The Progress Singapore Party (abbreviation: PSP) is a political party in Singapore. It was one of the three political parties represented in the 14th Parliament, alongside the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and the fellow opposition Workers' Party (WP); Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa represented it as non-constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs).
The PSP was founded in 2019 by 11 people, including former PAP politician Tan Cheng Bock; Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, supported it. It held multiple talks and walkabouts throughout 2019, ahead of the 2020 general election, where it contested in nine constituencies. While it was defeated in all nine constituencies, the PSP became eligible for two NCMP seats, which Leong and Poa accepted. The two had been part of the PSP team for West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC), which garnered 48.32% of the vote.
In the 2025 general election, the PSP contested in six constituencies and faced a significant decline in support. It garnered 4.88% of the nationwide popular vote, and was not offered NCMP seats.
History
Founding
The PSP was founded in 2019 by Tan Cheng Bock and 11 other members. They, together with Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, expressed that the existing PAP leadership had "lost its way" and deviated from the party's founding principles.
The party was officially registered on 28 March 2019 with 12 members after being approved by the Registry of Societies. Tan said that the registration was the result of an erosion of governmental transparency, independence and accountability. Job creation was also cited as a main focus.
2020 general election On 29 September 2019, Tan led about 300 party members and volunteers during the PSP's first official island-wide walkabout. The walkabout, named "29 on 29", was conducted in 29 constituencies. In October 2019, the party called for volunteer polling and counting agents.
On 4 November, the PSP called for an opposition alliance meeting, privately attended by representatives from seven opposition political parties. According to Tan, the meeting was to discuss future plans and to introduce members of different parties to one another. On 9 November, the party began its second island-wide walkabout, involving about 220 members and volunteers.
On 17 January, a reshuffling of leadership was announced at the PSP's new year party. Two members of the central executive committee (CEC) exited, replaced by five new members. On 27 January, the PSP officially opened its new headquarters at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre.
On 10 July 2020, despite fielding the largest opposition slate with 24 candidates, the PSP did not win any constituencies; however, it came closest to winning West Coast GRC, whose PSP team was led by Tan himself and lost to the PAP team, led by S. Iswaran, with 48.31% of the vote. For having received the best result among defeated opposition candidates, the team was entitled to select two NCMPs. The party garnered 40.86% of the vote in contested constituencies, higher than the nationwide opposition vote share of 38.76%. It received 10.18% of the nationwide vote.
On 14 July, the PSP announced that Poa and Leong had accepted the NCMP seats.
2020–2025: First Representation in Parliament of Singapore with NCMPs After the elections, Poa and Leong stepped down as office bearers to focus on their NCMP duties. Both remained as CEC members and are involved in the party's activities. Francis Yuen took over as assistant general-secretary, while the vice-chairman post remained vacant.
Since then, PSP has formed its women's wing and youth wing to create more targeted policies helping these groups, headed by Tanjong Pagar GRC candidates Wendy Low and Terence Soon respectively. In addition, a Parliamentary Secretariat was formed to help the NCMPs with policy research for their duties, which is headed by both Leong and Poa. The women's wing was officially launched on 30 January 2021.
The PSP's CEC underwent a leadership renewal in March 2021; 11 CEC members stepped down and six new CEC members were elected. On 1 April, PSP announced that Yuen has taken over as the secretary-general of the party, with Tan being the chairperson. Wang Swee Chuang hence became the vice-chairperson. Later on 26 April, youth wing head Soon resigned citing career opportunities and family considerations, with newly elected member Jess Chua taking over three days later.
On 11 August 2021, party member Brad Bowyer resigned from the party after he made a post comparing differentiated measures for those vaccinated with the Holocaust, sparking controversy and condemnation including from the Israeli Embassy in Singapore. Bowyer has since stood by his views. On 25 October, treasurer and party member Kayla Low resigned from the Party citing frequent travelling requirements as part of her new career, although she would continue to volunteer with the Party. Party member Peggie Chua took over as the new treasurer. The following month, former party member Kala Manickam sued the party over claims of wrongful termination and seeks to have $10,000 reimbursed, to which the party leadership said there was no basis to the lawsuit, listing various events that led to her termination.
On 14 February 2022, Kumaran Pillai told party leaders he would step down from the positions of communications chief and party spokesman, taking a "leave of absence" for an unspecified period of time due to business ventures and health considerations, including a frozen shoulder sustained during a walkabout in the 2020 general election. Pillai will still be in the central executive committee, with Jonathan Tee taking over as the new communications chief, announced three days later.
On 4 April 2023, Leong succeeded Yuen as the new secretary-general after Yuen stepped down, with the party stating in a press release on 26 March that Yuen had "recently been appointed as executive chairman of an overseas publicly listed company, so his new position will make it difficult for him to lead the party". The PSP's Vice-Chairman Wang and Head of Youth Wing Chua also stepped down from the CEC, with Poa succeeding as the party's vice-Chairman.
The party came under spotlight during the last days of campaigning for the 2023 Singaporean presidential election after the party's founder Tan (along with Singapore Democratic Party and former presidential candidate Tan Jee Say) were reported to have given endorsements to a two-time candidate Tan Kin Lian in his presidential bid. The party responded that it was their discretion to support their candidates, and mentioned they will neither endorse or support any candidate who are non-partisan (a constitution rule where Presidency candidates are not allowed to be affiliated on any party at the time of election), and brought concerns citing that it may negatively impact the party. Prior to the election, Lee Hsien Yang also had expressed his intention to run for candidacy, but ultimately did not collect his application forms.
On 23 February 2024, Leong stepped down as secretary-general of PSP after the Singapore government issued a POFMA order which refuted the falsehoods made by Leong on his Facebook post. He remained on the party's governing body and as an NCMP.
2025–present: Electoral setbacks On 6 April 2025, PSP launched their manifesto. The party also announced its intention to contest in West Coast–Jurong West and Chua Chu Kang GRCs. They fielded fewer candidates in the 2025 general election compared to 2020. In the election that followed, the party fared worse across the board, securing only 36.25% of the votes it contested and 4.89% of the overall popular votes cast; the PAP's swings across the constituencies including West Coast–Jurong West GRC resulted in PSP not being awarded any NCMPs, ending their parliamentary presence. In their post-election interview, Leong described it as "shocking" but vowed to work hard "seriously and humbly" in the next election.
On 7 July 2026, CEC Member Stephanie Tan, who contested Pioneer SMC in the 2025 General Election, announced that she was leaving the party, due to "differences in opinion on PSP's direction". She obtained 34.55 per cent of the votes against PAP incumbent Patrick Tay. On the same day, the party also announced that lawyer Samuel Lim, the youngest member to be elected to the CEC at 29 years old in March 2025 and head of the party's youth wing, had also left the party.
Organisation
Central Executive Committee Office-holder NameChairman A’bas Kasmani Secretary-General Leong Mun Wai Treasurer David Heng Organising Secretary Sani Ismail Deputy Organising Secretary (Logistics) Soh Zheng Long Deputy Organising Secretary (Events) Annapoorani Ravichandran Head, Communications & Women's Wing Wendy Low Head, Internal Communications Joseph Wong Head, Membership Dzulfadli Hassan Head, Policy & Fundraising Lawrence Pek
List of secretaries-general No Name Took office Left office Tenure 1 Tan Cheng Bock 28 March 2019 31 March 2021 2 Francis Yuen 1 April 2021 26 March 2023 3 Leong Mun Wai 4 April 2023 20 February 2024 4Hazel Poa20 February 202420 March 20255Leong Mun Wai26 March 2025Incumbent
List of chairpersons No Name Took office Left office Tenure 1 Wang Swee Chuang 28 March 2019 31 March 2021 2 Tan Cheng Bock 1 April 2021 5 July 2025 3 A’bas Kasmani 5 July 2025Incumbent
List of first vice-chairpersons No Name Took office Left office Tenure 1 Wang Swee Chuang 1 April 2021 26 March 2023 1 year, 11 months, 26 days 2 Hazel Poa 4 April 2023 20 February 2024 322 days3Hazel Poa26 March 20255 July 2025
List of second vice-chairpersons No Name Took office Left office Tenure 1 A’bas bin Kasmani 26 March 2025 5 July 2025
List of former CEC members No Name Took office Left office Tenure 1 Michelle Lee Juen 17 January 2020 5 March 2020 49 days 2 Abdul Rahman 28 March 2019 28 March 2021 2 years 3 Alex Tan 4 Andrew Ng 5 Lee Chiu San 6 Lee Yung Hwee 7 Michael Chua Teck Leong 8 Ong Seow Yeong 4 August 2020 236 days 9 Singam 28 March 2019 2 years 10 S Nallakaruppan 11 Tan Chika 17 January 2020 436 days 12 Wong Chow Seng 28 March 2019 2 years 13 Kayla Low 28 March 2021 25 October 2021 211 Days 14 Taufik Supan 23 June 2024 3 years 15 Kumaran Pillai 1 April 2021 16 February 2022 322 Days16Ang Yong Guan4 April 2023 20 March 2025 2 Years
Members of Parliament
Current The PSP has no current MPs, having lost its representation in Parliament in 2025.
Former Name Constituency Duration Leong Mun WaiNCMP 2020 – 2025 Hazel Poa
Leadership
Secretary General No Years Name12019 – 2021Tan Cheng Bock22021 – 2023Francis Yuen32023 – 2024 Leong Mun Wai42024 – 2025Hazel Poa52025 – presentLeong Mun Wai
Issues/proposals raised
Budget In February 2020, PSP announced its first public policy proposal. The proposal called for a broader relief package for businesses, and expansionary budget to address the economic challenges posed by the ongoing crisis, and the development of a sustainable economy. It also opposed a planned Goods and Services (GST) increase, argued that taxpayers should not bear the costs of major infrastructure projects, and advocated a prudent approach to government expenditure. Notably, the party stated that fiscal budgets should not be treated as "goodie bags" for voters.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the PSP supported the Government's relief plans that assisted Singaporeans and local companies. The party also advocated a broader approach to supporting the transport, retail, and food and beverage sectors, and called for a review of Singapore’s education system. It expressed support for long-term structural measures over short-term financial assistance and one-off handouts.