GE2020: PAP faces challenge in Chua Chu Kang GRC, Pioneer and Hong Kah North SMCs

WITH the exception of Pioneer SMC, it will be a straight fight between the People's Action Party (PAP) and newcomer Progress Singapore Party (PSP) in Chua Chu Kang GRC and Hong Kah North SMC in the upcoming General Election 2020.

A three-corner fight will take place in Pioneer SMC, with PAP's Patrick Tay, 48 - who has been moved over from West Coast GRC - taking on Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) Lim Cher Hong, 42, a chartered financial consultant; and independent candidate Cheang Peng Wah, a consultant. 

24,672 votes are up for grabs in the SMC. During the 2015 General Election, PAP's Cedric Foo, 59, who has retired, trounced the National Solidarity Party's Elvin Ong Beng Soon to win 76.3 per cent of the votes cast and retain the Pioneer seat.

The fight in Hong Kah North SMC, which has 28,071 registered voters, will be between two women: PAP incumbent Amy Khor against PSP's Gigene Wong, 54, who returned to Singapore this year after working in China for 20 years. Despite this being Ms Wong's first election, she said, "I'm not nervous - I feel normal because I'm doing this from the heart - I really want to serve the people."   

Dr Khor, 62, who is Senior Minister of State for Health and Environment and Water Resources, captured 70.6 per cent of the votes in the 2015 General Election to remain the MP for the SMC. This election will be her third electoral battle for Hong Kah North, which was carved out as a SMC in 2011. Dr Khor was first elected as an MP for Hong Kah GRC in 2001. She was re-elected in Hong Kah in 2006.

In the four-member Chua Chu Kang GRC, PAP incumbents Gan Kim Yong, Low Yen Ling as well as new PAP candidates lawyer Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, 39, and banker Don Wee, 43, will meet PSP's Francis Yuen Kin Pheng, Tan Meng Wah, Choo Shaun Ming and Abdul Rahman in a face-off for 106,609 votes. The new faces replaced Yee Chia Hsing, 49 and Zaqy Mohamad, 45. Mr Zaqy, who is the Minister of State for Manpower and National Development, has joined the PAP defending Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.

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Led by Mr Gan, the PAP team beat the People's Power Party in the 2015 General Election for Chua Chu Kang GRC, winning 76.9 per cent of the votes. Mr Gan, 61, who is the Health Minister, was first elected as a PAP Member of Parliament in 2001 for the Holland-Pasir Panjang GRC. He was moved to the PAP team defending Chua Chu Kang GRC in the  2006 General Election - and has stayed there since then. In this election Mr Gan is standing for the fourth time in the ward. For Ms Low, 45, who is Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Manpower, it will be her third.

PSP's Mr Yuen, 70, is a former Republic of Singapore Air Force colonel and former chief executive of Hong Leong Asia. Dr Tan (Meng Wah), 57, is a former Institute of Policy Studies research fellow. Mr Abdul Rahman, 67, is a consulting fire safety engineer, while Mr Choo, 23, is a law undergraduate at the National University of Singapore. Except for Mr Abdul Rahman, who stood in the 2006 General Election in Tampines GRC for the Singapore Democratic Alliance, the rest are newcomers to the election.

For Nomination Day developments and more on Singapore GE2020, go to bt.sg/ge2020