GE2025: PAP's Tampines team plans to ‘go back to the ground', gather feedback after narrow win

Straits Times

04-05-2025

SINGAPORE – The PAP team who retained Tampines GRC intends to go back to the ground to better understand issues facing residents, including those that run 'really deep', said Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli.
'We just finished the general election, so give us time. We want to go back to the ground, understand what these are, where there are really deep (issues), and where we need to bring people together,' he said on May 4, the day after the polls.
'Let's heal, let's work together as one united Tampines, and also as one united Singapore.'
He was speaking to reporters during a walkabout in Tampines to thank residents after his team won 52.02 per cent of the vote in one of the most hotly contested group representation constituencies in this election.
This was the PAP's narrowest winning margin in a group representation constituency for the 2025 General Election.
In the four-cornered contest for Tampines GRC, WP came in second with 47.37 per cent of the vote. The other two opposition parties polled less than 1 per cent each – the People's Power Party received 0.43 per cent of the vote, and the National Solidarity Party, 0.18 per cent.
Asked for his thoughts on the close winning margin, he said his team was humbled to have been voted in.
'Over the horizon, we are all worried about what may affect every one of us in every aspect of our lives, and we will bring everyone together to make sure that we come out of this always better than before.'
Mr Masagos, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, did not respond to questions about whether the team had expected such a close margin, or what could have led to it.
The winning PAP team included incumbents Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng, and new political entrants, former army chief David Neo and academic Charlene Chen.
On May 4, the team did walkabouts in Tampines Avenues 2, 3 and 9, and Tampines North Drive 2.
The Sunday morning crowd in the neighbourhoods surrounded the team, with many queueing for photos with them under the blazing sun.
Dr Chen said the team was ready to serve all Tampines residents, including those who did not vote for them.
'Our team is ready to hear whatever feedback, and we are ready to do the real work,' she said.
'We will need to hit the ground and start listening. That is what we need to do, but also to start acting on some of these things.'
Mr Neo added that he wants to champion greater support for young families.
'We work for all the residents, so that we can make every day great,' he said.
Tampines Changkat SMC
In the neighbouring Tampines Changkat single seat, the PAP's Desmond Choo made his way around Tampines Mart, coffee shops and a market to thank residents for electing him, despite getting only three hours of sleep after the result was announced.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of his walkabout, Mr Choo said it was not an easy campaign, adding that his WP opponent Kenneth Foo had campaigned with conviction.
'I am happy because it is the whole team's win, not just mine, but also for Tampines GRC,' he said.
Mr Choo said he has plans to address the issues brought up by residents months before the campaign.
He received an e-mail just 10 minutes after he was elected asking for help on these issues, he noted.
For instance, he said, he plans to raise funds to help chronically ill elderly residents with their medical expenses, and deal with the needs of younger residents of new Housing Board Build-To-Order flats in the area.
On the nationwide swing towards the PAP in the general election, Mr Choo said: 'That is a testimony of not only the efforts over the last term of office, but also faith that there is a good team of people that can navigate Singapore through potentially very choppy waters.'
East Coast GRC
The elected MPs for East Coast GRC spent the morning on an open-top bus tour to thank residents for supporting them.
Waving PAP East Coast flags, Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, Ms Jessica Tan, Madam Hazlina Abdul Halim and Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash made stops across the five divisions of the constituency, where they greeted residents and gave out magnets bearing the team's slogan, 'east side, best side'.
Mr Tong, the anchor minister for the team, said the five MPs' priority is to divide the constituency among themselves. They won 58.76 per cent of the vote, beating WP.
'There will have to be some alignment and some adjustments to make, given that we need to amalgamate different divisions among the five of us,' said Mr Tong, who was an MP for Marine Parade GRC in his previous term in Parliament.
The Joo Chiat ward he oversaw was carved out of that constituency to become part of East Coast.
Mr Tong said he will look into integrating 'the new kid on the block', Joo Chiat, with the rest of the constituency in terms of infrastructure and social programmes.
He had previously said that when planning for Joo Chiat's integration, the emphasis will be on minimising disruption to residents, while ensuring that programmes that have been promised or have started will continue.
Meanwhile, Mr Tan is the incumbent MP for the Kampong Chai Chee ward, while Ms Tan is the incumbent for the Changi Simei ward.
Madam Hazlina is expected to oversee the Siglap area, while Mr Dinesh takes over Bedok from outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
The MPs have yet to announce who will oversee retiring East Coast MP Cheryl Chan's Fengshan ward.
Since their team's win was confirmed in the early hours of May 4, Mr Tong has repeatedly mentioned the need to reach out to those who did not vote for the PAP.
At one of the stops on the bus tour, he told residents at a Siglap community event: 'We are looking forward to serving our East Coast residents even more, even better, and especially for those who did not support us.
'We will do our best to turn them around. We will do our best to improve their lives, and we will do our best to make sure that next time they will be on our side.'
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