SINGAPORE: Singapore People’s Party (SPP) secretary-general Steve Chia believes his team will perform better in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC at the May 3 General Election, now with Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen stepping down from the constituency’s People’s Action Party (PAP) team.
Dr Ng entered politics more than two decades ago in 2001, and has served in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC since then.
During a walkabout at Block 75 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh Food Centre on Monday night (Apr 21), Mr Chia said: “When we read that Dr Ng Eng Hen has retired, in a way, it’s a big relief for me, because he’s a giant for the PAP in this area.”
He added that without Dr Ng at the helm, he hopes SPP can garner over 40 per cent of the votes in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
“We are fighting to win, but we recognise that is a very uphill task, and we’re doing whatever we can to make sure that it’s a good fight, it’s a fair fight, it’s a responsible fight,” he noted.
Dr Ng has served Bishan-Toa Payoh for almost 24 years, having defeated an SPP team in the last three elections. During his political career, he had served as Minister for Education, Minister for Manpower, and is the longest-serving Defence Minister.
In the 2020 election, Mr Chia led his SPP team at the GRC against Dr Ng’s team, garnering 32.77 per cent of the vote.
This election, he will be up against a PAP team led by Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat. Mr Saktiandi Supaat and two new faces, charity director Elysa Chen, and social entrepreneur Cai Yinzhou, round out the four-member slate.
Mr Chia will lead a slate of two new faces: Mr Muhammad Norhakim, an operations executive, and Mr Lim Rui Xian, who is self-employed.
He did not reveal the fourth member, but hinted that it would likely be either party chairman Melvyn Chiu or treasurer Williiamson Lee – both of whom had contested alongside him in the last election.
Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC has 98,505 registered electors. It is one of five GRCs to keep its electoral boundaries in the recent Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report.
“We think there’s a better chance or equal chance,” said Mr Chia.
However, he acknowledged that for most opposition parties, defeating the incumbent remains an uphill battle.
“I think that the chances for all opposition parties is an uphill task, its not easy,” he said.
He said that in his view, the “only party” that has a “very good chance” is the Workers’ Party.
“I am rooting for this Workers’ Party, and I think that they have a very good chance of winning another GRC this time,” he said.
“The other parties, we are basically making sure that the PAP MPs are accountable for their policies,” he added.
This will be Mr Chia’s sixth time standing in a General Election. He was a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament from 2001 to 2006 – landing the seat after he contested Chua Chu Kang SMC under the Singapore Democratic Alliance’s banner.
PREPARED FOR THREE-WAY FIGHT AT POTONG PASIR
For the coming election, SPP will also contest Potong Pasir SMC.
The People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR) had also claimed that it would contest the SMC.
This prompted Mr Chia to write an email to the alliance “about three to four days ago” to avoid a three-cornered fight, but he has not gotten a reply.
“We have written to them to seriously consider not coming in for the three-cornered fight, but if they intend to, then we are prepared for the three-cornered fight,” he said.
“We are very clear that we are not giving up Potong Pasir, we will field somebody there to contest the area.”
Mr Chia did not reveal who the potential candidate at the former opposition…
