GE2025: Global uncertainty a big factor in electoral outcome, but WP’s result still ‘very commendable’: Pritam Singh
The party achieved a popular vote share similar to that of GE2020, despite a national swing towards the PAP, he adds
[SINGAPORE] One major reason for the general election’s outcome is that concerns about the wider international environment resonated with some voters, said Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh on Sunday (May 4).
But given a nationwide swing of 4.33 percentage points towards the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), the WP’s performance is “very commendable”, he said. The WP took 50.04 per cent of the vote in constituencies it contested, just a shade lower than its 50.49 per cent share in the last GE in 2020.
Ten WP candidates were elected in GE2025, with the party’s teams in Tampines GRC and Jalan Kayu SMC losing by the slimmest margins – meaning that the party is likely to be offered two Non-Constituency MP seats.
Asked who would fill them, party chair Sylvia Lim said the leadership has not yet met to decide, but this could be an opportunity for the WP to bring in new blood to refresh its ranks.
She further noted that of the elected candidates, three – Fadli Fawzi, Kenneth Tiong and Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik – will be first-timers in Parliament.
“So these are our up-and-coming young leaders that will now have a seat in Parliament, and can demonstrate what they can do and what the party can do for our electorate, for Singaporeans.”
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
A difficult election
At the noon-time interview at Eunos Market, Singh congratulated Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for the strong mandate he received.
That was a second reason that Singh cited for the electoral result: The desire of voters to give PM Wong a mandate for his first GE at the helm. The PAP won 65.57 per cent of the votes, an improvement from the 61.23 per cent it gained in the last election.
“It was a very difficult fight for the WP,” said Singh. “As you know, for any opposition party in Singapore to make inroads into our political system, the challenges are real.”
SEE ALSO
But the party still put up “strong performances”, he said. In Hougang, Aljunied GRC and Sengkang GRC, where it was the incumbent, the party has “consolidated (its) position”.
The WP fielded 26 candidates across five GRCs and three SMCs. It retained stronghold Aljunied with 59.68 per cent of the votes – very close to its GE2020 performance of 59.95 per cent.
In both Hougang and Sengkang GRC, the WP improved its vote share. Hougang incumbent Dennis Tan took 62.17 per cent against PAP newcomer Marshall Lim, up from 61.21 per cent in GE2020.
The biggest improvement came in Sengkang GRC, where the WP team – comprising three incumbents and one newcomer – took 56.31 per cent of the votes, up from 52.12 per cent in GE2020, when it first won the constituency.
Narrow losses
As for the constituencies which it contested but did not win – East Coast GRC, Punggol GRC, Tampines GRC, Tampines Changkat SMC and Jalan Kayu SMC – Singh commended the candidates for putting up a good fight.
The closest fight played out in Jalan Kayu, with newcomer Andre Low losing to labour chief Ng Chee Meng by just 806 votes, in a race that was closely watched due to questions about Ng’s involvement in the controversial Income-Allianz deal.
Ng’s victory marks his political comeback, after he served one term in government but then lost to the WP in Sengkang GRC in GE2020.
In the four-cornered fight for Tampines GRC, the PAP won 52.02 per cent of the vote, fending off WP – which took 47.37 per cent despite its team being new to the constituency.
The National Solidarity Party, which has contested Tampines GRC since 2011, took just 0.18 per cent of the vote – the lowest in history. The People’s Power Party took 0.43 per cent.
In Tampines Changkat, returning WP candidate Kenneth Foo lost to PAP incumbent Desmond Choo, who won with 56.16 per cent of the vote.
On the view that the WP could have improved its chances in Tampines GRC and Jalan Kayu SMC by fielding stronger candidates or fewer newcomers, Singh said that might have meant weakening other teams in such a way that the party’s overall strategy would no longer have been in equilibrium.
“Ultimately, you’ve got to make a decision based on your understanding of the ground. And we had a particular perspective,” he said.
As for whether former Aljunied MP Faisal Manap would continue to walk the ground in Tampines, where he led the party’s slate this GE, Singh said it is too early to discuss the WP’s next steps.
Goodwill and boundaries
Punggol GRC was another closely-watched fight, after the PAP made a last-minute switch to field Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong against a WP team of newcomers, including “star catch” Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh.
The PAP team eventually secured 55.17 per cent of the vote, after a campaign in which party heavyweights stressed DPM Gan’s importance amid the current economic uncertainty.
Asked whether the results differed from the party’s sense on the ground, Singh said that while its candidates received support, the party never takes this goodwill for granted.
“We never assume that just because there’s a lot of support online or on the ground, that would translate into votes. That is really up to the Singaporean voter to determine.
“But our job is to make sure we put up a good slate, and put up a good proposition for Singaporeans. And I’m very proud of the team.”
As for whether the boundary changes made by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) affected the WP’s chances, Singh said it is important that the party not be boxed in by the report and “have the capacity to break out and move into other areas and do well”.
“No matter what the EBRC does, I think we must be on our toes,” he said. “That has to be something that any political party worth its salt must keep in mind.”
For more election coverage, visit our GE2025 microsite
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
