Singaporean by-election, 1961
Encyclopedia
Background
There were 2 by elections held in 1961. The first by election was held on 29 April 1961 and the nomination day was held on 11 March 1961 while the second by election was held on 15 July 1961 with the nomination day held on 10 June 1961.First 1961 by election (April)
Ex-PAPPeople's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
Minister Ong Eng Guan
Ong Eng Guan
Ong Eng Guan is a former minister and politician of Singapore. A staunch anti-communist, he was a Chinese-educated orator who was one of the pioneer members of the People's Action Party Ong was well-known among the Chinese community in Singapore, In the 1957 City Hall Elections, he was elected...
has resigned his seat on Hong Lim, filed the famous "16 resolutions" in the legislative assembly against the PAP and challenged PAP to defeat him there because his minsterial post was terminated and expelled by the party after he had made open disputes with his Cabinet colleagues, including over the abolishment of the City Council when he was the last Mayor. Two other PAP members had followed him to join his faction and resigned from the party but held to their seats instead.
Second 1961 by election (July)
It was held shortly after the first by election as the demise of the PAP Assembly Member Baharuddin Mohammed Ariff which translates to the vacant in Anson consitutency.Historical significance
The victory of former LFLabour Front
The Labour Front was a political party in Singapore. It was founded before the 1955 legislative council elections by David Saul Marshall, Singapore's first chief minister in 1955 and Lim Yew Hock, Singapore's second chief minister...
Chief Minister David Marshall
David Marshall
Dave Marshall or David Marshall may refer to:* Dave Marshall , former professional baseball player* Dave Marshall , guitarist with Vince Neil and Slaughter...
, now WP
Workers' Party of Singapore
The Workers' Party of Singapore is a centre-left opposition political party in Singapore. The party currently has six elected seats in Parliament, with the party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, Chairman Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh serving as Members of...
chief, symbolised WP's first presence in the legislature.
At the same time, Ong Eng Guan mustered the two former PAP assembly members who resigned with him to form UPP
United People's Party
The United People's Party was a Singapore party formed by the former People's Action Party leader Ong Eng Guan in 1961. After it won a seat , in the 1963 General Elections, the party's existence was in doubt as Singapore was knocked out of the Malaysian federation by Malaysia...
while Assembly Speaker A. P. Rajah joined the newly-formed SA - an alliance of SPA
Singapore People's Alliance
The Singapore People's Alliance was a political party in Singapore founded in 1959 that was drawn from the abandoned political party Labour Front and has never won any seats in the Parliament of Singapore...
, UMNO, MCA and MIC. Hence, for the first time since, there were momentarily no independent legislators.
Hong Lim (April By election)
Notes: As both candidates have secured more than 12.5% of the votes, hence none of them had their deposit forfeited.Anson (July by election)
Notes: As both Ismail from Liberal Socialist PartyLiberal Socialist Party
The Liberal Socialist Party is a defunct political party which was formerly active within the politics of Singapore. It was formed in the 1950s from the merger of the Singapore Progressive Party and the Democratic Party , the latter not to be confused with the Singapore Democratic Party...
and Ibrahim from Singapore Congress have failed to secure the minimum 12.5% of the votes, both had their deposits forfeited.