Tampines newcomer Koh Poh Koon is set to contest for Tampines GRC this year, together with four other returning People’s Action Party (PAP) members – Masagos Zulkifli, Baey Yam Keng, Desmond Choo and Cheng Li Hui.
In a surprise turn of events, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Heng Swee Keat, who previously represented Tampines GRC since the 2011 elections, has put down his name for East Coast GRC. The DPM will instead be contesting against a Worker’s Party’s team featuring Nicole Seah.
In this year’s election, the PAP team will be running against the National Solidarity Party’s Choong Hon Heng, Ridzwan Mohammad, Reno Fong, Yeo Ren-Yuan and Vincent Ng at Tampines GRC.
As for Koh, he was previously elected as a Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC in the 2015 election.
With DPM Heng Swee Keat’s surprise move to East Coast GRC and Lee Hsien Yang’s appearance near a nomination centre, there was plenty that went down during GE2020’s Nomination Day and it was just the beginning.
In fact, Terence Soon, who’s part of Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) team contesting in Tanjong Pagar GRC, admitted that Lee’s appearance definitely caused some speculation internally.
He said during a Facebook Live event last night (June 30): “To start off, I think quite a number of us on the team were really wondering if Lee Hsien Yang was going to run. None of us actually knew what was happening.”
PETALING JAYA – Scores of Singaporeans are in favour of opening the border with Malaysia to facilitate activities between both countries, a survey shows.
A survey by YouGov Omnibus revealed that 63per cent of the 1,123 Malaysians and Singaporeans surveyed were of the opinion that the border should reopen but only 35per cent of the Malaysians supported the idea.
Many who took part in the poll believed that several measures should be implemented when travel restrictions between Singapore and Malaysia are relaxed.
The survey found that 76per cent of those polled wanted temperature checks to be taken before crossing the border.
Another 72per cent felt that declaration of symptoms should be done before passing the border.
It also revealed that 65per cent wanted contact tracing measures in place while 58per cent believed swab tests should be conducted one week prior to making the crossing.
About 55per cent of those polled also said citizens of both countries must observe a 14-day quarantine period and another 52per cent said the same should be done upon returning to their respective nations.
This morning saw the revelation of a surprise showdown for the votes of residents in East Coast GRC: a battle between comeback kid Nicole Seah and her Workers’ Party (WP team) and Heng Swee Keat, tipped to be the next prime minister, leading his People’s Action Party (PAP) squad.
It was quite a bombshell. Heng has been an MP in Tampines GRC since 2011, and the decision to move the deputy prime minister to East Coast GRC signals how the PAP does not want to take any chances against a robust team fielded by WP in the constituency.
It would also appear that PAP had purposefully kept who they would field as the anchor minister for its East Coast GRC team a secret right to the last minute, as Heng’s name was the only one that was handwritten on the nomination papers.
SINGAPORE: Candidates started campaigning by distributing flyers and going door-to-door to speak to residents after Nomination Day proceedings on Tuesday (Jun 30).
Dressed in their respective party’s colours, the candidates visited hawker centres, shopping malls and hit the streets to speak to voters in their constituencies.
PAP AND SDP IN YEW TEE
Candidates from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and People’s Action Party (PAP) started campaigning shortly after submitting their papers at one of the nine schools assigned as nomination centres.
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong from the PAP and the SDP’s Benjamin Pwee were seen distributing flyers and engaging residents at Yew Tee MRT station.
At around 5.30pm, Mr Wong was seen chatting with residents, with some asking him if they could take photos or selfies with him.
When Mr Pwee arrived an hour later, he greeted Mr Wong with a fist bump.
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong from People’s Action Party greets Singapore Democratic Party’s Benjamin Pwee with a fist bump. (Photo: Goh Chiew Tong)
Mr Pwee said he was “very confident” in the SDP team and the reception he received from residents over the past year has been “sweet”.
“There’s a lot of local, municipal issues like cleanliness, rat infestations, lift upgrading. A lot of them feel that they’ve not been looked after enough,” he added.
“We’re here to make them feel like we know them … we want to give them the attention that they deserve.”
Singapore Democratic Party’s Benjamin Pwee at Yew Tee Point on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Marcus Ramos)
The other candidates from SDP’s team, Mr Bryan Lim Boon Heng, Mr Damanhuri Abas and Mr Khung Wai Yeen, were also seen interacting with voters.
Helmed by Mr Wong, Minister of State for Manpower and National Development Zaqy Mohammad, backbencher Alex Yam and newcomer Hany Soh make up PAP’s team for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.
The Singapore Democratic Alliance team posing for a photo at Pasir Ris on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Candidates from the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), led by party chief Mr Desmond Lim, were also out and about in Pasir Ris on the evening of nomination day.
The team was seen distributing flyers outside Pasir Ris MRT station and visiting neighbouring flats, where they gave out masks printed with the SDA logo.
Mr Lim was accompanied by the party’s chief media officer Harminder Pal Singh, 48, secretary-general Abu Mohamed, 69, and new faces Kelvin Ong and Kuswadi Atnawi.
SDA will be fielding its only team in the five-seat Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. The party has contested in the GRC in the last three elections against the PAP.
Singapore Democratic Alliance’s Harminder Pal Singh giving a flyer to a member of the public on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
When asked about new entrant Peoples Voice, Mr Lim said that SDA is “not very worried” as they have been serving the residents here for the past 13 years.
“Our team is very ready and very suitable,” said Mr Singh. “We are serious enough to come back again and again.”
Progress Singapore Party’s candidate for West Coast GRC Leong Mun Wai. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
Progress Singapore Party (PSP) candidate for West Coast GRC Leong Mun Wai was also seen out and about in the evening.
Along with PSP members and volunteers, Mr Leong went door-to-door at HDB blocks in Jurong West, which is part of West Coast GRC.
Progress Singapore Party’s Leong Mun Wai poses for a photo with a resident on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
Along with the party’s secretary-general Tan Cheng Bock, Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Jeffrey Khoo and Mr Nadarajah Loganathan, the PSP team will be up against a PAP team led by former Members of Parliament (MPs) S Iswaran, Foo Mee Har, along with Desmond Lee, Ang Wei Neng and new face Ms Rachel Ong.
Mr Leong said he had been going door-to-door to about 500 units and had spent about two hours at his fifth block introducing himself to residents, distributing leaflets as well as snapping photos with some of them.
PAP MP Murali Pillai has hit out against a “scurrilous attack” made on his family through a post about his son which he linked to the announcement of his standing for re-election.
Mr Murali, who was elected into Parliament in 2016, said the post surfaced “minutes after election has been declared in Bukit Batok SMC” on Tuesday (June 30).
Though he did not go into details, Mr Murali, 52, said in his video message to Bukit Batok residents: “My son was a victim, of a scandal. He also committed offences.
“The court has dealt with all these matters. The perpetrators behind the scandal have been dealt with.
“He himself has been dealt with and is serving sentence.”
Mr Murali, a lawyer, said the timing of the post “leaves nothing to imagination”.
Earlier, it was announced that Mr Murali was set for a rematch of the 2016 by-election contest he had with Dr Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore Democratic Party after the pair submitted their nomination papers.
SINGAPORE: Nominations for the 2020 General Election closed on Tuesday (Jun 30), confirming contests in all 93 seats by 192 candidates from 11 political parties.
Amid the crowded field of political parties, two constituencies – Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and Pioneer SMC – will see three-cornered fights.
The People’s Action Party (PAP) is the only political party contesting seats in all electoral divisions although unlike in previous years, it kept its final line-ups for key constituencies under wraps until Nomination Day.
Among the opposition forces, the Workers’ Party (WP) – the major opposition party here and the only one with Parliament seats – is gunning for 21 seats in four group representation constituencies (GRCs) and two single member constituencies (SMCs).
But it is newcomer Progress Singapore Party (PSP), founded by former Member of Parliament (MP) Tan Cheng Bock, that is fielding the largest number of opposition candidates – 24 candidates in four GRCs and five SMCs.
Candidates arriving at nomination centres for Singapore’s general election: (From top left) PAP secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong, WP chief Pritam Singh and Sylvia Lim, SDP’s Paul Tambyah and PSP’s Tan Cheng Bock.
Candidates dressed in party colours and accompanied by their endorsers began arriving at the nine nomination centres across Singapore from about 10am. But while the day’s proceedings went on as per previous years, it was clear that GE2020 was different.
With safe distancing guidelines in place, gone were the huge entourages that usually accompanied candidates to the nomination centres. Without supporters, the nomination centres were unusually quiet. Everyone wore masks, went through temperature screenings and tried to keep a safe distance from one another.
But even though the day’s atmosphere was down a notch, there were still some surprises.
Mr Heng’s move from Tampines to East Coast was only confirmed late Tuesday morning with about 30 minutes to go before nominations closed at noon, when he appeared at the St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School nomination centre.
Apart from Mr Heng, who is taking over from former Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say, the PAP slate at East Coast GRC comprised Senior Minister of State Maliki Osman, Ms Cheryl Chan, Ms Jessica Tan and first-time candidate Mr Tan Kiat How.
They will be facing a challenge from WP, whose team includes Ms Nicole Seah, Mr Kenneth Foo, Mr Dylan Ng, Mr Terence Tan and Mr Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim.
Heng Swee Keat, Maliki Osman, Cheryl Chan, Jessica Tan and Tan Kiat How of the People’s Action Party (top row) will face Workers’ Party candidates (bottom row) Nicole Seah, Kenneth Foo, Dylan Ng, Terence Tan and Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim . (Photos: People’s Action Party/Workers’ Party)
Mr Lee joins Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran, Ms Foo Mee Har, Mr Ang Wei Neng, as well as new face Rachel Ong.
PAP’s firm grip on West Coast GRC is expected to be tested by the PSP team, led by Dr Tan who was the MP for Ayer Rajah for 26 years when he was with the ruling party. The ward is now part of West Coast GRC.
When asked after the announcement of his team’s candidacy if he felt that Mr Lee’s addition to the PAP slate was due to the perceived threat of the PSP, Dr Tan said: “It’s their way. I’m not going to question why they do that.
He added that it was “quite good” that PAP is “trying to put their heavyweights” to contest the GRC.
West Coast GRC will be contested by the incumbent People’s Action Party team comprising S Iswaran, Ang Wei Neng, Rachel Ong, Desmond Lee and Foo Mee Har and the Progress Singapore Party’s Tan Cheng Bock, Hazel Poa, Leong Wai Mun, Jeffrey Khoo and Nadarajah Loganathan. (Photos: Matthew Mohan, Gaya Chandramohan)
In another surprise on Nomination Day, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Paul Tambyah confirmed his candidacy in Bukit Panjang SMC.
Dr Tambyah had been expected to lead SDP’s Holland-Bukit Timah team this time round, having contested there in 2015 too.
He will face PAP’s Liang Eng Hwa, who is also a new face to the ward. Mr Liang replaces Dr Teo Ho Pin, who has been MP for the single-seat ward since 2006 after it was carved out of the former Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC.
When asked why he decided to run for the SMC, Dr Tambyah said: “We need to find the best candidate for the best location for the best outcome for the people.”
It was a “collective decision” made by SDP’s central executive committee and he had abstained from the vote. He added that SDP has been engaging residents in Bukit Panjang for many years and are “very familiar” with them.
The People’s Action Party’s Liang Eng Hwa will face off with Singapore Democratic Party’s Paul Tambyah in Bukit Panjang SMC. (Photos: Jo Yee Koo)
PEOPLE’S ACTION PARTY
PAP will be facing a battle in every constituency, with the team led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Ang Mo Kio up against the Reform Party (RP).
Mr Lee’s team includes former MPs Darryl David and Gan Thiam Poh, as well as new faces Ng Ling Ling and Nadia Samdin. Former MPs Intan Azura Mokhtar and Ang Hin Kee will be retiring from politics.
Speaking to reporters after the nomination, Mr Lee said: ““This time, we are taking it very seriously … every constituency is contested.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrives at Deyi Secondary School to submit nomination papers, on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
“This is not a by-election, it’s a General Election for the most important issues concerning the country at this moment … everybody must have that in mind.”
In the 2015 General Election, PAP won Ang Mo Kio – then a six-member GRC – with 78.64 per cent of the vote against the Reform Party.
With Mr Heng leaving Tampines to helm East Coast GRC, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli will lead PAP’s slate in Tampines.
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon will join the team, alongside Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng, Mr Desmond Choo and Ms Cheng Li Hui who represented Tampines in 2015.
Later at a doorstop, Mr Masagos said that PAP has fielded a “strong” team in Tampines.
“While we are sad to see DPM (Heng Swee Keat) leave … we are here for the residents and we will build on the guidance that he has given us,” he added.
Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo will lead the PAP team in Jalan Besar, facing candidates from the Peoples Voice party. If elected, Mrs Teo will become the first female minister to helm a GRC.
The PAP team also includes Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, Ms Denise Phua and new candidate Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah.
Pasir Ris-Punggol is the only GRC that will see a three-cornered fight this General Election. Candidates from PAP, the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) and the Peoples Voice party were confirmed on Nomination Day.
Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will helm the team, alongside party whip Janil Puthucheary and three new candidates – Mr Desmond Tan, Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Sharael Taha.
The PAP team in this GRC is seeing plenty of changes, with Mr Zainal Sapari and Mr Teo Ser Luck, who were fielded in 2015, not running in this election. Mr Ng Chee Meng will be helming Sengkang GRC and Ms Sun Xueling will be standing by herself in Punggol West SMC.
When asked by reporters about the three-cornered fight, Mr Teo said that they “welcome all who are contesting”. He added that his team will “work very closely” with the new Punggol West SMC to “make sure that the town council and its finances are well managed”.
PSP, founded by Dr Tan last year, is contesting four GRCs (West Coast, Nee Soon, Tanjong Pagar and Chua Chu Kang) and five SMCs (Hong Kah North, Pioneer, Yio Chu Kang, Kebun Baru and Marymount) with 24 candidates.
Prior to Nomination Day, there was much speculation about whether its member Lee Hsien Yang, who is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s younger brother, will be running as part of the PSP’s team for Tanjong Pagar GRC. That was put to an end on Tuesday when he was not fielded as a candidate.
The Progress Singapore Party’s Tan Cheng Bock speaking to media during a doorstop after filing nomination papers at Nan Hua High on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
At Tanjong Pagar GRC, the PSP slate is made up of Mr Michael Chua, Mr Harish Pillay, Ms Wendy Low, Mr Terence Soon and Mr Abas Kasmani.
They will be facing the PAP team led by Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing.
Mr Chua said in the spirit of competition, PSP wants to give Singapore and Tanjong Pagar residents a choice between two “very good teams”.
Over in Marymount SMC – a newly formed ward carved out of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC – PSP’s Ang Yong Guan will face off with PAP’s first-time candidate Gan Siow Huang.
Dr Ang contested as a Singapore Democratic Party candidate for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in 2011 and the now-dissolved Singaporeans First in Tanjong Pagar GRC in 2015. His opponent, Ms Gan, became the first female general in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 2015.
Speaking at the close of the Nomination Day proceedings, Dr Ang urged voters to deny the PAP a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
“Send 32 of us, PSP (candidates) and other alternative party (candidates) into Parliament. For country, for people, you deserve better.”
As with the past two elections, the battle for Aljunied GRC – Singapore’s only opposition-held GRC – will be one to watch with WP and PAP set to go head to head again.
WP made history in 2011 by wresting the five-member GRC from the ruling PAP. The opposition party held on to the constituency at the 2015 polls, but with a narrower vote margin of 50.96 per cent.
For this election, analysts are expecting a close tussle again, especially as WP stalwarts – former party chief Low Thia Khiang and Mr Chen Show Mao – have made way for new candidates.
Workers’ Party (WP) candidates Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Gerald Giam, Leon Perera and Muhamad Faisal Manap arrive at Deyi Secondary to submit nomination papers for Aljunied GRC, on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
The incumbents – WP chief Pritam Singh, party chair Sylvia Lim and vice-chair Faisal Manap – are joined by former Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) Leon Perera and Gerald Giam.
PAP is fielding the same team as in 2015, with the exception of two new faces.
Speaking to reporters after their candidacies were confirmed, Mr Singh said he was confident that both Mr Perera and Mr Giam would do well as they are “excellent people”.
“Both of them have proven to be very capable NCMPs, They are prepared to take on ministers in Parliament. More than that, I think they are very effective on the ground. They reach out to people, they speak humbly, they approach people and they are not afraid to raise the issues that are faced by our residents to the party leadership for us to bring their voices into Parliament,” he said.
Another tight race is set to happen in Sengkang GRC, which will see another straight fight between WP and PAP.
Formed earlier this year, the new constituency has more than 120,000 voters and is made up of the former single seats of Sengkang West and Punggol East, as well as the Sengkang Central ward of Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC. The areas under the new GRC are Compassvale, Rivervale and Anchorvale.
WP’s line-up comprised three first-time candidates – Mr Jamus Lim, Ms Raeesah Khan and Mr Louis Chua – and Ms He Ting Ru who ran under the WP ticket in Marine Parade GRC in 2015.
They will be going up against a team led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng.
WP’s Mr Lim said that his team was honoured to contest the GRC, and that they were looking forward to meeting and engaging residents through as many channels as possible. He urged residents to “make your vote count”.
Beyond Aljunied, Sengkang and East Coast GRCs, WP is also gunning for seats in Hougang and Punggol West SMCs, as well as five-member Marine Parade GRC.
SINGAPORE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Aside from Bukit Panjang SMC, SDP will field candidates in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Bukit Batok SMC and Yuhua SMC. This brings the total number of SDP candidates fielded to seven.
Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan files his nomination papers for Bukit Batok SMC on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information)
SDP chief Chee Soon Juan will face PAP’s Murali Pillai in a repeat of the 2016 Bukit Batok SMC by-election.
“This election is about choosing the candidate to represent you in Parliament, choosing somebody on a full-time basis, and I’ll show you in the coming days how my opponent in Bukit Batok has not lived up to his promises and this is going to be a major issue in Bukit Batok,” said Dr Chee after confirming his candidacy.
In Marsiling-Yew Tee, SDP will face PAP for a second time with a team comprising Mr Bryan Lim, Mr Damanhuri Abas, Mr Benjamin Pwee and Mr Khung Wai Yeen.
They will challenge a team led by Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, alongside Minister of State Zaqy Mohammad, backbencher Alex Yam and newcomer Hany Soh.
SDP newcomer Robin Low will go up against Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu for the single seat in Yuhua.
Peoples Voice party chief Lim Tean, Mr Leong Sze Hian, Mr Michael Fang Amin and Mr Azlan Sulaiman will face PAP in Jalan Besar.
The party has also fielded Mr Gilbert Goh, Mr Mohamed Nassir Ismail, Mr Jireh Lim, Mr Prabu Ramachandran and Ms Vigneswari Ramachandran in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.
In Jalan Besar GRC, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo (left) from the People’s Action Party will lead a team comprising Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, Denise Phua and Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah against the Peoples Voice led by party chief Lim Tean (right), Leong Sze Hian, Michael Fang Amin and Azlan Sulaiman. (Photos: Marcus Ramos)
“People’s Voice is a new political party. But we’re not a stupid, irresponsible or troublemaker party,” party chief Lim told reporters at the St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School nomination centre.
“The PAP started many years ago also as an opposition party. The people at that time took a chance (on) them and the rest is history,” he added.
Apart from Jalan Besar and Pasir Ris-Punggol, Peoples Voice is also contesting Mountbatten SMC, with a total of 10 candidates fielded.
Led by party president Reno Fong, a team from the National Solidarity Party (NSP) will challenge PAP in Tampines. The other members are Mr Mohd Ridzwan Mohammad, Mr Yeo Ren-Yuan, Mr Choong Hon Heng and Mr Vincent Ng.
“Giving the Government a strong mandate is like giving them a blank cheque. Come Polling Day, please consider giving alternative parties like us a chance. Do the next right thing,” said Mr Fong.
NSP faced PAP in Tampines in 2011 and 2015, failing both times to take the GRC from the ruling party.
With party secretary-general Spencer Ng leading another team to Sembawang GRC, NSP is fielding a total of 10 candidates across two GRCs this General Election.
The National Solidarity Party (NSP) team that is contesting in Tampines GRC, led by NSP party president Reno Fong outside Poi Ching School on Jun 30, 2020. (Photo: Anne-Marie Lim)
REFORM PARTY, SINGAPORE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE
Reform Party secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam will lead chairman Andy Zhu, Mr Charles Yeo, Mdm Noraini Yunus and Mr Soh Guan Soon to challenge the PAP in Ang Mo Kio.
Mr Jeyaretnam, 61, is serving a 14-day stay-home notice as he had just returned from the United Kingdom. An authorised representative delivered his nomination papers.
The Reform Party is against holding a General Election amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but the team will still take part, even with party chief Mr Jeyaretnam on stay-home notice, said chairman Mr Zhu.
“He is also known to many Singaporeans, and we have been walking the ground … People have seen him, known him and he is always online,” he told reporters after the team’s candidacies were confirmed.
The Reform Party will also contest in Radin Mas SMC, fielding a total of six candidates this General Election.
Reform Party’s Kumar Appavoo at Bendemeer Primary School, he is expected to contest in Radin Mas SMC. The field oil and gas company director also contested Radin Mas in 2015. (Photo: Marcus Ramos)
The Singapore Democratic Alliance will be fielding its only team in Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC, where it contested in the last three elections.
Its five candidates this time are party chairman Desmond Lim, Mr Harminder Pal Singh, secretary-general Abu Mohamed, and new candidates Mr Kelvin Ong and Mr Kuswadi Atnawi.
“In the past 13 years, we’ve never left (the residents) after each election but have worked even harder to support you because we believe your interest is our priority, especially the elderly and disadvantaged residents,” said Mr Lim in Chinese.
RED DOT UNITED, SINGAPORE PEOPLE’S PARTY, PEOPLE’S POWER PARTY
Three of the 10 opposition parties contesting in the 2020 General Election will only be fielding candidates in one constituency.
Red Dot United (RDU), Singapore’s newest opposition party, will challenge PAP in Jurong GRC. The team includes party founders and former Progress Singapore Party (PSP) members Ravi Philemon and Michelle Lee, and Ms Liyana Dhamirah, Mr Nicholas Tang and Mr Alec Tok.
“For Red Dot United, this election is not about winning or losing. It is about standing up to be counted, and it is about the voices of the people in Jurong being counted as well,” said Ms Lee. “We cannot shy away from a battle because it will be a tough one.”
They will go up against the team in Jurong led by Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Tan Wu Meng, Ms Rahayu Mahzam and new faces Mr Shawn Huang and Mr Xie Yao Quan.
Just one candidate from the Singapore People’s Party will take part in the 2020 General Election – party chief Jose Raymond will go up against PAP’s Sitoh Yih Pin in Potong Pasir SMC.
This will be SPP’s first election without Mr Chiam See Tong, one of Singapore’s longest-serving opposition politicians, and his wife Mrs Lina Chiam.
Mr Sitoh has represented Potong Pasir since the 2011 elections, when he edged out SPP’s Lina Chiam by just 114 votes.
After his candidacy was confirmed, Mr Raymond told reporters that it would be “rather presumptuous” of him to think about his chances of winning.
What is more important, he said, is to recognise that he has “a formidable opponent”, while reinforcing the plans he has for Potong Pasir to win the hearts and minds of residents.
The People’s Power Party will also be represented by just one candidate, with opposition figure Goh Meng Seng in a straight fight with PAP’s Tin Pei Ling in MacPherson SMC.
Speaking to reporters during a doorstop interview after his candidacy was confirmed at Kong Hwa School, Mr Goh called on voters in MacPherson to give him “the voice” and “the power” to represent their views on these issues in Parliament.
“We have to take care of the elderly, in terms of healthcare. But we look forward for our future,” he added.
“This system cannot go on. We will be all bankrupt if we allow this to go on for another 30 years.”
In his first online rally for the 2020 General Election, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)’s Chee Soon Juan is live-streaming his speech on Facebook. It has been titled “PAP bankrupt of ideas”.
The SDP chief will be fighting for votes in Bukit Batok SMC once again, taking on the incumbent MP, Murali Pillai of the People’s Action Party (PAP).
It’ll be a rematch — Chee got 38.8 per cent of the votes against Murali in the 2016 Bukit Batok by-election.
In the past week, Chee has shot several barbs at Murali over issues within the constituency, including incomplete upgrading works and projects found in the district.
SINGAPORE: All 93 seats in Parliament will be contested in the General Election, as 11 political parties confirmed their slate of candidates on Nomination Day on Tuesday (Jun 30).
The People’s Action Party (PAP) faces a challenge in every constituency – 17 Group Representation Constituencies (GRC) and 14 Single Member Constituencies (SMC).
Here are seven key battlegrounds to watch, ahead of Polling Day on Jul 10.
EAST COAST GRC
Heng Swee Keat, Maliki Osman, Cheryl Chan, Jessica Tan and Tan Kiat How of the People’s Action Party (top row) will face Workers’ Party candidates (bottom row) Nicole Seah, Kenneth Foo, Dylan Ng, Terence Tan and Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim . (Photos: People’s Action Party/Workers’ Party)
The five-member East Coast GRC has traditionally been a key battleground between the ruling PAP and the opposition Workers’ Party (WP), with both sides fielding strong teams here.
The constituency saw close fights in the 2011 and 2015 General Elections. Both times, the WP earned Non-Constituency MP seats, which are set aside for the opposition’s “best losers” in a General Election.
This year, the PAP team is led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who moved to East Coast from Tampines GRC to replace former Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say.
The other members in the PAP East Coast team are incumbents Maliki Osman and Jessica Tan, former Fengshan SMC MP Cheryl Chan and new face Tan Kiat How.
The WP team has also fielded new candidates, after familiar faces Gerald Giam and Leon Perera moved to Aljunied to defend Singapore’s only opposition-held GRC.
The WP team for East Coast comprises Nicole Seah, Kenneth Foo, Dylan Ng, Terence Tan and new face Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim.
The contest between the two parties will be one to watch, not least for Ms Seah, who shot to prominence as the youngest candidate in the 2011 General Elections, when she contested Marine Parade GRC as part of a National Solidarity Party team.
WEST COAST GRC
West Coast GRC will be contested by the incumbent People’s Action Party team comprising S Iswaran, Ang Wei Neng, Rachel Ong, Desmond Lee and Foo Mee Har and the Progress Singapore Party’s Tan Cheng Bock, Hazel Poa, Leong Wai Mun, Jeffrey Khoo and Nadarajah Loganathan. (Photos: Matthew Mohan, Gaya Chandramohan)
In West Coast GRC, former presidential candidate Tan Cheng Bock is leading the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) team in the five-member constituency. They are up against the incumbent PAP, led by Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran.
Besides Dr Tan, who is the PSP’s secretary-general, the PSP team features Jeffrey Khoo, Hazel Poa, Leong Mun Wai and Nadarajah Loganathan.
They face a PAP team which includes incumbent Foo Mee Har, Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee and Ang Wei Neng – who were both formerly MPs for Jurong GRC – as well as new face Rachel Ong.
West Coast GRC has traditionally been a PAP stronghold. In the last General Election, PAP won 78.5 per cent of the vote in West Coast, which was then a four-member GRC. The team that won – comprising Mr Iswaran, Ms Foo, Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Lim Hng Kiang – was among the best performing PAP teams in the election.
However, Dr Tan has expressed confidence about his chances in the constituency, citing his years of service in the area. He was an MP for the Ayer Rajah ward – now part of the West Coast GRC – for 26 years, when he was a member of the PAP.
The Worker Party’s Leon Perera, Sylvia Lim, Pritam Singh, Faisal Manap and Gerald Giam (top row) will face off with the People Action Party’s Chua Eng Leong, Chan Hui Yuh, Victor Lye, Shamsul Kamar and Alex Yeo at Aljunied GRC. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
The WP made history in the 2011 General Election when it won the five-member Aljunied GRC from the PAP. In 2015, it managed to defend the constituency, but with a razor-thin margin of 50.96 per cent.
This year, it has fielded its “A team” for the GRC: Party chair Sylvia Lim, current secretary-general Pritam Singh and vice-chair Faisal Manap, all of whom were part of the team who won in the 2011 and 2015 elections.
They will be joined by familiar faces Gerald Giam and Leon Perera, who were fielded in East Coast GRC in past elections, and have both served in Parliament as NCMPs. However, two members of the original team – former secretary-general Low Thia Khiang and Chen Show Mao – will not be contesting.
The WP team will be up against the PAP’s Shamsul Kamar, Victor Lye and Chua Eng Leong – all of whom contested the GRC in 2015 – as well as new faces Chan Hui Yuh and Alex Yeo.
BUKIT PANJANG SMC
The People’s Action Party’s Liang Eng Hwa will face off with Singapore Democratic Party’s Paul Tambyah in Bukit Panjang SMC. (Photos: Jo Yee Koo)
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has fielded its chairman Paul Tambyah in Bukit Panjang SMC, and will be up against the PAP’s Liang Eng Hwa.
Dr Tambyah, an infectious diseases specialist and familiar face, had been tipped to lead the SDP’s team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, having contested there in 2015.
In June, Dr Tambyah was the first Singaporean to be named president-elect of the International Society of Infectious Diseases, becoming the first Singaporean to hold the position.
Meanwhile, Mr Liang, who was previously an MP for Holland Bukit-Timah GRC, replaces incumbent MP Teo Ho Pin, who is retiring.
In 2015, the PAP’s Dr Teo won Bukit Panjang with 68.4 per cent of the votes cast.
SENGKANG GRC
Workers’ Party candidates (top row) Jamus Lim, Raeesah Khan, He Ting Ru and Louis Chua will face off with Ng Chee Meng, Lam Pin Min, Amrin Amin and Raymond Lye of the People’s Action Party (bottom row) in the new Sengkang GRC. (Photos: People’s Action Party/Workers’ Party)
This new four-member GRC is likely to see a strong contest between the PAP and the WP.
The PAP team, led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng, also comprises Senior Minister of State and former Sengkang West MP Lam Pin Min, Amrin Amin, who was from Sembawang GRC, and new face Raymond Lye.
They are up against WP’s Jamus Lim, Raeesah Khan and Louis Chua – all new faces – and He Ting Ru, who previously contested in Marine Parade GRC in 2015.
Sengkang GRC is made up of the former single seats of Sengkang West and Punggol East, as well as a part of Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC.
In the 2015 General Election, the PAP’s Charles Chong narrowly won the Punggol East SMC with 51.6 per cent of the vote, while in Sengkang West, the PAP’s vote share of 62.1 per cent was below the party’s national average of 69.9 per cent in 2015.
JALAN BESAR
In Jalan Besar GRC, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo (left) from the People’s Action Party will lead a team comprising Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, Denise Phua and Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah against the Peoples Voice led by party chief Lim Tean (right), Leong Sze Hian, Michael Fang Amin and Azlan Sulaiman. (Photos: Marcus Ramos)
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo will lead the PAP’s team in the four-member GRC against new political party Peoples Voice (PV). She has been an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh since 2006.
If Mrs Teo is elected, she will be the first female minister to helm a GRC. She is taking over from former anchor minister Yaacob Ibrahim, who retired from political office. The rest of her team comprises Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, Central District Mayor Denise Phua and new face Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah.
They will be up against the PV team made up of party chief Lim Tean, blogger Leong Sze Hian, Michael Fang Amin and Azlan Sulaiman.
In the 2015 and 2011 General Elections, the PAP went up against the WP, winning 58.6 per cent and 67.7 per cent of the vote, respectively.
PASIR RIS-PUNGGOL
Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC will see a three-cornered fight between teams led by the People’s Action Party’s Teo Chee Hean, Singapore Democratic Alliance’s Desmond Lim and Peoples Voice’s Jireh Lim. (Photos: Hanidah Amin/Christy Yip)
The five-member Pasir Ris-Punggol constituency is the only GRC this election to see a three-cornered fight, with the PAP up against candidates from the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) and PV.
The PAP team is led by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary, as well as three new faces: Sharael Taha, Yeo Wan Ling and Desmond Tan.
The SDA has fielded its only team this election in Pasir Ris-Punggol, made up of party chief Desmond Lim, chief media officer Harminder Pal Singh, secretary general Abu Mohamed and new candidates Kelvin Ong and Kuswadi Atnawi.
They have contested the GRC in the last three elections. In the 2015 election, the PAP won the constituency in a direct fight against the SDA with a 72.89 per cent vote share.
Meanwhile, the PV team comprises activist Gilbert Goh, Mohamed Nassir Ismail, Jireh Lim, Prabu Ramachandran and preschool educator Vigneswari Ramachandran.
In one of the most exciting announcements made on Nomination Day (June 30), Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat was revealed to be the anchor minister for East Coast GRC.
East Coast GRC has received much online buzz as it was poised to be a hotly contested constituency between Workers’ Party (WP) and the People’s Action Party (PAP).
With former anchor minister Lim Swee Say stepping down and former MP Lee Yi Shyan not running in this general election, it left a “succession gap” that Heng volunteered to fill, according to a Facebook post he published on June 30.
Heng is the ruling party’s first assistant secretary-general and the incumbent anchor minister in Tampines GRC.
The Facebook post, which also served as a farewell letter to Tampines GRC, explained his reason for stepping up to the plate for East Coast GRC.
