SINGAPORE: A Progress Singapore Party (PSP) team led by its secretary-general Tan Cheng Bock will contest West Coast GRC against the People’s Action Party (PAP), after candidates from both parties successfully filed their nomination papers at Nan Hua High School on Tuesday (Jun 30).
Dr Tan will be part of a five-member PSP team together with Mr Jeffrey Khoo, Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Leong Mun Wai and Mr Nadarajah Loganathan. They will be up against a PAP team led by incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) S Iswaran, Foo Mee Har, along with Desmond Lee, Ang Wei Neng and new face Ms Rachel Ong.
AdvertisementAdvertisementBoth Mr Lee, who is the Minister for Social and Family Development, and Mr Ang were formerly MPs for Jurong GRC.
[h=3]GE2020 live updates: Nomination Day as it happens[/h]“I am back because I feel things are not going on correctly - there’s a lack of accountability, a lack of transparency and a lack of independence ... in the appointment of senior people in the Government,” said Dr Tan in a speech after his team’s candidacy was confirmed.
“These form the basis of a good Government and I found it was lacking, therefore I decided I must come back.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementMr Iswaran, who is the Minister of Communications and Information, said: “COVID-19 has created much uncertainty in our lives and our livelihoods. We as a team have worked through the years to look after your needs and care for you.
“Vote for us, your PAP team, so that we can continue to work together to protect our lives, our jobs and our future.”
[h=3]READ: GE2020: PAP faces tough test from Tan Cheng Bock’s PSP in battle for West Coast GRC, say analysts[/h]West Coast GRC has traditionally been a PAP stronghold since it was formed in 1997. In the last polls in 2015, PAP won 78.57 per cent of the votes against the Reform Party.
The wide margin meant that the four-member PAP team, which comprised Mr Iswaran, Ms Foo, Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Lim Hng Kiang, was among the best performing PAP teams in the 2015 General Election.
[h=3]READ: More electoral divisions, no 6-member GRCs in coming election: EBRC report[/h]Based on the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report released in March, West Coast GRC took in parts of Chua Chu Kang GRC and parts of Hong Kah North SMC to become a five-member constituency with 146,251 voters.
Dr Tan was the MP for Ayer Rajah for 26 years, when he was with the PAP. The ward is now part of West Coast GRC.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of GE2020 and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates: https://cna.asia/telegram
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