the real story or more to it?
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In 1991, the SDP decided to contest the 1992 Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency by-election. The GRC was held by none other than the then premier; Goh Chok Tong. Nonetheless, the SDP decided to put up a good fight by recruiting Dr Chee Soon Juan, a university lecturer, for the election. The PAP won 72% of the votes and the SDP, led by Chee, won 25% and other smaller parties won the rest of the vote.
However the rise of the SDP was not to be, as differences soon emerged between Chiam and Chee. In 1993, three months after joining the SDP, Chee was accused of using his research funds to send his wife’s PhD dissertation to the United States. Dr Chee had asserted, and still does, that this was not the case as his wife was an employee in the same department at National University of Singapore at that time and was working with him, sharing and collaborating in their research, and that the funds were legitimately used. The National University of Singapore decided to sack Chee.
Chee claimed this was a political vendetta plotted by the ruling party as his supervisor Mr S.R. Vasoo was a PAP MP. The PAP had, however, denied the accusation and insisted that the offence was real. Chiam wanted to censure Chee but the former was not supported by the Central Executive Committee and they voted to oust him as general secretary and to replace him with Chee. Supporters of Chiam left the party and formed the Singapore People's Party in 1994, which Chiam took over from Sin Kek Tong as the secretary-general in the 1997 general election.
The SDP decided to strip Chiam See Tong's membership after the latter had gone to the Singapore Press Club and denounced the SDP and the Central Executive Committee.Had he lost his membership, under the law, he would also have to lose his seat in parliament. The courts ruled that his dismissal was unfair and that he should be allowed to remain as a member of the SDP.
Meanwhile, Chee Soon Juan led the political struggle with the remaining members of the SDP. He published his second political book called Dare to Change in 1996. He has also frequently travelled abroad and spoken of Singapore's undemocratic situation to foreign media.
In the General Elections of 1997, the SDP suffered its greatest setback since its founding. The party lost all of its seats in parliament and its leader, Dr Chee Soon Juan failed to get himself elected as an MP. It was a setback for the opposition as they had only won 2 seats (one won by the Workers' Party of Singapore and the other by Chiam See Tong of the Singapore People's Party) and the opposition vote dropped from 40% to 35%