The Singapore Progressive Party (SPP) was a nationalistic party formed on 25 August 1947 to contest in the Legislative Council election in 1948. The conservative SPP stood for gradual change and was willing to work with the British to introduce steady constitutional ...

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is a political party founded by Chiam See Tong in 1980. The party is currently led by chairman Paul Tambyah and secretary-general Chee Soon Juan.

Barisan Sosialis, a now defunct political party, was formed in 1961 by left-wing members of the People's Action Party (PAP), who were expelled from the Party. It became the main opposition party in self-governing Singapore. However, following Singapore's independence ...

The Labour Front (LF), now a defunct political party, was an offshoot of the Singapore Labour Party. It was formed in 1955 to contest the watershed election for the Legislative Assembly that year. Although the party emerged victorious in the election, the Labour ...

The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) is a coalition of political parties in Singapore, officially registered on 28 June 2001. At the time of its formation, the alliance comprised the Singapore People’s Party (SPP), National Solidarity Party (NSP), Singapore ...

The Workers’ Party (WP) was formed on 3 November 1957 by David Saul Marshall, with the inauguration held at the Hokkien Association Hall on Telok Ayer Street. The founding executive committee of the party comprised 20 trade unionists and 10 non-unionists. The party’s ...

The Malayan Emergency began in June 1948 after three British plantation managers near Sungei Siput in Perak were killed by insurgents of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). The CPM had aimed to overthrow the colonial government and establish a Communist People’s ...

The Singapore Labour Party (SLP) was inaugurated on 1 September 1948. It was fronted largely by English-speaking Indians who underwent the British education system, were exposed to publications on British politics and involved in labour unions. The SLP met with ...

Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (b. 25 February 1915, Jaffna, Sri Lanka–d. 22 February 2006, Singapore), better known as S. Rajaratnam, was a former journalist, co-founder of the People's Action Party (PAP), first minister for foreign affairs in post-independence Singapore, ...

Chia Thye Poh (b. 1941–) is a former member of parliament and political detainee. He was arrested and detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in October 1966, and was not charged or tried until his conditional release in May 1989. The government attributed ...

Lee Siew Choh (Dr) (b. 1 November 1917, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya–d. 18 July 2002, Singapore), a Cantonese, was a former Barisan Sosialis leader and the first non-constituency member of Parliament (NCMP). He was a vocal opposition leader who once gave a seven-and-a-half ...

Fong Chong Pik (b. 1926, China–d. 6 February 2004, Hat Yai, Thailand), also known as Fang Chuang Pi, was a political activist and member of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), otherwise known as the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). He was the CPM’s representative, ...

Chiam See Tong (b. 12 March 1935, Singapore–) is a veteran figure in Singapore’s political landscape. He is one of Singapore’s longest standing and most iconic opposition figures, serving as a member of parliament (MP) for the Potong Pasir constituency from 1984 ...

Yusof bin Ishak (b. 12 August 1910, Padang Gajah, Trong, Perak–d. 23 November 1970, Singapore), commonly referred to as Yusof Ishak, became Singapore’s first president on 9 August 1965 when gained independence as a sovereign state. The presidency was a natural ...

Othman Wok (b. 8 October 1924, Singapore–d. 17 April 2017, Singapore) is a former politician who took on the social affairs (1963–77) and culture (1965–68) ministerial portfolios, as well as served as a People’s Action Party (PAP) member of parliament (MP) for ...

Lim Chin Siong (b. 28 February 1933, Singapore–d. 5 February 1996, Singapore) was an influential trade union leader and a prominent left-wing political figure in Singapore. As a founding member of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Lim was elected as the assemblyman ...

Ong Teng Cheong (b. 22 January 1936, Singapore–d. 8 February 2002, Singapore) was the fifth president of Singapore and the first to be elected into office. He was sworn in as president on 1 September 1993. An architect by training, Ong served as a People’s Action ...

Haji Ya’acob bin Mohamed (b. 25 January 1925, Kelantan, Malaya –d. 11 October 1989, Singapore ) was a former politician and diplomat. He was a staunch advocate of Malay interests in Singapore and played a key role in winning Malay support for the People’s Action ...

Goh Chok Tong (b. 20 May 1941, Singapore–) was Singapore’s second prime minister (PM), serving in the office from 28 November 1990 to 11 August 2004. Goh first entered politics as a People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate in the 1976 general election. He was elected ...

Suppiah Dhanabalan (b. 8 August 1937, Singapore–), also known as S. Dhanabalan or just Dhana, is a banker and former politician who served in various ministries, notably foreign affairs and national development. Since his retirement from politics, he has held chairmanships ...