJP). NSP provided the bulk of nine candidates, SPP four and PKMS providing a required minority candidate.
Former WP Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
(J. B. Jeyaretnam), who lost his seat after being declared a bankrupt owing to lawsuits by PAP leaders, resigned from the party, citing disagreements with the present leadership. Sole WP MP Low Thia Khiang
took over as secretary-general.
This election saw the end of four-member GRCs and a shortest campaigning period of 17 days after opening of the register of electors. A seat had been vacated in 1999 after the conviction of PAP MP Choo Wee Khiang over commercial crimes, but no by-election was held as the seat was within a GRC. Under the law, an entire electoral constituency, be it GRC or SMC, has to be vacated before a by-election is required.
Another increase of the election deposit amount this time was the most significant one in history, which almost doubled.
On nomination day, the sole WP GRC team was disqualified for filing incomplete papers in Aljunied Group Representation Constituency
. Opposition parties ended up contesting only a-third of the seats, the lowest portion since 1968, which resulted in the largest number of walkovers for PAP in history.
WP's Low and SDA's Chiam retained their seats, but saw their winning margins slashed from the previous GE. With these two opposition wins, one NCMP seat was offered to and accepted by Steve Chia of SDA-NSP, who became the youngest and first ever non-WP NCMP.
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
, the incumbent ruling party, won 82 out of 84 seats in the election, including 55 walkover
Walkover
In British English, a walkover or W.O. is the awarding of a victory to a contestant because there are no other contestants, or because the other contestants have been disqualified or have forfeited. The term can apply in sport, but can also apply to elections...
s. Due to the large number of uncontested seats, only 675,306 of the 2,036,923 eligible voters (33.2%) actually voted.
Background and issues
The ruling PAP was facing one of the toughest hurdles in its history. Prime Minister Goh Chok TongGoh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
originally intended for the election to take place in 2002, but in late 2001, Singapore was saddled with the worst economic crisis since independence, after the events of the September 11 attacks in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
For the first time since 1963, a formal political umbrella emerged from within the opposition. The four-party Singapore Democratic Alliance
Singapore Democratic Alliance
The Singapore Democratic Alliance is an alliance of political parties in Singapore. The SDA was formed shortly before the 2001 general election to provide a common grouping under which different opposition parties could stand as a united front in elections against the ruling People's Action Party...
was established with Chiam See Tong
Chiam See Tong
Chiam See Tong is a politician and lawyer from Singapore. He is the country's longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament . Between 1984 and 2011, he represented the constituency of Potong Pasir in Singapore's Parliament....
as chief, consisting of the Singapore People's Party
Singapore People's Party
The Singapore People's Party is a left of centre opposition political party in Singapore. The party's leader is Chiam See Tong.-Foundation:...
he led, which was the leader party, National Solidarity Party (NSP), PKMS and Singapore Justice Party
Singapore Justice Party
The Justice Party, Singapore is a political party in Singapore.The party has been based mostly in Marine Parade district of Singapore since the party has taken part in general elections after 1988 by fielding its candidates only at Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency...
(SJP). NSP provided the bulk of nine candidates, SPP four and PKMS providing a required minority candidate.
Former WP Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam was a politician and lawyer from Singapore. He was the leader of the Workers' Party from 1971 to 2001...
(J. B. Jeyaretnam), who lost his seat after being declared a bankrupt owing to lawsuits by PAP leaders, resigned from the party, citing disagreements with the present leadership. Sole WP MP Low Thia Khiang
Low Thia Khiang
Low Thia Khiang is a politician and businessman from Singapore. He is currently the leader of the opposition Workers' Party, and since 1991 has been a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Hougang until 2011 where he contested and won in Aljunied GRC. He is in charge of the Bedok...
took over as secretary-general.
This election saw the end of four-member GRCs and a shortest campaigning period of 17 days after opening of the register of electors. A seat had been vacated in 1999 after the conviction of PAP MP Choo Wee Khiang over commercial crimes, but no by-election was held as the seat was within a GRC. Under the law, an entire electoral constituency, be it GRC or SMC, has to be vacated before a by-election is required.
Another increase of the election deposit amount this time was the most significant one in history, which almost doubled.
On nomination day, the sole WP GRC team was disqualified for filing incomplete papers in Aljunied Group Representation Constituency
Aljunied Group Representation Constituency
Aljunied Group Representation Constituency is a five-member group representation constituency in the north-eastern region of Singapore. The GRC consists of a large part of Hougang, Serangoon Gardens, a portion of Bedok and Aljunied...
. Opposition parties ended up contesting only a-third of the seats, the lowest portion since 1968, which resulted in the largest number of walkovers for PAP in history.
WP's Low and SDA's Chiam retained their seats, but saw their winning margins slashed from the previous GE. With these two opposition wins, one NCMP seat was offered to and accepted by Steve Chia of SDA-NSP, who became the youngest and first ever non-WP NCMP.
Electoral boundaries
- Mergers
- Boon Lay SMC merged into West Coast GRC
- Bukit Gombak SMC merged into Hong Kah GRC
- Cheng San GRC merged into Aljunied GRC, Ang Mo Kio GRC and Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.
- Kampong Glam SMC merged into Jalan Besar GRC
- Kreta Ayer-Tanglin GRC merged into Jalan Besar GRC and Tanjong Pagar GRC
- Pasir Ris GRC merged into Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and Tampines GRC
- New GRCs
- Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC, created from Bukit Timah GRC, Sembawang GRC and Tanjong Pagar GRC.
- Jurong GRC, created from Bukit Timah GRC
- Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, created from Pasir Ris GRC and Cheng San GRC
- New SMCs
- Bukit Timah SMC carved from Bukit Timah GRC
- Joo Chiat SMC carved from East Coast GRC
- Nee Soon East SMC carved from Sembawang GRC
- Changes in electoral seats within GRCs
- Jalan Besar GRC, Tampines GRC and West Coast GRC were increased from 4 seats to 5 seats.
- Ang Mo Kio GRC was increased from 5 seats to 6 seats.