SINGAPORE: Peoples Voice (PV) party chief Lim Tean has confirmed to the press that he intends to contest Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency (SMC) in what will be a three-cornered contest.
He is expected to face off against Alex Yeo, one of the unsuccessful People’s Action Party (PAP) candidates for Aljunied GRC in the 2020 election, as well as longtime Singapore People’s Party (SPP) member Williamson Lee.
Appearing near the nomination centre at Kong Hwa School this morning (April 23), Mr Lim told reporters that he has set his sights on Potong Pasir. He had also written on Facebook:
“Personally, I shall ask the residents of Potong Pasir for the greatest honour to be their elected Member of Parliament. 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, does not appear to 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 comes as a shock to some opposition supporters. His party is no stranger to three-cornered contests, although the efficacy of this strategy remains to be proven.
In the 2020 general election, he 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 vote share the SDA may have achieved.