GE2025: S'pore's international partners note strong show of support for PAP in poll results, says Josephine Teo
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SINGAPORE - Singapore's international partners have been watching the outcome of the May 3 general election, and apart from sending congratulatory messages, some have noted the strong showing for the ruling party.
Speaking to reporters on May 4, a day after the PAP clinched a landslide victory with vote share of 65.57 per cent, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said those 'watching from afar' have also commented that Singapore voters have been 'very rational in recognising the risks and uncertainties'.
'(Some have also) signalled their belief that a united Singapore is more prepared to weather these storms that are bound to hit Singapore,' she said of the PAP's win.
'(Looking) at the results for the PAP in this general election, I think it is a very strong signal of support for the team led by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong,' added Mrs Teo, who leads the PAP team that won Jalan Besar GRC.
Singaporeans have returned the ruling party to power, heeding PM Wong's call for a strong PAP team to steer Singapore through coming storms. The party secured 87 of 97 seats in an election that took place against a backdrop of global uncertainty and trade wars.
'At the national level, there are many issues that we must tackle. Certainly, the geopolitical disruptions and the total reset of the international trade system, as well as the world order that we used to know and benefit from, will challenge us in the next term of government,' Mrs Teo said.
She said that the government will identify ways to strengthen Singapore's position in this 'major reshuffling of circumstances'. She believes that Singapore has a strong parliament that will allow for the debate of options in a rational manner that also best serves the interests of its people.
Mrs Teo and her team of MPs-elect for Jalan Besar GRC were at Beo Crescent Market and Food Centre thanking residents for their support on May 4.
The PAP team that also includes Ms Denise Phua, Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah and new face Shawn Loh, won 75.21 per cent of the votes. They defeated the People's Alliance for Reform , an opposition coalition, that wrested 24.79 per cent of the votes.
Jalan Besar GRC MP-elect Josephine Teo embraces a resident while on a walkabout to thank supporters at Beo Crescent Market on May 4.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
Said Mrs Teo: 'We have always said we do not take any single vote for granted, and we have every intention of fulfilling our pledge – that is, to be honest, to be hard-working, and to be helpful in terms of the plans for our town.'
Meanwhile, the PAP teams from Bishan-Toa Payoh and Marymount were also making their rounds early on May 4, greeting residents from an open-top bus and making pit stops at markets and coffeeshops.
Expanding on an earlier pledge to push for a hawker centre in Bishan, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat told reporters that he will work with the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and National Environment Agency to achieve this. But it was still too early to give specifics.
'We see how hawker centres have benefited our residents in Toa Payoh and also in other towns, and I believe this will also benefit our residents here in Bishan,' said Mr Chee who had first raised this possibility at an April 30 rally.
The four-man team in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC led by Mr Chee, which also includes Mr Saktiandi Supaat, Mr Cai Yinzhou, and Ms Elysa Chen, garnered 75.21 per cent of the vote against the Singapore People's Party in the May 3 polls.
Mr Chee said he will get Ms Chen and Mr Cai, both political greenhorns, involved in town council work as he thinks it is a useful way for them to learn how to improve the lives of residents.
When asked about balancing his grassroots work with his ministerial duties, Mr Chee said it was important to build and empower a team he could work with on these matters.
MP-elect for Marymount SMC Gan Siow Hiang who will be returning for a second term told reporters at Bishan North Shopping Mall that she was humbled by the support and recognition from residents.
'I think the strong mandate gives us a lot of confidence that we should push ahead with the plans that we have in mind for Marymount,' said Ms Gan who captured 70.70 per cent of the vote share, against her PSP opponent Mr Jeffrey Khoo's 29.3 per cent.
Ms Gan also noted some areas of improvement, including providing more caregiver support to residents in Marymount, which has a large proportion of middle-aged, middle-class residents with elderly family members.
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