SINGAPORE — Ahead of the threat of possible three-way fights in some constituencies, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) will be inviting the opposition parties to a meeting on Friday to discuss where the parties will be contesting in the next General Election.

In the wake of the latest electoral boundaries review committee report issued last Friday, various opposition parties held their walkabouts over the weekend, with some staking overlapping claims to the constituencies they are keen on contesting.

For instance, both Singaporeans First (SingFirst) and the NSP held their walkabouts in Tampines yesterday morning. Marine Parade GRC meanwhile, has seen NSP and Singaporeans First working the ground, but the Workers’ Party (WP) yesterday announced their intention to contest there, as well as MacPherson, which was carved out of Marine Parade GRC.

There was just one three-cornered fight in the previous General Election — between the People’s Action Party (PAP), WP and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) in Punggol East although more seats had initially been in contention between parties.

NSP president Sebastian Teo told TODAY that it is still premature to talk about issue of multi-cornered fights and they would have a clearer picture of the various areas the opposition parties intend to contest after Friday’s discussion.

Asked about the prospect of NSP having to give up ground it had covered over the years, Teo compared the situation to a farmer who had spent time planting trees that are starting to bear fruits. If someone asked the farmer to leave his trees, would the farmer do so, he asked.

But he declined to comment on WP’s plans to contest in Marine Parade GRC — where NSP fielded a team in 2011 — and MacPherson. “We are not going to comment now because we are going to have an all-party talk and we would see what the outcome is like (then).”

When contacted, WP chairperson Sylvia Lim said they “would want to avoid three-cornered fights as far as possible” and will attend Friday’s meeting. Asked how it would be determined which party gets to contest in which constituency, Lim declined to comment, noting that “each party would have different considerations.”

SingFirst chairman Ang Yong Guan said the track records of where the parties have contested previously could be one of the criteria used to determine where the parties will be contesting. “We didn’t contest in the last GE, so we really, really have to have what I call the give and take attitude,” he said.

Should the other parties express interest in the constituencies they are keen on, Dr Ang said if the parties are able to convince them that they have great candidates, SingFirst is willing to give up their areas “for the good of Singapore.”

SDA chairman Desmond Lim, whose party was also in a four-cornered fight in the Punggol East by-election in 2013 with WP, the PAP and Reform Party, said parties have previously considered factors such as who had contested in the area before, and if parties remained active in those constituencies after the election.

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan said during his party’s walkabout in Bukit Batok yesterday that they would work avoid three-cornered fights in any constituency. The party would also attend Friday’s meeting if invited.

“You know our stand on these three-cornered fights, that’s the reason in the (Punggol East) by-election we pulled out because we didn’t (want) the situation where we split the margin in the opposition camp and allow the PAP to sneak through – that’s not in our interest. So whatever we do, we are going to make sure that there is at least a straight fight between the opposition and the PAP,” he said. — TODAY