1955 Singaporean general election

General elections were held in Singapore on 2 April 1955 to elect the 25 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly. Nomination day was on 28 February 1955.

1955 Singaporean general election
2 April 1955
25 (of the 32) seats to the Legislative Assembly
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader David Marshall Tan Chye Cheng Tan Ek Khoo
Party LF PP DP
Leader's seat Cairnhill SMC Cairnhill SMC (defeated) Did not contest
Last election – 6 seats, 45.4% –
Seats won 10 4 2
Seat change New 2 New
Popular vote 42,300 38,695 32,115
Percentage 27.1% 24.8% 20.5
Swing New 20.6% New
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
  MCA
Leader Lee Kuan Yew Wong Foo Nam Abdul Hamid Jumat
Party PAP MCA UMNO
Leader's seat Tanjong Pagar SMC Pasir Panjang SMC Ulu Bedok SMC
Last election – – –
Seats won 3 1 1
Seat change New New New
Popular vote 13,634 6,203 5,721
Percentage 8.7 4.0 3.7
Swing New New New
  Seventh party
  KM
Leader Mohamed Sidik Abdul Hamid
Party Malay Union
Leader's seat Southern Islands SMC
Last election Did not contest
Seats won 1
Seat change New
Popular vote 1,233
Percentage 0.8
Swing New
Chief Minister before election

Newly created

 Chief Minister after election

David Marshall
LF

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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 FebruaryDissolution of the Legislative Council
28 FebruaryNomination Day
2 AprilPolling day
6 AprilInauguration of David Marshall as Chief Minister
7 AprilFormation of Council of Ministers
22 AprilOpening of 1st Legislative Assembly

Changes in electoral boundaries
See also: List of Singaporean electoral divisions (1955–59)
ConstituencyDivisions formed from
Bukit PanjangBukit Timah & Seletar
CairnhillBalestier, Rochore & Tanglin
Farrer ParkBalestier
GeylangKatong
HavelockCity, Keppel & Tanglin
Kampong KaporRochore
Pasir PanjangBukit Timah & Keppel
Paya LebarChangi & Katong
Punggol–TampinesChangi
QueenstownBukit Timah, Keppel & Tanglin
SembawangBukit Timah & Seletar
SerangoonBalestier, Changi & Seletar
Southern IslandsBukit Timah & Keppel
StamfordCity & Rochore
Tanjong PagarCity & Keppel
Telok AyerCity
Tiong BahruKeppel
Ulu BedokChangi
WhampoaBalestier

Results

Much to the surprise for British, who had anticipated a Progressive victory and its leader, Tan Chye Cheng, to emerge as Chief Minister, it was the Labour Front that garnered the most seats and its chairman, David Marshall, thus became Singapore's first Chief Minister. Both losing and winning parties were shocked by the results.[1] Labour Front formed a government with support of the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), UMNO and the Malay Union.

In its first elections, 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 bin Ibrahim joined PAP following the election, PAP had 4 members in the Assembly and thus Lee became the new Leader of the Opposition.[2]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Labour Front42,30027.0610New
Progressive Party38,69524.754–2
Democratic Party32,11520.542New
People's Action Party13,6348.723New
Malayan Chinese Association6,2033.971New
United Malays National Organisation5,7213.661New
Labour Party1,3250.850–2
Malay Union1,2330.791New
Independents15,0989.663+2
Total156,324100.0025+16
Valid votes156,32498.89
Invalid/blank votes1,7511.11
Total votes158,075100.00
Registered voters/turnout300,19952.66
Source: Singapore Elections

By constituency
ConstituencyElectorate Turnout % PartyCandidateVotes %
Bukit Panjang 8,012 4,355 54.36 Progressive Party Goh Tong Liang 3,097 72.21
Labour Front Lim Wee Toh 1,192 27.79
Bukit Timah 9,173 6,272 68.37 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 7,011 51.83 Labour Front David Saul 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 5,891 52.42 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 6,803 55.57 Labour Front Anthony Rebeiro Lazarous 2,585 38.52
People's Action Party Chengara Veetil 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 6,781 40.84 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 6,703 52.22 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 7,199 52.11 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 10,370 46.72 Labour Front Armand Joseph Braga 4,680 45.66
Progressive Party Christopher John Laycock 2,965 28.93
Democratic Party Chan Wah Chip 2,605 25.41
Pasir Panjang 13,812 7,911 57.28 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 6,494 50.63 Progressive Party Lim Koon Teck 3,330 52.07
Democratic Party Tan Eng Joo 3,065 47.93
Punggol-Tampines 6,628 3,886 58.63 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 4,201 59.89 Labour Front Lee Choon Eng 2,792 67.28
Democratic Party Murray Bruce Brash 736 17.73
Progressive Party Elizabeth Choy-Yong Su Mei 622 14.99
Rochore 12,073 6,414 53.13 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 5,620 59.77 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 6,835 64.03 Independent Ahmad bin Ibrahim 4,281 63.24
Progressive Party Lee Kim Kee 2,488 36.76
Serangoon 8,402 4,792 57.03 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 2,476 69.79 Malay Union Mohamed Sidik bin Abdul Hamid 1,233 50.57
Progressive Party Hollupatherage James Caldera Kulasingha 1,205 49.43
Stamford 13,207 6,322 47.87 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 7,125 44.04 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 7,737 57.61 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 4,951 42.88 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 5,939 46.90 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 9,464 55.99 United Malays National Organisation Abdul Hamid bin 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 6,523 52.84 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
  1. "1955 Legislative Assembly general election". National Library Board. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. "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.
  • Sr, Pugalenthi (1996) Elections in Singapore VJ Times International Pte Ltd, Singapore ISBN 981-221-025-3
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