The Singapore Labour Party (SLP) was inaugurated on 1 September 1948 by English-educated Indian trade unionists M. A. Majid of the Singapore Seamen’s Union, and M. P. D. Nair and Peter Williams of the Army Civil Services Union.[1]
Modelled after the British Labour Party, the SLP strived to break the communist influence in the labour movement by advancing the interests of workers, improving their living conditions and ensuring a more equitable distribution of wealth.[2] The party also aimed to achieve full self-government for Singapore by 1954, followed by independence through merger with the Federation of Malaya leading to the creation of a “socialist society in Malaya.”[3]
The SLP contested seven out of nine seats in the April 1951 Legislative Assembly general election and won two.[4] It subsequently surpassed the dominant Progressive Party in the City Council election held in December that year by securing three out of six seats.[5] Despite the stellar performance, internal dissensions within the party culminated in a devastating party split in December 1952 that spelled the irreversible decline and eventual departure of the SLP from the political scene.[6] On 21 August 1954, the SLP merged with the Singapore Socialist Party to form the Singapore Labour Front.[7]
References
1. Yeo, K. W. (1973). Political development in Singapore, 1945–55 (p. 105). Singapore: Singapore University Press. Call no.: RSING 320.95957 YEO.
2. Yeo, 1973, pp. 105–106; Labour Party to fight reds. (1948, November 29). The Singapore Free Press, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; 300 hear labour party plans. (1951, November 6). The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Yeo, 1973, p. 106.
4. Labour will contest 7 districts. (1951, March 11). The Straits Times, p. 5; Progressives head S'pore poll. (1951, April 11). The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. Labour 3 – Progressives 2. (1951, December 2). The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Yeo, 1973, pp. 110–113.
7. New Labour Front formed in colony. (1954, August 22). The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
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The information in this article is valid as at 2014 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
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