PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION 1988
This was the GE where GRCs were first introduced, starting with three joint constituencies, to ensure ethnic minority representation in Parliament, as well as the last with Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister and PAP leader. Two seats had been vacated - Anson of WP chief J. B. Jeyaretnam and Geylang West of PAP MP Teh Cheang Wan, both having been convicted for different reasons and disqualified - but with no by-election held. Another two PAP stalwarts, Dr Toh Chin Chye and S. Rajaratnam, retired. WP absorbed BS and SUF to become the largest opposition party. Francis Seow, former Solicitor-general and Law Society President standing under the WP ticket in Eunos GRC with veteran politician Dr Lee Siew Choh, came under fire from the PAP leadership for his alleged dubious financial circumstances. Nevertheless, the strong WP team caught PAP's attention and Dr Tay Eng Soon, a popular PAP stalwart, was fielded there at the last-minute to counter it. In the end, PAP won the GRC by an extremely narrow margin. Three Non-constituency Member of Parliament seats were gazetted and with SDP's sole victory, Dr Lee and Seow were offered two NCMP seats. The latter fled the country to avoid arrest and was disqualified from the post. Dr Lee, on the other hand, took up the offer and became Singapore's first NCMP. It also marked his return to Parliament after 25 years since his last stint as a PAP and BS legislator. For the second time, the election deposit required increased, this time more than doubled. Two years after the GE in November 1990, the Nominated Member of Parliament scheme was introduced to bring non-partisan voices into the house, starting with an experimental two NMPs, although the law allowed up to six, who sat only for a year before Parliament's term ended again.
6th Parliament dissolution: 17 August 1988 [Wed]
Nomination day: 24 August 1988 [Wed]
Polling day: 3 September 1988 [Sat]
7th Parliament commencement: 9 January 1989 [Mon]
Eligible voters: 1,669,013
Voters in walkover constituencies: 219,175 (13.1%)
Total voters: 1,449,838 (86.9%)
Total voter turnout: 1,373,064 (94.7%)
Election deposit: $4,000 (+166.7%)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |