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Singapore Democratic Party |
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Who We Are THE SINGAPORE DEMOCRATIC PARTY WAS constituted in 1980. Since then the Party has evolved and, today, stands proudly as the vanguard for the democratic struggle in our nation. We are acutely aware that pocket-book issues are what drive political opinion in Singapore. A look at some of the articles in this website and especially those in The New Democrat, our party newspaper, shows that we have been emphasizing much on the bread-and-butter issues concerning the common folk. In fact, we made issues such as paying minimum wage, giving retrenchment benefits, and advocating giving jobs to Singaporeans first before foreigners our focus in the 2001 elections. However, without a system where opposition parties can freely campaign for votes, where the media reflects fairly and accurately about dissenting views, where civil society can speak up on behalf of the people, no amount of complaining about fare hikes or the high cost of living or depressing wages will bring about any meaningful change for the people. Conversely, when the people are equipped with the basic political rights such as having access to a free and pluralistic media, being able to exercise our freedoms of speech and assembly, and be able to vote in a genuinely free and fair election system, then the PAP will know that they can lose office if they continue to remain so arrogant and insensitive to the wishes of the people. Then, and only then, will our grievances on bread-and-butter issues be taken seriously by the PAP Government. Dr. Toh Chin Chye, former deputy prime minister and founding chairman of the PAP, said: "When the PAP and the Opposition were 26-25, the government was sensitive to issues and was circumspect. When you've got a strong opposition, there's consultation." What we, the Democrats, are offering Singaporeans is a way out of this cage that the PAP has put us in. We spell out clearly in this section, what we stand for and how we will go about achieving our goal of entrenching democracy for our nation. These are not pipedreams, they are achievable goals that require the leadership of the SDP and the active support and involvement of Singaporeans young and old, rich and poor, man and woman. Why support the Singapore Democrats? Because we believe in, and are working towards 1. restoring human, civil, and political rights in Singapore; 2. fostering a vibrant and dynamic society based pluralism and diversity; 3. cultivating a transparent and accountable political system; 4. establishing an economic system based on free competition and equal opportunity for all; 5. removing all policies and practices that discriminate against the less fortunate, women, and minorities; 6. and cooperating with democratic parties and organisations in Asia to achieve peace and sustainable development in the region.
"We, the members of the Singapore Democratic Party, pledge to bear true faith and allegiance to the Republic of Singapore, and to remain loyal to the creed of the Party by protecting and defending our nation's interests in pursuit of democracy, justice, and equal opportunity for all Singaporeans."
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) governs the party. Its members are elected by the Party's cadre members at the Ordinary Party Conference held biennially. The present CEC comprises of: Mr.
Gandhi Ambalam, Chairman Affiliations The SDP is a member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD, www.cald.net). As the name suggests, CALD is a regional organization of liberal and democratic parties whose objective is to promote democracy and protect human rights in Asia. Other members of CALD are: 1.
Democratic Progressive Party (Taiwan) The SDP is also affiliated to or working in close co-operation with: 1.
Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia
(www.asiademocracy.org)
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