GE2025: Candidates rebut rally comments on Day 3, with political broadcasts to come
[SINGAPORE] Following a lively first night of election rallies on Thursday (Apr 24), Day 3 of campaigning kicked off early on Friday morning, with candidates from various parties hitting the ground.
Tonight, there will be just one rally – but eight parties will appear on national television and radio instead, in the first round of political broadcasts. Scroll to the end of this article to find out more.
Meanwhile, here is a party-by-party breakdown of the main developments on Day 3 of the nine-day campaign:
People’s Action Party (PAP)
Aljunied GRC: On a walkabout with the PAP’s Aljunied team, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean stressed: “We don’t give up any constituency.”
- The PAP fields candidates in every constituency, to give every voter a choice, he said.
- Its Aljunied team comprises Chan Hui Yuh, who also ran there in the 2020 General Election (GE), and four newcomers – Faisal Abdul Aziz, Adrian Ang, Daniel Liu and Jagathishwaran Rajo. They face the incumbent Workers’ Party (WP) team led by party chief Pritam Singh and party chair Sylvia Lim.
Chua Chu Kang GRC: On a walkabout in Teck Whye, Minister of Manpower Tan See Leng responded to Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chief Leong Mun Wai’s comments at Thursday’s rally, including that the PAP has seen a “general decline in standards, in accountability, competence and ethics in recent years”.
- Dr Tan said that the PAP government has never “lost its way”, and that the PSP should consider all the policies that have been introduced and refined to benefit Singaporeans.
- As for the PSP’s calls for a minimum wage, Dr Tan said the existing Progressive Wage Model is “more targeted, more differentiated, more precise”.
Kebun Baru SMC: Candidate Henry Kwek launched the ward’s manifesto, “Always on Your Side”, outlining planned improvements to transportation networks and senior-friendly amenities.
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- At the launch, Kwek said that PAP backbenchers have a “direct line” to ministers, and can be the first to bring up any gaps – whether in policy or meeting residents’ needs – to the government.
- Earlier that day, WP chief Singh had asked voters to compare the party’s candidates with PAP backbenchers, rather than with political office-holders.
Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC: On a walkabout with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, fellow candidate Alex Yam said that the PAP’s margin of victory will not affect how it delivers on its promises.
- He was responding to Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Ariffin Sha, who said in Thursday’s rally that the PAP would work harder if its margin of victory narrows in this election.
West Coast-Jurong West GRC: At a media briefing in Boon Lay, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said that the government needs to be able to fund its programmes “responsibly and sustainably”, in response to the PSP’s call to revert the goods and services tax rate to 7 per cent.
- The government must ensure it has sufficient resources to support Singaporeans through the challenges that come with a “changing global order”, he said.
Workers’ Party
East Coast GRC: The PAP and WP teams for East Coast GRC crossed paths in a walkabout at Bedok 85 Market, with PAP anchor minister Edwin Tong shaking hands with WP team lead Yee Jenn Jong.
- Also with the WP team was party chief Singh, who told reporters that voters should measure WP’s slate against PAP’s backbenchers, rather than against ministers.
- “It’s backbencher versus backbencher, because the WP is not going to be in government,” he said, in response to PM Wong’s rally comment that voters should hold the WP to the same standards as the PAP.
Sengkang GRC: Incumbent Member of Parliament Louis Chua took to Instagram to thank supporters for attending Thursday night’s rally at Anchorvale Crescent.
- “Other than the passion and conviction of my fellow WP colleagues, what touched me the most was the strong show of support by Singaporeans of all ages… who came all the way down to the rally despite a livestream made available, undaunted by the crowds and the muddy fields, and patiently helping each other throughout the whole session,” he said in his post.
Tampines GRC: Three members of the WP’s slate – Faisal Manap, Jimmy Tan and Ong Lue Ping – discussed the Group Representation Constituency’s four-cornered fight on The Straits Times’ daily show on the general election.
- Faisal said his “heart was at peace” when deciding to leave Aljunied GRC to contest Tampines GRC, after the WP received many requests from Tampines residents to run there.
- “Yes, there are other opposition parties contesting the constituency, but giving people a choice is part and parcel of a democratic society,” he added.
Singapore Democratic Party
Bukit Panjang SMC: On Facebook, SDP candidate Paul Tambyah posted about crossing paths with PAP candidate Liang Eng Hwa that afternoon, writing: “We had an unexpected but pleasant encounter.”
Sembawang GRC: SDP’s Gigene Wong handed out flyers at the Woodlands MRT station, while National Solidarity Party (NSP) candidates engaged with residents at Woodlands North Plaza. This is one of three GRCs seeing multi-cornered fights in GE2025.
Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA)
Pasir Ris-Changi GRC: Political newcomer Chia Yun Kai, part of the SDA’s four-member team, spoke to Pasir Ris residents at a walkabout on Friday afternoon.
- Chia, who previously intended to run as the sole member of his own Most Valuable Party, said that residents to whom he spoke were excited to meet a young political newcomer.
- Besides Chia, the SDA team comprises party chairman Desmond Lim, Abu Mohamed and Harminder Pal Singh. They face a PAP team comprising Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, Desmond Tan, Sharael Taha and Valerie Lee.
Singapore People’s Party (SPP)
Potong Pasir SMC: At a coffee shop in Potong Pasir, party treasurer Williiamson Lee told reporters that he believes his chances in GE2025 are better than in GE2020, noting that he has covered most of Bidadari estate.
- In GE2020, Williiamson Lee was part of the SPP’s Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC team, which took 32.77 per cent of the vote.
- This year, in a three-cornered fight for Potong Pasir SMC, he faces Alex Yeo of the PAP – who replaces three-term incumbent Sitoh Yin Pin – and People’s Alliance for Reform chief Lim Tean.
In contrast to the first night’s five rallies, tonight’s sole rally is by SDP at Beacon Primary School for the Bukit Panjang SMC seat where party chairman Tambyah faces PAP incumbent Liang.
Instead, this evening features the first of two party political broadcasts, delivered on national television and radio at 8 pm. The second round will be on May 1, the last day of campaigning.
Though 11 parties and two independents are participating in this general election, only eight parties have been given slots for the broadcasts. Under guidelines set by the Elections Department, only parties that field at least six candidates are eligible.
Here are the parties and the number of minutes they have been allocated, based on the number of candidates they are fielding:
National Solidarity Party: four minutes
People’s Power Party: four minutes
Singapore Democratic Party: four minutes
People’s Alliance for Reform: five minutes
Progress Singapore Party: five minutes
Red Dot United: five minutes
Workers’ Party: six minutes
People’s Action Party: 14 minutes
Look out for The Business Times’ coverage of the broadcasts this evening.
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