The significance of SDP's attempt at remaking its image

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 84%. (I'm a bot)

In 1991, the SDP was the leading opposition party, with three elected MPs. After that election, then party chief Chiam See Tong left after a fallout with Dr Chee and other leaders over Dr Chee's hunger strike to protest against his dismissal as a lecturer by NUS for his improper use of research funds.

Singaporeans who agreed that the SDP was a credible party went up from 19 per cent in 2006, to 24 per cent in 2011, to 46 per cent in 2015 - the steepest rise for any party.

What is the significance of the SDP's apparent remake?

First, a continued SDP rise may alter a long-held view among its critics that as long as Dr Chee remains leader, the party will be unelectable; and that only jettisoning him for someone less antagonistic can turn the party's fortunes around.

The SDP is now the second-best performing opposition party after the WP. The SDP's recovery furthermore coincides with a difficult time for the WP. The latter is currently embroiled in lawsuits over town council management which could, depending on the outcome, impact the status of several of its MPs. Political watchers also note that the party retained Aljunied GRC in the 2015 election by a mere 2,626 votes, and lost Punggol East.

Voters have a few years to consider if the SDP has evolved into the kind of opposition party they favour for the long term.

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