SINGAPORE: The Peoples Voice’s (PV’s) intention to contest the Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency (SMC) does not seem to resonate well with many opposition supporters, and some have voiced their disappointment on online forums such as Reddit.
“Lim Tean is delusional. If in a three-corner fight like this, I would support SPP (Singapore People’s Party) as this GRC (Group Representation Constituency) used to be under Chiam See Tong and the candidates in his party are likely vetted by him,” mentioned one forum user. In contrast, others said that the SPP chief is planning to lose his deposit in Potong Pasir.
Another forum user shared that while there is a growing desire for more voices of opposition in Parliament, a three-corner contest in Potong Pasir would not do PV any favour. Another netizen also reminded PV that in 2020, the party lost its election deposit in a three-corner contest in the Pasir Ris—Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC)
Potong Pasir was previously held by veteran opposition Member of Parliament Mr Chiam See Tong, who first won the SMC in the 1984 general election (GE). The former SPP leader held on to the seat until he ventured out to contest Bishan—Toa Payoh GRC in the 2011 election.
The People’s Action Party (PAP) regained Potong Pasir in 2011 when its candidate, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, won by a slim 114-vote majority against Mrs Lina Chiam.
Since the loss, SPP has struggled to win back Potong Pasir in the following two elections. In 2015, Mrs Chiam only polled 33.61% against Mr Sitoh, while Mr Jose Raymond improved slightly with 39.33% of the votes in the 2020 election.
Undeterred by setbacks in multiple elections, the SPP is not backing down and has announced that they will once again contest in Potong Pasir. However, they face a potential three-corner fight against the incumbent PAP and the PV.
PV Throwing hat into Potong Pasir SMC
PV’s chief Mr Lim Tean shared with the media on Sunday, Mar 30 that the People’s Alliance for Reform will be sending a candidate to contest in Potong Pasir SMC, adding that winning back the constituency for the opposition is “eminently doable.”
“For 27 years, he (Mr Chiam) occupied that seat. Our parties may have our ideas about contesting Potong Pasir, but the important thing is for us in this GE to win back Potong Pasir SMC,” said Mr Lim to the media before his alliance’s walkabout at the ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre.
Mr Lim further explained that the more pertinent question to ask is which party has the best candidate to defeat the PAP in Potong Pasir.
“There is no point in being obstinate and stubborn and saying that you want to field a candidate if you know the whole world can see that at the end of the day, your candidate is not likely to win,” added the PV’s chief.
A day earlier on Mar 29, the SPP’s secretary-general, Mr Steve Chia, had also announced his party’s electoral plan to contest both the Potong Pasir SMC and Bishan—Toa Payoh GRC.
“This coming election, we will still be contesting in Potong Pasir. We cannot let the people of Potong Pasir down. We are working and discussing with PAR about not having a three-corner fight there. I’ve already spoken to them, telling them that we are very firm with our candidates contesting in Potong Pasir,” shared Mr Chia with the media.
Mr Chia and Mr Lim used to be the secretary-general of the opposition party, the National Solidarity Party (NSP). Mr Chia led the party from 2001 until 2005, while Mr Lim took over the leadership from Ms Hazel Poa in 2015.
In 2017, Mr Lim stepped down as NSP’s secretary-general and formed PV a year later. In June 2023, PV announced a new political alliance of four opposition parties, the People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR).
The PAR includes the Reform Party, the Democratic Progressive Party, and the People’s Power Party (PPP). However, in February this year, PPP parted ways with the alliance, citing “irreconcilable strategic differences.”