GE2025: If boundaries change, ‘there may be no next time’ to vote for promising WP slate: Sylvia Lim
If DPM Gan Kim Yong loses in Punggol GRC, he can still serve Singapore in other roles, says WP candidate Harpreet Singh
[SINGAPORE] If not re-elected, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong can still contribute to Singapore in other roles – but this may be the only chance to vote for the Workers’ Party’s (WP) current slate, said WP candidates on Monday (Apr 28).
In a rally for the newly formed Punggol GRC, party chair Sylvia Lim warned of the dangers of electoral boundary changes, while WP’s newcomer team raised residents’ concerns such as the cost of living.
After highlighting the five other women candidates fielded by WP, Lim said: “I can confidently say that this batch of our candidates, both men and women, is the most promising batch that WP has fielded.
“If these candidates do not get elected this time, there may be no next time,” she warned. “The electoral boundaries may change.”
“Let us not dither about whether to cast your vote for WP this time or not.”
The WP faces a People’s Action Party (PAP) Punggol team led by DPM Gan, who made a last-minute switch from Chua Chu Kang GRC on Nomination Day.
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WP candidate Harpreet Singh noted that Punggol residents have flagged the risk of losing DPM Gan. To that, he said the PAP government can “make roles available” to DPM Gan to continue contributing to Singapore.
“This election is not about whether you have senior office holders in this GRC (group representation constituency); it’s about the future direction of this country,” he added.
“We can thank DPM Gan for his service, but he reflects the past, not the future.”
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Residents first
Mr Singh, who is Senior Counsel and runs his own law firm, noted that Punggol residents have also asked what the WP will do for them if its team is elected.
The team will run the town council “as effectively and as best as possible”, he said, and pledged to pare down his legal work to commit his time to Punggol.
“You can ask your friends and family in Sengkang: Has the condition of Sengkang gone down after the WP took over? Absolutely not,” he added.
National infrastructure plans such as the Punggol Digital District will continue regardless of who is voted in, he noted.
Sengkang GRC incumbents Louis Chua and He Ting Ru reassured Punggol residents that municipal standards will not fall, noting how successfully Sengkang Town Council has been run by the WP.
The PAP has learned that putting opposition-held wards last for upgrading creates a backlash in all constituencies, said party chief Pritam Singh. “I have every confidence Punggol will be well served.”
Not PAP-lite, but ‘WP-late’
The other Punggol candidates – Alexis Dang, Siti Alia Mattar and Jackson Au – highlighted concerns heard from residents, and pledged to raise these in Parliament if elected. These include the cost of living, parenthood pressures and overcrowding on public transport.
The importance of an opposition presence in Parliament was a theme of Monday’s rally. Said Sengkang’s He: “When enough opposition MPs voice concerns, the government U-turns.”
Party chief Singh said that the PAP can “get away” with unpopular decisions such as hiking the goods and services tax because it does not face enough political pressure. If the PAP loses votes and seats, it will “think twice or even three times” before implementing such policies, he added.
In his first rally speech, Aljunied newcomer Kenneth Tiong said that the PAP has been a late adopter of WP ideas.
The WP has been called PAP-lite – but instead, the PAP is “WP-late”, said Tiong, noting that it took the ruling party 17 years to study and eventually introduce support for retrenched workers.
“While they studied, did your bills wait? Did your family struggles pause?” he asked. “Whatever label they put on that long process, the undeniable outcome for Singaporeans was: delay.”
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