SingFirst party leader corrects portions of ST report on potential opposition coalition

Singapore First (SingFirst) party leader Tan Jee Say has corrected portions of a Straits Times online report on the proposed coalition between SingFirst, the Reform Party (RP), the People’s Power Party (PPP) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The report, on Friday (Jan 3), covered the four parties’ plans to form a coalition ahead of the next General Election. It cited unnamed DPP and PPP insiders as its sources. It was also in ST’s print version on Saturday (Jan 4).

It stated: “ST understands that the new alliance will be led by SingFirst secretary-general Tan Jee Say, and plans to field about 30 candidates in the election.”

Mr Tan says he does not know how ST got the story and that it did not speak to him prior to its publication. He, however, acknowledged that “anybody could have told ST” about the coalition plans since the idea had been “known to several parties” since last November.

In a Facebook post hours after the online report, Mr Tan added that “there is no formal leader” for the proposed alliance since it is “only an idea at this stage”.

Sharing that he represented the alliance as he approached the various opposition parties to join the coalition, Mr Tan indicated that Progress Singapore Party leader Tan Cheng Bock is still welcome to lead the proposed coalition.

Contrary to the ST assumption that the alliance will field about 30 candidates in the impending elections, Mr Tan said the coalition partners have yet to decide on the number of candidates to field.