Singaporeans First party dissolves

Janice Heng

Published Thu, Jun 25, 2020 · 08:12 AM

Singapore GE2020

THE Singaporeans First (SingFirst) party founded by former senior civil servant and presidential candidate Tan Jee Say has chosen to dissolve itself in the name of opposition unity and consolidation, it announced on Thursday afternoon.

In recent months, SingFirst has worked with other opposition parties for greater unity and cooperation, said Mr Tan, noting that SingFirst has redirected people who wanted to join them to other parties, and that some ex-members of SingFirst are also now active in other parties.

Mr Tan did not name specific members, but former SingFirst candidates in 2015 - the first election contested by the party - include Ang Yong Guan, who has been introduced as one of the Progress Singapore Party's candidates for this election, and Melvyn Chiu, who is part of the Singapore People's Party's line-up this year.

"We believe a strong opposition is best achieved with consolidation," Mr Tan said in a statement posted on Facebook. "In this light, the Central Executive Committee of Singaporeans First has decided to dissolve the party. This decision was not made lightly, but we believe that this move is in the best interests of Singapore."

"The Central Executive Committee of Singaporeans First would like to encourage our members to join other parties, those that reflect their values and beliefs, to help them in the coming general election," he said, thanking Singaporeans for their support.