The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has confirmed it will contest the Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the upcoming General Election, strengthening its commitment to constituencies in Singapore’s northern region.
At a food distribution event held on 30 March 2025 at 888 Plaza in Woodlands Drive, SDP chairman Paul Tambyah said the move would give Singaporeans “a chance to vote for the best and most credible alternative candidates.”
Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC is currently anchored by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
In the 2020 General Election, the People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by Wong secured 63.18 per cent of the votes.
The SDP, which contested the GRC in both 2015 and 2020, received 36.82 per cent in the last election.
On the possibility of contesting against the Prime Minister, Tambyah said, “We don’t know whether he’s going to stay in Marsiling-Yew Tee… In any case, our priority is to send in the best team to the constituency.”
He noted that Marsiling-Yew Tee is adjacent to Sembawang GRC and the newly formed Sembawang West Single Member Constituency (SMC), both of which the SDP also intends to contest.
“It’s an opportunity for us to reach out to the three constituencies we are involved in,” said Tambyah, referring to the party’s broader electoral plan, previously described by secretary-general Chee Soon Juan as a “northern strategy.”
Tambyah also pointed out that SDP has had a presence in Sembawang since 2006 and in Marsiling-Yew Tee since 2015.
He recalled a legal challenge mounted by the party following the abrupt resignation of Mdm Halimah Yacob from her role as a Member of Parliament for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in 2017.
“Some of you may remember, when Mdm Halimah abruptly resigned from her position as MP in Marsiling-Yew Tee, we actually took the case all the way to the High Court,” said Tambyah.
He argued that residents were left short-changed, having voted for a four-member team but ending up with only three MPs. He also highlighted the issue of minority representation, as Mdm Halimah’s departure left the GRC without a designated minority MP.
“We were told that the GRC was to ensure minority representation in Parliament. Then, out of a sudden, Halimah leaves and there is no more so-called minority representative for Marsiling-Yew Tee.”
SDP’s legal team had urged the court to fill the vacancy or allow a by-election, but the court ruled that under current constitutional provisions, a by-election was not mandatory unless all MPs in the GRC resigned.
“Our lawyers asked them to make a rectifying construction, but they declined to do that and suggested Parliament do something about it,” said Tambyah. “It has been a long time, but Parliament hasn’t done anything about it.”
Meanwhile, Dr Chee said the SDP’s campaign message this election would focus on the Government’s insufficient response to rising living costs.
He stated that the party will field “a good slate” of candidates, including experienced members like vice-chairman Bryan Lim and Alfred Tan, who previously contested in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, alongside younger members.
“We’re going to continue to bring in this good blend of experience and youth,” said Dr Chee.
The SDP has contested Marsiling-Yew Tee since its formation in 2015, steadily increasing its vote share from 31.27 percent in 2015 to 36.82 percent in 2020.
A week prior, the party announced that Dr Chee will contest the newly formed Sembawang West SMC, which will have 24,153 voters. Tambyah will stand again in Bukit Panjang SMC.
Before electoral boundaries were redrawn on 11 March, the SDP had signalled intentions to contest in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. The party also expressed interest in Bukit Batok and Yuhua SMCs, which have since been absorbed into Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC and Jurong Central SMC, respectively.
SDP leaders have not confirmed whether they will contest in Holland-Bukit Timah or Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC but said they are in talks with other parties ahead of a final decision.
At the event, around 30 SDP members and volunteers distributed 500 sets of dry goods, including cooking oil, powdered drinks, and biscuits.
Dr Chee said such efforts reflect the party’s capability and readiness to manage constituencies.
“Anytime we are called upon to run a town council – consider it done already,” he said, referring to the town council management plan previously released by the party.
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