People's Power Party (Singapore)
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The People's Power Party (
abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
: PPP) is an
opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
.


History and political development

The party was first formed by veteran politician
Goh Meng Seng Goh Meng Seng () is a Singaporean politician who is a member of the opposition People's Power Party. Political career Goh contested in the 2006 general election with the Workers' Party in the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (Aljunie ...
, on 16 July 2015, just a few months prior to the
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
held that year. Goh had previously served as a member of the incumbent opposition
Workers' Party of Singapore The Workers' Party (abbreviation: WP) is a major centre-left political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and opposition Progr ...
and National Solidarity Party, in the
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, respectively. In the aftermath of the 2011 election, Goh resigned from his
Secretary General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
post as well as his party membership following the party's defeat. The party was perceived as lightweight and opposed to major opposition parties were believed to be reasons for its speedy registration approval being given in two instead of the typical three months set by the Election Department. The party only contested in the
Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency The Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency located in the western area of Singapore. There are four divisions of the GRC: Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Gombak, Keat Hong and Brickland. Military ...
, a four-member GRC, which the team consist of Goh, and candidates Lee Tze Shih, Low Wai Choo and former NSP member Syafarin Sarif, faced against the ruling
People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
team led by
Health Minister A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Count ...
Gan Kim Yong Gan Kim Yong ( zh, s=颜金勇, p=Yán Jīnyǒng; born 9 February 1959) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Minister for Trade and Industry since 2021. A member of the governing People's Action Party, he has been the Member of P ...
, Parliamentary Secretary and Mayor
Low Yen Ling Low Yen Ling ( zh, s=刘燕玲, p=Liú Yànlíng; born 1974) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Mayor of South West District since 2014, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Minister of State for Trade and Indu ...
,
Zaqy Mohamad Zaqy bin Mohamad ( Jawi: زاقي محمد; born 1974) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Deputy Leader of the House, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Senior Minister of State for Defence concurrently since 2020. A ...
and newcomer Yee Chia Hsing. The PAP team defeated the party with a vote share of 76.83%-23.11%, which was 84,731 and 25,460 votes, respectively. Low was notable for being convicted for public nuisance for her role in a Hong Lim Park protest rally in 2014, while Lee Tze Shih joined
Progress Singapore Party The Progress Singapore Party (abbreviation: PSP) is a centre-left political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and opposition ...
in 2019. Goh, despite being a veteran politician who was surprised of the number of voters that voted for them, as he claimed that his party lacked media coverage, he and his team's defeat was one of the worst performing candidates in this election. Goh shortly returned to Hong Kong to reside with his family after the election. In 2018, the party was along with the six other opposition parties (
Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...
, National Solidarity Party, Reform Party,
Singapore Democratic Party The Singapore Democratic Party (abbreviation: SDP) is a politcal party in Singapore. The party was founded on 6 August 1980 by Chiam See Tong. During the 1991 general election, Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen won Bukit Gombak SMC and Nee ...
,
Singaporeans First Singaporeans First (SingFirst) was a political party in Singapore founded on 25 May 2014 but was dissolved on 25 June 2020. History and political development Formation and contests In 2011, Tan Jee Say, a former civil servant, was known for ...
and Singapore's Voice Party, a party formed by NSP chief Lim Tean) led by former
People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
member and presidential candidate
Tan Cheng Bock Adrian Tan Cheng Bock ( zh, s=陈清木, p=Chén Qīngmù; born 26 April 1940) is a Singaporean politician and medical practitioner. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayer Rajah SMC between 1980 and 2001. He served as Secretary-General o ...
, on the possibility of forming a coalition for the next election. The party participated in the 2020 election, but Goh was the only candidate fielded this election, this time contesting in the
MacPherson SMC The MacPherson Single Member Constituency is a single member constituency located in the central area of Singapore. The current Member of Parliament for the constituency is Tin Pei Ling of the People's Action Party (PAP). History It existed from ...
. On 27 June, Goh confirmed that this was his final election, reiterating his belief that he could contribute more to Parliament as an opposition member if elected, while praising the incumbent
Tin Pei Ling Tin Pei Ling ( zh, s=陈佩玲, p=Chén Pèilíng; born 23 December 1983) is a Singaporean politician and businesswoman. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing MacPherson ...
for her involvement. Despite the efforts, it was all for naught, as Goh was defeated to Tin by a 71.74%-28.26% vote share.


Objectives and policies

PPP advocates the Separation of Five Powers (including Social, Culture, Politics, Economics) and a more balanced development of Singapore. The PPP has adopted and adapted with the
Three Principles of the People The Three Principles of the People (; also translated as the Three People's Principles, San-min Doctrine, or Tridemism) is a political philosophy developed by Sun Yat-sen as part of a philosophy to improve China made during the Republican Era. ...
and its system of having five branches of government espoused by Dr Sun Yat-Sen, founding father of the Republic of China (now administrating Taiwan and surrounding Island). It has modified the concepts of the Five Powers to stay relevant to modern contemporary political and social structures. The emphasis is on the separation of the Five Powers which means the separation of certain institutions from Executive branch's control. The Power of Impeachment (originally under Control Yuan) has been expanded to include various contemporary functional government institutions. Examples: Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, advocacy of Ombudsman Commission, Equal Opportunity Commission, Free Press and Freedom of Expression. The Power of Examination has been adapted and modified to modern concept of Selection for both political leaders as well as civil servants. This involves institutions like Elections Department and Public Service Commission. PPP advocates that the institutions that fall under these two powers, namely Power of Impeachment and Power of Selection, be placed under the supervision of Singapore's Elected President, a separate branch of government. PPP has also called for the introduction of a minimum wage in Singapore.


Leadership

PPP's leader is its Secretary-General, Goh Meng Seng. Goh, a veteran opposition politician, who previously contested
Tampines GRC The Tampines Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the eastern region of Singapore. The GRC encompasses Tampines with five divisions: Tampines East, Tampines West, Tampines Central, Tampin ...
in the 2011 General Elections when he was leading the National Solidarity Party. He also contested
Aljunied GRC The Aljunied Group Representation Constituency is a five-member group representation constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern and eastern region of Singapore. The GRC consists of five divisions: Eunos, Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, Kaki Bukit, Sera ...
with
Sylvia Lim Sylvia Lim Swee Lian (; born 1965) is a Singaporean politician, lawyer, former police officer and lecturer who has been serving as Chairwoman of the Worker's Party since 2003. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Paya Le ...
,
James Gomez James Gomez is a Singaporean academic , politician and a member of the Singapore Democratic Party. Career Academic career Gomez was appointed as a visiting associate at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore in 1995, and was ...
and two others in the 2006 General Elections when he was with the Workers’ Party. Central executive committee as at 5 December 2015: * Chairman: Syafarin Sarif * Secretary-General: Goh Meng Seng * Assistant Secretary-General: Muhamad Faizal Razali * Treasurer: Nazryn Azhar Samat * Organizing Secretary: Goh Toh Mui * Other Members: ** Tan Peng Swee ** Peh Siew Choo ** Thamilselvan Karuppaya Footnote: Vice-Chairman Sivakumaran Chellappa (also Head of Policy Research) and Organizing Secretary Augustine Lee left PPP in 2019 to join Peoples Voice and
Progress Singapore Party The Progress Singapore Party (abbreviation: PSP) is a centre-left political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and opposition ...
respectively. Lee Wai Leng resigned as Head of Media Team in 2016 and subsequently left PPP in April 2020.


Leadership of People's Power Party


Electoral performance


References

{{Singaporean political parties 2015 establishments in Singapore Democratic socialist parties in Asia Political parties established in 2015 Political parties in Singapore Socialist parties in Singapore