Singapore Alliance Party

Singapore Alliance
Malay name	Perikatan Singapura
Chinese name	新加坡联盟 Xīnjiāpō Liánméng
Tamil name	சிங்கப்பூர் கூட்டணி Ciṅkappūr kūṭṭaṇi
Founded	2 June 1961; 62 years ago (1961-06-02)
Legalised	24 June 1963; 60 years ago (1963-06-24)
Headquarters	Singapore
Ideology	National conservatism Social conservatism
Political position	Right-wing
National affiliation	Alliance Party
Colours	Royal Blue   White
Politics of Singapore Political parties Elections

The Singapore Alliance Party, or simply the Singapore Alliance, was a political coalition formed on 2 June 1961 that contested several elections in Singapore, notably the 1955 Elections of Singapore and the 1963 Elections of Singapore. It consisted of the local branch of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Malay Union, the local chapters of the Malayan Chinese Association and the Malayan Indian Congress, and former Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock's Singapore People's Alliance (SPA).^[1]

This alliance was formalised on 24 June 1963 as the Singaporean component of the ruling Alliance Party in Malaya. Its campaign policy during the 1963 elections was similar to what the UMNO used in federal elections in Malaysia, and alleged the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) mistreated the Malays, one of the major races in Singapore. While the Singapore Alliance also supported merger within the Federation of Malaysia and was anti-Communist, it sought to extend the same model of communal politics on the mainland to Singapore. Unlike the then-left-leaning and socialist PAP, it was identified with the political right.^[1]

Throughout its history, the Singapore Alliance has only held seven seats with the SPA holding four seats and the Singapore United Malay National Organization occupying three seats in Malay-dominated areas like Geylang Serai, Kampong Kembangan, and the Southern Islands.^[2] During the 1963 general election, the Alliance performed poorly and lost all its seats. Its participation in the 1963 election further heightened tensions between UMNO and the PAP as they had earlier agreed neither side would participate in each other's elections until Malaysia, which Singapore was then an autonomous state of, was more mature.^[1]

After the 1963 elections, the Singapore Alliance was left in the political wilderness. While the coalition was briefly reformed and re-registered as the "Alliance Party Singapura" in 1966, it did contest any future elections in Singapore and gradually faded from the political scene. Most of its component parties eventually ceased to operate with the exception of Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura, which subsequently joined the Singapore Democratic Alliance.^[3]

Election Results

Legislative Assembly of Singapore

Election	Seats up for election	Seats contested	Seats won	Change	Votes contested	Votes polled	Vote share	Swing	Contested vote share	Swing	Resulting Government
1955	25	5	3 / 25	new party	30,266	13,157	8.42%	new party	43.47%	new party	Coalition Government with Labour Front
1959	51	15	3 / 51		151,509	35,133	6.74%	1.68%	23.19%	20.28%	Opposition
1963	51	42	0 / 51	3	475,002	48,967	8.42%	1.68%	10.31%	12.88%	Extra-Parliamentary

References

Further reading

• Lau, Albert (1998). A Moment of Anguish: Singapore in Malaysia and the Politics of Disengagement. Singapore: Times Academic Press. ISBN 981-210-1349.
• Background of Singapore Alliance

This page was last edited on 4 February 2024, at 12:44