Former RP member to contest as independent candidate?
Former Reform Party (RP) member Alec Tok may contest in the upcoming General Election as an independent candidate.
According to sources, the 46-year-old theatre director who quit RP earlier this month may stand independently in Radin Mas single-member constituency (SMC) if he decides not to join other opposition parties.
Tok previously said that he had been approached by a number of opposition parties. It is understood that members of the Singapore Justice Party (SJP) and the National Solidarity Party (NSP) have met him.
However, he is still mulling over the option of joining either one of two other opposition parties; the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) or the Singapore People's Party (SPP).
"I'm considering each and every offer very seriously. However, I am weighing the implications of joining a party so quickly after leaving one and so soon for an election," Tok told Yahoo! Singapore.
"My preference would have been to have a much longer time to get to know the various parties and their various leaders but I also know opposition politics in Singapore moves faster than a blink of an eye."
He declined to confirm whether he will stand as an independent candidate but said there is a "50 per cent chance" of that happening. It is believed that Tok will unveil his own manifesto and campaign posters by this week if he chooses to run independently.
If Tok decides to run as an independent candidate, the newly-carved out Radin Mas SMC could potentially see a four-corner fight.
Commenting on this possibility, Tok said, "Conventional wisdom tells us that the voters will be confused if there are too many candidates.
"It will be important for voters to scrutinise the candidates more closely and listen to them more clearly and then make their own choices," he said.
Tok acknowledged he could face difficulties such as logistics and manpower issues, but added that he would then have to "work harder".
RP chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam has expressed his party's interest to contest in Radin Mas while the NSP has already announced Yip Yew Weng, 60, as its candidate.
According to its website, the People's Action Party (PAP) will be fielding Tan Chin Siong, who is currently a Member of Parliament (MP), for Tanjong Pagar GRC.
Tok had abruptly resigned from RP on April 8 due to new protocols drawn up by the party's secretary-general, namely: 1) a three-month probation period for CEC members, during which they can be kicked out of the party without any notice or reason needed, and 2) a gag order against speaking to the press for three months during the "gardening leave period" after a member resigns. There are a total of 11 conditions in the new set of protocols.
Tok said the clauses went against "accountability" and "the right of the public to know about the conversations and discussions conducted in a public institution open to membership by all Singaporeans".
However, Tok denied that his departure was due to having a difficult working relationship with Jeyaretnam.
