Should political parties play activists in the Sungei Road Flea Market saga?

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has taken to the flea market at Sungei Road to champion the vendors who will soon be evicted, with less than a month to go before the market closes for good.

A press statement from the party states: “The SDP stands in solidarity with the merchants of Sungei Road and call on the PAP Government to rethink its decision to evict the vendors there.

“The flea market is an iconic spot with a rich history going back many decades. It has become very much a part of Singapore and it will be a tragic loss of our heritage.

“The place is also a venue for the vendors, many of whom are elderly and have plied their trade there for their entire lives, to eke out a living in their remaining years. To pull the economic rug from under them at this stage of their lives is a unimaginably cruel act.”

Although several netizens appreciated the SDP for adding to the discourse on this ongoing issue, some have criticised the party for unnecessarily politicising the issue. Founding President of the Singapore Cabbies Association, Lim Lian Chin William, said in a Facebook post: “Here, SDP just asking PAP to rethink… Is this what SDP good at? It’s a shame that with many hardcore opposition supporters, this is the standard coming out from them. It’s an embarrassment.”

Others have echoed Lim’s post, expressing skepticism at the SDP’s latest cause:

Some supporters of the SDP have also urged the party to rethink its strategy. Dougles Chan, for example, tagged party leader Chee Soon Juan on a screenshot of Lim’s post, saying, “I also believe the focus need to be adjusted. Need to look at the bigger picture, work on bigger things, a country need a leader, a person who cares for the people as a whole.”