GE2025: RDU takes on PAP incumbents in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC debut
SDP stalwart Paul Tambyah and four-term MP Liang Eng Hwa are up for a Bukit Panjang rematch
[SINGAPORE] Opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) will square off against the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, as it makes its maiden bid for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
Candidates from both parties successfully filed their nomination papers at Methodist Girls’ School on Wednesday (Apr 23).
The four-man RDU team includes new faces assistant engineer Sharad Kumar, operations manager Nizar Subair and music teacher Emily Woo – who was earlier fronted as the party’s team lead in Jurong Central SMC.
Speaking to media after nomination proceedings, Woo said: “I’m comfortable with this GRC because I grew up in Ghim Moh, so it’s like coming home. I spent many years here, so I know the area well.”
Rounding out the team is financial consultant Fazli Talip. He contested in East Coast GRC under the Workers’ Party banner in GE2011.
Business owner Patrick Tan, who was earlier introduced as a candidate in RDU’s four-man team, did not contest in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
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When asked about the change in lineup in a media doorstop, Fazli attributed the decision to the “party’s leadership”.
The RDU team goes up against the incumbent PAP team comprising Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, lawyer Christopher de Souza, and businessman Edward Chia.
On the team’s chances of winning, Fazli said: “Holland-Bukit Timah is pretty new for us, and we have a lot of grounds that we need to make up (for) to really see all the residents here and meet as many as possible.”
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When asked about the team’s strengths, he noted: “For RDU, nobody is a diva, everybody is a team player.”
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), which contested in the constituency in the past three elections, did not field a team. SDP secretary-general Chee Soon Juan said last Saturday that the party wanted to “consolidate [their] resources”.
The PAP team fended off SDP challengers and retained the “rich man’s ward” with 66.36 per cent of the votes in GE2020, 66.6 per cent in GE2015 and 60.08 per cent in GE2011.
Bukit Panjang rematch
Neighbouring Bukit Panjang SMC will see four-term MP Liang Eng Hwa up against SDP chairman Paul Tambyah.
Since the Bukit Panjang single seat was carved out of the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in 2006, both parties have faced off four times, with SDP fielding a different candidate and PAP claiming victory each time so far.
Prof Tambyah, an infectious diseases expert whose profile rose significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, contested the single-seat ward for the first time in GE2020 in a last-minute tactical switch by the opposition party.
Though he was defeated by PAP’s Liang who garnered a vote share of 53.73 per cent at the 2020 polls, Prof Tambyah put up a strong fight that ended up being the closest contest among all SMCs that election.
When asked if he believes he can build on that momentum in a media doorstop after nomination proceedings, Prof Tambyah said: “Definitely… we were just about 2,500 votes short, and the population of Bukit Panjang hasn’t changed – which is very interesting because it suggests that there are younger people moving in to replace the older people who have passed away.”
On the experience he has gained and how that affects his strategy this time round, he noted that the team now knows the geography of Bukit Panjang “really well” and have learnt of the “major issues” residents face.
He added in Mandarin that he believes the team can hit the 49 per cent threshold in votes, but concluded that breaching it will be quite challenging.
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