PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION 1991
This was Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's maiden helmsmanship of PAP in an election after Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as PM and PAP's secretary-general in 1990. The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee published its report on 8 August 1991, after placing it with PM's Office on 29 July 1991. For the first time since 1963, there was no increase in number of seats. There were also no new single wards but half of those existing were absorbed into the now expanded four-member GRCs, even as the Singapore Constitution continued to cater for three-member ones. Five GRC divisions that were once single wards, Alexandra, Henderson, Pasir Panjang, Tanah Merah and Whampoa, disappeared and new divisions in their place were Bishan East, Bishan North, Changkat South, Hong Kah West and Pasir Ris. A week after the report and just three years after the last GE, PM Goh called for a snap election to court a fresh mandate, setting the record of the shortest Parliament term ever. SDP fielded a small number of candidates and pulled out several after deciding to employ the "by-election effect strategy", which it dubbed "BEES", to let PAP form the government after nominations so that people could vote without worrying about a change of government. WP was against the idea but could not muster enough numbers to make up for the shortfall. The strategy was nearly foiled when an unhappy SDP member wanted to contest Kreta Ayer as an independent but arrived too late to file his papers, triggering the only single seat walkover. In the end, PAP lost an unprecedented four seats, the biggest seat loss since the 1963 GE, and its share of votes fell for the third consecutive time. Crediting BEES for its success, SDP added two more to the seat retained by leader Chiam See Tong, with eight out of its nine candidates coming in top ten, becoming the main opposition party. WP made its second in-road into the legislature with the victory of organising secretary Low Thia Khiang, who would years later become the party secretary-general and leader. At a press conference, PM Goh glumly attributed the loss to his "open and consultative style of government" and pledged to re-evaluate his approach. Since the introduction of the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme in 1984, this was the only occasion where a special, one-time order was issued by the President of Singapore to provide for four instead of the minimum three NCMP seats but also where none were offered due to the four opposition wins. Therefore, the second narrow defeat of WP's Eunos GRC team, anchored by Lee Siew Choh again, did not see Lee's return as NCMP. This was his permanent exit from the legislature and final electoral battle, as he resigned from WP and retired from politics in 1993. The maximum of six Nominated MPs were appointed for this term, up from two NMPs previously.
7th Parliament dissolved: 14 August 1991 [Wed]
Nomination day: 21 August 1991 [Wed]
Polling day: 31 August 1991 [Sat]
8th Parliament opening: 6 January 1992 [Mon]
Electorate: 1,692,384
Walkover voters: 844,668 (49.9%)
Eligible voters: 847,716 (50.1%)
Voter turnout: 805,593 (95.0%)
Election deposit: $6,000 (+$2,000)
|
