The rejuvenation of the NSP and the rebranding of the SDP: conversations with Singapore's Opposition politicians

James, Kieran and Chia, Roderick and Grant, Bligh and Lee, Dexter (2011) The rejuvenation of the NSP and the rebranding of the SDP: conversations with Singapore's Opposition politicians. Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, 38 (2). pp. 99-118. ISSN 0126-5644

Abstract

Via detailed personal interviews, this paper canvasses the views of leading Singapore oppositional grassroots activists about the state of play in Singapore politics and likely developments over the next ten to fifteen years. We focus on two activists who are internet-focused and who have recently switched political parties. Although still strong poll performers in 2011, the Workers’ Party of Singapore (WP) has lost three important members from its 2006 campaign – Chia Ti Lik, Goh Meng Seng, and James Gomez. In this paper Goh and Gomez reflect upon their reasons for leaving WP. Goh points to the lack of emphasis placed by the WP upon internet activism which he views as a strategic error. In one key respect Gomez differs significantly in strategy from Goh, arguing that the latter’s Malay Bureau within the National Solidarity Party (NSP) reflects outdated, old-school politics which can be contrasted sharply with Gomez' Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) post-modern multicultural ethos.

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Item Type:	Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	Permanent restricted access to published version due to publisher copyright policy. The paper is available on the journal website open access (free registration).
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Historic - Faculty of Business and Law - School of Accounting, Economics and Finance (1 Jan 2011 - 30 Jun 2013)
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Historic - Faculty of Business and Law - School of Accounting, Economics and Finance (1 Jan 2011 - 30 Jun 2013)
Date Deposited:	29 Jun 2012 12:35
Last Modified:	26 Sep 2017 23:29
Uncontrolled Keywords:	activism, civil society, grassroots activism, internet activism, Opposition parties, rebranding, Singapore politics, Singapore opposition
Fields of Research (2008):	16 Studies in Human Society > 1608 Sociology > 160805 Social Change 16 Studies in Human Society > 1608 Sociology > 160803 Race and Ethnic Relations 16 Studies in Human Society > 1606 Political Science > 160606 Government and Politics of Asia and the Pacific 16 Studies in Human Society > 1608 Sociology > 160810 Urban Sociology and Community Studies
Socio-Economic Objectives (2008):	C Society > 94 Law, Politics and Community Services > 9402 Government and Politics > 940203 Political Systems C Society > 94 Law, Politics and Community Services > 9402 Government and Politics > 940201 Civics and Citizenship
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/21444

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