Political strategy for the SDP, pt. 2
How the SDP can stay relevant, part 2 in this series on Singaporean political strategy
Sometimes, I wonder whether Chee Soon Juan is presently the SDP’s greatest asset or greatest hindrance. After all, his antics often draw national attention - whether it be his void deck “events” needing police permits, or the Tak Boleh Tahan protests of 2008, or the high-profile defamation suits levelled against him by LKY and GCT after the 2001 general election. But for him, I don’t know if all press is good press. After all, he was pretty much destroyed on national television in the GE2020 debate on the 10 million population issue. This one event instantly shut down 20% of the SDP’s GE2020 campaign of 4Y1N (“Four Yes One No”). And who can remember the other four points to their platform? I certainly can’t, and I actually read it all!
If you’re curious, their main platform points were:
Yes to suspending GST,
Yes to paying retrenchment benefits (for COVID-19 retrenchments),
Yes to providing income for retirees,
Yes to putting people first, and
No to 10 million population.
Did you know that? No, because you only really knew about the last one. Admittedly, much of this can be attributed to Singapore’s media, but when Chee Soon Juan serves up opportunities like this on a silver platter… it just strikes me as a self-inflicted injury.
So what’s the SDP to do?
The SDP, for better or worse, have long positioned themselves not particularly “for” anything, but rather, against the PAP. That’s not intrinsically wrong; after all, they are the opposition for a reason. But I highly doubt that this strategy of simply opposing will not scale. Perhaps the SDP will win an SMC, maybe even two thanks to both Chee Soon Juan and Paul Tambyah, re-entering Parliament for the first time since 1997. But the SDP will have to someday outgrow Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan, and accomplish the oh-so-difficult leadership transition. It seems even the PAP are failing to get that right nowadays. And when the era of Chee Soon Juan is over, the SDP will have even less than they do now. The SDP need to find other areas of strength beyond just a single man (or two, for that matter).
The SDP have a relatively long history of civil disobedience and political activism. Whether the causes have been popular or well-supported, the SDP has always been willing to stand up for what is right, even if it means facing persecution to do so. Or at least, that’s the narrative we’re going for. Thus, in continuing that legacy, the SDP can also champion the causes that drive Singapore’s youth, not just the issues that appeal to the “heart-landers” that one would presume to be the largest base of support for the SDP. Things that tug at the heart-strings of the politically-involved youth such as environmentalism, or LGBTQ+ rights, or migrant workers, or Palestine/Israel, or Myanmar… the list goes on.
This wouldn’t even be a particularly difficult step for the SDP. On LGBTQ+ issues, a casual glance at the SDP’s history turns up a fantastic track record, as far as Singapore is concerned. Singapore’s first openly gay politician, Vincent Wijeysingha, ran under the SDP banner in 2011. They’ve been calling for the repeal of 377A since 2007. Chee Soon Juan has even taken his own kids to Pink Dot!
On many other issues, Chee Soon Juan and the SDP have been involved for years. For instance, Chee Soon Juan and several other SDP members were arrested for protesting outside the Istana in 2007 over the Singapore government’s ties to Myanmar’s military junta.
The fact that the Singaporean youth aren’t head-over-heels for the SDP seemingly indicates that they are incredibly unlikeable. As the youth are wont to say, Chee Soon Juan comes off as a “boomer”. Ouch.
I certainly won’t say that this PR overhaul would be easy. And, of course, pivoting towards youth would not be without drawbacks. Almost certainly, it would spell an end to immediate Parliamentary ambitions, as a chunk of older voters may feel alienated by the change in messaging. Additionally, I anticipate that the inevitable teething issues of trying to get in touch with the youth will be a major obstacle for at least one full election cycle, if not more. The rewards may only be reaped 10 years from now, maybe even later.
But really, that’s the way forward for the SDP in the long-term, I think. Elect a new Secretary-General to be a less gaffe-prone face of the party. Continue to have Chee Soon Juan do what he does best, fighting loudly for what he believes in. Placing emphasis within the party platform on standing for some cause or goal, rather than against one. Snippier, more memorable slogans than the incredibly unwieldy “Four Yes One No.” And, more broadly, greater thought and care to be placed on how to attract more youth to the SDP.
But eh, what do I know, really?
See you next week.
~ Kai