SINGAPORE: Since the Workers’ Party announced its candidates for the May 3 polls on Nomination Day, armchair commentators have questioned the party’s strategy of keeping its two highest-profile candidates at Aljunied GRC.
Pritam Singh and Sylvia Lim, the party’s secretary-general and chair, respectively, are aiming for a fourth term in Parliament representing Aljunied GRC, which is now pretty much established as an opposition stronghold.
At a press conference to introduce the WP candidates on April 17, Mr Singh said the party would be contesting fewer than a third of the seats in Parliament this year, signalling that while the WP would naturally want more elected MPs, the party would proceed with more caution than risk.
Prior to Nomination Day, speculation abounded as to where the WP would field candidates. Many believed that former MPs He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim, and Louis Chua would stay where they were, believing it would be necessary for them to serve a second term to solidify the party’s foothold at Sengkang.
As for the Aljunied GRC MPs, Mr Singh, Ms Lim, WP vice chair Faisal Manap, and former Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam, there was speculation they would go further afield to strengthen the WP’s chances of winning more constituencies.
On Nomination Day, it was revealed that Mr Manap would lead the team at Tampines GRC, but Mr Singh, Ms Lim, and Mr Giam would contest at Aljunied.
There have been mixed reactions to this. Some argued that Ms Lim, in particular, could have helmed the WP slate either at East Coast GRC or Punggol GRC. It’s possible, after all, that for the party chair, who just turned 60, this may be the last time she contests an election.
Others have said that Mr Singh, who is widely respected despite being convicted earlier this year of lying to a Parliamentary committee, could have lent his star power to newer candidates elsewhere. Some even dreamed of a Singh-Singh team-up, with the party chief heading a slate that included new candidate Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh, who is leading the charge for the WP at Punggol GRC.
There were commenters who even said that Ms Lim and Mr Singh could have passed the Aljunied baton to Mr Giam, a popular figure who has established himself as a capable parliamentarian in his own right.
However, many Singaporeans online believe that the caution exercised by the WP this time was a wise move.
“I believe their main focus for this election is to consolidate their seats (retaining existing seats plus perhaps 1/2 more constituencies), and to show that the quality of WP candidates is as good as the PAP’s… Perhaps they have deduced that the time is not ripe yet for a more aggressive approach,” wrote one.
“Their goal, as mentioned by them, is to deny the PAP a 2/3 majority. They can’t be too aggressive. As long as they hold this, plus a few new others like Tampines GRC (with Changkat), they will achieve their goal, which is a win for both the WP and Singaporeans,” agreed another.
Some pointed out that the WP is already fielding two new faces at Aljunied, Fadli Fawzi and Kenneth Tiong. If any of the other former MPs moved to another constituency, three new candidates might have made Aljunied voters skittish.
“If Sylvia goes to another GRC and loses, WP loses one of the veterans in parliament. WP losing a veteran is magnitudes more impactful than PAP losing a veteran,” a Reddit user wrote.
“I personally felt that it was a smart move on their part. Solidifying their foothold in Aljunied rather than sending out their heavyweights elsewhere. How would Aljunied residents feel then? After all, it took them 20 years of hard work in Hougang. Retain existing constituents and recreate 2020 with a quality team to further expand their foothold. That seems like the best possible move now for them,” another agreed.
As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Whether the WP played its cards right for GE2025 will be known after the last ballot is counted on May 3. /TISG
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