SINGAPORE: In one of the tightest contests in the General Election so far, People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Ng Chee Meng clinched electoral victory in Jalan Kayu Single Member Constituency (SMC) with 51.47 per cent of the vote, beating Workers’ Party (WP) candidate Andre Low.
Mr Ng's result at the polls on the Saturday (May 3) marks the return of the former minister in the Prime Minister’s Office to parliament, after he was defeated by WP in 2020 as part of a four-man team in the newly created Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
The 56-year-old clinched 14,113 votes and Mr Low, a former lawyer, took 13,307 votes in the newly formed SMC.
Jalan Kayu SMC was carved out of Ang Mo Kio GRC, which had the most voters across all wards, in the electoral boundaries review last month.
The new ward, which has 29,565 registered voters, includes private estates along Jalan Kayu Road, the Seletar Aerospace Park and a portion of public housing blocks in Fernvale.
It is Mr Ng’s third time standing in an election, but his first time doing so in an SMC.
Speaking in the early hours of Sunday morning, he said to the people gathered to wait for the results at Yio Chu Kang Stadium: "I will serve you with humility and heart. We will build a Jalan Kayu that is stronger, kinder and more inclusive."
He added: "I want to thank all members of my team that have walked this journey with me. It was a very hard fight and without all of you, this outcome would not have been possible."
The secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) had previously said he would want to be elected to parliament based on his own merit and not because he was “parachuted into a safer seat”.
Mr Ng remained active in politics after his previous loss and was co-opted into the ruling party’s 38th central executive committee in December last year.
His opponent from WP, Mr Low, had joined the opposition party in 2020 and is a member of the party’s media team. This is his first time standing in an election.
Mr Low previously served as a secretarial assistant to Sengkang GRC MP Louis Chua for over three years, supporting grassroots engagement, policy research and weekly Meet-The-People Sessions.
Speaking to supporters at Serangoon Stadium, Mr Low said that while it is “not what we hoped for”, he respects the outcome as part of the “democratic process that is at the heart of our nation”.
“I would like to congratulate Mr Ng for his victory today. The residents of Jalan Kayu have spoken and I respect their decision."
During the hustings, both candidates had been the focus of narratives that worked against them.
For Mr Ng, this came in the form of the role that he played in the aborted deal between Income Insurance and German insurer Allianz.
Ng had previously supported the deal publicly. The sale, announced on Jul 17 last year, would have resulted in German insurer Allianz acquiring a 51 per cent stake in Income for about S$2.2 billion (US$1.6 billion).
However, it triggered a public outcry over whether Income would be able to continue its social mission.
In his second rally speech, WP chief Pritam Singh took aim at Mr Ng in his second rally speech where he described NTUC as a “safe harbour” for losing PAP candidates.
He pointed out that Mr Ng and NTUC assistant secretary-general Desmond Choo, a PAP candidate at Tampines Changkat SMC, do not need to become members of parliament (MPs).
"The NTUC's close relationship with the PAP ensures that the NTUC is a guaranteed trampoline for losing PAP candidates. It is the safest trampoline for a politician anywhere in Singapore and maybe anywhere in the world. But you must be a PAP candidate to earn the right to bounce on it," Mr Singh said then.
He added that when MPs had the opportunity to question the government on the sale of NTUC Enterprise to Allianz, WP MPs were prompt to file questions, asking the government to explain. At the same time, "not a single" PAP labour MP asked questions about this issue and remained silent, he added.
Former NTUC Income chief executive officer Tan Suee Chieh had also called on the Jalan Kayu candidate to take accountability for his role in the Income-Allianz deal, given that he is standing in the General Election.
In response, Mr Ng said that NTUC would "learn the right lessons" from the aborted deal, and while the labour movement always strives to do its best, sometimes it falls short.
Speaking at the same rally, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that he does not fault Mr Ng or the labour movement for having supported the deal.
He added that the union chief showed "grit and a sense of responsibility" by continuing to serve in NTUC after PAP lost Sengkang GRC.
Mr Lee said he had therefore recommended fielding Mr Ng again in this election, a decision to which Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed.
In a separate development during the campaigning period, Mr Low found himself apologising for his "inappropriate" language on Wednesday, when his Telegram text messages were leaked. Screenshots showed that the messages contained rants about various issues from fighter jets to media personalities.
"I am not proud of the way I expressed my views, and I am deeply sorry for the language I used. It was in a different stage of my life,” he said.
"But regardless of the setting, there is no excuse for using such language or making disparaging comments about anyone – especially those who have placed their trust in me."
Speaking to CNA, former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said that WP made a “strategic error” by fielding a “rookie” candidate to compete with a “minister potential” candidate.
“Had they sent a senior person like Sylvia, she might have won,” he said, referring to WP's chair Sylvia Lim and imcumbent Aljunied GRC MP.
Associate professor of political science Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore pointed out that the Income-Allianz issues as well as Mr Low’s leaked chats may have “marginally” moved the needle on both sides, but possibly hurt Mr Ng a little bit more.
Mr Inderjit Singh said that "the Income issue" played out clearly, with Ng Chee Meng getting "such a low win”
However, Assoc Prof Chong said that ultimately, the results might have come down to the difference in resources between PAP and WP: “The PAP has a huge party machinery. They’ve more resources – not just in terms of money, in terms of people – than anybody else. That is a huge advantage."
Although Mr Ng is new to the SMC, he has "the PAP machine" backing him," he added. "WP … has a machine but it is by no means anywhere as strong as PAP's.”
Additional reporting by Taufiq Zalizan
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Mr Ng's result at the polls on the Saturday (May 3) marks the return of the former minister in the Prime Minister’s Office to parliament, after he was defeated by WP in 2020 as part of a four-man team in the newly created Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
The 56-year-old clinched 14,113 votes and Mr Low, a former lawyer, took 13,307 votes in the newly formed SMC.
Jalan Kayu SMC was carved out of Ang Mo Kio GRC, which had the most voters across all wards, in the electoral boundaries review last month.
The new ward, which has 29,565 registered voters, includes private estates along Jalan Kayu Road, the Seletar Aerospace Park and a portion of public housing blocks in Fernvale.
It is Mr Ng’s third time standing in an election, but his first time doing so in an SMC.
Speaking in the early hours of Sunday morning, he said to the people gathered to wait for the results at Yio Chu Kang Stadium: "I will serve you with humility and heart. We will build a Jalan Kayu that is stronger, kinder and more inclusive."
He added: "I want to thank all members of my team that have walked this journey with me. It was a very hard fight and without all of you, this outcome would not have been possible."
The secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) had previously said he would want to be elected to parliament based on his own merit and not because he was “parachuted into a safer seat”.
Mr Ng remained active in politics after his previous loss and was co-opted into the ruling party’s 38th central executive committee in December last year.
His opponent from WP, Mr Low, had joined the opposition party in 2020 and is a member of the party’s media team. This is his first time standing in an election.
Mr Low previously served as a secretarial assistant to Sengkang GRC MP Louis Chua for over three years, supporting grassroots engagement, policy research and weekly Meet-The-People Sessions.
Speaking to supporters at Serangoon Stadium, Mr Low said that while it is “not what we hoped for”, he respects the outcome as part of the “democratic process that is at the heart of our nation”.
“I would like to congratulate Mr Ng for his victory today. The residents of Jalan Kayu have spoken and I respect their decision."
INCOME-ALLIANZ SAGA AND LEAKED CHATS
During the hustings, both candidates had been the focus of narratives that worked against them.
For Mr Ng, this came in the form of the role that he played in the aborted deal between Income Insurance and German insurer Allianz.
Ng had previously supported the deal publicly. The sale, announced on Jul 17 last year, would have resulted in German insurer Allianz acquiring a 51 per cent stake in Income for about S$2.2 billion (US$1.6 billion).
However, it triggered a public outcry over whether Income would be able to continue its social mission.
Related:
In his second rally speech, WP chief Pritam Singh took aim at Mr Ng in his second rally speech where he described NTUC as a “safe harbour” for losing PAP candidates.
He pointed out that Mr Ng and NTUC assistant secretary-general Desmond Choo, a PAP candidate at Tampines Changkat SMC, do not need to become members of parliament (MPs).
"The NTUC's close relationship with the PAP ensures that the NTUC is a guaranteed trampoline for losing PAP candidates. It is the safest trampoline for a politician anywhere in Singapore and maybe anywhere in the world. But you must be a PAP candidate to earn the right to bounce on it," Mr Singh said then.
He added that when MPs had the opportunity to question the government on the sale of NTUC Enterprise to Allianz, WP MPs were prompt to file questions, asking the government to explain. At the same time, "not a single" PAP labour MP asked questions about this issue and remained silent, he added.
Former NTUC Income chief executive officer Tan Suee Chieh had also called on the Jalan Kayu candidate to take accountability for his role in the Income-Allianz deal, given that he is standing in the General Election.
In response, Mr Ng said that NTUC would "learn the right lessons" from the aborted deal, and while the labour movement always strives to do its best, sometimes it falls short.
Speaking at the same rally, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that he does not fault Mr Ng or the labour movement for having supported the deal.
He added that the union chief showed "grit and a sense of responsibility" by continuing to serve in NTUC after PAP lost Sengkang GRC.
Mr Lee said he had therefore recommended fielding Mr Ng again in this election, a decision to which Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed.
Related:
In a separate development during the campaigning period, Mr Low found himself apologising for his "inappropriate" language on Wednesday, when his Telegram text messages were leaked. Screenshots showed that the messages contained rants about various issues from fighter jets to media personalities.
"I am not proud of the way I expressed my views, and I am deeply sorry for the language I used. It was in a different stage of my life,” he said.
"But regardless of the setting, there is no excuse for using such language or making disparaging comments about anyone – especially those who have placed their trust in me."
WHAT MAY HAVE SWAYED VOTERS AT JALAN KAYU SMC
Speaking to CNA, former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said that WP made a “strategic error” by fielding a “rookie” candidate to compete with a “minister potential” candidate.
“Had they sent a senior person like Sylvia, she might have won,” he said, referring to WP's chair Sylvia Lim and imcumbent Aljunied GRC MP.
Associate professor of political science Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore pointed out that the Income-Allianz issues as well as Mr Low’s leaked chats may have “marginally” moved the needle on both sides, but possibly hurt Mr Ng a little bit more.
Mr Inderjit Singh said that "the Income issue" played out clearly, with Ng Chee Meng getting "such a low win”
However, Assoc Prof Chong said that ultimately, the results might have come down to the difference in resources between PAP and WP: “The PAP has a huge party machinery. They’ve more resources – not just in terms of money, in terms of people – than anybody else. That is a huge advantage."
Although Mr Ng is new to the SMC, he has "the PAP machine" backing him," he added. "WP … has a machine but it is by no means anywhere as strong as PAP's.”
Additional reporting by Taufiq Zalizan
Continue reading...