The National Solidarity Party (NSP), which previously contested in the constituency in 2020 and 2015, got the lowest share of the votes – 2.32 per cent.
In Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, SDP’s four-member team lost to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s team with 26.54 per cent of the votes.
The SDP team there comprised organising secretary Jufri Salim, founder of alternative news site Wake Up Singapore Ariffin Sha, theatre director Alec Tok and Dr Gigene Wong.
The SDP last had seats in parliament in 1997, when three MPs – party founder Chiam See Tong as well as members Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen – won in the 1991 General Election.
Dr Chee told reporters that it would have “made a difference” if the PAP waited “just another month” before calling the election after the boundary changes were announced.
“But that was not to be, and I just worry in terms of where we’re going with our political system here, our electoral system,” Dr Chee added.
When asked specifically about the result for Sembawang West SMC, he said it was an “uphill battle”.
“I’ve just heard people telling me that, you know, sometimes it’s that rapport with the bond with the community, with the electorate. And then I had to just relocate, move everything to Sembawang West, and it started anew again,” he added.
“As I said, (Prime Minister) Lawrence Wong would have known that he would have to hold (the election) just around this time. Why not announce your boundaries in January, February?”
Dr Chee also questioned what would stop the PAP government from merging Sembawang West SMC into a GRC in the next election.
“This is the kind of game that I think is so unhealthy for Singapore,” he added.
He said the party will take some time to rest and then analyse the data to see what happened.
Dr Chee has not won an election since he first ran in the 1992 Marine Parade GRC by-election. He was invited to join the party that year by SDP founder Chiam See Tong.
