| Founded by Chiam See Tong and others, it was launched on 6 August 1980 and its symbol adopted on 19 October 1980. In 1991, it won an unprecedented three seats in the General Election, becoming the first opposition in post-independent Singapore to win more than one seat. Shortly after, serious internal conflicts arose that saw Chiam resign as secretary-general on 17 May 1993 and replaced by Dr Chee Soon Juan. He was expelled as a member in August 1993 but was reinstated by the courts. Before the 1997 GE, he left the party to join SPP. SDP lost its remaining seats in that GE and was out of Parliament for the first time since 1984. Owing to defamation suits, Dr Chee was made a bankrupt in 2006, which lasted until 2012. The party also faced the prospect of being wounded up. To circumvent this, its close aides registered USD in 2010. |
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