PAP first-timers go it alone in Marymount, Yio Chu Kang

Singapore

THE People's Action Party's (PAP) decision to field first-time candidates in Yio Chu Kang and Marymount single-member constituencies (SMCs) is both a surprising move and a potentially "risky" one, observers say.

On Nomination Day on Tuesday, the ruling party fielded Yip Hon Weng against Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) Kayla Low in the newly carved-out Yio Chu Kang SMC.

Over in Marymount SMC, it will be a straight fight between PAP's Gan Siow Huang against another PSP candidate, Ang Yong Guan.

"The PAP is certainly taking a risk," said National University of Singapore's Associate Professor Bilveer Singh, noting that the two candidates are "high-profile individuals" and "meant to be potential political office holders".

He noted that the PAP lost Ong Ye Kung in Aljunied GRC in 2011 and needed the following election in 2015 to bring him into Parliament and eventually into political office.

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Mr Yip is a former public servant and was previously group chief of the Silver Generation Office at the Agency for Integrated Care; Ms Gan is a former brigadier-general and the first female general in the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

Associate Professor Eugene Tan from Singapore Management University's School of Law said it was a "pleasant surprise", given that the PAP has traditionally been reluctant to field first-time candidates in SMCs.

In GE2015, they fielded just one new face in an SMC. Cheryl Chan went on to take Fengshan SMC, one of the most keenly contested single-ward seats, with 57.5 per cent of the votes, compared with Workers' Party (WP) candidate Dennis Tan's 42.5 per cent.

She was the first new candidate to be fielded in a new SMC since the GRC system was introduced back in 1988.

"I suppose, looking at the good outcome from Fengshan, they thought it might not be a bad idea (to field a newcomer in an SMC again)," said Assoc Prof Tan.

But, he added that these are "relatively safe seats" where the PAP has traditionally performed above the national average.

Yio Chu Kang SMC was carved out of Ang Mo Kio GRC, which the PAP won with 78.6 per cent of the votes against the Reform Party in 2015.

Marymount SMC was carved out of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. There, the PAP faced the Singapore People's Party in 2015 and won 73.59 per cent of the votes.

Harrison Cheng, associate director of Control Risks, echoed the above sentiment. He added: "The party may also have taken the cue from earlier media reports that the WP was probably not going to spread its candidates and resources so widely this time and felt like it could take a calculated risk. Even with the PSP opposition candidates confirmed, the PAP looks likely to win in both seats."

Assoc Prof Tan said both constituencies will be worth keeping an eye on. He said: "Both are PAP (against) PSP ... PSP is very much touted as the party to watch."*

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