Singapore Labour Front is formed

The Singapore Labour Front (LF) was a political party that was formed out of an alliance between the Singapore Labour Party (SLP) and the Singapore Socialist Party (SSP) on 21 August 1954.^[1] Its founding members included Lim Yew Hock, Francis Thomas and David Marshall.^[2] The LF functioned primarily as a means for the SLP and SSP to secure public office in the 1955 Legislative Assembly general election.^[3]

In line with the prevailing political climate of the time, the LF took on a firm anti-colonial stance and called for immediate independence within a Singapore-Malaya merger.^[4] The party also pledged to Malayanise the public administration within four years, create a Singapore citizenship that conferred political rights on “those who are domiciled and have permanent interests in this country”,^[5] repeal the Emergency regulations and implement multilingualism in the legislature.^[6] The LF won 10 out of 25 seats in the 1955 election and formed the Labour Front-Alliance coalition government with then party leader David Marshall as the first chief minister of Singapore.^[7] Between 1956 and 1957, the LF government led two out of three all-party negotiations with the British government in London that ultimately secured full internal self-government for Singapore in 1959.^[8]

The LF dissolved in 1960 following its merger with the Liberal-Socialist Party (LSP) to form the Singapore People’s Alliance (SPA) on 10 November 1958.^[9]

References
1. Yeo, K. W. (1973). Political development in Singapore, 1945–55 (p. 114). Singapore: Singapore University Press. Call no.: RSING 320.95957 YEO; New Labour Front formed in colony. (1954, August 22). The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. Turnbull, C. M. (2009). A history of modern Singapore, 1819–2005 (p. 234). Singapore: NUS Press. Call no.: RSING 959.57 TUR.
3. Yeo, 1973, p. 114.
4. Yeo, 1973, p. 115.
5. The 6 ‘rights’ of labour. (1954, September 8). The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Turnbull, 2009, pp. 259–260; Party parallels do not mean there is nothing to choose. (1955, March 5). The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. Labour wins – Marshall will be chief minister. (1955, April 3). The Straits Times, p. 1; Talks go well: Marshall. (1955, April 5). The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Turnbull, 2009, pp. 264-266.
9. Mr. Lim leads new party. (1958, November 11). The Straits Times, p. 1; End of the Front. (1960, March 1). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.