SINGAPORE: The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) will field newcomer Lawrence Pek alongside three veterans blooded in the 2020 general election in the battle for Chua Chu Kang GRC against the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.
Mr Pek, 55, a former secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, will be joined on the five-member slate by Ms Wendy Low, 48, tech lawyer; Mr S Nallakaruppan, 60, president of The Society of Remisiers (Singapore); and Mr A’bas Kasmani, 71, training consultant, all of whom had contested in the previous general election in 2020.
This was announced by PSP’s chairman, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, on Saturday (April 19), at Teck Whye during their party’s walkabout with about 30 party volunteers.
“I met Dr Tan and (Leong) Mun Wai way back in August 2023, and I was hit by a profound sense of common purpose. I asked myself after the meeting if these two gentlemen are willing to do this, then why shouldn’t I?” said Mr Pek to the media after he was introduced by Dr Tan.
Mr Pek and his team have stepped up their engagement within Chua Chu Kang GRC in the last year, engaging with residents, especially the new families that have moved into the new Tengah estate.
“We have spoken to many small business owners, we understand their needs, we hear them and listen to them very carefully.
“It is clear to us there is a shifting demographics within this particular GRC, especially in the area of the first-time young voters. They demand more transparency, advocacy, and more importantly, they say that they want a better balance of discourse, of pushback in parliament,” added Mr Pek, who was the secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation from 2020 to 2023.
The party also confirmed that veteran technologist Mr Harish Pillay, 65, will be fielded at the new Bukit Gombak SMC. He was also part of the PSP team that contested in Tanjong Pagar GRC in 2020, with Ms Low and Mr A’bas. Mr Nallakaruppan was part of the team that contested in Nee Soon GRC.
Mr Pillay highlighted that the PSP has been actively looking into several municipal issues, including ensuring that the residents won’t be affected by disruptions to the Town Council administration’s systems and services should he be elected in Bukit Gombak SMC.
“When I get into parliament, and when we get our Town Council going, one of the things I really want to achieve is to ensure that the Town Council administrative products and services are available on day one,” said Mr Pillay.
The former PSP’s central executive committee member explained, “Previous situations when there was a change in the leadership of the Town Council, the applications and administrative tools that they were using were stopped from access by the incoming group of people.”
Mr Pillay will be up against Ms Low Yen Ling, Mayor of South District, and Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry at Bukit Gombak SMC.
In the Electoral Boundary Committee Review report released in March, Chua Chu Kang GRC welcomed 11,621 and 193 residents from the new Tengah estate and a Holland-Bukit Timah polling district, respectively. It also saw the Bukit Gombak division, helmed by Minister of State Ms Low Yen Ling, carved out into an SMC.
DPM Gan, anchor minister for PAP’s team in Chua Chu Kang GRC
On April 14, the People’s Action Party announced their team for Chua Chu Kang GRC, fronted by Deputy Prime Minister Mr Gan Kim Yong. The team consists of newcomers, former senior civil servant Mr Jeffrey Siow, and Dr Choo Pei Ling.
Incumbent member of parliament Mr Don Wee will be stepping down after one term, while Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahman remains in the four-member team.
Mr Siow is a former senior civil servant who served as a principal private secretary to then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from 2017 to 2021. His 24-year career in public service ended on April 2. Prior to that, he was the second permanent secretary at the Ministry of Manpower and Trade and Industry.
Meanwhile, Dr Choo is a neuroscientist and physiotherapist, as well as an assistant professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology. She was previously a party activist in the Marine Parade constituency helmed by Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng.
DPM Gan and his team are expected to face a strong challenge from the PSP once again. In the 2020 general election, the PAP won the constituency with 58.64% (59,554) of the vote. The PSP polled 41.36% (42,012) in their electoral debut five years ago in Chua Chu Kang GRC.
Residents who spoke to The Independent Singapore are looking forward to a contest between the PAP and PSP in Chua Chu Kang GRC. They hope that whichever political party is elected in the constituency will be able to look into their concerns and look into ways to improve the town.
“Although the construction of the new Jurong Region MRT line has caused some temporary inconvenience to the residents here, my family feels that it will be good for us in the long-term,” said Mr Chen, a resident in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 who does his weekly marketing at Teck Whye with his wife.
Prior to the dissolution of parliament earlier in the week, DPM Gan unveiled a $212m rejuvenation plan for Chua Chu Kang Town Council on April 5. In the Chua Chu Kang Town Council’s five-year master plan, DPM Gan mentioned that part of the plan includes a new sheltered walkway and pavilions in the neighbourhood for the residents.
400 HDB housing blocks involving 40,000 households will also be repainted, and about 8,800 households are set to benefit from the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme.
“First, we are going to spend about $212 million on the various upgrading projects to improve the living environment. We will also be introducing six MRT stations to enhance the connectivity within Chua Chu Kang as well as beyond,” said DPM Gan to the media after the launch of the master plan for the constituency.
“At the same time, it is not just about hardware, facilities and amenities, but it’s also about software, about social services as well as programmes.”
DPM Gan also reiterated that this is a Chua Chu Kang Town Council plan, and it will depend on who will be in charge of the town, stressing, “If there is a new team, they may have different ideas. They may have different things that they want to do.”
Singaporeans will go to the polls on Saturday, May 3, which has been designated as a Public Holiday, and there will be a cooling-off day on May 2. On cooling-off day, candidates and political parties are not allowed to conduct any campaign activity, including posting on their social media pages.