Singapore — The General Elections 2020 was held on Friday, Jul 10, to elect 93 members to the Parliament of Singapore across 31 constituencies. We take a quick look across the different parties to see what they have been doing this past year.
People’s Action Party (PAP)
The PAP won 83 out of 93 seats in Parliament, and 61.2 per cent of the popular vote. Mr Lee described the vote share as “respectable”.
Despite losing the new Sengkang GRC to the Workers’ Party (WP) Mr Lee said the overall result “reflects broad-based support for the PAP”.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat was the leader of the 4G team, along with front-runners 4G ministers Chan Chun Sing and Ong Ye Kung, both 51, as well as younger ministers Lawrence Wong, 48, and Desmond Lee, 44.
DPM Heng was on track to be Singapore’s fourth prime minister when PM Lee retired. Unexpectedly, this may leave more room for PM Lee to stay on, instead of retiring, unlike the transition that was initially expected.
Workers’ Party (WP)
The newest WP team made up of lawyer He Ting Ru, 37, economics associate professor Jamus Lim, 44, social enterprise founder Raeesah Khan, 26, and equity research analyst Louis Chua, 33, was a big hit in Sengkang GRC.
Assoc Prof Jamus Lim proved to be a formidable force both in Parliament and on the ground, and was even spotted helping a resident move their sofa. At that point, Assoc Prof Lim, the WP MP who represents the Anchorvale division of Sengkang GRC, has been walking around the estate to ensure that the transition between cleaning contractors was going smoothly.
Progress Singapore Party (PSP)
The PSP also saw big changes in leadership during the course of the year. Former Republic of Singapore Air Force colonel Francis Yuen has been appointed secretary-general of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), taking over from party founder Tan Cheng Bock.
Dr Tan, 80, has become party chairman. Two new faces in the 14-member CEC have become officeholders – Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa.
Chartered accountant Kayla Low, a candidate for the single-member constituency (SMC) of Yio Chu Kang during last year’s election, is the new treasurer, while businessman Phang Yew Huat will be assistant treasurer.
Former PSP chairman Wang Swee Chuang will be vice-chairman.
Two more people were also co-opted into the new CEC on Wednesday, following a CEC election: Mr Pillai, who runs a consultancy to develop start-ups, and IT project manager Taufik Supan.
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)
The SDP, as always, has been active on the ground, with the latest in the party being that Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan has opened up his own café.
Orange & Teal, at Rochester Mall, had been in the works for months but opened just in time for Phase 3 (Heightened Alert), where the dine-in option has been reinstated from Jun 21.
The announcement also came as a surprise, as there was no prior indication that Dr Chee the politician would be dabbling in business. Dr Chee also added that he does not see himself as a businessman, and called the café a “social enterprise” that supports causes close to his heart. /TISG