# 1984 Singaporean general election

General elections were held in Singapore on 22 December 1984. President Devan Nair dissolved parliament on 4 December 1984 on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The result was a victory for the People's Action Party, which won 77 of the 79 seats, marking the first time since 1963 that at least one opposition candidate was elected to parliament in a general election, although the first presence of an opposition MP was in the 1981 Anson by-election.

## Background

In his 1983 National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew lamented that declining birth rates and large number of graduate women remaining single or not marrying their intellectual equal could see Singapore's talent pool shrink. The PAP government then proceeded to launch the "Graduate Mothers' Scheme" to entice graduate women with incentives to get married and grant graduate mothers priority in the best schools for their third child. The proposal was met with anger by the Singapore public (including many female graduates) and the PAP government drew accusations of elitism, and even eugenics. Notably, prominent PAP stalwarts like Deputy Prime Minister S. Rajaratnam and also ex-minister Toh Chin Chye expressed opposition to the proposal.
In March 1984 Health Minister Howe Yoon Chong released a controversial proposal to raise the age for the withdrawal of Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings from 55 to 60 years. At a news conference on 26 March 1984, Howe reasoned that Singaporeans could not depend only on their children in their old age. That suggestion, part of the 54-page report of the Committee on the Problems of the Aged which he chaired, was eventually dropped. Taking up the suggestions in the report, the Singapore Government subsequently introduced the Minimum Sum scheme. This allows workers to withdraw some of their CPF funds at age 55, setting aside a certain minimum sum which can only be withdrawn at retirement age, currently at 62 years.
These controversial proposals sparked debate and uproar in the Singapore electorate and were said to have contributed to a big dip in PAP's support and its share of votes plunged by 12.9% to below 64.8%, the biggest fall and the lowest for PAP since the 1963 general elections (this remains the largest anti-PAP swing ever in a seriously contested general election as of 2020). In his memoirs, Lee Kuan Yew recalled that the swing against the PAP was larger than what he expected.

### New candidates/outgoing incumbents

Minister of Finance Hon Sui Sen died during his term on 14 October 1983 and his seat of Havelock was vacated, but no by-election was held on the constituency, and announced to be merged into Delta constituency. Tony Tan succeeded Hon as the new Finance Minister.
PM Lee's son Lee Hsien Loong (who went on to become the nation's third Prime Minister) made his debut in the newly formed Teck Ghee constituency, while PAP stalwarts Dr Goh Keng Swee and Ong Pang Boon stepped down. In the only election among several preceding and succeeding ones, the election deposit of $1,500 remained unchanged. The Workers' Party secretary-general J. B. Jeyaretnam successfully retained the Anson constituency with an increased majority, while the Singapore Democratic Party made its first in-road into Parliament with the victory of Chiam See Tong, who would serve the Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency for the next 26 years until 2011.

### Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme

A new Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme was introduced whereby between three and six seats, the exact number which was decided by the President of Singapore, would be offered to unsuccessful opposition candidates with the best scores and who garner at least 15% of the votes if any one party wins all the seats, subtracting one NCMP seat for every one opposition MP elected. Opposition parties dismissed the scheme for misleading voters into thinking that they could have opposition MPs without voting for them. M.P.D. Nair of WP who contested Jalan Kayu was the first to be offered but declined. The offer was then made to Singapore United Front's Tan Chee Kien who contested Kaki Bukit, who also declined, and no further offers were made.
With the creation of the scheme, this also began a continuing trend in which three political parties were represented in Parliament with the exception of 1986–1988 (due to the disqualification of sole Workers' Party MP J. B. Jeyaretnam in 1986) and 2015–2020 (when the Workers' Party was the sole opposition party with MPs).

## Timeline

| Date | Event |
| 4 December | Dissolution of the 5th Parliament |
| 12 December | Nomination Day |
| 22 December | Polling day |
| 25 February 1985 | Opening of 6th Parliament |

## Electoral boundaries

The newer constituencies are those with rapid developments of Ang Mo Kio, Tampines, Jurong East, Bedok & Jurong West (smaller developments), while other constituencies were dissolved, which was reflected in the table:
| Constituency | Changes |
| New Constituencies ||
| Bo Wen | Formed from Ang Mo Kio, Kebun Baru & Yio Chu Kang |
| Changkat | Formed from Tampines & Kaki Bukit |
| Eunos | Formed from Kaki Bukit & Tampines |
| Fengshan | Formed from Bedok, Kampong Chai Chee & Tanah Merah |
| Hong Kah | Formed from Boon Lay |
| Teck Ghee | Formed from Ang Mo Kio & Chong Boon |
| Yuhua | Formed from Boon Lay & Bukit Timah |
| Defunct Constituencies ||
| Bukit Ho Swee | Absorbed to Tiong Bahru and Kim Seng |
| Havelock | Absorbed to Delta |
| Katong | Absorbed to Joo Chiat and Mountbatten |

## New/Outgoing MP

| Outgoing MPs | New MPs |
| Retiring Abdul Rahim Ishak (Siglap) Chan Chee Seng (Jalan Besar) Chau Sik Ting (Thomson) Chiang Hai Deng (Ulu Pandan) Chor Yeok Eng (Bukit Timah) Goh Keng Swee (Kreta Ayer) Ho See Beng (Khe Bong) Howe Yoon Chong (Potong Pasir) Hwang Soo Jin (Jalan Kayu) Joseph Francis (Katong) Lee Khoon Choy (Braddell Heights) Michael Liew (Boon Teck) Mohammad Kasim Abdul Jabbar (Radin Mas) Mohammad Mansor bin Sukaimi (Kampong Kembangan) P Selvadurai (Kuo Chuan) Rohan Kamis (Telok Blangah) Saidi bin Shariff (Kaki Bukit) Seah Mui Kok (Bukit Ho Swee) Sia Kah Hui (Paya Lebar) Deceased Hon Sui Sen (Havelock) | Abdullah Tarmugi Aline Wong Arthur Beng Chiam See Tong Dixie Tan Goh Choon Kang Heng Chiang Meng Ho Tat Kin Koh Lam Son Lee Boon Yang Lee Hsien Loong Leong Horn Kee Philip Tan Richard Hu S Vasoo Tang Guan Seng Wang Kai Yuen Wong Kan Seng Yatiman Yusof Yeo Cheow Tong Yu-Foo Yee Shoon Zulkifi Mohammad |
^Note : A caret indicates that the constituency was removed and absorbed to other wards.

## Results

Chua Chu Kang SMC United People's Front candidate Teo Kim Hoe who garnered only 196 votes, or 0.81% of the valid votes cast, set a worst-scoring result for any candidates in the history of the election until the 2013 by-election where Desmond Lim surpassed the record with 168 votes or 0.53% of the valid votes; not counting by-elections, the record has also be broken by independent candidate Samir Salim Neji in the 2015 general election, with 150 votes or 0.60% of the valid votes.
Excluding the 30 uncontested constituencies, the voter turnout was 95.6%, with 63.2% of the total electorate casting their votes.
| | People's Action Party | 568,310 | 64.83 | –12.83 | 77 | +2 |
| | Workers' Party | 110,868 | 12.65 | +6.43 | 1 | +1 |
| | Singapore United Front | 87,237 | 9.95 | +1.89 | 0 | 0 |
| | Singapore Democratic Party | 32,102 | 3.66 | +5.63 | 1 | +1 |
| | United People's Front | 27,217 | 3.10 | –1.39 | 0 | 0 |
| | Barisan Sosialis | 24,212 | 2.76 | +0.17 | 0 | 0 |
| | Singapore Justice Party | 10,906 | 1.24 | +0.41 | 0 | 0 |
| | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | 4,768 | 0.54 | –1.57 | 0 | 0 |
| | Angkatan Islam | 359 | 0.04 | New | 0 | New |
| | Independents | 10,586 | 1.21 | New | 0 | New |
| Total | Total | 876,565 | 100.00 | – | 79 | +4 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 876,565 | 97.08 | | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 26,394 | 2.92 | | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 902,959 | 100.00 | | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 1,495,389 | 95.59 | | | |
| Source: Singapore Elections |||||||

### By constituency

| Constituency | Electorate | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Alexandra | 19,670 | People's Action Party | Tan Soo Khoon | 12,172 | 66.79 |
| Alexandra | 19,670 | Workers' Party | John Cruz Corera | 6,053 | 33.21 |
| Aljunied | 19,045 | People's Action Party | Chin Harn Tong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Ang Mo Kio | 14,633 | People's Action Party | Yeo Toon Chia | 9,909 | 72.75 |
| Ang Mo Kio | 14,633 | United People's Front | Ang Bee Lian | 3,711 | 27.25 |
| Anson | 18,493 | Workers' Party | J. B. Jeyaratnam | 9,909 | 56.81 |
| Anson | 18,493 | People's Action Party | Ng Pock Too | 7,533 | 43.19 |
| Ayer Rajah | 20,017 | People's Action Party | Tan Cheng Bock | 14,050 | 75.44 |
| Ayer Rajah | 20,017 | Singapore Justice Party | Suib bin Abdul Rahman | 4,575 | 24.56 |
| Bedok | 17,074 | People's Action Party | S. Jayakumar | 10,972 | 68.95 |
| Bedok | 17,074 | Singapore United Front | Lee Chin Teck | 4,941 | 31.05 |
| Bo Wen | 14,777 | People's Action Party | Sushilan Vasoo | 10,299 | 74.70 |
| Bo Wen | 14,777 | United People's Front | Shaikh Ahmad bin Shaikh Salim | 3,488 | 25.30 |
| Boon Lay | 18,964 | People's Action Party | Goh Chee Wee | 12,490 | 69.65 |
| Boon Lay | 18,964 | Singapore United Front | Reveendran Sasi | 5,443 | 30.35 |
| Boon Teck | 19,490 | People's Action Party | Ho Tat Kin | 10,224 | 56.16 |
| Boon Teck | 19,490 | Barisan Sosialis | Lee Siew Choh | 7,982 | 43.84 |
| Braddell Heights | 14,152 | People's Action Party | Goh Choon Kang | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Brickworks | 13,571 | People's Action Party | Ahmad Mattar | 8,389 | 66.27 |
| Brickworks | 13,571 | Workers' Party | Mohd Taib bin Saffar | 4,270 | 33.73 |
| Bukit Batok | 20,812 | People's Action Party | Chai Chong Yii | 14,767 | 78.27 |
| Bukit Batok | 20,812 | United People's Front | Tan Jue Kit | 4,099 | 21.73 |
| Bukit Merah | 19,210 | People's Action Party | Lim Chee Onn | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Bukit Panjang | 23,173 | People's Action Party | Lee Yiok Seng | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Bukit Timah | 17,238 | People's Action Party | Wang Kai Yuen | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Buona Vista | 18,041 | People's Action Party | Ang Kok Peng | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Cairnhill | 15,862 | People's Action Party | Wong Kwei Cheong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Changi | 20,129 | People's Action Party | Teo Chong Tee | 12,195 | 65.75 |
| Changi | 20,129 | Singapore United Front | Sim Peng Kim | 6,353 | 34.25 |
| Changkat | 18,742 | People's Action Party | Aline Wong | 10,310 | 58.56 |
| Changkat | 18,742 | Singapore Democratic Party | Soon Kia Seng | 7,297 | 41.44 |
| Cheng San | 17,328 | People's Action Party | Lee Yock Suan | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Chong Boon | 20,650 | People's Action Party | Rajagopal Sitaram Chandra Das | 11,058 | 56.02 |
| Chong Boon | 20,650 | Singapore Democratic Party | Ling How Dung | 8,681 | 43.98 |
| Chua Chu Kang | 25,532 | People's Action Party | Tang See Chim | 13,254 | 54.84 |
| Chua Chu Kang | 25,532 | Workers' Party | Chan Keng Sieng | 10,720 | 44.35 |
| Chua Chu Kang | 25,532 | United People's Front | Teo Kim Hoe | 196 | 0.81 |
| Clementi | 20,890 | People's Action Party | Bernard Chen Tien Lap | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Delta | 14,800 | People's Action Party | Yeo Choo Kok | 7,987 | 58.72 |
| Delta | 14,800 | Workers' Party | Peter Chua Chwee Huat | 5,614 | 41.28 |
| Eunos | 17,615 | People's Action Party | Zulkifli bin Mohammed | 10,494 | 64.81 |
| Eunos | 17,615 | Singapore United Front | Chong Tung Shang | 5,697 | 35.19 |
| Fengshan | 18,407 | People's Action Party | Arthur Beng Kian Lam | 11,216 | 65.13 |
| Fengshan | 18,407 | Singapore United Front | Chng Chin Siah | 6,005 | 34.87 |
| Geylang Serai | 24,109 | People's Action Party | Othman bin Haron Eusofe | 14,564 | 65.57 |
| Geylang Serai | 24,109 | Singapore United Front | Mohamed Mansor bin Abdul Rahman | 7,649 | 34.43 |
| Geylang West | 22,325 | People's Action Party | Teh Cheang Wan | 13,798 | 66.83 |
| Geylang West | 22,325 | Singapore United Front | Lim Tiong Hock | 2,994 | 34.43 |
| Henderson | 17,630 | People's Action Party | Lai Tha Chai | 9,695 | 58.80 |
| Henderson | 17,630 | Workers' Party | Chon Koon Cheong | 6,793 | 41.20 |
| Hong Kah | 22,062 | People's Action Party | Yeo Cheow Tong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Jalan Besar | 16,115 | People's Action Party | Lee Boon Yang | 9,236 | 64.43 |
| Jalan Besar | 16,115 | Workers' Party | Anathan Balakrishnan | 5,100 | 35.57 |
| Jalan Kayu | 25,011 | People's Action Party | Heng Chiang Meng | 11,985 | 51.22 |
| Jalan Kayu | 25,011 | Workers' Party | Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair | 11,414 | 48.78 |
| Joo Chiat | 18,957 | People's Action Party | Yeoh Ghim Seng | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Jurong | 24,517 | People's Action Party | Ho Kah Leong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Kaki Bukit | 20,683 | People's Action Party | Chew Heng Ching | 10,229 | 52.28 |
| Kaki Bukit | 20,683 | Singapore United Front | Tan Chee Kien | 9,336 | 47.72 |
| Kallang | 18,809 | People's Action Party | S. Dhanabalan | 11,256 | 64.95 |
| Kallang | 18,809 | Workers' Party | A. L. Sundram | 6,075 | 35.05 |
| Kampong Chai Chee | 22,537 | People's Action Party | Fong Sip Chee | 12,125 | 57.16 |
| Kampong Chai Chee | 22,537 | Singapore United Front | Seow Khee Leng | 9,087 | 42.84 |
| Kampong Glam | 18,127 | People's Action Party | S. Rajaratnam | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Kampong Kembangan | 20,295 | People's Action Party | Yatiman bin Yusof | 10,326 | 55.71 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 20,295 | Workers' Party | Jufrie Mahmood | 3,023 | 44.29 |
| Kampong Ubi | 14,323 | People's Action Party | Wan Hussin bin Zoohri | 8,378 | 63.73 |
| Kampong Ubi | 14,323 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Zin | 4,768 | 36.27 |
| Kebun Baru | 17,542 | People's Action Party | Lim Boon Heng | 12,311 | 75.84 |
| Kebun Baru | 17,542 | United People's Front | Harbans Singh | 3,921 | 24.16 |
| Khe Bong | 15,773 | People's Action Party | Tang Guan Seng | 9,221 | 62.53 |
| Khe Bong | 15,773 | Barisan Sosialis | Sim Say Chuan | 5,525 | 37.47 |
| Kim Keat | 20,439 | People's Action Party | Ong Teng Cheong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Kim Seng | 22,136 | People's Action Party | Yeo Ning Hong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Kolam Ayer | 23,630 | People's Action Party | Sidek bin Saniff | 12,812 | 57.91 |
| Kolam Ayer | 23,630 | Workers' Party | Royston George Scharenguivel | 9,311 | 42.09 |
| Kreta Ayer | 15,982 | People's Action Party | Hu Tsu Tau Richard | 11,083 | 83.17 |
| Kreta Ayer | 15,982 | Independent | Lee Mun Hung | 2,242 | 16.83 |
| Kuo Chuan | 18,728 | People's Action Party | Wong Kan Seng | 11,162 | 64.55 |
| Kuo Chuan | 18,728 | Barisan Sosialis | Sim Chit Giak | 6,129 | 35.45 |
| Leng Kee | 14,805 | People's Action Party | Ow Chin Hock | 9,190 | 66.84 |
| Leng Kee | 14,805 | Workers' Party | George Benjamin Armstrong | 4,559 | 33.16 |
| MacPherson | 19,500 | People's Action Party | Chua Sian Chin | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Marine Parade | 23,622 | People's Action Party | Goh Chok Tong | 15,228 | 70.93 |
| Marine Parade | 23,622 | Singapore United Front | Gertrude Magdeline De Gracias | 6,242 | 29.07 |
| Moulmein | 18,893 | People's Action Party | Lawrence Sia | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Mountbatten | 21,480 | People's Action Party | Eugene Yap Giau Cheng | 16,077 | 81.32 |
| Mountbatten | 21,480 | Independent | Tan Ah Teng | 3,692 | 18.68 |
| Nee Soon | 26,897 | People's Action Party | Koh Lip Lin | 18,444 | 74.24 |
| Nee Soon | 26,897 | Singapore United Front | Quek Teow Chuan | 6,401 | 25.76 |
| Pasir Panjang | 17,149 | People's Action Party | Abbas Abu Amin | 9,316 | 59.35 |
| Pasir Panjang | 17,149 | Workers' Party | John Gan Eng Guan | 6,022 | 38.36 |
| Pasir Panjang | 17,149 | Angkatan Islam Singapura | Mohamad Sani bin Jan | 359 | 2.29 |
| Paya Lebar | 18,420 | People's Action Party | Philip Tan Tee Yong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Potong Pasir | 17,915 | Singapore Democratic Party | Chiam See Tong | 10,128 | 60.28 |
| Potong Pasir | 17,915 | People's Action Party | Mah Bow Tan | 5,509 | 39.72 |
| Punggol | 24,727 | People's Action Party | Ng Kah Ting | 14,904 | 65.09 |
| Punggol | 24,727 | Singapore United Front | Sim Ah Leng | 7,995 | 34.91 |
| Queenstown | 18,084 | People's Action Party | Jek Yeun Thong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Radin Mas | 19,770 | People's Action Party | Chng Hee Kok | 9,997 | 53.78 |
| Radin Mas | 19,770 | Workers' Party | Wong Hong Toy | 8,590 | 46.22 |
| River Valley | 13,481 | People's Action Party | Tay Eng Soon | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Rochore | 14,164 | People's Action Party | Toh Chin Chye | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Sembawang | 22,326 | People's Action Party | Tony Tan | 15,948 | 77.42 |
| Sembawang | 22,326 | Independent | Stanley Mariadass | 4,652 | 22.58 |
| Serangoon Gardens | 17,553 | People's Action Party | Lau Teik Soon | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Siglap | 17,090 | People's Action Party | Abdullah Tarmugi | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Tampines | 19,656 | People's Action Party | Phua Bah Lee | 13,163 | 72.34 |
| Tampines | 19,656 | United People's Front | Kasim bin Ibrahim | 5,032 | 27.66 |
| Tanah Merah | 17,808 | People's Action Party | Ibrahim bin Othman | 11,093 | 68.08 |
| Tanah Merah | 17,808 | Singapore United Front | Ng Lep Chong | 5,201 | 31.92 |
| Tanglin | 15,990 | People's Action Party | E. W. Barker | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Tanjong Pagar | 15,812 | People's Action Party | Lee Kuan Yew | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Teck Ghee | 16,866 | People's Action Party | Lee Hsien Loong | 12,794 | 80.38 |
| Teck Ghee | 16,866 | United People's Front | Giam Lai Cheng | 3,123 | 19.62 |
| Telok Ayer | 13,984 | People's Action Party | Ong Pang Boon | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Telok Blangah | 19,550 | People's Action Party | Koh Lam Son | 10,150 | 55.02 |
| Telok Blangah | 19,550 | Workers' Party | Rajaratnam Murugason | 8,299 | 44.98 |
| Thomson | 15,271 | People's Action Party | Leong Horn Kee | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Tiong Bahru | 20,091 | People's Action Party | Ch'ng Jit Koon | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Toa Payoh | 14,177 | People's Action Party | Eric Cheong Yuen Chee | 8,559 | 65.16 |
| Toa Payoh | 14,177 | Barisan Sosialis | Ng Ho | 4,576 | 34.84 |
| Ulu Pandan | 22,761 | People's Action Party | Dixie Tan | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| West Coast | 28,008 | People's Action Party | Wan Soon Bee | 19,745 | 75.72 |
| West Coast | 28,008 | Singapore Justice Party | Muthusamy Ramasamy | 6,331 | 24.28 |
| Whampoa | 18,494 | People's Action Party | Augustine Tan Hui Heng | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Yio Chu Kang | 16,734 | People's Action Party | Lau Ping Sum | 11,977 | 76.66 |
| Yio Chu Kang | 16,734 | United People's Front | Munjeet Singh | 3,647 | 23.34 |
| Yuhua | 16,266 | People's Action Party | Yu-Foo Yee Shoon | 9,551 | 61.43 |
| Yuhua | 16,266 | Singapore Democratic Party | Lim Ah Yong | 5,996 | 38.57 |
| Source: ELD |||||||