NSP could have fielded candidates better, say leaders
By Andrea Ong
NSP supporters cheering at a rally held last Friday in Chinese Garden. The party's central executive council met last night to discuss its GE performance and future plans. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
THE National Solidarity Party (NSP) failed to field its best candidates in the correct teams in the May 7 general election, party leaders said yesterday.
It could have accounted for the party's failure to win any seats in Parliament despite being the opposition party that fielded the most candidates.
The party's central executive council met at its Jalan Besar headquarters last night to do a post-mortem of its performance and discuss future plans.
The NSP contested in four Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and four single-member constituencies, fielding a total of 24 candidates.
Its best showing was in Marine Parade GRC, where a largely untested team won 43.4 per cent of the valid vote against a People's Action Party (PAP) team led by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Ahead of last night's meeting, NSP secretary-general Goh Meng Seng posted an introspective note on his Facebook page, reflecting on his election strategy.
His failure to field the best combination of candidates in Tampines GRC could have cost him the constituency, he said.
Mr Goh said he led 'quite a decent' team in Tampines, where it garnered 42.8 per cent of valid votes - the second-best showing by an NSP GRC team - against a PAP team led by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.
But he added: 'My failure to convince people like Tony Tan, Hazel Poa or even Nicole Seah to join the Tampines team has cost us a lost opportunity of punching through.'
Mr Tan and Ms Poa, both former government scholarship holders, were in Chua Chu Kang GRC, where the NSP got 38.8 per cent of the vote against a PAP team led by Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong.
Although young, Ms Seah, 24, won many over with her maturity and eloquence, and is believed to have given the NSP a leg-up in Marine Parade GRC, where she was fielded.
NSP president Sebastian Teo, who led the Chua Chu Kang GRC team, offered a different explanation: 'There were too many uncertainties. If we had settled these uncertainties earlier, we could have done better.'
Mr Goh, in his Facebook post, also asserted that social media did not determine the results for opposition parties as much as mainstream media did.
The Workers' Party (WP), the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), and the NSP team in Marine Parade GRC received a significant amount of coverage, he noted.
He cited five other factors which determined his party's results.
These include the 'sweetness' of the ground based on its class composition and electoral history; candidates' personalities; and the issues the opposition highlighted.
The NSP also lacked a strong party brand name, unlike the WP, he said.
Still, Mr Goh defended the NSP's strategy of contesting in GRCs led by ministers handling hot-button issues.
The NSP attacked Mr Mah on housing policies and held SM Goh accountable for policies introduced when he was Prime Minister.
'They have yielded better results as compared to other NSP teams,' said Mr Goh. While the strategy was necessary, it was 'insufficient... for parties without strong branding to win the election'.
Going forward, party members said it was crucial for the NSP to build up its brand name and reshuffle its leadership.
The party is expected to elect new leaders in August. Among those tipped to step down are Mr Teo and vice-president Christopher Neo.
Mr Goh has previously said that he would move to Hong Kong - where his family lives - if he failed to be elected.
More young blood like Ms Seah, Mr Tan and Ms Poa should be included in the new slate of leaders, an NSP source said, adding: 'If we don't change the whole system, we'll go back to square one.'
A possible merger between the NSP and the SDP has been mooted, but seems unlikely for now.
SDP candidate Tan Jee Say and the NSP's Mr Goh discussed cooperation between their parties earlier this week.
The Straits Times understands that the issue was not raised at last night's meeting.
By Andrea Ong
NSP supporters cheering at a rally held last Friday in Chinese Garden. The party's central executive council met last night to discuss its GE performance and future plans. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
THE National Solidarity Party (NSP) failed to field its best candidates in the correct teams in the May 7 general election, party leaders said yesterday.
It could have accounted for the party's failure to win any seats in Parliament despite being the opposition party that fielded the most candidates.
The party's central executive council met at its Jalan Besar headquarters last night to do a post-mortem of its performance and discuss future plans.
The NSP contested in four Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and four single-member constituencies, fielding a total of 24 candidates.
Its best showing was in Marine Parade GRC, where a largely untested team won 43.4 per cent of the valid vote against a People's Action Party (PAP) team led by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Ahead of last night's meeting, NSP secretary-general Goh Meng Seng posted an introspective note on his Facebook page, reflecting on his election strategy.
His failure to field the best combination of candidates in Tampines GRC could have cost him the constituency, he said.
Mr Goh said he led 'quite a decent' team in Tampines, where it garnered 42.8 per cent of valid votes - the second-best showing by an NSP GRC team - against a PAP team led by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.
But he added: 'My failure to convince people like Tony Tan, Hazel Poa or even Nicole Seah to join the Tampines team has cost us a lost opportunity of punching through.'
Mr Tan and Ms Poa, both former government scholarship holders, were in Chua Chu Kang GRC, where the NSP got 38.8 per cent of the vote against a PAP team led by Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong.
Although young, Ms Seah, 24, won many over with her maturity and eloquence, and is believed to have given the NSP a leg-up in Marine Parade GRC, where she was fielded.
NSP president Sebastian Teo, who led the Chua Chu Kang GRC team, offered a different explanation: 'There were too many uncertainties. If we had settled these uncertainties earlier, we could have done better.'
Mr Goh, in his Facebook post, also asserted that social media did not determine the results for opposition parties as much as mainstream media did.
The Workers' Party (WP), the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), and the NSP team in Marine Parade GRC received a significant amount of coverage, he noted.
He cited five other factors which determined his party's results.
These include the 'sweetness' of the ground based on its class composition and electoral history; candidates' personalities; and the issues the opposition highlighted.
The NSP also lacked a strong party brand name, unlike the WP, he said.
Still, Mr Goh defended the NSP's strategy of contesting in GRCs led by ministers handling hot-button issues.
The NSP attacked Mr Mah on housing policies and held SM Goh accountable for policies introduced when he was Prime Minister.
'They have yielded better results as compared to other NSP teams,' said Mr Goh. While the strategy was necessary, it was 'insufficient... for parties without strong branding to win the election'.
Going forward, party members said it was crucial for the NSP to build up its brand name and reshuffle its leadership.
The party is expected to elect new leaders in August. Among those tipped to step down are Mr Teo and vice-president Christopher Neo.
Mr Goh has previously said that he would move to Hong Kong - where his family lives - if he failed to be elected.
More young blood like Ms Seah, Mr Tan and Ms Poa should be included in the new slate of leaders, an NSP source said, adding: 'If we don't change the whole system, we'll go back to square one.'
A possible merger between the NSP and the SDP has been mooted, but seems unlikely for now.
SDP candidate Tan Jee Say and the NSP's Mr Goh discussed cooperation between their parties earlier this week.
The Straits Times understands that the issue was not raised at last night's meeting.
