SINGAPORE: Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chairman Tan Cheng Bock shared a “heartfelt moment” on Facebook, after he had the opportunity to catch up with an elderly couple who had lived in the Ayer Rajah ward he had represented in Parliament, as a former ruling party MP.
Under the governing People’s Action Party (PAP), Dr Tan served Ayer Rajah SMC for over two and a half decades (1980-2006). He left the PAP in 2011 to contest the Presidential Election, which he narrowly lost. In 2019, along with 12 others, he founded the PSP.
Of his meeting with the elderly couple, who had lived in Teban, Dr Tan wrote, “It was a touching moment when they caught up with me.
“The warmth and gratitude of this delightful Malay couple were overwhelming. They had come searching for me to personally thank me for something I did a long time ago.”
He went on to say that while he was MP for Ayer Rajah, the mosque in Teban had burnt down, leaving the kindergarten students with nowhere to have their classes.
Dr Tan stepped in to offer the void deck area for this purpose, which they shared with another class.
“This gesture had meant a lot to them,” he wrote, adding that he “was very touched that they came to search for me and to remind me of this incident.
“Such moments remind me of the power of community and the importance of coming together in times of need. It’s the collective spirit and resilience of our people that truly make Ayer Rajah, and Singapore, a place we proudly call home.”
The PSP chair also wrote, “Let’s continue to support and uplift one another, creating a future filled with hope and unity.”
The 83-year-old longtime political leader recently dropped a broad hint that he may run for elections again.
On Jan 27, during a walkabout with party members at West Coast Market Square, Dr Tan hinted to members of the media that he may be contesting at the next General Election, which needs to be held no later than Nov 23, 2025.
Dr Tan was asked to confirm that he would stand as a candidate next year. He said, “I never say no.”
At the 2020 GE, Dr Tan spearheaded PSP’s slate at West Coast GRC, which had absorbed Ayer Rajah in 2006.
While the PSP lost at West Coast very narrowly, winning 48.31 per cent of the vote, it did manage to propel two of its members, Mr Leong Mun Tai and Ms Hazen Poa, into Parliament as NCMPs.
Political observers expect that the PSP may have a bigger chance at victory if the ward remains unchanged, given the recent resignation of West Coast GRC’s anchor minister S Iswaran, amid corruption charges.
/TISG
Read also: “I never say no” — Tan Cheng Bock broadly hints at contesting again in 2025