Vincent Wijeysingha quits Singapore Democratic Party

In what may come as a shocking move to many, popular opposition politician Vincent Wijeysingha has announced his resignation from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).

In a post on his Facebook profile on Wednesday afternoon, he said, "I would like to inform you that I have taken the difficult decision to resign my membership of the SDP in order to explore how I can be of service to the wider cause of our civil liberties, a project which I believe to be the dominant mission of this present period."

This, he told Yahoo! Singapore in a phone interview shortly after issuing his announcement, followed a process of seeking ratification and support from the party's central executive committee and the rest of its members. He formally submitted his resignation two weeks ago.

In the last three years as a member of the SDP, Wijeysingha, now 43, said he was "engaged in social and economic bread-and-butter policy issues", but the time has come for him to focus on the "more intangible but no less important work to promote our civil liberties".

One subject close to his heart is the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-sexual (LGBT) people. Wijeysingha said that his Facebook post about his sexuality — he is gay — just before this year's Pink Dot event had attracted significant debate on LGBT rights.

"The shape of the discussion shows there is misunderstanding of these issues, primarily because of lack of mainstream access to appropriate information. Misunderstanding leads to discrimination that works its way into the lives of LGBT people, resulting in anguish and distress," he said.

"There is a great deal of work ahead if we are to achieve the full range of our fundamental liberties," he added.

This post and the heated discussion that followed was one of the things that put the idea of shifting his focus in his mind, Wijeysingha told Yahoo! Singapore.

"What really surprised me was the volume of responses," he said. "That kind of suggested to me that there is a vacuum in civil society as far as LGBT and civil liberty issues are concerned. That called me to have a deep rethink about what role I should be playing."

He said that following extensive discussions with friends, SDP leaders and civil society members, he gradually arrived at the decision that his place was in the civil liberty sphere.

Asked where he will be serving exactly, given that his part-time job of lecturing in social work in undergraduate and Master's degree programmes at SIM University takes up mainly his evenings and weekends, he said he has not decided yet, although he is exploring his options and speaking to people in civil society.

On whether something happened within the party that triggered his decision to leave, Wijeysingha maintained there is "no conflict between the objective (he) want(ed) to achieve and the party's values".

"In a political party, you are involved with a whole spectrum of policy issues," he said. "So you have to balance the priorities and insights of people from a whole range of demographics, so that may suggest that I can't focus my work on civil liberties and LGBT issues, which I think there is a need for."

So, does he still harbour political ambitions? Wijeysingha said in his view, Parliament and civil society have a "symbiotic relationship", and at this point, he feels he is more able to contribute appropriately to the civil sphere.

"My sense is that parliament and civil society work together in a funny sort of way," he said.

"Civil society generates the debate that creates social change, which get reflected in Parliament and laws get amended as a result. Both aspects are equally important, but having said that, particularly in the context of our parliament, civil society is very important because it's the place where the debate gets widened, and it's where we as citizens push Parliament to change the status quo."

Is he worried that the party may now be significantly weaker without him? Wijeysingha, who held positions as treasurer, head of communications and prime contributor to the party's policy papers, said straightaway he isn't at all.

"I joined a very strong organisation — strong in terms of its value system, deep commitment to citizens and hard work. For me, it's still the organisation that holds the most promise," he said, giving its secretary-general Chee Soon Juan credit for his dogged determination in serving the people that created the strength that the party possesses today.

"Of course each person joining an organisation makes his contribution... but I think the party will grow from strength to strength. The party's policy framework will be its vindication."

In a brief subsequent statement, the SDP voiced its sadness at Wijeysingha's resignation.

"While the SDP is disappointed at this outcome, we understand and fully support Dr Wijeysingha's position," wrote party chairman Jufrie Mahmood. "Our loss is civil society's gain."