SINGAPORE: It is the candidate that matters, not the constituency.
That was the general sentiment of voters drawn into or out of four closely watched Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) in the new electoral map released on Mar 11.
CNA spoke to about 80 residents affected by the new boundaries for West Coast-Jurong West, East Coast, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights and Aljunied GRCs.
For most voters, the specifics of which GRC they are in do not affect their daily life. But questions linger about the reasons for the changes, with some speculating about political motives.
The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) gave brief reasons for the redrawing, related to uneven population growth across the island. It also had a mandate to maintain the average size of GRCs and ratio of voters to MPs.
People's Action Party (PAP) MPs described the electoral boundary changes as a reflection of the country’s population shifts, while opposition parties questioned the rationale and expressed unhappiness over the scale of the changes.
In parliament last year, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing rejected claims of gerrymandering by opposition MPs from PSP and WP, stressing that the EBRC does not make recommendations based on voting patterns, does not consult any political party, and comprises senior civil servants with no party allegiance.
Political observers differed on how the electoral boundaries would affect voting patterns.
Associate Professor Eugene Tan of Singapore Management University (SMU) said it was unlikely that these four GRCs would see “very different” voting patterns.
This is because Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates “dominate the political landscape, and with the Ethnic Integration Policy, the ‘average’ voter occupies the broad middle ground”. Even a district with no HDB estates would not move the needle, he said.
Independent political observer Felix Tan said the boundary changes would pose more of a challenge to the opposition parties.
“The more extensive the boundary changes, the more it would reduce the prospect of opposition parties performing well in an election unless they are the incumbent,” agreed Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore.
But he said this did not mean the votes in carved-out constituencies would go to the PAP, although that prospect was greater as the ruling party may currently have elected MPs there who oversee the needs of the residents.
Dr Mustafa highlighted “domestic bread-and-butter issues, estate maintenance and a more pluralistic parliament for checks and balances” as more pivotal considerations to voters.
“How they vote would depend on whether and to what extent are their housing, childcare, and/or eldercare needs met and whether they have a good sense of the challenges facing Singapore,” said Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).
“If they are also part of a critical, informed citizenry, they would have a good sense of the internal and external challenges facing Singapore and the need for strong unity among citizens and for capable, responsive leadership to help Singapore navigate the treacherous waters ahead,” he said.
CNA looks more closely at the electorate’s views in each district.
The newly renamed West Coast-Jurong West GRC absorbed 41,404 voters from Jurong GRC. This included Jurong West and the Taman Jurong ward, formerly under President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and now represented by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Finance Shawn Huang.
The 20 residents CNA spoke to were mostly unperturbed by the change. Some were not even aware that they would be voting in a different GRC.
Residents like Ms Ang, 29, voiced concern over having a different MP and whether they would perform well. But she acknowledged it was too soon to decide and would wait to see the candidates before deciding how to vote.
Others, like Mdm Sim, said party affiliation was more important. The coming election would be a first for the 50-year-old, who has lived in Jurong West for a decade but was granted citizenship just a year ago. "I will see who's representing us. But my vote will be based on the party," she said.
During the 2020 elections, Mr Tharman - who resigned from government and the PAP in July 2023 to run for president - led the PAP team which included Mr Huang, Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, Dr Tan Wu Meng and Mr Xie Yao Quan. They won against Red Dot United with 74.61 per cent of the vote.
Many in Taman Jurong spoke highly of Mr Huang, who took over the ward from Mr Tharman who resigned in 2023 to contest the presidential election.
"I can see he's putting in a lot of effort to get to know more about the people who live here," said Ms Yee, a 42-year-old resident of more than 20 years.
Generic picture of Taman Jurong Estate. (File photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
Ms Annie, 52, said Mr Huang's team has addressed "pretty much everything" when it came to residents' needs. "We have community centres, we have shopping. The roads are (built) in such a way that if you want to cross … it's much easier compared to before," she said.
"If it's someone else, as long as it caters to our needs, it should be fine," she added. "If they can do the necessary for the community and the neighbourhood, it doesn't really matter which GRC."
Ms Yee said: "Previously (Mr) Tharman has done a very, very good job over here. So we hope we get someone that will continue the good work that he's done."
On Mr Tharman's absence, Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore (NUS) said there may be some effect given that he had garnered more than 70 per cent of votes both in his constituency and nationally.
IPS’ Assoc Prof Tan added: "I believe his legacy would continue to have a significant influence on the shape of the battles in the wards constituting the old Jurong GRC."
Generic picture of Block 601 along West Coast Road. (File Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
The addition of these wards to West Coast GRC has been questioned by the opposition PSP. The PAP team, led by then-transport minister S Iswaran, beat their PSP opponents with 51.69 per cent of the vote at what was considered the tightest contest in the 2020 election.
Mr Iswaran was convicted in October last year of four charges of obtaining valuable gifts as a public servant and one charge of obstruction of justice.
“West Coast-Jurong West GRC promises to be another keen contest even if PSP would rather that the boundaries not be adjusted,” said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.
This is especially so with the inclusion of Taman Jurong where the PAP had always polled very well, he added.
Dr Mustafa's view was that the prospect of PSP winning West Coast-Jurong West has "conceivably decreased" due to the boundary changes.
"But it is still PSP's best bet to enter parliament by winning this GRC."
East Coast GRC has taken in 40,000 voters from Chai Chee and Siglap, formerly under Marine Parade GRC.
The PAP won one of its slimmest victories of GE2020 in East Coast, polling 53.39 per cent against the WP’s 46.61 per cent.
Led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, the PAP team also comprises Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Mohamad Maliki Osman, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How and backbenchers Jessica Teo and Cheryl Chan.
Chai Chee is part of Kembangan-Chai Chee ward under former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, who left politics over an extramarital affair in 2023.
CNA spoke to 20 residents in Chai Chee and Siglap. A few Chai Chee residents said there was no lapse in assistance after Mr Tan stepped down. Some were familiar with second grassroots adviser Choo Pei Ling, an assistant professor at Singapore Institute of Technology who is seen as the favourite to replace him.
Mr Tan was popular, but “not in the same overwhelming way” as Mr Tharman, so his absence would not make much of a difference to the vote, said NUS’ Assoc Prof Chong.
Siglap forms Joo Chiat ward, represented by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who has also been looking after Chai Chee since Mr Tan’s departure.
The PAP is “boosted” by Mr Tong potentially joining the line-up, but East Coast GRC is where the WP has usually fielded its strongest slate after Aljunied GRC, said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.
Chai Chee is an HDB estate while Siglap is full of landed and private homes. But residents felt similarly that whatever GRC they were in, what counted was having committed and competent MPs.
“We want the best for our place,” said Mdm Fauziah, 60, who grew up in Chai Chee. She and other older residents told CNA that they hoped their housing blocks, which date back to the 1970s, would be upgraded or redeveloped.
Public housing in East Coast GRC. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
People who live in landed areas are assumed to be rich, said pastor Daniel Tan, 54, but his fellow Siglap residents have varied needs. Some are “asset rich and cash poor”, live in rundown houses, and may fall through the cracks for government assistance because of the values of their homes, he said.
Residents differed on whether the move to another GRC would be beneficial in this respect.
Marketing manager William Ho, a 39-year-old lifelong Chai Chee resident, worried “whether we will be as well taken care of as last time, because the budget will be different, town council will be different” under East Coast GRC.
Most residents were not surprised by the change of GRC, noting that boundaries can change every election. Joo Chiat ward, for example, has been an SMC before.
But many in both Chai Chee and Siglap questioned why they were redrawn into East Coast GRC. They described the move as “odd”, “confusing”, “arbitrary” and possibly “political”, and wanted more transparency.
“What are the details? Is it because you’re trying to shoot for some median income in every single voting district?” asked a 48-year-old semi-retiree in Siglap.
“I think it made sense for a lot of other places, like Bidadari for example,” said another 37-year-old Siglap resident in the legal industry who did not want to be named.
“It didn’t make sense here, because it didn’t feel like there’s been a lot of population change … This is a redrawing because of changes elsewhere, as opposed to a change in this area.”
A bird's eye view of landed houses in Opera Estate and condominiums in Siglap. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
They mostly welcomed the prospect of another fierce electoral contest in East Coast GRC.
“To me, the fact that it was so closely fought (in GE2020) meant that the opposition candidates must have been of quite a high calibre. If not, most thinking voters would have just voted for the PAP,” said Mdm Tay, a long-time Telok Kurau resident in her 60s.
After giving up some polling districts to East Coast, the renamed Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC also took in some new areas. The main change is that it has reabsorbed MacPherson SMC.
Two polling districts from Potong Pasir will be moved to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, because of new flats in Bidadari, and one polling district from Mountbatten SMC will also be moved to the reconstituted GRC.
MacPherson, which includes Circuit Road and areas of Paya Lebar, was a part of the former Marine Parade GRC until it was carved out in 2015.
MP Tin Pei Ling, who had a rocky start as a young candidate in the Marine Parade GRC team in 2011, won convincingly in the SMC for the past two elections. In the last election in 2020, she beat People’s Power Party’s Goh Meng Seng with a substantial margin of 71.74 per cent.
Most of the 20 MacPherson residents CNA spoke to were unfazed at the prospect of joining Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, as the SMC has been part of Marine Parade GRC before. In fact, a fair number of residents were unaware of the electoral boundary change.
Some noted that the town councils are now jointly run, and they do not expect to see any change to how their estate is managed. Many also thought that Ms Tin will continue to be their MP even with the boundaries redrawn.
Retiree KT Tang, 84, said he has voted in Geylang West SMC, Jalan Besar GRC, Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson SMC before, and the constituency he’s in won’t affect how he votes.
The Marine Parade Town Council oversees MacPherson and Mountbatten on top of areas in Marine Parade GRC, which comprises Kembangan - Chai Chee, Joo Chiat, Marine Parade, Geylang Serai and Braddell Heights.
However, a few residents mentioned that they would have to look into the performance of other candidates in Marine Parade and what plans they have for the GRC.
The current PAP team comprises Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Mr Fahmi Aliman and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, after former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin stepped down in July 2023. Mr Tong, who is MP for Joo Chiat division, could potentially move to East Coast GRC with his current ward.
Ms Wan Salwa, 62, who lives in the Circuit Road area in MacPherson, said that Ms Tin is popular with the elderly residents in the area, but she will wait to see who the final slate of candidates are before she decides.
“We have to see who is going to lead, how active these MPs and grassroots are … who will be serving you,” she said.
However, some residents had suspicions that the change may be for political reasons and were not just due to demographic changes.
Mr Ng, a 23-year-old student, said that he was not very involved in politics, but thinks that it’s harder for the opposition to contest in a GRC. “Hopefully, that’s not the reason (for the change),” he said.
Mr Kua Kok Wah, 66, a retiree summed up his view in a Hokkien phrase: “Bo bian (no choice). Need to save Marine Parade.”
When asked why Marine Parade GRC needs to be “saved”, he said in Mandarin that Ms Tin’s vote share in MacPherson is high and will go towards shoring up the votes in the GRC.
The PAP team in Marine Parade GRC won against the WP in GE2020 by 57.74 per cent, a drop in vote share from when former prime minister Goh Chok Tong helmed the GRC. ESM Goh retired from politics in 2020.
On this, SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan said: “The PAP will welcome the inclusion of MacPherson, and parts of Potong Pasir where the PAP did well in the last GE. These may even result in a net gain after taking into account the loss of Edwin Tong’s district to East Coast GRC.”
The boundaries of Aljunied GRC, which has been a stronghold for WP since their win against the PAP 14 years ago, were redrawn for the first time since the 2011 hustings.
Three polling districts in Aljunied GRC, which holds almost 4,000 voters, will be moved to Tampines GRC in the upcoming election.
The 2020 contest saw WP win almost 60 per cent of votes against PAP in Aljunied GRC, while the PAP won more than 66 per cent of votes against WP in Tampines GRC.
Tampines, a five-member GRC, is led by Minister for Social and Family Development Mr Masagos Zulkifli. The other MPs in the constituency are Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng and Mr Desmond Choo, who serves as Mayor of North East District. Ms Cheng Li Hui resigned in 2023 over an affair she had with Mr Tan Chuan-Jin.
Aljunied GRC is led by WP secretary-general Pritam Singh. The other MPs are Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Gerald Giam and Mr Faisal Manap. Mr Leon Perera resigned in 2023, over an extramarital affair with senior WP member Nicole Seah.
CNA spoke to 21 residents in the districts moving from Aljunied to Tampines GRC. Many residents of Tampines GreenGem, a recently completed Build-to-Order (BTO) estate, said they did not have strong feelings about leaving Aljunied GRC because they have only lived in the housing estate for a couple of months.
“I don’t feel any different since I lived in Tampines GRC before moving. They did a very good job taking care of residents there, so I hope that remains,” said 64-year-old retiree Mdm Lee.
Ms Lee, 32, said she was “happy to some extent to be moved to a PAP ward, especially a strong one”. She hopes to see more being done to manage the morning rush hour traffic.
Tampines GreenGem, a BTO project which was completed in March 2024. (Photo: CNA/Charmaine Jacob)
However, others worried about a drop in service levels as Aljunied-Hougang Town Council has done a good job in addressing municipal issues.
Mdm Elva Siaw, a 41-year-old homemaker, said that living in a new estate meant that there is still much maintenance work to be carried out.
“Tampines (GRC) will be run by PAP, but it’s a big area with many people and I don’t know if they will be able to give the new residents as much focus and time,” she said.
Some residents brought up similar worries, highlighting that issues such as dim lighting in car parks and a rat infestation were promptly dealt with.
“It’s a big GRC, so they should be able to handle the issues that come with a new estate where residents are moving in in stages,” said 31-year-old Terrence Yong, who nonetheless felt “a bit sad” to be leaving Aljunied GRC.
Several said MP Gerald Giam has been attentive to their needs, and that he is often spoken about “favourably” in the resident-run Telegram group.
Tropica Condominium located at Tampines Avenue 1. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
At another district along Tampines Avenue 1 where two condominiums will soon come under Tampines GRC, residents were similarly indifferent to the change.
“No difference … the condo management takes care of the maintenance,” said 56-year-old Tropica resident Mr Khoo. He added that this is a “political game”, but declined to elaborate further.
Mr Suresh Sree, a 60-year-old working in the services industry, said he has lived at Tropica for the last seven years and always wondered why it was part of Aljunied GRC. "It makes more sense to be under Tampines,” he said.
Still, he questioned the need for boundary changes, describing it as "gerrymandering".
Homemaker Mdm Tania, who lives in Waterview condominium, said that although it is good to have an opposition voice in the government, she “finds nothing wrong” with being moved to Tampines GRC.
“I’m not for or against a certain party. I see who the candidates are, especially the main man,” the 50-year-old said. “I’d still compare both sides as the opposition may field a good contender.
“The electoral boundaries do not change where I live, as long as my voice gets heard,” Mdm Tania added.
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That was the general sentiment of voters drawn into or out of four closely watched Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) in the new electoral map released on Mar 11.
CNA spoke to about 80 residents affected by the new boundaries for West Coast-Jurong West, East Coast, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights and Aljunied GRCs.
For most voters, the specifics of which GRC they are in do not affect their daily life. But questions linger about the reasons for the changes, with some speculating about political motives.
The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) gave brief reasons for the redrawing, related to uneven population growth across the island. It also had a mandate to maintain the average size of GRCs and ratio of voters to MPs.
People's Action Party (PAP) MPs described the electoral boundary changes as a reflection of the country’s population shifts, while opposition parties questioned the rationale and expressed unhappiness over the scale of the changes.
In parliament last year, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing rejected claims of gerrymandering by opposition MPs from PSP and WP, stressing that the EBRC does not make recommendations based on voting patterns, does not consult any political party, and comprises senior civil servants with no party allegiance.
Political observers differed on how the electoral boundaries would affect voting patterns.
Associate Professor Eugene Tan of Singapore Management University (SMU) said it was unlikely that these four GRCs would see “very different” voting patterns.
This is because Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates “dominate the political landscape, and with the Ethnic Integration Policy, the ‘average’ voter occupies the broad middle ground”. Even a district with no HDB estates would not move the needle, he said.
Independent political observer Felix Tan said the boundary changes would pose more of a challenge to the opposition parties.
“The more extensive the boundary changes, the more it would reduce the prospect of opposition parties performing well in an election unless they are the incumbent,” agreed Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore.
But he said this did not mean the votes in carved-out constituencies would go to the PAP, although that prospect was greater as the ruling party may currently have elected MPs there who oversee the needs of the residents.
Dr Mustafa highlighted “domestic bread-and-butter issues, estate maintenance and a more pluralistic parliament for checks and balances” as more pivotal considerations to voters.
“How they vote would depend on whether and to what extent are their housing, childcare, and/or eldercare needs met and whether they have a good sense of the challenges facing Singapore,” said Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).
“If they are also part of a critical, informed citizenry, they would have a good sense of the internal and external challenges facing Singapore and the need for strong unity among citizens and for capable, responsive leadership to help Singapore navigate the treacherous waters ahead,” he said.
CNA looks more closely at the electorate’s views in each district.
WEST COAST-JURONG WEST
The newly renamed West Coast-Jurong West GRC absorbed 41,404 voters from Jurong GRC. This included Jurong West and the Taman Jurong ward, formerly under President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and now represented by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Finance Shawn Huang.
The 20 residents CNA spoke to were mostly unperturbed by the change. Some were not even aware that they would be voting in a different GRC.
Residents like Ms Ang, 29, voiced concern over having a different MP and whether they would perform well. But she acknowledged it was too soon to decide and would wait to see the candidates before deciding how to vote.
Others, like Mdm Sim, said party affiliation was more important. The coming election would be a first for the 50-year-old, who has lived in Jurong West for a decade but was granted citizenship just a year ago. "I will see who's representing us. But my vote will be based on the party," she said.
During the 2020 elections, Mr Tharman - who resigned from government and the PAP in July 2023 to run for president - led the PAP team which included Mr Huang, Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, Dr Tan Wu Meng and Mr Xie Yao Quan. They won against Red Dot United with 74.61 per cent of the vote.
Many in Taman Jurong spoke highly of Mr Huang, who took over the ward from Mr Tharman who resigned in 2023 to contest the presidential election.
"I can see he's putting in a lot of effort to get to know more about the people who live here," said Ms Yee, a 42-year-old resident of more than 20 years.
Generic picture of Taman Jurong Estate. (File photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
Ms Annie, 52, said Mr Huang's team has addressed "pretty much everything" when it came to residents' needs. "We have community centres, we have shopping. The roads are (built) in such a way that if you want to cross … it's much easier compared to before," she said.
"If it's someone else, as long as it caters to our needs, it should be fine," she added. "If they can do the necessary for the community and the neighbourhood, it doesn't really matter which GRC."
Ms Yee said: "Previously (Mr) Tharman has done a very, very good job over here. So we hope we get someone that will continue the good work that he's done."
On Mr Tharman's absence, Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore (NUS) said there may be some effect given that he had garnered more than 70 per cent of votes both in his constituency and nationally.
IPS’ Assoc Prof Tan added: "I believe his legacy would continue to have a significant influence on the shape of the battles in the wards constituting the old Jurong GRC."
Generic picture of Block 601 along West Coast Road. (File Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
The addition of these wards to West Coast GRC has been questioned by the opposition PSP. The PAP team, led by then-transport minister S Iswaran, beat their PSP opponents with 51.69 per cent of the vote at what was considered the tightest contest in the 2020 election.
Mr Iswaran was convicted in October last year of four charges of obtaining valuable gifts as a public servant and one charge of obstruction of justice.
“West Coast-Jurong West GRC promises to be another keen contest even if PSP would rather that the boundaries not be adjusted,” said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.
This is especially so with the inclusion of Taman Jurong where the PAP had always polled very well, he added.
Dr Mustafa's view was that the prospect of PSP winning West Coast-Jurong West has "conceivably decreased" due to the boundary changes.
"But it is still PSP's best bet to enter parliament by winning this GRC."
EAST COAST
East Coast GRC has taken in 40,000 voters from Chai Chee and Siglap, formerly under Marine Parade GRC.
The PAP won one of its slimmest victories of GE2020 in East Coast, polling 53.39 per cent against the WP’s 46.61 per cent.
Led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, the PAP team also comprises Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Mohamad Maliki Osman, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How and backbenchers Jessica Teo and Cheryl Chan.
Chai Chee is part of Kembangan-Chai Chee ward under former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, who left politics over an extramarital affair in 2023.
CNA spoke to 20 residents in Chai Chee and Siglap. A few Chai Chee residents said there was no lapse in assistance after Mr Tan stepped down. Some were familiar with second grassroots adviser Choo Pei Ling, an assistant professor at Singapore Institute of Technology who is seen as the favourite to replace him.
Mr Tan was popular, but “not in the same overwhelming way” as Mr Tharman, so his absence would not make much of a difference to the vote, said NUS’ Assoc Prof Chong.
Siglap forms Joo Chiat ward, represented by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who has also been looking after Chai Chee since Mr Tan’s departure.
The PAP is “boosted” by Mr Tong potentially joining the line-up, but East Coast GRC is where the WP has usually fielded its strongest slate after Aljunied GRC, said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.
Chai Chee is an HDB estate while Siglap is full of landed and private homes. But residents felt similarly that whatever GRC they were in, what counted was having committed and competent MPs.
“We want the best for our place,” said Mdm Fauziah, 60, who grew up in Chai Chee. She and other older residents told CNA that they hoped their housing blocks, which date back to the 1970s, would be upgraded or redeveloped.
Public housing in East Coast GRC. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
People who live in landed areas are assumed to be rich, said pastor Daniel Tan, 54, but his fellow Siglap residents have varied needs. Some are “asset rich and cash poor”, live in rundown houses, and may fall through the cracks for government assistance because of the values of their homes, he said.
Residents differed on whether the move to another GRC would be beneficial in this respect.
Marketing manager William Ho, a 39-year-old lifelong Chai Chee resident, worried “whether we will be as well taken care of as last time, because the budget will be different, town council will be different” under East Coast GRC.
Most residents were not surprised by the change of GRC, noting that boundaries can change every election. Joo Chiat ward, for example, has been an SMC before.
But many in both Chai Chee and Siglap questioned why they were redrawn into East Coast GRC. They described the move as “odd”, “confusing”, “arbitrary” and possibly “political”, and wanted more transparency.
“What are the details? Is it because you’re trying to shoot for some median income in every single voting district?” asked a 48-year-old semi-retiree in Siglap.
“I think it made sense for a lot of other places, like Bidadari for example,” said another 37-year-old Siglap resident in the legal industry who did not want to be named.
“It didn’t make sense here, because it didn’t feel like there’s been a lot of population change … This is a redrawing because of changes elsewhere, as opposed to a change in this area.”
A bird's eye view of landed houses in Opera Estate and condominiums in Siglap. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
They mostly welcomed the prospect of another fierce electoral contest in East Coast GRC.
“To me, the fact that it was so closely fought (in GE2020) meant that the opposition candidates must have been of quite a high calibre. If not, most thinking voters would have just voted for the PAP,” said Mdm Tay, a long-time Telok Kurau resident in her 60s.
MARINE PARADE-BRADDELL HEIGHTS
After giving up some polling districts to East Coast, the renamed Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC also took in some new areas. The main change is that it has reabsorbed MacPherson SMC.
Two polling districts from Potong Pasir will be moved to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, because of new flats in Bidadari, and one polling district from Mountbatten SMC will also be moved to the reconstituted GRC.
MacPherson, which includes Circuit Road and areas of Paya Lebar, was a part of the former Marine Parade GRC until it was carved out in 2015.
MP Tin Pei Ling, who had a rocky start as a young candidate in the Marine Parade GRC team in 2011, won convincingly in the SMC for the past two elections. In the last election in 2020, she beat People’s Power Party’s Goh Meng Seng with a substantial margin of 71.74 per cent.
Most of the 20 MacPherson residents CNA spoke to were unfazed at the prospect of joining Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, as the SMC has been part of Marine Parade GRC before. In fact, a fair number of residents were unaware of the electoral boundary change.
Some noted that the town councils are now jointly run, and they do not expect to see any change to how their estate is managed. Many also thought that Ms Tin will continue to be their MP even with the boundaries redrawn.
Retiree KT Tang, 84, said he has voted in Geylang West SMC, Jalan Besar GRC, Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson SMC before, and the constituency he’s in won’t affect how he votes.
The Marine Parade Town Council oversees MacPherson and Mountbatten on top of areas in Marine Parade GRC, which comprises Kembangan - Chai Chee, Joo Chiat, Marine Parade, Geylang Serai and Braddell Heights.
However, a few residents mentioned that they would have to look into the performance of other candidates in Marine Parade and what plans they have for the GRC.
The current PAP team comprises Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Mr Fahmi Aliman and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, after former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin stepped down in July 2023. Mr Tong, who is MP for Joo Chiat division, could potentially move to East Coast GRC with his current ward.
Ms Wan Salwa, 62, who lives in the Circuit Road area in MacPherson, said that Ms Tin is popular with the elderly residents in the area, but she will wait to see who the final slate of candidates are before she decides.
“We have to see who is going to lead, how active these MPs and grassroots are … who will be serving you,” she said.
However, some residents had suspicions that the change may be for political reasons and were not just due to demographic changes.
Mr Ng, a 23-year-old student, said that he was not very involved in politics, but thinks that it’s harder for the opposition to contest in a GRC. “Hopefully, that’s not the reason (for the change),” he said.
Mr Kua Kok Wah, 66, a retiree summed up his view in a Hokkien phrase: “Bo bian (no choice). Need to save Marine Parade.”
When asked why Marine Parade GRC needs to be “saved”, he said in Mandarin that Ms Tin’s vote share in MacPherson is high and will go towards shoring up the votes in the GRC.
The PAP team in Marine Parade GRC won against the WP in GE2020 by 57.74 per cent, a drop in vote share from when former prime minister Goh Chok Tong helmed the GRC. ESM Goh retired from politics in 2020.
On this, SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan said: “The PAP will welcome the inclusion of MacPherson, and parts of Potong Pasir where the PAP did well in the last GE. These may even result in a net gain after taking into account the loss of Edwin Tong’s district to East Coast GRC.”
ALJUNIED
The boundaries of Aljunied GRC, which has been a stronghold for WP since their win against the PAP 14 years ago, were redrawn for the first time since the 2011 hustings.
Three polling districts in Aljunied GRC, which holds almost 4,000 voters, will be moved to Tampines GRC in the upcoming election.
The 2020 contest saw WP win almost 60 per cent of votes against PAP in Aljunied GRC, while the PAP won more than 66 per cent of votes against WP in Tampines GRC.
Tampines, a five-member GRC, is led by Minister for Social and Family Development Mr Masagos Zulkifli. The other MPs in the constituency are Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng and Mr Desmond Choo, who serves as Mayor of North East District. Ms Cheng Li Hui resigned in 2023 over an affair she had with Mr Tan Chuan-Jin.
Aljunied GRC is led by WP secretary-general Pritam Singh. The other MPs are Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Gerald Giam and Mr Faisal Manap. Mr Leon Perera resigned in 2023, over an extramarital affair with senior WP member Nicole Seah.
CNA spoke to 21 residents in the districts moving from Aljunied to Tampines GRC. Many residents of Tampines GreenGem, a recently completed Build-to-Order (BTO) estate, said they did not have strong feelings about leaving Aljunied GRC because they have only lived in the housing estate for a couple of months.
“I don’t feel any different since I lived in Tampines GRC before moving. They did a very good job taking care of residents there, so I hope that remains,” said 64-year-old retiree Mdm Lee.
Ms Lee, 32, said she was “happy to some extent to be moved to a PAP ward, especially a strong one”. She hopes to see more being done to manage the morning rush hour traffic.
Tampines GreenGem, a BTO project which was completed in March 2024. (Photo: CNA/Charmaine Jacob)
However, others worried about a drop in service levels as Aljunied-Hougang Town Council has done a good job in addressing municipal issues.
Mdm Elva Siaw, a 41-year-old homemaker, said that living in a new estate meant that there is still much maintenance work to be carried out.
“Tampines (GRC) will be run by PAP, but it’s a big area with many people and I don’t know if they will be able to give the new residents as much focus and time,” she said.
Some residents brought up similar worries, highlighting that issues such as dim lighting in car parks and a rat infestation were promptly dealt with.
“It’s a big GRC, so they should be able to handle the issues that come with a new estate where residents are moving in in stages,” said 31-year-old Terrence Yong, who nonetheless felt “a bit sad” to be leaving Aljunied GRC.
Several said MP Gerald Giam has been attentive to their needs, and that he is often spoken about “favourably” in the resident-run Telegram group.
Tropica Condominium located at Tampines Avenue 1. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
At another district along Tampines Avenue 1 where two condominiums will soon come under Tampines GRC, residents were similarly indifferent to the change.
“No difference … the condo management takes care of the maintenance,” said 56-year-old Tropica resident Mr Khoo. He added that this is a “political game”, but declined to elaborate further.
Mr Suresh Sree, a 60-year-old working in the services industry, said he has lived at Tropica for the last seven years and always wondered why it was part of Aljunied GRC. "It makes more sense to be under Tampines,” he said.
Still, he questioned the need for boundary changes, describing it as "gerrymandering".
Homemaker Mdm Tania, who lives in Waterview condominium, said that although it is good to have an opposition voice in the government, she “finds nothing wrong” with being moved to Tampines GRC.
“I’m not for or against a certain party. I see who the candidates are, especially the main man,” the 50-year-old said. “I’d still compare both sides as the opposition may field a good contender.
“The electoral boundaries do not change where I live, as long as my voice gets heard,” Mdm Tania added.
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