General elections were held in Singapore on 2 January 1997 to elect members of Parliament. They were the tenth general elections since the introduction of self-government in 1959 and the eighth since independence in 1965. The number of parliamentary seats increased from 81 to 83 following adjustments to electoral boundaries. With 47 seats won uncontested by the People's Action Party (PAP) on nomination day, the outcome of the elections was effectively determined before polling day for the second consecutive election.
The ruling PAP secured a landslide victory and retained its supermajority by winning all but two of the 83 parliamentary seats, while also increasing its popular vote share for the first time since the 1980 election to 65%. The only opposition candidates elected were Chiam See Tong, now under the Singapore People's Party (SPP) banner, who retained his seat in Potong Pasir SMC, and Low Thia Khiang of the Workers' Party (WP), who retained his seat in Hougang SMC. The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), now led by Chee Soon Juan, lost all its parliamentary seats and reversed its gains from the previous election.
As the opposition secured two elected seats, one Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seat was offered to the WP team in Cheng San GRC, which was the best-performing losing opposition team. J. B. Jeyaretnam was selected, marking his return to Parliament for the first time since 1986, albeit as a NCMP. The 1997 election was the only one to span two calendar years, with nomination day held on 23 December 1996 and polling day on 2 January 1997. In this election, the size of Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) was also expanded from four members to between four and six, with six-member constituencies remaining in place for two decades until their removal in the 2020 election.
Background This election was Goh Chok Tong's opportunity as prime minister to secure a stronger mandate after the PAP's relatively weaker performance in 1991. Despite retaining a supermajority and continuing the de facto one party rule of Singapore following Lee Kuan Yew stepping down as prime minister and becoming a senior minister, the PAP's popular vote share had fallen to 61.0%, the lowest it had received since independence, while the opposition held four seats in the 8th Parliament. At dissolution, two seats in Eunos and Toa Payoh GRCs, both under the PAP, were vacated following the death of Tay Eng Soon and the resignation of former Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng Cheong, who stepped down to contest in the 1993 Singaporean presidential election. Ong went on to win the presidency, becoming Singapore's first directly elected President of Singapore. Neither GRCs held by-elections. A third incumbent, Lim Chee Onn, retired from politics ahead of the Marine Parade by-election in 1992, where former Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) rear admiral Teo Chee Hean succeeded him; according to Lim, he did not stand for the by-election citing health and work reasons.
Singapore Democratic Party infighting In 1993 the largest opposition party, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), experienced a major internal conflict when party founder and Potong Pasir MP Chiam See Tong clashed with the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC), which included assistant Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan as well as chairman and Bukit Gombak MP Ling How Doong, over Chee's behaviour. The CEC supported Chee, and Chiam resigned from the Secretary-General post of his own party. He remained in the SDP for a time, successfully blocking an attempted expulsion by the CEC through a court case on procedural grounds, before resigning on his own accord in 1996 shortly before the general election to join the Singapore People's Party (SPP), a splinter group formed in 1994 by members of the SDP who backed him.
Shortly after taking control of the SDP as its Secretary-General, Chee traveled abroad to speak to foreign media, especially in Western countries, about what he saw as "limits to democracy" in Singapore. He also published his second book, Dare to Change: An Alternative Vision for Singapore, criticising the PAP government and its ministers. In response to criticisms of his book by then deputy prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, Chee wrote a letter to The Straits Times. Marine Parade GRC MP Matthias Yao replied, sparking a two-month exchange of letters in the newspaper that concluded with Chee challenging Yao to contest him in a SMC at the next general election. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong agreed to separate Yao's MacPherson division from Marine Parade GRC at this general election so that he could accept the challenge.
Ultimately, although Chiam had initially invited Chee to the SDP, they clashed over personality and approach. He opposed Chee's confrontational style and harsh criticism of the PAP especially when done abroad, which he considered counterintuitive to the SDP's cause and opposition politics in general, particularly since Chee did not hold a seat in Parliament and voiced his criticisms from outside the House and the country.
Timeline Date Event21 November 1996 Publication of Electoral Boundaries report16 December 1996Dissolution of 8th Parliament23 December 1996Nomination Day2 JanuaryPolling day15 JanuaryAnnouncement of Non-constituency Member of Parliament26 MayOpening of 9th Parliament
Nominations and campaigning The 8th Parliament was dissolved on 16 December 1996, with nominations held a week later. At the close of nominations, 122 candidates were fielded, and the PAP secured a return to power for the second consecutive and third overall election in which a majority of seats were uncontested. In total, 47 seats went uncontested, including Tampines GRC, where the National Solidarity Party (NSP) team was disqualified after one candidate was found to have been struck off the electoral rolls for failing to vote in 1991.
Meanwhile, Chia Shi Teck became the first former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) to contest in general election, running as an independent candidate in a rare four cornered fight in Chua Chu Kang SMC. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), previously known as the Singapore United Front (SUF), was represented by a father and son duo consisting of Tan Soon Phuan and Tan Lead Shake, the latter of whom later joined the NSP.
Cheng San GRC controversy
During the campaigning period, Tang Liang Hong, who stood on the Workers' Party (WP) ticket alongside its Secretary-General J. B. Jeyaretnam in Cheng San GRC, came under heavy attack by the governing PAP. The PAP accused Tang of being an "anti-Christian Chinese chauvinist", which became a major controversy of the election and shaped much of the national debate during the campaign.
Electoral boundaries
New six-member Group Representation Constituencies (GRC) were formed in the election, while six existing GRCs were absorbed into neighboring GRCs. Divisions of each constituencies which were either absorbed or carved out Single Member Constituencies (SMC), or creating smaller divisions, were reflected in the table: Constituency Changes Aljunied GRC Ward upsized to five membersAbsorbed Eunos from Eunos GRC, Changkat South division from Tampines GRC (renamed to Changi-Simei), and portions of Serangoon Gardens division from Thomson GRC Ang Mo Kio GRC Ward upsized to five membersAbsorbed Nee Soon South SMC, portions of Chong Boon division from Cheng San GRC, and portions of Serangoon Gardens division from Thomson GRC Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC New ConstituencyFormed with Thomson GRC (and a small portion of Serangoon Gardens division) and Toa Payoh GRC, with Boon Teck and Kim Keat divisions absorbed to Toa Payoh Central division, and Kuo Chuan to Toa Payoh East division Bukit Timah GRC New ConstituencyFormed with Bukit Batok, Bukit Timah, Jurong, Ulu Pandan and Yuhua SMCs, and parts of Clementi division from Brickworks GRC Cheng San GRC Ward upsized to five membersPunggol division was split into Punggol Central, Punggol East and Punggol South divisionsCarved out Chong Boon division to Ang Mo Kio GRC and Cheng San division East Coast GRC New ConstituencyAbsorbed Joo Chiat division from Marine Parade GRC, Kaki Bukit division from Eunos GRC, Changi SMC and Bedok GRCChangi division was absorbed into Changi-Simei and Siglap divisions Hong Kah GRC Ward upsized to five membersAbsorbed a portion of Chua Chu Kang SMC (forming Yew Tee division) and Jurong SMCHong Kah West division was split to include Nanyang division (which also absorbed a portion of Jurong SMC) Jalan Besar GRC Kallang division was dissolved into Kolam Ayer, Jalan Besar, Whampoa and Kampong Glam wards Kreta Ayer–Tanglin GRC New ConstituencyFormed with Kreta Ayer SMC, Tanglin SMC and portions of Kampong Glam GRC (except for Kampong Glam division, which was split into SMC) Marine Parade GRC Ward upsized to six membersAbsorbed Braddell Heights and Mountbatten SMC, and portions of Serangoon Gardens division from Thomson GRC (forming Serangoon division)Carved out MacPherson division into SMC, and Joo Chiat division into East Coast GRC Pasir Ris GRC New ConstituencyAbsorbed Pasir Ris and portions of Tampines North division (renamed to Pasir Ris South) from Eunos GRC, while Pasir Ris division was split into Pasir Ris Central, Pasir Ris East and Pasir Ris Loyang divisions Sembawang GRC Ward upzised to six membersBukit Panjang and Sembawang divisions were split to include Marsiling and Woodlands divisions, respectively Tampines GRC Tampines West division was split to include Tampines Central divisionCarved a portion of Changkat South division to Aljunied GRC, while the rest absorbed to Tampines Changkat division Tanjong Pagar GRC Ward upsized to six membersAbsorbed Brickworks and Queenstown division from Brickworks GRC, as well as Bukit Merah, Buona Vista and Leng Kee SMCsCarved out Telok Blangah division to West Coast GRCBrickworks division was absorbed into Pasir Panjang & Queenstown divisions West Coast GRC New ConstituencyFormed with Telok Blangah division from Tanjong Pagar GRC, and Clementi & West Coast divisions from Brickworks GRC
MPs not standing for re-election 17 incumbent PAP MPs retired prior to the polls, including the first Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Ahmad Mattar, cabinet ministers S. Dhanabalan and Yeo Ning Hong, as well as Ho Kah Leong, leaving Lee Kuan Yew left as the last active MP from the pre-independence Legislative to contest in succeeding elections until 2015. MP Party ConstituencyElected inArthur BengPAPBedok GRC1984Ch'ng Jit KoonPAPBukit Merah SMC1968S. Chandra DasPAPCheng San GRC1980Chin Harn TongPAPAljunied GRC1972S. DhanabalanPAPToa Payoh GRC1976Ho Kah LeongPAPJurong SMC1966Koh Lip LinPAPNee Soon South SMC1980Lau Ping SumPAPAng Mo Kio GRC1980Lau Teik SoonPAPThomson GRC1976Lee Yiok SengPAPSembawang GRC1972Ahmad MattarPAPBrickworks GRC1972Peter SungPAPBuona Vista SMC1988Teo Chong TeePAPChangi SMC1976Umar Abdul HamidPAPAng Mo Kio GRC1991Wong Kwei CheongPAPKampong Glam GRC1980Yeo Ning HongPAPKampong Glam GRC1980Yeo Toon ChiaPAPAng Mo Kio GRC1970Zulkifli MohammedPAPJalan Besar GRC1984
New candidates A total of 42 candidates made their election debuts, of which the PAP introduced 24 including its future office holders such as Lim Swee Say, S. Iswaran and Yaacob Ibrahim, as well as the eventual first woman cabinet minister Lim Hwee Hua among others.