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General elections were held in Singapore on 2 April 1955 to elect members to the 25 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly. Nomination day was on 28 February 1955.
Background
Following the promulgation of the Rendel Constitution, the 1955 elections were the first occasion on which a majority of the seats were to be elected rather than be appointed by the colonial authorities. The new constitution was written after recommendations by a committee to grant local citizens more autonomy, headed by George Rendel, were passed.
According to the new Constitution, locals would share executive power with the colonial authorities and there would be a Chief Minister among elected legislators. The number of elected seats was increased to 25, with the British government appointing the remaining seven members. For the first time, political parties were permitted to adopt a standard party symbol for all their candidates and independents to select theirs instead of balloting for them.[1]
The Governor of Singapore and Colonial Secretary posts were replaced by a Chief Secretary, who inherited the power to appoint four nominated Assembly Members. Also scrapped were the seats of the Solicitor-General, two directors, two ex officios, the three commercial organisations and the City Council representative.
Timeline
Date | Event |
---|---|
5 February | Dissolution of the Legislative Council |
28 February | Nomination Day |
2 April | Polling day |
6 April | Inauguration of David Marshall as Chief Minister |
7 April | Formation of Council of Ministers |
22 April | Opening of 1st Legislative Assembly |
Changes in electoral boundaries
Constituency | Divisions formed from |
---|---|
Bukit Panjang | Bukit Timah & Seletar |
Cairnhill | Balestier, Rochore & Tanglin |
Farrer Park | Balestier |
Geylang | Katong |
Havelock | City, Keppel & Tanglin |
Kampong Kapor | Rochore |
Pasir Panjang | Bukit Timah & Keppel |
Paya Lebar | Changi & Katong |
Punggol–Tampines | Changi |
Queenstown | Bukit Timah, Keppel & Tanglin |
Sembawang | Bukit Timah & Seletar |
Serangoon | Balestier, Changi & Seletar |
Southern Islands | Bukit Timah & Keppel |
Stamford | City & Rochore |
Tanjong Pagar | City & Keppel |
Telok Ayer | City |
Tiong Bahru | Keppel |
Ulu Bedok | Changi |
Whampoa | Balestier |
Results
Though many British predict that the Progressive Party would win and Tan Chye Cheng to become Chief Minister, the results turned into upset when Labour Front won the most seats and chairman David Marshall became Singapore's first Chief Minister having elected at the Cairnhill constituency with a plurality of 47.58%, defeating Tan's 36.42%. With 12 seats after two more members nominated for (the rest being independents), LF sought a coalition with one seat each from the UMNO and MCA, along with three ex-officio members (Sir William Goode (the Chief Secretary of Singapore), Sir John Edward Davies (the Attorney-General of Singapore) and Thomas Mure Hart, the Finance Secretary of Singapore), the party was formed with 17, just enough to acquire a simple majority into the 32-seat assembly.[1] As a result, this election remains the only election to date where the government consist of a minority government and a hung legislature. It also remains the only election to have produced a non-People's Action Party Government in the history of Singapore.
In oppositions side, the newly formed People's Action Party, led by lawyer and former Progressive Party election agent Lee Kuan Yew, chose to field only a handful of candidates to protest against the Rendel Constitution. As independent member Ahmad Ibrahim joined PAP following the election, PAP had four members in the Assembly.[2] Lee won the second highest score of the election with 78.33% of the votes against two rivals in Tanjong Pagar; in a statement, Lee also considered Tanglin before choosing Tanjong Pagar due to the influence and welfare with dock workers in the area.[3]
While this was the last election to date where voting is not mandatory, despite the electorate had multiplied sixfold, the voter turnout barely increased to 52.66%, up by 0.61%. The Southern Islands constituency had the highest turnout at 69.79%. However, six of 25 constituencies had a turnout under 50%, with Geylang having the lowest turnout at 40.84%; in comparison to the last election, the constituency with the lowest turnout was City with 43.93%.
The election's best performing candidate was Labour Front candidate and future Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock who polled 86.48% of the votes and had a large winning margin of 78.58%, and the worst performing candidate was Independent candidate Chua Kim Watt who polled just 0.55% of the votes in Farrer Park. Malay Union candidate Inche Sidik won with the narrowest margin of just 1.15%.
10 candidates lost their $500 election deposits.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Front | 42,300 | 27.06 | 10 | New | |
Progressive Party | 38,695 | 24.75 | 4 | –2 | |
Democratic Party | 32,115 | 20.54 | 2 | New | |
People's Action Party | 13,634 | 8.72 | 3 | New | |
Malayan Chinese Association | 6,203 | 3.97 | 1 | New | |
United Malays National Organisation | 5,721 | 3.66 | 1 | New | |
Labour Party | 1,325 | 0.85 | 0 | –2 | |
Malay Union | 1,233 | 0.79 | 1 | New | |
Independents | 15,098 | 9.66 | 3 | +2 | |
Total | 156,324 | 100.00 | 25 | +16 | |
Valid votes | 156,324 | 98.89 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 1,751 | 1.11 | |||
Total votes | 158,075 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 300,199 | 52.66 | |||
Source: Singapore Elections |
By constituency
Constituency | Electorate | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bukit Panjang | 8,012 | Progressive Party | Goh Tong Liang | 3,097 | 72.21 | |
Labour Front | Lim Wee Toh | 1,192 | 27.79 | |||
Bukit Timah | 9,173 | People's Action Party | Lim Chin Siong | 3,259 | 52.45 | |
Democratic Party | Tan Wah Meng | 1,308 | 21.05 | |||
Labour Front | A. N. Mitra | 924 | 14.88 | |||
Progressive Party | S. F. Ho | 722 | 11.62 | |||
Cairnhill | 13,528 | Labour Front | David Marshall | 3,305 | 47.58 | |
Progressive Party | Tan Chye Cheng | 2,530 | 36.42 | |||
Democratic Party | Tan Khiang Khoo | 1,111 | 16.00 | |||
Changi | 11,239 | Democratic Party | Lim Cher Kheng | 2,624 | 45.08 | |
Progressive Party | S. G. Mohamed Ghows | 1,699 | 29.19 | |||
Labour Front | Wong Sau Sheung | 1,498 | 25.73 | |||
Farrer Park | 12,242 | Labour Front | Anthony Rebeiro Lazarous | 2,585 | 38.52 | |
People's Action Party | Devan Nair | 2,219 | 33.07 | |||
Progressive Party | Eric Wee Sian Beng | 1,784 | 26.59 | |||
Independent | C. T. B. Unnithan | 85 | 1.27 | |||
Independent | Chua Kim Watt | 37 | 0.55 | |||
Geylang | 16,604 | Labour Front | Mak Pak Shee | 2,756 | 41.17 | |
Independent | Goh Hood Kiat | 1,386 | 20.71 | |||
Labour Party | Lee Yong Min | 1,325 | 19.80 | |||
Democratic Party | Lam Joon Chong | 1,226 | 18.32 | |||
Havelock | 12,835 | Labour Front | Lim Yew Hock | 5,744 | 86.48 | |
Independent | C. S. Soh | 525 | 7.90 | |||
Progressive Party | Chua Bock Kwee | 373 | 5.62 | |||
Kampong Kapor | 13,815 | Labour Front | Seah Peng Chuan | 3,253 | 45.60 | |
Independent | Caralapati Raghaviah Dasaratha Raj | 2,155 | 30.21 | |||
Democratic Party | Wong Shian Yein | 1,283 | 17.98 | |||
Progressive Party | Lim Kian Lee | 443 | 6.21 | |||
Katong | 22,196 | Labour Front | Armand Joseph Braga | 4,680 | 45.66 | |
Progressive Party | John Laycock | 2,965 | 28.93 | |||
Democratic Party | Chan Wah Chip | 2,605 | 25.41 | |||
Pasir Panjang | 13,812 | Malayan Chinese Association | Wong Foo Nam | 3,546 | 45.17 | |
Progressive Party | K. Mohd S. Hamid | 2,370 | 30.19 | |||
Labour Front | P. V. Krishnan | 1,306 | 16.63 | |||
Democratic Party | Leong Foon Chew | 629 | 8.01 | |||
Paya Lebar | 12,827 | Progressive Party | Lim Koon Teck | 3,330 | 52.07 | |
Democratic Party | Tan Eng Joo | 3,065 | 47.93 | |||
Punggol–Tampines | 6,628 | People's Action Party | Goh Chew Chua | 2,127 | 55.38 | |
Democratic Party | Anthony Goh | 918 | 23.90 | |||
Progressive Party | H. A. De Silva | 796 | 20.72 | |||
Queenstown | 7,015 | Labour Front | Lee Choon Eng | 2,792 | 67.28 | |
Democratic Party | Murray Bruce Brash | 736 | 17.73 | |||
Progressive Party | Elizabeth Choy | 622 | 14.99 | |||
Rochore | 12,073 | Labour Front | Tan Theng Chiang | 2,929 | 46.25 | |
Democratic Party | Ong Eng Lian | 1,897 | 29.95 | |||
Progressive Party | Soh Ghee Soon | 1,507 | 23.80 | |||
Seletar | 9,402 | Independent | Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair | 1,771 | 31.83 | |
Independent | Lek Poh Song | 1,632 | 29.33 | |||
Democratic Party | Tan Leong Teck | 1,252 | 22.50 | |||
Labour Front | Khew Pee Ging | 909 | 16.34 | |||
Sembawang | 10,675 | Independent | Ahmad Ibrahim | 4,281 | 63.24 | |
Progressive Party | Lee Kim Kee | 2,488 | 36.76 | |||
Serangoon | 8,402 | Progressive Party | Lim Choon Mong | 2,172 | 45.83 | |
Democratic Party | Lim Chye Seng | 1,412 | 29.80 | |||
Malayan Chinese Association | Lim Siew Ek | 1,155 | 24.37 | |||
Southern Islands | 3,548 | Malay Union | Inche Sidik | 1,233 | 50.57 | |
Progressive Party | Hollupatherage James Caldera Kulasingha | 1,205 | 49.43 | |||
Stamford | 13,207 | Labour Front | Jumabhoy Mohamed Jumabhoy | 2,691 | 43.08 | |
Independent | T. A. Simon | 1,281 | 20.51 | |||
Progressive Party | Nazir Ahmad Mallal | 1,153 | 18.46 | |||
Democratic Party | Ng Sen Choy | 1,121 | 17.95 | |||
Tanglin | 16,177 | Progressive Party | John Anthony Moore Ede | 3,214 | 45.67 | |
Democratic Party | Lim Yong Bock | 2,501 | 35.54 | |||
Labour Front | Lim Seow Chuan | 1,322 | 18.79 | |||
Tanjong Pagar | 13,430 | People's Action Party | Lee Kuan Yew | 6,029 | 78.33 | |
Progressive Party | Peter Lim Seck Tiong | 908 | 11.80 | |||
Democratic Party | Lam Thian | 760 | 9.87 | |||
Telok Ayer | 11,547 | Independent | Rajabali Jumabhoy | 1,945 | 39.90 | |
Democratic Party | Sng Siak Hwee | 1,453 | 30.30 | |||
Labour Front | Tan Ewe Chee | 1,660 | 29.80 | |||
Tiong Bahru | 12,664 | Democratic Party | William Tan Ah Lek | 2,264 | 38.60 | |
Progressive Party | Foo Few Ting | 2,100 | 35.80 | |||
Malayan Chinese Association | Teo Seng Bee | 1,502 | 25.60 | |||
Ulu Bedok | 16,903 | United Malays National Organisation | Abdul Hamid Jumat | 5,721 | 61.04 | |
Democratic Party | Toh Seng Sit | 2,999 | 32.00 | |||
Progressive Party | Abdul Hamid bin Rahmat | 652 | 6.96 | |||
Whampoa | 12,345 | Labour Front | Chew Swee Kee | 2,961 | 45.88 | |
Progressive Party | Thio Chan Bee | 2,565 | 39.75 | |||
Democratic Party | Lee Kok Liang | 927 | 14.37 | |||
Source: ELD, Singapore Elections |
See also
References
- ^ a b "1955 Legislative Assembly general election". National Library Board. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- ^ "History of leader of Opposition in S'pore, from LKY to Chiam See Tong and Low Thia Khiang". mothership.sg. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "The Singapore Maritime Story - Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew". www.srs.sg. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- Sr, Pugalenthi (1996) Elections in Singapore VJ Times International Pte Ltd, Singapore ISBN 981-221-025-3
External links
- General Elections 1955 Archived 2015-08-29 at the Wayback Machine Singapore Elections
- Results of 1955 election in Singapore
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