Labour Front Explained

Labour Front
Lang1:Malay
Name Lang1:Barisan Buroh
Lang2:Chinese
Name Lang2:勞工陣綫
Láogōng Zhènxiàn
Lang3:Tamil
Name Lang3:தொழும் முன்னணி
Toḻum muṉṉaṇi
Lang4:English
Name Lang4:Labour Front
Country:Singapore
Split:Labour Party
Position:Centre-left

The Labour Front was a political party in Singapore that operated from 1955 to 1960.

History

The Labour Front was founded to contest the 1955 legislative elections by David Saul Marshall, Singapore's first chief minister and Lim Yew Hock, Singapore's second chief minister. A centre-left grouping, the Labour Front won 10 out of 25 elected seats in the legislative council and formed the first elected government of Singapore, which at that time was a separate crown colony. Between 1955 and 1956, after sending two bi-partisan delegations to London for talks with the British, David Marshall's administration failed to gain approval from Britain for self-government in Singapore. David Marshall, taking responsibility for this failure, resigned in 1956 and soon went to form the Workers' Party of Singapore the following year. Critics believed that the British were not convinced of David Marshall's ability to govern Singapore well and to deal with the then rising threat of insurgency carried out in the name of communism. Marshall's more hardline stance in dealing with the underground communist movement was only counterproductive. He was succeeded by Lim Yew Hock.

The Lim Yew Hock government did not fare any better. Apart from the threat of the underground communist movement, Singapore faced problems in public order, poor economy, poor housing and sanitation, low living standards and corruption in the government. The then-opposition People's Action Party (PAP), led by Lee Kuan Yew, grilled the Labour Front government several times on these issues in parliamentary sessions. Later the majority of the Labour Front led by Lim Yew Hock, left the Labour Front to merge with the Liberal Socialists (formed by the Progressive Party and Democratic Party in 1956) to form the Singapore People's Alliance (SPA) in 1959.

In 1957 and 1958, two bi-partisan delegations successfully negotiated Singapore's status to be a self-governing state. In the 1959 elections the PAP won 43 of 51 seats in the parliament with a popular vote of 53% and having campaigned on an anti-colonial platform with an ambition to initiate several reforms, improve the economy and living standards of the people and to eradicate corruption in the government. The SPA lost power and was reduced to only a handful of seats in opposition, while the residual Labour Front was reduced to a very small percentage of the original party and was eventually dissolved in 1960.

Election results

Legislative Assembly of Singapore

ElectionSeats up for electionSeats contestedSeats wonChangeVotes contestedVotes polledVote shareSwingContested vote shareSwingResulting Government
19552517new party108,63242,30027.06%new party38.94%new party
19595131029,1303,4140.65%26.41%11.72%27.22%

Prominent Members

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Cairnhill. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  2. Web site: Council of Ministers of Singapore, 1955 - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore. 2020-06-27. eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  3. Web site: Mr. David Marshall at the opening session of the Merdeka Talks in London in 1956 - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore. 2020-06-27. eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  4. Web site: Singapore Legislative Council General Election 1951. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com. 2020-07-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20200727104737/http://www.singapore-elections.com/general-election/1951/. dead.
  5. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Havelock. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  6. Web site: A Labour Front (LF) electoral leaflet about Lim Yew Hock. 2020-06-27. www.roots.sg. en.
  7. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1959 > Cairnhill. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  8. Web site: Our School. 2020-06-27. standrewssec.moe.edu.sg.
  9. Web site: Librarian. Rojak. 2016-07-07. Rojak Librarian: Francis Thomas (All Saints Memorial). 2020-06-27. Rojak Librarian.
  10. Web site: PRESIDENT OF LABOUR FRONT FRANCIS THOMAS (RIGHT) AT A …. 2020-06-27. www.nas.gov.sg.
  11. Web site: My grandfather's road...really. 2020-06-27. www.asiaone.com.
  12. Web site: The Politics of Defeat. 2020-06-27. Ethos Books. en-Singapore.
  13. Web site: Memoirs of a Migrant. 2020-06-27. Ethos Books. en-Singapore.
  14. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Katong. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  15. Book: Pereira. Alexius A.. Singapore Eurasians: Memories, Hopes And Dreams. Braga-blake. Myrna. Ebert-oehlers. Ann. 2016-12-21. World Scientific. 978-981-310-961-2. en.
  16. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Whampoa. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  17. Web site: Portrait of Mr. Chew Swee Kee, Minister for Education - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore. 2020-06-27. eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  18. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Stamford. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  19. Web site: Portrait of Mr. J.M. Jumabhoy, President of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore. 2020-06-27. eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  20. Web site: Portrait of Mr. J.M. Jumabhoy, Minister for Commerce and Industry - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore. 2020-06-27. eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  21. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Farrer Park. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  22. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Geylang. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  23. Web site: MAK PAK SHEE, MEMBER OF THE FIRST LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY …. 2020-06-27. www.nas.gov.sg.
  24. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Kampong Kapor. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  25. Web site: For some reason, a large proportion of S'pore's ministers & opposition leaders have been Teochews. 2020-06-27. mothership.sg. en.
  26. Book: Tan, Charlene Gia Lim. An Introduction To The Culture And History Of The Teochews In Singapore. 2018-07-26. World Scientific. 978-981-323-937-1. en.
  27. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Rochore. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  28. Web site: Singapore Legislative Assembly General Election 1955 > Queenstown. 2020-06-27. www.singapore-elections.com.
  29. Web site: Lee Choon Eng, Member of Legislative Assembly under Rendel …. 2020-06-27. www.nas.gov.sg.

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