# 1988 Singaporean general election

General elections were held in Singapore on 3 September 1988. President Wee Kim Wee dissolved parliament on 17 August 1988 on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The result was a victory for the People's Action Party, which won 80 of the 81 seats. This was the last time Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew led the PAP in an election.
Though the total eligible voter population surpassed one million in 1976, the 1988 elections was the first time that over one million voters were able to vote in contested constituencies. This was not repeated until 2006.

## Background

In 1986, Town Councils were introduced, which also cumulates to the creation of Group Representation Constituencies, a plurality general ticket voting scheme, to ensure ethnic minority representation in Parliament, starting with three member constituencies. This was also the first election where changes to electoral boundaries were approved by the Prime Minister's Office instead of tabling a bill in Parliament to approve changes.
The Workers' Party absorbed the two parties, Barisan Sosialis (BS) and Singapore United Front to become the largest opposition party and also allied with the Malay party PKMS as a single faction. On 6 March 1987, the National Solidarity Party was founded by former PAP member Kum Teng Hock and former SDP chairman Soon Kia Seng, the party's founding President and Secretary-General, respectively. Midway into the term on 10 December 1986, WP secretary-general J. B. Jeyaretnam lost his Anson SMC seat and was banned from standing in elections for a five year period for falsified declarations of party accounts, with one count meeting the required threshold (of at least $2,000 or a year's imprisonment) for the disqualification to take effect.
In November 1990, two years after the election, the Nominated MP scheme was implemented to introduce non-partisan voices into the legislature. Although the law allowed up to six NMPs, two were appointed at the start and served for a year before the Parliament term ended.

## Timeline

| Date | Event |
| 14 June | Publication of Electoral Boundaries report |
| 17 August | Dissolution of 6th Parliament |
| 24 August | Nomination Day |
| 3 September | Polling Day |
| 16 September | Non-constituency Member of Parliament posts declared |
| 9 January 1989 | Opening of 7th Parliament |

## Electoral boundaries

In addition to the creation of the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) scheme, single member constituencies (SMC) were either formed from or absorbed to neighboring constituencies due to development and electorate, which was shown in the table below:
| Constituency | Changes |
| Formation of Group Representation Constituencies ||
| Aljunied GRC | Formed from Aljunied, Kampong Kembangan and Kampong Ubi SMCs |
| Bedok GRC | Formed from Bedok, Kampong Chai Chee and Tanah Merah SMCs |
| Brickworks GRC | Formed from Alexandra, Brickworks and Queenstown SMCs |
| Cheng San GRC | Formed from Cheng San, Chong Boon and Jalan Kayu SMCs |
| Eunos GRC | Formed from Eunos, Kaki Bukit and a portion of Tampines SMCs (the latter was renamed to Tampines North) |
| Hong Kah GRC | Formed from parts of Bukit Batok (Hong Kah North), Hong Kah (Hong Kah Central) and Yuhua SMCs (Hong Kah South) |
| Jalan Besar GRC | Formed from Geylang West, Jalan Besar and Kolam Ayer SMCs. |
| Marine Parade GRC | Formed from Geylang Serai, Joo Chiat and Marine Parade SMCs. |
| Pasir Panjang GRC | Formed from Clementi, Pasir Panjang and West Coast SMCs. |
| Sembawang GRC | Formed from parts of Nee Soon (Chong Pang and Nee Soon East) and most of Sembawang SMCs Nee Soon Central and Nee Soon South were subsumed into its own SMCs |
| Tampines GRC | Formed from Changkat SMC and Tampines SMC (the latter was divided into Tampines Changkat, Tampines East and Tampines West) |
| Tiong Bahru GRC | Formed from Delta, Henderson, Tiong Bahru and Radin Mas SMCs; Delta was absorbed into Tiong Bahru division. |
| Toa Payoh GRC | Formed from Boon Teck, Khe Bong, Kuo Chuan and Toa Payoh SMCs; Khe Bong was absorbed into Boon Teck division. |
| New Single Member Constituencies ||
| Bukit Gombak SMC | Carved out from Bukit Batok SMC |
| Hougang SMC | Carved out from Punggol SMC |
| Nee Soon Central SMC Nee Soon East SMC | Carved out from Nee Soon SMC |
| Defunct Single Member Constituencies ||
| Anson SMC | Absorbed to Tanjong Pagar SMC |
| Bo Wen SMC | Absorbed to Ang Mo Kio SMC |
| River Valley SMC | Absorbed to Cairnhill SMC |
| Rochore SMC | Absorbed to Kampong Glam SMC |
| Telok Ayer SMC | Absorbed to Kreta Ayer SMC |

## New candidates

The election introduced certain prominent members such as George Yeo, K Shanmugam, Mah Bow Tan, as well as a future WP and opposition leader Low Thia Khiang, who made his debut in Tiong Bahru Group Representation Constituency.
* Abdul Nasser Kamaruddin
* Chay Wai Chuen
* Charles Chong
* Choo Wee Khiang
* Davinder Singh
* George Yeo Yong-Boon
* Hong Hai
* John Chen Seow Phun
* Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam
* Lew Syn Pau
* Loh Meng See
* Low Seow Chay
* Low Thia Khiang
* Mah Bow Tan
* Ong Chit Chung
* Peh Chin Hua
* Peter Sung
* Seet Ai Mee

## Outgoing candidates

13 MPs retired ahead of the election per the party's renewal, which include Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye and Senior Minister S. Rajaratnam. Before that, two other MPs had vacated but neither by-elections are called, which were J. B. Jeyaretnam (Anson) and Minister Teh Cheang Wan (Geylang West).
| Candidate | Age | Constituency | Since | Replacement |
| Ang Kok Peng | 61 | Buona Vista | 1972 | Peter Sung |
| Chai Chong Yii | 53 | Bukit Batok | 1972 | Ong Chit Chung |
| E. W. Barker | 68 | Tanglin | 1959 | Lew Syn Pau |
| Eric Cheong | 58 | Toa Payoh | 1968 | Davinder Singh |
| Fong Sip Chee | 50 | Kampong Chai Chee | 1963 | Hong Hai |
| Jek Yeun Thong | 58 | Queenstown | 1968 | Chay Wai Chuen |
| Lai Tha Chai | 52 | Henderson | 1972 | S Vasoo |
| Ong Pang Boon | 58 | Telok Ayer | 1959 | Merged into Kreta Ayer |
| Phua Bah Lee | 56 | Tampines | 1968 | Split into three different wards |
| S. Rajaratnam | 73 | Kampong Glam | 1959 | Loh Meng See |
| Tang See Chim | 56 | Chua Chu Kang | 1966 | Low Seow Chay |
| Toh Chin Chye | 68 | Rochor | 1959 | Merged into Kampong Glam |
| Yeo Choo Kok | 52 | Delta | 1970 | Merged into Kim Seng |

## Results

| Party | Party | Votes | % | +/– | Seats | +/– |
| | People's Action Party | 848,029 | 63.17 | –1.66 | 80 | +3 |
| | Workers' Party | 224,473 | 16.72 | +8.14 | 1 | 0 |
| | Singapore Democratic Party | 158,341 | 11.80 | +4.07 | 1 | 0 |
| | National Solidarity Party | 50,432 | 3.76 | New | 0 | New |
| | United People's Front | 17,282 | 1.29 | –1.81 | 0 | 0 |
| | Singapore Justice Party | 14,660 | 1.09 | –0.15 | 0 | 0 |
| | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | 13,526 | 1.01 | +0.47 | 0 | 0 |
| | Angkatan Islam | 280 | 0.02 | –0.02 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independents | 15,412 | 1.15 | –0.06 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 1,342,435 | 100.00 | – | 82 | +2 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,342,435 | 97.77 | | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 30,629 | 2.23 | | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 1,373,064 | 100.00 | | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 1,669,013 | 94.70 | | | |
| Source: Singapore Elections |||||||
With the Singapore Democratic Party leader's Chiam See Tong sole victory in the seat of Potong Pasir, two Non-Constituency MP seats were offered to former solicitor-general and Law Society president, Francis Seow and veteran politician Dr Lee Siew Choh, both of which were standing under the WP ticket in Eunos Group Representation Constituency; their campaign was notable for criticizing PAP for alleged dubious financial circumstances; in response Minister of State Tay Eng Soon went to lead their PAP team for Eunos. Despite losing by a narrow margin of 49.1%-50.9%, WP were eligible for the NCMP; however, Seow fled the country on 17 December to avoid arrest and was disqualified from the post while Lee took up the offer and became Singapore's first NCMP, marking Lee's return to Parliament after 25 years since his last stint as a PAP and BS legislator.

### By constituency

| Constituency | Seats | Electorate | % | Candidates | Votes | % |
| Aljunied GRC | 3 | 65,351 | People's Action Party | Chin Harn Tong Wan Hussin B H Zoohri George Yeo | 34,020 | 56.33 |
| Aljunied GRC | 3 | 65,351 | Singapore Democratic Party | Jufrie Mahmood Neo Choon Aik Ashleigh Seow Chuan-Hock | 26,375 | 43.67 |
| Ang Mo Kio SMC | 1 | 14,633 | People's Action Party | Yeo Toon Chia | 13,365 | 65.49 |
| Ang Mo Kio SMC | 1 | 14,633 | National Solidarity Party | Ong Kah Seng | 7,044 | 27.25 |
| Ayer Rajah SMC | 1 | 22,532 | People's Action Party | Tan Cheng Bock | 14,824 | 69.55 |
| Ayer Rajah SMC | 1 | 22,532 | Workers' Party | Tan Song Gek | 6,489 | 30.45 |
| Bedok GRC | 3 | 54,969 | People's Action Party | Hong Hai Ibrahim Othman S. Jayakumar | 28,266 | 54.92 |
| Bedok GRC | 3 | 54,969 | Workers' Party | Gertrude De Gracias Saraswathy Murugason Seow Khee Leng | 23,203 | 45.08 |
| Boon Lay SMC | 1 | 16,646 | People's Action Party | Goh Chee Wee | 11,317 | 71.97 |
| Boon Lay SMC | 1 | 16,646 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Salleh Mohd Bawthan | 4,408 | 28.03 |
| Braddell Heights SMC | 1 | 27,019 | People's Action Party | Goh Choon Kang | 14,862 | 58.80 |
| Braddell Heights SMC | 1 | 27,019 | Singapore Democratic Party | Sin Kek Tong | 10,412 | 41.20 |
| Brickworks GRC | 3 | 43,117 | People's Action Party | Ahmad Mattar Chay Wai Chuen Tan Soo Khoon | 26,870 | 67.43 |
| Brickworks GRC | 3 | 43,117 | Workers' Party | J C Corera Goh Teng Hoon Ismail Yaacob | 12,977 | 32.57 |
| Bukit Batok SMC | 1 | 24,138 | People's Action Party | Ong Chit Chung | 12,873 | 55.94 |
| Bukit Batok SMC | 1 | 24,138 | Singapore Democratic Party | Kwan Yue Keng | 10,139 | 44.06 |
| Bukit Gombak SMC | 1 | 25,221 | People's Action Party | Seet Ai Mee | 12,661 | 53.46 |
| Bukit Gombak SMC | 1 | 25,221 | Singapore Democratic Party | Ling How Doong | 11,024 | 46.54 |
| Bukit Merah SMC | 1 | 14,723 | People's Action Party | Lim Chee Onn | 9,414 | 69.78 |
| Bukit Merah SMC | 1 | 14,723 | Workers' Party | Pok Lee Chuen | 4,077 | 30.22 |
| Bukit Panjang SMC | 1 | 33,824 | People's Action Party | Lee Yiok Seng | 18,314 | 57.28 |
| Bukit Panjang SMC | 1 | 33,824 | Singapore Democratic Party | Kwek Guan Kwee | 9,864 | 30.86 |
| Bukit Panjang SMC | 1 | 33,824 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Ibrahim Ariff | 3,790 | 11.86 |
| Bukit Timah SMC | 1 | 20,222 | People's Action Party | Wang Kai Yuen | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Buona Vista SMC | 1 | 15,850 | People's Action Party | Peter Sung | 8,859 | 61.76 |
| Buona Vista SMC | 1 | 15,850 | Singapore Democratic Party | Low Yong Nguan | 5,037 | 35.11 |
| Buona Vista SMC | 1 | 15,850 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Abdul Karim B Abdul Sattar | 449 | 3.13 |
| Cairnhill SMC | 1 | 23,197 | People's Action Party | Wong Kwei Cheong | 12,779 | 63.98 |
| Cairnhill SMC | 1 | 23,197 | Singapore Democratic Party | Jimmy Tan Tiang Hoe | 7,194 | 36.02 |
| Changi SMC | 1 | 17,145 | People's Action Party | Teo Chong Tee | 9,398 | 59.73 |
| Changi SMC | 1 | 17,145 | Workers' Party | Chiam Yeow Juan | 6,431 | 40.63 |
| Cheng San GRC | 3 | 56,352 | People's Action Party | Lee Yock Suan Chandra Das S Heng Chiang Meng | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Chua Chu Kang SMC | 1 | 19,628 | People's Action Party | Low Seow Chay | 11,058 | 59.28 |
| Chua Chu Kang SMC | 1 | 19,628 | Workers' Party | Goh Seng Soon | 7,597 | 40.72 |
| Eunos GRC | 3 | 75,723 | People's Action Party | Tay Eng Soon Chew Heng Ching Zulkifli Mohammed | 36,500 | 50.89 |
| Eunos GRC | 3 | 75,723 | Workers' Party | Lee Siew Choh Mohd Khalit B Md Baboo Francis Seow | 35,221 | 49.11 |
| Fengshan SMC | 1 | 17,389 | People's Action Party | Arthur Beng Kian Lam | 9,507 | 57.92 |
| Fengshan SMC | 1 | 17,389 | Workers' Party | Chng Chin Siah | 6,907 | 42.08 |
| Hong Kah GRC | 3 | 67,431 | People's Action Party | A Nasser Kamaruddin John Chen Seow Phun Yeo Cheow Tong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Hougang SMC | 1 | 21,703 | People's Action Party | Tang Guan Seng | 11,983 | 58.96 |
| Hougang SMC | 1 | 21,703 | Workers' Party | Lim Chiu Liang | 8,342 | 41.04 |
| Jalan Besar GRC | 3 | 54,941 | People's Action Party | Lee Boon Yang Peh Chin Hua Sidek Saniff | 31,604 | 62.68 |
| Jalan Besar GRC | 3 | 54,941 | Workers' Party | Edmund Richard Marsh Mohamed Bin Idris Toh Keng Thong | 18,814 | 37.32 |
| Jurong SMC | 1 | 21,420 | People's Action Party | Ho Kah Leong | 14,769 | 75.17 |
| Jurong SMC | 1 | 21,420 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Mohamed Awang | 4,879 | 24.83 |
| Kallang SMC | 1 | 21,245 | People's Action Party | S. Dhanabalan | 13,097 | 66.13 |
| Kallang SMC | 1 | 21,245 | Workers' Party | A L Sundram | 6,707 | 33.87 |
| Kampong Glam SMC | 1 | 21,773 | People's Action Party | Loh Meng See | 12,525 | 67.32 |
| Kampong Glam SMC | 1 | 21,773 | Workers' Party | Frederick De Wind | 5,800 | 31.87 |
| Kampong Glam SMC | 1 | 21,773 | Angkatan Islam | M Sani Jan | 280 | 1.51 |
| Kebun Baru SMC | 1 | 22,515 | People's Action Party | Lim Boon Heng | 15,734 | 75.36 |
| Kebun Baru SMC | 1 | 22,515 | National Solidarity Party | Mohamed Affendy Bin Abdul Rahim | 5,145 | 24.64 |
| Kim Keat SMC | 1 | 15,850 | People's Action Party | Ong Teng Cheong | 10,644 | 73.00 |
| Kim Keat SMC | 1 | 15,850 | Singapore Democratic Party | Md Shariff Bin Yahya | 3,937 | 27.00 |
| Kim Seng SMC | 1 | 18,474 | People's Action Party | Yeo Ning Hong | 11,460 | 66.90 |
| Kim Seng SMC | 1 | 18,474 | Workers' Party | Chin Tian Choo | 5,670 | 33.10 |
| Kreta Ayer SMC | 1 | 21,470 | People's Action Party | Richard Hu | 13,158 | 70.50 |
| Kreta Ayer SMC | 1 | 21,470 | Workers' Party | Loh Fook Cheong | 5,507 | 29.50 |
| Leng Kee SMC | 1 | 21,964 | People's Action Party | Ow Chin Hock | 13,334 | 64.96 |
| Leng Kee SMC | 1 | 21,964 | Workers' Party | Chua Chwee Huat Peter | 7,192 | 35.04 |
| MacPherson SMC | 1 | 17,063 | People's Action Party | Chua Sian Chin | 10,453 | 65.98 |
| MacPherson SMC | 1 | 17,063 | National Solidarity Party | Kum Teng Hock | 5,390 | 34.02 |
| Marine Parade GRC | 3 | 62,385 | People's Action Party | Goh Chok Tong Choo Wee Khiang Othman Haron Eusofe | 41,325 | 73.81 |
| Marine Parade GRC | 3 | 62,385 | Singapore Justice Party | A R Suib M Ramasamy Theng Chin Eng | 14,660 | 26.19 |
| Moulmein SMC | 1 | 19,229 | People's Action Party | Lawrence Sia | 11,334 | 66.08 |
| Moulmein SMC | 1 | 19,229 | Workers' Party | A Balakrishnan | 5,817 | 33.92 |
| Mountbatten SMC | 1 | 17,747 | People's Action Party | Eugene Yap Giau Cheng | 12,712 | 78.15 |
| Mountbatten SMC | 1 | 17,747 | Independent | Chiam Pan Boon | 3,554 | 21.85 |
| Nee Soon Central SMC | 1 | 24,403 | People's Action Party | Ng Pock Too | 13,396 | 57.61 |
| Nee Soon Central SMC | 1 | 24,403 | Singapore Democratic Party | Cheo Chai Chen | 8,944 | 38.46 |
| Nee Soon Central SMC | 1 | 24,403 | United People's Front | Giam Lai Cheng | 914 | 3.93 |
| Nee Soon South SMC | 1 | 22,542 | People's Action Party | Koh Lip Lin | 13,793 | 64.88 |
| Nee Soon South SMC | 1 | 22,542 | Singapore Democratic Party | Yong Chu Leong | 6,533 | 28.98 |
| Nee Soon South SMC | 1 | 22,542 | United People's Front | Munjeet Singh | 932 | 4.39 |
| Pasir Panjang GRC | 3 | 66,600 | People's Action Party | Abbas Abu Amin Bernard Chen Tien Lap Wan Soon Bee | 38,545 | 61.57 |
| Pasir Panjang GRC | 3 | 66,600 | Workers' Party | Gan Eng Guan Mohd Taib Sattar Wee Han Kim | 24,059 | 38.43 |
| Paya Lebar SMC | 1 | 25,076 | People's Action Party | Philip Tan Tee Yong | 12,352 | 52.36 |
| Paya Lebar SMC | 1 | 25,076 | Singapore Democratic Party | Chew David | 11,240 | 47.64 |
| Potong Pasir SMC | 1 | 19,852 | Singapore Democratic Party | Chiam See Tong | 11,804 | 63.13 |
| Potong Pasir SMC | 1 | 19,852 | People's Action Party | Kenneth Chen Koon Lap | 6,893 | 36.87 |
| Punggol SMC | 1 | 31,577 | People's Action Party | Ng Kah Ting | 17,914 | 59.85 |
| Punggol SMC | 1 | 31,577 | Singapore Democratic Party | Abdul Rasheed Y. Abdul Kuthus | 12,017 | 40.15 |
| Sembawang GRC | 3 | 55,633 | People's Action Party | Tony Tan Charles Chong K. Shanmugam | 36,154 | 70.08 |
| Sembawang GRC | 3 | 55,633 | United People's Front | Ang Bee Lian Kasim Bin Ibrahim Harbans Singh | 15,436 | 29.92 |
| Serangoon Gardens SMC | 1 | 24,831 | People's Action Party | Lau Teik Soon | 16,234 | 74.17 |
| Serangoon Gardens SMC | 1 | 24,831 | Independent | Harry Baptist | 5,654 | 25.83 |
| Siglap SMC | 1 | 18,650 | People's Action Party | Abdullah Tarmugi | 12,101 | 73.73 |
| Siglap SMC | 1 | 18,650 | Workers' Party | Chong Tung Shang | 4,311 | 26.27 |
| Tampines GRC | 3 | 65,148 | People's Action Party | Mah Bow Tan Aline Wong Yatiman Yusof | 37,216 | 61.00 |
| Tampines GRC | 3 | 65,148 | National Solidarity Party | Abdul Malik Bin Ali Chan Yeng Cheong Lim Ah Yong | 23,796 | 39.00 |
| Tanglin SMC | 1 | 17,497 | People's Action Party | Lew Syn Pau | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Tanjong Pagar SMC | 1 | 19,041 | People's Action Party | Lee Kuan Yew | 14,043 | 81.60 |
| Tanjong Pagar SMC | 1 | 19,041 | Independent | M G Guru | 3,167 | 18.40 |
| Teck Ghee SMC | 1 | 15,510 | People's Action Party | Lee Hsien Loong | 11,512 | 79.13 |
| Teck Ghee SMC | 1 | 15,510 | Independent | Patrick Leong S C | 3,037 | 20.87 |
| Telok Blangah SMC | 1 | 18,609 | People's Action Party | Koh Lam Son | 11,160 | 64.21 |
| Telok Blangah SMC | 1 | 18,609 | Workers' Party | Tan Soo Phuan | 6,220 | 35.79 |
| Thomson SMC | 1 | 34,886 | People's Action Party | Leong Horn Kee | 21,514 | 67.01 |
| Thomson SMC | 1 | 34,886 | Singapore Democratic Party | Ng Teck Siong | 10,590 | 32.99 |
| Tiong Bahru GRC | 3 | 58,898 | People's Action Party | Chng Hee Kok Ch'ng Jit Koon S Vasoo | 31,732 | 57.84 |
| Tiong Bahru GRC | 3 | 58,898 | Workers' Party | Low Thia Khiang Lim Lye Soon Gopalan Nair | 23,132 | 42.16 |
| Toa Payoh GRC | 3 | 49,243 | People's Action Party | Davinder Singh Ho Tat Kin Wong Kan Seng | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Ulu Pandan SMC | 1 | 23,587 | People's Action Party | Dixie Tan | 14,436 | 69.07 |
| Ulu Pandan SMC | 1 | 23,587 | Singapore Democratic Party | George Sita | 6,466 | 30.93 |
| Whampoa SMC | 1 | 13,819 | People's Action Party | Augustine Tan Hui Heng | 7,522 | 59.47 |
| Whampoa SMC | 1 | 13,819 | National Solidarity Party | Ken Sunn | 5,126 | 40.53 |
| Yio Chu Kang SMC | 1 | 15,991 | People's Action Party | Lau Ping Sum | 10,996 | 73.67 |
| Yio Chu Kang SMC | 1 | 15,991 | National Solidarity Party | Rasiah Thiagarajah | 3,931 | 26.33 |
| Yuhua SMC | 1 | 19,190 | People's Action Party | Yu-Foo Yee Shoon | 11,497 | 62.96 |
| Yuhua SMC | 1 | 19,190 | Singapore Democratic Party | Toh Kim Kiat | 6,765 | 37.04 |
| Source: ELD ||||||||