SINGAPORE: On June 3 (Wednesday), former Non-constituency Member of Parliament Yee Jenn Jong launched StepUp: The Staff’ Occasion of Singapore 2.0, a guide concerning the journey that Singapore’s most important opposition social gathering took that led to final 12 months’s Normal Election.
Mr Yee’s new guide was co-written with the political historian Loke Hoe Yeong, who additionally collaborated with him on his guide on the NCMP scheme that was revealed in 2024.
The launch at E book Bar was hosted by Assoc Prof Walid J. Abdullah from Nanyang Technological College and was streamed stay on his Teh Tarik with Walid Instagram channel.
“The guide seems to be on the rise of the WP to its present place as Singapore’s main opposition social gathering, the struggles it has gone via over the previous almost seven many years, and insights into GE2025 the place the Occasion fielded its ‘best-ever slate of candidates,’” Mr Yee wrote in a social media put up.
His first guide concerning the WP, Journey in Blue, was revealed in December 2020.
StepUp: The Staff’ Occasion of Singapore 2.0
In keeping with the brand new guide’s chapters, it delves into the historical past of the WP going again to 1957, the 12 months it was based by David Marshall, and goes into the Jeyaretnam years, the management of Low Thia Khiang, and its current state of affairs below present secretary-general Pritam Singh.
Mr Yee additionally shares a private account of GE2025, the fourth time he was fielded as a candidate. The WP slate at East Coast GRC, which he helmed, misplaced to the PAP workforce headed by Edwin Tong, which received virtually 60% of the votes.
After the election, he introduced that he could be retiring from politics, however added that he would keep within the WP.
The guide provides a postmortem of the elections, in addition to seems to be at what’s subsequent for the social gathering.
One attention-grabbing function within the guide is a piece on the social gathering’s volunteers, with chapters titled “Powered by Volunteers,” “From Volunteer to Candidate,” and “Contained in the GE Struggle Room.”
In a latest social media put up, Mr Yee posted a photograph of himself with two-time WP candidate and CEC member Nathaniel Koh. He shared that Mr Koh had met his spouse, with whom she shares two sons, whereas she was volunteering with the social gathering.
In a assessment of the guide, the veteran journalist and editor PN Balji wrote that it’s “a very good learn for those that need to know a bit extra of the heartbeat of a political social gathering that has impressed with its endurance in elections and its spectacular report of recruiting youthful and promising fighters to do battle in elections.
I’m glad the authors have made the guide topical with last-minute additions on the federal government’s effort to drag Pritam Singh via the mud with accusations of mendacity and taking away his Chief of Opposition put up. This guide will certainly add to the rising public need to know extra of a celebration that holds its playing cards near its chest.” /TISG
Learn additionally: GE2025: Yee Jenn Jong—From edutech pioneer to Parliament champion, WP’s voice for youth and group
