[SINGAPORE] The People’s Action Party (PAP) managed to retain its seats in Tampines GRC with a narrow margin of 52.02 per cent against new challenger, the Workers’ Party (WP), which achieved 47.37 per cent of the votes.
As for the other challengers, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) got 0.18 per cent while the People’s Power Party (PPP) garnered 0.43 per cent. Both parties lost their election deposits as they failed to secure more than 12.5 per cent of the votes.
During the nine days of campaigning, Tampines GRC – the only four-cornered fight of the general election (GE) – shaped up to be one of the most hotly contested constituencies, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong appearing alongside the PAP team during the hustings.
The PAP slate is helmed by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, who has been at Tampines GRC since his election debut in 2006.
He leads a team which includes Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon; Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Baey Yam Keng; as well as two newcomers, former army chief David Neo and university professor Charlene Chen.
The PAP incumbents had secured Tampines GRC in GE2020 with 66.41 per cent of the votes, when it was running against a team from NSP.
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The vote share in this GE, however, dropped significantly with WP entering the fray, which fielded a team made up of mainly new faces.
These new faces – Ong Lue Ping, Jimmy Tan, Eileen Chong and Michael Thng – were led by veteran opposition Member of Parliament Faisal Manap, who served at Aljunied GRC for the past three terms.
This was the first time the WP has fielded a team in Tampines GRC, after it started outreach efforts in 2022.
Besides WP, PPP also threw its hat in the ring with a team led by party secretary-general Goh Meng Seng. Other members include party chairman Derrick Sim, Vere Nathan, Arbaah Haroun and Peter Soh.
As for NSP, party president Reno Fong and vice-president Mohd Ridzwan Mohammad – both of whom contested in Tampines in GE2020 – returned, and were joined by assistant secretary-general Eugene Yeo, and two new candidates: Zee Phay and Thamilselvan Karuppaya.
PAP’s Choo wins Tampines Changkat SMC
In the neighbouring Tampines Changkat SMC, PAP’s Desmond Choo defended the single seat, scoring 56.17 per cent of the votes against his challenger, Kenneth Foo, who is from WP.
Choo has been MP for the Tampines Changkat division since he was first elected in 2015, before it was carved out of Tampines GRC for this year’s election.
When he was part of the PAP team contesting in Tampines GRC in GE2020, the ruling party won 66.41 per cent of the votes against NSP.
Choo is no stranger to going up one-on-one against opponents from WP.
The assistant secretary-general for the National Trades Union Congress made his electoral debut in GE2011 when he lost to WP candidate Yaw Shin Leong in Hougang SMC.
He was defeated again by WP candidate Png Eng Huat when a by-election was called in 2012 after Yaw stepped down following an affair.
While he lost twice to WP in Hougang, he managed a victory against Foo this time in Tampines Changkat SMC. Foo had contested in East Coast GRC in 2020, and Nee Soon GRC in 2015.
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