GE2020: PAP's West Coast team led by ministers S Iswaran, Desmond Lee up against Tan Cheng Bock's PSP

DESCRIBED as one of the biggest electoral battles in western Singapore, the ruling People's Action Party's (PAP) slate of candidates for West Coast group representation constituency (GRC) will be up against the Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) team.

PAP's contest will be led by two ministers, incumbent West Coast Member of Parliament (MP) S. Iswaran and current Jurong MP Desmond Lee. They will go up against PSP's team headed by party chief Tan Cheng Bock.

Both parties successfully filed their nomination papers on Tuesday at Nan Hua High School.

Dr Tan, 80, who was formerly a PAP MP, has picked the fight in a constituency that houses his former stronghold Ayer Rajah, where he served from 1980 to 2006.

The PAP is believed to have moved 43-year-old Mr Lee, who is Minister for Social and Family Development, from Jurong to West Coast to strengthen its team there, while current MP Lim Hng Kiang is expected to stand down from politics.

Mr Lim, who was formerly the trade and industry minister, stepped down from the Cabinet in April 2018. He is 66.

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The other anchor minister, Mr Iswaran, 58, is Minister for Communications and Information.

The rest of the PAP's West Coast slate are Foo Mee Har, 54, first-time contender Rachel Ong, 47, and Ang Wei Neng, 53, who, like Mr Lee, last ran under PAP's banner at Jurong GRC.

Dr Tan's PSP team comprises assistant secretary-general Leong Mun Wai, 60, founder of a venture capital firm, party vice-chairman Hazel Poa, 50, who was formerly secretary-general of the National Solidarity Party, retired military officer Nadarajah Loganthan, 57, and Jeffrey Khoo, 51, Asia-Pacific chief marketing officer of global insurance firm Ed Broking.

Asked what he thought of the PAP moving a minister, Mr Lee, to face off against his team, PSP's Dr Tan said: "In politics, it's that way. I'm not going to question why they do that. But if they say that I must be somebody quite strong, so they are trying to put all their heavyweights and come to West Coast, well, it's good."

Dr Tan added that West Coast is familiar ground to him, having served as Ayer Rajah MP and a town councillor for the constituency back in the day.

On the issue of whether Lee Hsien Yang, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's estranged younger brother, was ever on PSP's list of prospective candidates, Dr Tan said: "We never teased the voters. If the voters feel teased, it's their problem. Anyone of you can come and help me (with my campaign)."

Entering politics is a big decision, and not one that can be made in a short time, said Dr Tan. "(Mr Lee) decided to stay out of it, but he still wanted to help. So he came out and walked the ground with me, and so on."

Dr Tan also echoed the younger Mr Lee's comments over the weekend that Mr Lee would not use the PSP for personal reasons, referring to the Lee siblings' public rift over their late father's home at 38 Oxley Road.

"He is quite clear. Family matters, put aside. Because we don't want Singaporeans to have the idea that he is using my party to champion his family cause. And I will not take it. And from the very beginning, he knew my stand. Party is party, family is family," Dr Tan said.

In a brief speech after filing his papers, PAP's Mr Iswaran said his team will continue to work in protecting residents' lives and jobs amid uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The West Coast GRC, formed in 1997, has traditionally been a PAP stronghold. In the last elections, the ruling party won 78.57 per cent of the votes against the Reform Party. This made it the PAP's third-best performing GRC, after Jurong and Ang Mo Kio, helmed by then-Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong respectively.

Over at Yuhua Single Member Constituency, incumbent MP Grace Fu, also Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, will be defending her seat against Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) Robin Low. Mr Low, 44, co-founded Relief 2.0, a non-governmental organisation that promotes sustainable disaster recovery.

Ms Fu, 56, has served in the ward since 2011.

Opposition leaders, including Dr Tan, SDP chief Chee Soon Juan, as well as Ravi Philemon and Michelle Lee of Red Dot United, were spotted gathering with their groups and exchanging fistbumps at a coffeeshop along Commonwealth Avenue West this morning before heading to the nomination centre.

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