SINGAPORE: All eyes will be on the West Coast – Jurong West GRC in the May 3 general election (GE) as the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) won West Coast by the slimmest margin in 2020 against the Progress Singapore Party (PSP). The contest was so close that two PSP candidates — Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leong Mun Wai — became Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs) as the “best losers” in the 2020 GE.
While the opposition PSP has yet to announce its slate of candidates for the upcoming election, the PAP has unveiled Mr Desmond Lee as the anchor minister in the constituency alongside two new faces: Dr Hamid Razak, an orthopaedic surgeon, and lawyer Ms Cassandra Lee.
Speaking at a PAP media conference on Tuesday (April 15), Dr Hamid said: “Some of you may wonder why I would step away from a very busy surgical career. Well, this is not me stepping away. This is me stepping forward. I’m stepping forward with the same calling to serve. Whether it’s in my professional career, when someone comes to me with medical problems or if it’s a family that is struggling in the community, the calling is the same which is to serve.”
Incumbent members of Parliament Shawn Huang, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, and Mr Ang Wei Nang complete the five-member PAP team. Not included in the slate is incumbent MP Ms Foo Mee Har. MP Patrick Tay will continue to contest at Pioneer SMC.
In a Facebook post on April 15, Ms Foo said: “Today, I announced that I will be passing the baton to my successors —Dr Hamid Razak for Gek Poh and Ms Cassandra Lee for Ayer Rajah. I do so with full confidence that you will be in capable, committed, and caring hands.”
Ms Foo added that Dr Hamid is a respected orthopaedic surgeon and a dedicated community leader who has played an active role in the Jurong community for 17 years, leading initiatives ranging from health outreach and youth mentorship to literacy programmes for underprivileged children.
“Having grown up in Jurong West and lived here for many years, Hamid has a deep understanding of our community’s needs and aspirations. I am confident that under his stewardship, the exciting plans we have in the pipeline will be brought to life, and our Jurong West community will grow from strength to strength,” added Ms Foo.
Ms Foo made her electoral debut in 2011, running alongside Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as part of the PAP team, which secured a decisive victory with 66.57% of the vote against the Reform Party.
PAP support in West Coast plummeted in 2020 when it won the constituency with 51.68% (71,658) of the votes, the slimmest margin of victory for a GRC.
Now it’s up for grabs with a new name and in a new shape. West Coast was renamed West Coast – Jurong West GRC following the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report in March.
The new West Coast – Jurong West GRC absorbed 41,404 eligible voters from the Taman Jurong division and parts of Jurong Spring from the now defunct Jurong GRC. It also ceded areas in Dover and Telok Blangah to Tanjong Pagar GRC, and relinquished areas in Harbourfront and Sentosa to Radin Mas SMC.
Dr Tan Cheng Bock, former PAP MP for Ayer Rajah SMC, helmed the PSP team that contested West Coast in 2020. The five-member team included Mr Loganathan and Mr Jeffrey Khoo. Mr Leong Mun Wai and Ms Hazel Poa were also on the team, and both became NCMPs after the election.
The PSP will have at least one new face on their slate for West Coast – Jurong West GRC, as Mr Khoo is being fielded as the party’s candidate for Marymount SMC this year. While unveiling Mr Khoo’s candidacy on April 17, Dr Tan also revealed that Ms Poa’s husband, Mr Tony Tan will be the PSP candidate for Kebun Baru SMC.
The PSP secretary-general, Mr Leong, previously confirmed that the party will once again contest in both West Coast – Jurong West and Chua Chu Kang GRC. It is unclear whether the party will put up a candidate in the newly-carved Bukit Gombak SMC, which used to be part of Chua Chu Kang GRC.