[UPDATED on Friday, 29 August at 2pm: Added comments from
Nicole Seah]
Opposition politician Nicole Seah has resigned from the National
Solidarity Party, both she and its secretary-general Jeannette
Chong-Aruldoss have confirmed.
In an email response to queries from Yahoo
Singapore on the matter, Seah said leaving the party was
"an extremely difficult and painful decision to make", stating that
there was nothing that happened to trigger her departure.
She said that since starting in politics as a fresh graduate, she
wanted to make a difference by bringing more political awareness
and interest to young people.
"It's reached a point where I feel that my job is done (for now)
and I have to move on and grow in other areas, before I can
continue to give back to the communities I choose to place myself
in," she wrote.
The 28-year-old said she is not completely leaving politics, but
"will just need to find a more suitable platform to contribute and
give back".
"I wish NSP all the best, and continue to hold its leadership and
members in high regard," she wrote. "We continue to remain
friends."
Speaking to Yahoo Singapore over the phone on
Friday, Chong-Aruldoss said Seah tendered her resignation on
Monday, 25 August. The party is sorry to see her go but respects
her decision to leave, she added.
“We thank her for all the contributions she has made during her
time with us, and we are very appreciative of all her efforts… but
we respect her decision, which I’m sure she has considered and not
made lightly,” she said.
Chong-Aruldoss acknowledged that Seah had become “quieter than
before” in terms of her involvement with party activities and
correspondence in the months since she moved to Bangkok to
work.
“We wanted to give her some space to get her own things organised
and haven’t been running after her to tell her to do things,” she
said.
She also stressed that no incident, altercation or animosity had
taken place between Seah and the party’s leaders.
“She’s been with us for quite a few years, and I do have fond
memories… it’s sad that I have to see anyone go, but that’s her
decision and we respect it. I take comfort that she took some time
to think about it,” she added.
Seah moved to Thailand in
March to work at IPG Mediabrands’s Bangkok office and has
been based there ever since.
She has been a key figure representing the NSP in Singapore's
political scene since Singapore’s watershed general election in
2011. A new face on the scene, she grew to prominence with her
strong speeches and grassroots work, and also became very popular
online.
Her last-held position in the party was second assistant
secretary-general. She previously was a member of the Reform Party,
which she subsequently left alongside other current NSP members
like Hazel Poa and Tony Tan in 2011.
yahoo news
