1968 Singaporean general election

none July 2026 Singapore legislative 1963 Singaporean general election 1963 1st Parliament of Singapore 1972 Singaporean general election 1972 2nd Parliament of Singapore 13 April 1968 All 58 seats in Parliament 30 759,367RV 674,484 of the 759,367 voters were registered in uncontested constituencies, leaving 84,883 voters able to vote. 91.83% ( 3.28pp) Lee Kuan Yew, 1965 (cropped).jpg Lee Kuan Yew People's Action Party Tanjong Pagar 46.93%, 37 seats 58 21 65,812 86.72% 39.79pp Map_of_the_results_of_the_1968_Singaporean_general_election.svg Results by constituency Prime Minister Prime Minister after election Lee Kuan Yew People's Action Party Lee Kuan Yew People's Action Party General elections were held in Singapore on 13 April 1968 to elect all 58 members of Parliament. They were the third general elections since Singapore attained self-governance in 1959 and the first since gaining independence in 1965. The ruling People's Action Party (PAP), led by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, won a landslide victory, securing all 58 seats in Parliament. Of these, 51 were uncontested, as opposition parties either failed to field candidates or withdrew altogether. As a result, the outcome of the elections was effectively determined before polling day.Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p254 0-19-924959-8 The political context of the elections was shaped by a weakened and fragmented opposition. Barisan Sosialis (BS), the main opposition party formed by former PAP members, had boycotted Parliament after independence and subsequently withdrew from electoral politics altogether, citing concerns over political repression and the use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) against dissenting voices. Other minor parties joined the boycott or were either inactive or lacked the organisational capacity to mount a significant challenge. The PAP, in turn, used its control over state institutions and media to reinforce its message of stability, development and national unity during a time of regional uncertainty.Drysdale John 1984 Singapore: Struggle for Success Times Books International 293–294 The nomination day saw a staggering 51 seats being uncontested by walkovers, thus voter participation was drastically limited, with only 84,883 (out of 759,367 eligible) voters actually resided in the remaining seven constituencies. While this result was consistent with electoral rules, it highlighted the constrained political environment and the absence of meaningful electoral competition. This election marked the beginning of a prolonged period of de facto one-party rule by the PAP, during which the party could pursue their policies without opposition, setting the tone for Singapore's political trajectory in the decades that followed.Chua Beng Huat 1995 Communitarian Ideology and Democracy in Singapore Routledge 42–43 Background In 1968, Singapore was a young independent nation facing significant challenges, including economic underdevelopment, security concerns and social integration. The government focused on industrialising the economy, attracting foreign investment, and developing a strong military, particularly in response to the announcement of the British military withdrawal East of Suez by 1971. The government promoted civic nationalist policies such as bilingualism, National Service (NS) and ethnic integration to avoid the re-emergence of racial strife. Singapore was previously admitted into the United Nations (UN) in September 1965, joining the international community. Boycott and arrests Barisan Sosialis#Singapore's separation from Malaysia During the late 1960s, some local politicians, particularly from the left-wing Barisan Sosialis (BS), were against Singapore's newly found sovereignty and boycotted Parliament, believing it to be impractical and not genuine. BS boycotted the first session of Parliament which began on 8 December 1965, a few months after independence on 9 August. Its MPs also began resigning, leading to by-elections in 1966 and 1967, with eleven MPs resigning from Parliament in total. BS decided that their strategy to protest the "undemocratic acts" of the PAP was to carry their struggle outside of Parliament. One of these MPs, Chia Thye Poh, declared that the means of the struggle would be "street demonstrations, protest meetings and strikes".Plebeian (newspaper of the Barisan Socialis), 8 October 1966 In response, the PAP government viewed these boycotts as "conducting pro-communist activities with the intention of causing a communist revolution". The government arrested some BS politicians under the Internal Security Act (ISA), including Chia. By 1968, the PAP had complete supermajority control of Parliament. Hussin Mutalib 2003 Parties and Politics: A Study of Opposition Parties and the PAP in Singapore 981-210-211-6 70, 106–107 Eastern Universities Press Singapore Campaign The remnants of BS boycotted the elections, arguing that the parliamentary system in Singapore was "undemocratic" and that participation would legitimise what they viewed as an "authoritarian regime", and several opposition parties also heeded its call. On nomination day, the leaders of Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (PKMS), formerly the local branch of the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO), Ahmad Haji Taff, and the Singapore Chinese Party (SCP), formerly the local branch of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), Chng Boon Eng, turned up at the Elections Department (ELD) but did not file their nominations.1968 Parliamentary General Election https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=e74ef22f-a859-4781-a56e-6b07bc6b7352 www.nlb.gov.sg 2014 Ultimately, the only political party other than the PAP that contested in the election was the Workers' Party (WP), albeit in only two seats at Jalan Kayu and Nee Soon. In addition, five independents contested in five different constituencies – Farrer Park, Geylang Serai, Kampong Ubi, Moulemein and Lee Kuan Yew's seat of Tanjong Pagar. As a result, with only seven contested seats out of 57, the PAP returned to power on nomination day (and the only one where it have a supermajority of walkovers), a feat which was later repeated again in 1991, 1997 and 2001. All seven contests were straight contests, a similar situation would not occur again until 2006. Walkovers in constituencies held by the PAP also became a recurring feature in every subsequent general election since independence, with the exceptions being the 2015 and 2020 elections, both of which had no walkovers in all the constituencies. The PAP winning every seat also became a recurring trend for subsequent elections, a trend that would last until 1981. It was also the last general election in which the campaign period lasted for two months; for subsequent elections it was restricted to only 9 to 10 days. Timeline DateEvent8 FebruaryDissolution of 1st Parliament17 FebruaryNomination Day13 AprilPolling day6 MayOpening of 2nd Parliament Electoral system List of Singaporean electoral divisions (1968–72) The 58 members of Parliament were elected in 58 single-member constituencies, an increase from 51 in the 1963 elections. The constituencies introduced or removed in the election, as well as constituencies with changes of boundaries, are shown on the table: Constituency ChangesNew Constituencies Alexandra Carved out from Queenstown constituency Bukit Ho Swee Carved out from Delta constituency Kampong Chai Chee Carved out from Kampong Kembangan, Siglap and Tampines constituencies Kampong Ubi Carved out from Geylang Serai constituency Katong Carved out from Mountbatten constituency MacPhersonPotong Pasir Carved out from Aljunied constituency Whampoa Carved out from Kallang constituencyDefunct Constituencies Southern Islands Absorbed to Jurong, Pasir Panjang and Telok Blangah constituencies MPs not standing for re-election 11 incumbent MPs had stood down in the 1968 election, which include the co-founder of United People's Party S. V. Lingam, the wife of Devan Nair, Avadai Dhanam Lakshimi, and two Barisan Sosialis MPs. Incumbent Party ConstituencyElected inChan Sun WingBSNee Soon1959Chew Chin HanPAPTampines1967Chow Chiok HockPAPUlu Pandan1963Avadai Dhanam LakshimiPAPMoulmein1963R. A. GonzalesPAPSerangoon Gardens1963S. V. LingamPAPAljunied1959Mahmud AwangPAPKampong Kapor1963S. RajooPAPFarrer Park1963Bernard RodriguesPAPTelok Blangah1963Teo Hup TeckPAPJalan Kayu1967Wong Soon FongBSToa Payoh1959 New candidates The election saw the debut of 19 candidates, 16 of which were from the PAP including future cabinet ministers Chua Sian Chin, Lee Chiaw Meng and Wong Lin Ken, as well as Low Yong Nguan, who later become an opposition candidate in future elections. New candidate Party ConstituencyAbdul Aziz KarimPAPKallangCh'ng Jit KoonPAPTiong BahruEric CheongPAPToa PayohChua Sian ChinPAPMacPhersonJoseph Francis ConceicaoPAPKatongN. GovindasamyPAPTelok BlangahHwang Soo JinPAPJalan KayuT. T. JosephIndependentMoulmeinLee Chiaw MengPAPFarrer ParkLow Guan OnnPAPRiver ValleyLow Yong NguanPAPCrawfordMohamad Ghazali IsmailPAPAljuniedPhua Bah LeePAPTampinesL. P. RodrigoPAPSerangoon GardensSha'ari TadinPAPKampong Chai CheeSia Khoon SeongPAPMoulmeinSum Chong MengWPJalan KayuTay Mook YongIndependentKampong UbiWong Lin KenPAPAlexandra Results right Popular vote PAP 86.72 People's Action Party WP 4.02 Workers' Party (Singapore) Independents 9.27 Independent right Seats won 51 seats (PAP; uncontested) 89.47 cyan 7 seats (PAP; contested) 10.53 People's Action Party Opposition parties contested vote Party Votes #DDD 500px 400px Independents Independent 13.31 WP Workers' Party (Singapore) 13.22 People's Action Party 58 People's Action Party 65812 +39.79 58 +21 Workers' Party 3049 +3.97 0 0 Independents 7033 +8.10 0 0 2058 +7 759367 91.83 Nohlen et al., Singapore ElectionsRV By constituency Out of the seven seats contested (all by only two candidates), three had winning margins of over 75%, with the losers forfeiting their deposit. The result for Tanjong Pagar (94% to 6%) remains the biggest winning margin and percentage obtained to date. ConstituencyElectoratePartyCandidateVotes%SwingMarginAlexandra13,317People's Action PartyWong Lin KenUncontestedAljunied14,472Mohamad Ghazali IsmailUncontestedAnson8,764P. GovindaswamyUncontestedBras Basah9,718Ho See BengUncontestedBukit Ho Swee17,735Seah Mui KokUncontestedBukit Merah19,319Lim Guan HooUncontestedBukit Panjang17,893P. SelvaduraiUncontestedBukit Timah16,769Chor Yeok EngUncontestedCairnhill12,287Lim Kim SanUncontestedChangi15,594Sim Boon WooUncontestedChua Chu Kang12,879Tang See ChimUncontestedCrawford7,190Low Yong NguanUncontestedDelta17,715Chan Choy SiongUncontestedFarrer Park10,290Lee Chiaw Meng7,82684.9129.2069.82IndependentM. P. D. Nair1,39115.09N/AGeylang East16,185People's Action PartyHo Cheng ChoonUncontestedGeylang Serai12,741Rahmat Kenap9,36383.0135.0066.02IndependentDarus Shariff1,91616.99N/AGeylang West14,609People's Action PartyYong Nyuk LinUncontestedHavelock11,049Lim Soo PengUncontestedHong Lim10,388Lee Khoon ChoyUncontestedJalan Besar11,400Chan Chee SengUncontestedJalan Kayu12,878Hwang Soo Jin9,58182.3051.5764.60Workers' PartySum Chong Meng2,06017.70N/AJoo Chiat12,335People's Action PartyYeoh Ghim SengUncontestedJurong11,445Ho Kah LeongUncontestedKallang9,309Abdul Aziz KarimUncontestedKampong Chai Chee17,636Sha'ari TadinUncontestedKampong Glam9,484S. RajaratnamUncontestedKampong Kapor10,818Lim Cheng LockUncontestedKampong Kembangan15,862Ariff SuradiUncontestedKampong Ubi13,434Ya'acob Mohamed9,79781.87N/A63.74IndependentTay Mook Yong2,16918.13N/AKatong14,872People's Action PartyJoseph Francis ConceicaoUncontestedKreta Ayer11,575Goh Keng SweeUncontestedMacPherson13,099Chua Sian ChinUncontestedMoulmein11,888Lawrence Sia9,67590.5632.5671.12IndependentT. T. Joseph1,0099.44N/AMountbatten12,760People's Action PartyNg Yeow ChongUncontestedNee Soon12,846Ong Soo Chuan10,44291.3556.5882.70Workers' PartyWong Hong Toy9898.65N/APasir Panjang12,394People's Action PartyOthman WokUncontestedPaya Lebar17,573Tay Boon TooUncontestedPotong Pasir11,782S. RamaswamyUncontestedPunggol12,277Ng Kah TingUncontestedQueenstown16,193Jek Yeun ThongUncontestedRiver Valley10,865Low Guan OnnUncontestedRochore12,222Toh Chin ChyeUncontestedSembawang11,220Teong Eng SiongUncontestedSepoy Lines11,409Wee Toon BoonUncontestedSerangoon Gardens9,454L. P. RodrigoUncontestedSiglap11,627Abdul Rahim IshakUncontestedStamford9,919Fong Sip CheeUncontestedTampines12,703Phua Bah LeeUncontestedTanglin13,332E. W. BarkerUncontestedTanjong Pagar10,806Lee Kuan Yew9,12894.3435.4188.68IndependentR. Vetrivelu5485.66N/ATelok Ayer11,721People's Action PartyOng Pang BoonUncontestedTelok Blangah14,785N. GovindasamyUncontestedThomson15,911Ang Nam PiauUncontestedTiong Bahru16,532Ch'ng Jit KoonUncontestedToa Payoh19,143Eric CheongUncontestedUlu Pandan13,289Lee Teck HimUncontestedUpper Serangoon13,373Sia Kah HuiUncontestedWhampoa12,854Buang Omar JunidUncontestedSource: ELD Aftermath thumb|upright|"The PAP seven sweep to victory." The headline on page 1 of The Sunday Times on 14 April The aftermath of the election entrenched the PAP's dominance in Singapore's political sphere. With the main opposition parties including the Barisan Sosialis (BS) staging a boycott, the PAP secured all 58 seats in Parliament, effectively establishing a one-party legislature. This absence of electoral competition enabled the government to advance its policy agenda without parliamentary resistance, reinforcing its mandate to pursue rapid industrialisation, economic restructuring and a model of governance characterised by anocratic tendencies. Mauzy Diane K. Milne, R.S. Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party Routledge 2002 9780415246538 The opposition boycott had lasting ramifications for the political landscape. It precipitated the effective collapse of BS as a credible opposition force, with many of its leaders either detained or in exile. Despite attempts to re-enter the political arena in subsequent elections such as in 1972, the party never regained its former prominence. The absence of a viable opposition in Parliament diminished institutional checks and balances and weakened political accountability. Nevertheless, the PAP portrayed the boycott as a dereliction of democratic duty, framing it as evidence of the opposition's lack of resolve and as validation of its own claim to legitimate national leadership. Rodan Garry The Political Economy of Singapore's Industrialization: National State and International Capital Palgrave Macmillan 1989 9780333470794 Legacy In the years following the election, the PAP leveraged its overwhelming mandate to consolidate efforts in national development and state-building. In pursuit of multiracialism, the government initiated policies such as ethnic integration in public housing to ensure social harmony across diverse communities. Economically, it intensified industrialisation by empowering the Economic Development Board (EDB) to further expand areas like Jurong, transforming them into industrial hubs. To reinforce social cohesion and cultivate a disciplined citizenry, the government introduced National Service (NS) and established a nationwide education system that promoted bilingualism and emphasised civic virtues. Huff W. G. The Economic Growth of Singapore: Trade and Development in the Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 1994 9780511470714 Barr Michael D. Skrbiš, Zlatko Constructing Singapore: Elitism, Ethnicity and the Nation-Building Project NIAS Press 2008 9788776940294 Chua Beng Huat Communitarian Ideology and Democracy in Singapore Routledge 1995 9780415164658 These programmes were implemented with minimal resistance, enabling rapid and comprehensive transformation of Singapore into a cohesive, stable and economically vibrant city-state. However, this period of accelerated modernisation also entailed the centralisation of authority, leading to criticism that the government had curtailed political pluralism and limited civic space. A key moment in this consolidation occurred in July 1968, when the PAP unanimously passed the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act to curtail the labour movement of Singapore. This legislation curtailed the powers of trade unions by restricting the right to strike, narrowing the scope of collective bargaining and introducing compulsory arbitration in industrial disputes. These reforms diminished the autonomy of independent unions and reinforced the authority of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), which maintains close institutional ties with the PAP to this day.Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Bills-Supp/25-1968/Published/19680713?DocDate=19680713 sso.agc.gov.sg Statues of the Republic of Singapore 29 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20201020174355/https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Bills-Supp/25-1968/Published/19680713?DocDate=19680713 20 October 2020 en 13 July 1968 While the nation experienced sustained economic growth and political stability, these developments came alongside the emergence of Singapore as a de facto one-party state. Opposition parties were not formally banned, yet they functioned under significant institutional and legal constraints. These included the extensive use of defamation lawsuits, the control of mainstream media and reliance on security legislation such as the Internal Security Act (ISA). While political dissent was not completely eliminated, it was confined within tightly regulated limits. The 1968 election marked a pivotal moment in Singapore's political development, entrenching a model of governance by the PAP that has been characterised by technocratic elitism and constrained electoral competition, although non-PAP parties would gradually re-emerge in the political sphere in subsequent decades. Notes References Citations Sources MacDougall John The People's Action Party of Singapore: Emergence of a Dominant Party System. By Thomas J. Bellows. Yale University Southeast Asia Studies, Monograph Series No. 14, New Haven, 1970. Pp. xi + 195. Foreword, Preface, Notes, Bibliography and Appendices. Price US$5.75. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies March 1972 3 1 144–146 10.1017/S0022463400000837 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-studies/article/abs/peoples-action-party-of-singapore-emergence-of-a-dominant-party-system-by-thomas-j-bellows-yale-university-southeast-asia-studies-monograph-series-no-14-new-haven-1970-pp-xi-195-foreword-preface-notes-bibliography-and-appendices-price-us575/FEB17C67CDFBEC65D713BFF9E4AF8FE9 en 0022-4634 subscription Ong Elvin Opposing Power: Building Opposition Alliances in Electoral Autocracies University of Michigan Press 2022 10.3998/mpub.12001520 free 10.3998/mpub.12001520 978-0-472-03888-6 Tan Kevin The Constitution of Singapore: A Contextual Analysis 2015 Bloomsbury Publishing London 9781782258094 https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/constitution-of-singapore-9781782258094/ 13 May 2025 Singapore Category:General elections in Singapore Category:1968 in Singapore