SINGAPORE: The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) on Sunday (Apr 20) announced its slate for West Coast-Jurong West GRC, signalling a highly anticipated rematch in one of the most closely watched battlegrounds for the election.
The party's top three leaders – chairman and founder Tan Cheng Bock, secretary-general Leong Mun Wai and vice-chairperson Hazel Poa – will stand for election in the West Coast-Jurong West GRC. All three were part of the PSP team that nearly clinched West Coast GRC in 2020.
They will be joined by newcomers Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah, rounding up the five-member slate.
Their opponents are expected to be a People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by National Development Minister Desmond Lee. He will be joined by former West Coast MP Ang Wei Neng and Mr Shawn Huang, whose Taman Jurong division was moved over from Jurong GRC, and two newcomers – orthopaedic surgeon Hamid Razak and lawyer Cassandra Lee.
This election marks a return to the fray for Dr Tan, Mr Leong and Ms Poa, who were part of the PSP’s 2020 team that came within a few percentage points of winning. That contest – the most tightly fought race of GE2020 – saw the PAP narrowly retain West Coast GRC with 51.69 per cent of the vote. The PSP secured two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seats as a result.
The PAP team they are likely to face has seen significant changes – former transport minister S Iswaran resigned in January 2024 after he was charged with corruption. He had been an MP in the GRC since 1997. MPs Foo Mee Har and Rachel Ong will not return to the slate. It remains unclear if they will contest elsewhere.
The GRC has also seen significant boundary changes. Renamed West Coast-Jurong West, it now includes parts of Jurong West and Taman Jurong, and has an expanded electorate of 158,581 voters.
To maintain voter-to-MP ratios, areas such as Harbourfront and Sentosa were shifted to Radin Mas SMC, while Dover and parts of Telok Blangah were moved to Tanjong Pagar GRC.
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The party's top three leaders – chairman and founder Tan Cheng Bock, secretary-general Leong Mun Wai and vice-chairperson Hazel Poa – will stand for election in the West Coast-Jurong West GRC. All three were part of the PSP team that nearly clinched West Coast GRC in 2020.
They will be joined by newcomers Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah, rounding up the five-member slate.
Their opponents are expected to be a People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by National Development Minister Desmond Lee. He will be joined by former West Coast MP Ang Wei Neng and Mr Shawn Huang, whose Taman Jurong division was moved over from Jurong GRC, and two newcomers – orthopaedic surgeon Hamid Razak and lawyer Cassandra Lee.
This election marks a return to the fray for Dr Tan, Mr Leong and Ms Poa, who were part of the PSP’s 2020 team that came within a few percentage points of winning. That contest – the most tightly fought race of GE2020 – saw the PAP narrowly retain West Coast GRC with 51.69 per cent of the vote. The PSP secured two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seats as a result.
The PAP team they are likely to face has seen significant changes – former transport minister S Iswaran resigned in January 2024 after he was charged with corruption. He had been an MP in the GRC since 1997. MPs Foo Mee Har and Rachel Ong will not return to the slate. It remains unclear if they will contest elsewhere.
The GRC has also seen significant boundary changes. Renamed West Coast-Jurong West, it now includes parts of Jurong West and Taman Jurong, and has an expanded electorate of 158,581 voters.
To maintain voter-to-MP ratios, areas such as Harbourfront and Sentosa were shifted to Radin Mas SMC, while Dover and parts of Telok Blangah were moved to Tanjong Pagar GRC.
Continue reading...