Singapore — On Tuesday (June 30), the East Coast GRC line-up for People’s Action Party (PAP) came as a “strategic surprise” for Workers’ Party (WP), with Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat as the surprise anchor minister contesting at the constituency.
The PAP team consists of: Heng Swee Keat, Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Jessica Tan, Tan Kiat How and Cheryl Chan.
The WP team consists of: Nicole Seah, Terrence Tan, Foo Seck Guan, Dylan Ng and Abdul Shariff.
Secretary-General of Workers’ Party Pritam Singh said that this is a signal that PAP is taking WP’s challenge in East Coast very seriously.
“Well, I think it’s an important signal that the PAP is sending, that they take our challenge in East Coast very seriously. I’d say we take their challenge equally seriously and that’s why we’ve put a strong slate of candidates in East Coast,” he said.
Similarly, he also said that he has “full confidence” in the team and noted that “they will be prepared to fight for the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans not just in Parliament but in their constituency and in their town councils as well.”
In highlighting the challenges that the opposition faces in the General Elections, he stated that it has always been an “uphill battle”.
“It took us 16 years before one seat fell to the opposition in 1981. 16 years after our independence. And it took 23 years after the enactment of the GRC system for the opposition to a breakthrough in one GRC. So it is an uphill battle it’s going to be a difficult fight.”
Heng Swee Keat: “We cannot afford a gap in East Cost in these uncertain times.”
In relation to moving from Tampines GRC to East Coast GRC, Mr Heng noted that he “thought long and hard about it” and that PAP “cannot afford a gap in East Coast in these uncertain times.” -/TISG