Barisan Sosialis among 14 inactive parties asked for proof of existence

Move seen as regulatory housekeeping after law against foreign meddling kicked in

- Samuel Devaraj

A total of 14 dormant political parties, including Barisan Sosialis—once Singapore's largest opposition party—have been asked for proof of their existence by the authorities.

In a notice published in the Government Gazette on Aug 7, assistant registrar of societies Ravinder Kaur asked for the information, "having reason to believe that the societies have ceased to exist."

The political parties have three months to furnish proof of their continued existence, failing which the registrar can then publish another notice in the Gazette to declare them as defunct under the Societies Act.

Barisan Sosialis, registered in August 1961, was formed by 13 former PAP assemblymen following their expulsion for abstaining from a Legislative Assembly vote on confidence in the government.

Several of its members, including party leader Lim Chin Siong, were among the more than 100 people arrested in Operation Coldstore—a security swoop against leftists and pro-communists on Feb 2, 1963.

At the 1963 General Election, Barisan won 13 of the 46 seats it contested. Following Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965, its MPs boycotted Parliament as they deemed the Republic's independence to be "phoney."