Jose Raymond said today the future of the opposition party he’s led for 13 months is up in the air after he decided to resign as its chairman.
Raymond said it was up to the Singapore People’s Party, or SPP, to choose its next leader one day after announcing he was stepping down as its chairman, five months after he placed a distant second in the general election.
“I officially submitted my resignation on 16 Dec,” he told Coconuts today. “The party will have to decide who takes over my position.”
In his announcement yesterday, 49-year-old Raymond said he wants to focus on expanding his company overseas.
“The time has come for me to focus on things which will help me create impact in other ways, to help others in different ways and to take my firm regional – something which I have been wanting to do ever since i started the firm in 2016,” he wrote.
He apologized to those he has disappointed and continue to show support if needed.
“I am truly sorry if I have disappointed any of you in any way, with my decision. The ones who need my help can continue to reach out and I will do whatever I can within my ability to help as much as possible,” he wrote.
“For me, it is now about finding the path on which I wish to serve others, and to be able to continue impacting the lives of others positively. And it does not need to be in politics,” he added.
*MY POLITICAL FAREWELL*
The journey was indeed exciting, and I have learnt so much from being able to hear from so many…
Posted by Jose Raymond 乔立盟 on Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Political observers noted his disappointing showing at the polls and high turnover rate among smaller opposition parties.
Raymond described his political journey as “exciting” and thanked his friends and the volunteers he met along the way who joked with the Liverpool fan about how “bad” Manchester United was.
“For my team of dedicated and hard core volunteers who hit the ground with me – day in and day out, week in and week out, and the few who fought the good fight with me and who were also there when I just needed some company to enjoy that quiet moment and talk about everything else under the sun like how bad Manchester United were,” he wrote.
Raymond joined SPP in 2017 and was elected chairman in November 2019, succeeding Chiam See Tong. He then ran for office to represent the Potong Pasir SMC in July, losing badly to Sitoh Yih Pin of the ruling People’s Action Party’s with just over 39% of the vote.
The party, which is currently unrepresented in parliament, is focused on policies such as the cost of living and climate change, as well as getting rid of ethnic quotas for Housing Board flats, which it says disadvantages minority groups.
In his private-sector pursuits, Raymond said he wants to expand SW strategies, the four-year-old firm where he is chief strategy officer, to cities such as Jakarta or Bangkok after launching an office in Kuala Lumpur last year.
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