SINGAPORE: The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has won over the opposition Workers’ Party (WP) at East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC). After the votes were tallied, it was shown that the PAP team, led by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, 55, received 58.76% of the votes, while the WP team, led by former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Yee Jenn Jong, 60, won 41.24%.
The rest of the PAP team comprised incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) Tan Kiat How, 47, and Jessica Tan, 58, together with new candidates Hazlina Abdul Halim, 40, and Dinesh Vasu Dash, 50. The WP, meanwhile, fielded Nathaniel Koh, who had contested at Marine Parade GRC with Mr Yee in GE2020, along with three new candidates: Paris V. Parameswari, 51; Sufyan Mikhail Putra, 33; and Jasper Kuan, 46.
The election at East Coast GRC in 2020 had been a close one, with the PAP winning 53.39% of the votes and the WP receiving 46.61% of the votes.
However, many things have changed since then. First, some estates were moved to the newly created Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, and the Joo Chiat ward, which had been part of Marine Parade GRC, became part of East Coast GRC.
Mr Yee quipped at a WP rally earlier this week that while he has always lived in the same place, he is now contesting his third constituency, Joo Chiat, Marine Parade, and East Coast.
In 2011, Mr Yee won 48.99% of the votes at Joo Chiat Single Member Constituency (SMC). Having served as an NCMP from 2011 to 2015, he has been active on the ground in the area since then.
Another major change is that Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who had been announced as a last-minute candidate at East Coast GRC in 2020 after representing Tampines Central in Parliament since 2011, announced he would not be seeking reelection.
Thirdly, the popular former WP candidate Nicole Seah, who had led the WP slate at East Coast GRC in 2020, left the party after a scandal in 2023.
Although the PAP will continue to remain in power in the coming five years, this year’s General Election has largely been perceived to be a test of how much ground the opposition will gain. It has also been seen as a test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who was sworn into office on May 15, 2024.
The increased cost of living in one of the most expensive cities in the world was widely reported to be the issue that was foremost in voters’ minds in the run-up to this year’s polls, and support for the opposition appeared to be on the rise, at least among commenters online. /TISG
Read also: Yee Jenn Jong: Edwin Tong must have something better than the East Coast Plan