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SDA's poster sale contributes half its $10,000 gift to ST pocket money fund

Proceeds from last weekend's sale of Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) posters, which were put up during the recent general election, went to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund yesterday.

The sale raised about $5,000, and SDA chief Desmond Lim topped it up with $5,000 for a total donation of $10,000 to the fund. "The posters are items that would be disposed of, so why not cut wastage and help the needy?" Mr Lim said.

The posters drew attention after they were put up for the polls, because of their use of graphics to highlight what the party considered were social ills in Singapore.

One poster, for example, had the slogan "Enough is enough" in the four official languages and in Hokkien. It also depicted a fist with icons representing housing, transport and education squeezing Singaporeans.

Another poster showed seniors clearing away plates and pushing cardboard boxes.

Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan noted that the use of graphics and illustrations on election posters was not new in Singapore, but they had not been used much since the 1960s.

"So, this revival is refreshing and election art will likely catch on."

He added that the SDA's posters highlighted "in a very accessible way, the issues the party was campaigning on in the election".

"The SDA posters are a breath of fresh air, and with tasteful artwork and graphics and sharp messages, they help to reinforce the SDA messaging," he said.

"Ultimately, it is about putting a party's key messages across as effectively as possible - a poster with faces of candidates doesn't go very far towards that end."

The SDA also made headlines in the 2015 election with posters that bore snappy slogans opposing the policies of the ruling People's Action Party.

For this year's election, the SDA contested in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, securing 23.67 per cent of the vote. The PAP won the contest with 64.15 per cent, and third contender Peoples Voice took the remaining 12.18 per cent.

The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.