SPP outperforms PAR at Potong Pasir, but PAP still beats out opposition, according to sample count

SINGAPORE: People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR) chief Lim Tean is at risk of losing his election deposit, according to the sample count for Potong Pasir SMC that was released this evening (May 3).

People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Alex Yeo took a massive lead margin of 71 per cent, according to the sample count. The Singapore People’s Party (SPP), which has contested Potong Pasir SMC for years, saw candidate Williamson Lee get 21 per cent of the vote as per the sample count.

According to the sample count, Mr Lim only received 8 per cent of the vote. The official results will come in later tonight.

On Nomination Day, Mr Lim said he “shall ask the residents of Potong Pasir for the greatest honour to be their elected Member of Parliament.” He added, “Potong Pasir SMC is a historical constituency in opposition political history, and I hope to live up to the legacy of the legendary Chiam See Tong.”

He, however, did not have Mr Chiam’s blessing to contest his former ward.

Mr Chiam made history in 1984 when he won Potong Pasir and became Singapore’s second elected opposition MP after the late Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam. He held Potong Pasir for 27 years, from 1984 to 2011.

Mr Chiam’s party, the SPP, only lost Potong Pasir SMC to the ruling party in the 2011 general election when Mr Chiam took the risk of leaving his seat to lead a team contesting a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) – a gamble that did not pay off.

Since 2011, the SPP has been faithfully walking the ground and has contested Potong Pasir SMC in every election, including this one. The party plans to field longtime Central Executive Committee (CEC) member Williamson Lee to carry on the fight for Potong Pasir this year.

Given the SPP’s longstanding presence in the ward, Mr Lim’s decision to contest Potong Pasir came as a shock to some opposition supporters and triggered fears that he may lose his election deposit.

Mr Lim is no stranger to three-cornered contests, although the efficacy of this strategy remains to be proven.

In the 2020 general election, Mr Lim fielded a team to contest Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in a three-corner fight, despite criticism over the fact that the Singapore Democratic Alliance had worked the ground there for years. The PV team was the only party to lose their deposit in that race, and some critics criticised the party for splitting the opposition’s vote share.