'Doesn't mean we're gone,' Pritam Singh reassures Marine Parade residents
The WP team that had worked on the ground in the area would instead contest in Punggol.
Mr Singh, who explained in a post why the WP wasn't contesting the constituency, addressed the residents of Marine Parade-Bradell Heights directly, assuring them that it did not mean the opposition party had left them high and dry.
'I seek the understanding and forbearance in Marine Parade-Bradell Heights,' he said. 'It doesn't mean we're gone. We'll continue our work there after the General Elections, but I hope you understand we're a small political party. We try and put the best foot forward when we have to fight in an election campaign, and this is the strategy that we have taken for these elections, given what has happened with the boundary redrawing and other calculations that the Workers' Party certainly has to take into account.'
He later reiterated that he sought understanding from residents regarding the matter, but underlined that the WP 'has to move forward in this campaign.'
The WP's choice not to stand at Marine Parade-Bradell Heights, which is explained at length here , had been made 'with a heavy heart,' Mr Singh explained, calling it 'a very difficult decision for us.'
The Workers' Party was active in the area before 2015, and first contested Marine Parade GRC in 2015 when it lost to the PAP. In GE 2011, WP candidate Yee Jenn Jong lost at Joo Chiat SMC by only 388 votes. In the next election cycle, Joo Chiat was incorporated into Marine Parade GRC.
This year, however, Joo Chiat was taken out of Marine Parade GRC and put into East Coast GRC, while MacPherson SMC and other estates were included in the newly formed Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
The WP is fielding a team at East Coast GRC headed by Mr Yee .
While many online have said they understood the WP's decision not to contest at Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, it did not go over as well in some quarters.
Former WP member Goh Meng Seng, the head of the People's Power Party (PPP), called it 'purely irresponsible'.
'If they had made known they were going to abandon Marine Parade, we would have been game enough to say … We will move on to pick it up,' he added .
Others, however, have argued that the blame should be laid on this year's 'radical redrawing of boundaries'.
'We have no doubt that but for gerrymandering, WP's Marine Blue would have entered the arena and fought valiantly. If there was a walkover in a constituency where the Big 3 didn't contest, it wouldn't hurt as much. It hurts because we know the quality and calibre that the WP can offer voters,' a netizen countered.
'We know the odds are often stacked against the opposition! It has never been a level playing field. But with faith, sincerity, and hard work, you've proven time and again that you're a trusted opposition party,' another wrote.
'Concentrate on the deployment of the limited resources. Wise move… Slowly expand outwards. I believe voters have eyes to see,' a Facebook user wrote. /TISG
Read also: After 10 years, PAP wins a seat by walkover as WP declines to pursue Marine Parade
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
10 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Who's sitting where: Singapore Parliament releases seating arrangements, Singapore News
The seating plan for the 15th term of Parliament, set to convene on Sept 5, has been revealed. As per tradition, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong takes the middle spot of the first row on the right side of the Speaker. He will be flanked by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam. In the previous term of Parliament, PM Wong was seated between Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and then-Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. Meanwhile, the remaining 14 Cabinet ministers fill out the rest of the row. Leader of the House Indranee Rajah, who is the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, takes up her usual spot next to the Speaker. Behind the Cabinet ministers are the senior ministers of state, followed by the ministers of state and senior parliamentary secretaries. The remaining seats on the right side of the Speaker will be filled up by several first-term MPs. With the Singapore Parliament's layout modelled after the Westminster system, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh sits directly across from PM Wong. The Workers' Party (WP) chief is joined by the chairpersons of the Government parliamentary committees. They are 12 groups made up of People's Action Party (PAP) backbenchers which scrutinise various ministries' legislation and programmes. The new heads of the government parliamentary committees were named in July. Labour chief Ng Chee Meng is also in the row, while the rest of the PAP and WP MPs fill out the left side of the House. Following the May 3 General Election, the 15th Parliament has 99 MPs, an increase from the 95 in the previous term. The PAP has 87 seats, with the rest filled by the WP. The opposition party's team of 12 is its largest-ever in Parliament. It has 10 elected MPs and gained two Non-Constituency MPs in Eileen Chong and Andre Low. There will be a total of 29 first-time MPs sworn — 24 from the PAP and five from the WP. The incumbent, Seah Kian Peng, will be nominated for re-election as Speaker. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will then deliver his opening address, where he will outline the priorities, policies and programmes of the Government. Debates on the President's Address will subsequently occur between Sept 22 and 26. [[nid:719076]] chingshijie@
Straits Times
16 hours ago
- Straits Times
The Usual Place Podcast: There's no ‘I' in team - what PM Wong's National Day Rally message means for Singapore
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox 'It's not 'I' or 'me'. It's 'we'. To keep Singapore going, we must be a 'we first' society.' 'It's not 'I' or 'me'. It's 'we'. To keep Singapore going, we must be a 'we first' society.' This was Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's rallying call to strengthen the Singaporean Spirit – to put the welfare of the community ahead of individual interest. It came towards the end of his National Day Rally address on Aug 17, perhaps as a reminder that the way forward is not only paved by policies meant to fix problems. PM Wong's first NDR speech after the 2025 General Election emphasised that 'when the whole is strong, each of us becomes stronger too'. This message built on what was put forth during the Forward Singapore exercise – launched by the country's fourth-generation team of political leaders – to refresh Singapore's social compact and build a shared future. But how does this rallying call resonate with Singaporeans? It was PM Wong's second NDR rally at the head of the government , and his speech drew a range of reactions from political watchers and armchair critics. Prior to the 'we first' narrative, PM Wong spent a good portion of his speech highlighting a slew of issues and anxieties on the minds of Singaporeans. From announcing a job-matching initiative to figuring out the way forward with AI, and even tougher action by the Government on the vaping crisis, he peppered the speech with examples and videos. Was it a 'reassuring, optimistic (and) encouraging' speech – as one commentator put it – or did the lack of marquee announcements, in contrast to PM Wong's first outing, disappoint others? To unpack these questions in this episode of The Usual Place, I will be talking to Dr Rebecca Grace Tan, a political science lecturer at the National University of Singapore, and Mr Jeremy Tan, who ran as an independent candidate for Mountbatten SMC at GE2025. We'll chat about what this speech tells us about PM Wong's style of governance, and why he emphasised that Singapore needs to be a 'we first' society to keep going. Tune in at 12pm SGT/HKT to watch the livestream and share your thoughts on our YouTube channel. Follow The Usual Place Podcast, which goes live at noon every Thursday, and get notified for new episode drops: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify:
Independent Singapore
2 days ago
- Independent Singapore
Sylvia Lim on fellow WP leader Faisal Manap: 'I will miss him in Parliament.'
FB screengrab/ Sylvia Lim SINGAPORE: Workers' Party (WP) chair Sylvia Lim posted a photo of herself on Friday (Aug 15) together with party chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh and WP vice chair Faisal Manap, writing that she will miss Mr Faisal in Parliament. As the WP won again in Aljunied in the May 3 polls, Mr Singh and Ms Lim will be serving their fourth consecutive terms as MPs. However, Mr Faisal left the party's Aljunied team to contest at Tampines this year. Ms Lim, who has been with the WP the longest among the three leaders, posted a little bit about Mr Faisal's history with the party, saying that he joined in 2006 and had been an election agent that year. 'He later stepped up and became part of WP's central executive committee and a public face of WP. It was not easy for Faisal, a father of three, who faced various job challenges thereafter,' she wrote. She then went on to recount what happened during the General Election in 2011, when the three of them, together with former WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang and Chen Show Mao, were victorious at Aljunied. 'When it was announced that we had won, I instinctively turned to hug (Mr Manap), which startled him. To me, that moment was the culmination of many things – perseverance despite the odds, staying the course, and a belief in Singaporeans and in the future. In GE2025, he left Aljunied GRC to lead WP's team in Tampines, who did not win but performed very creditably. While I will miss him in Parliament, I am proud to call Faisal my comrade,' she added. Mr Faisal is well respected by many in Singapore, particularly in the Malay Muslim community. 'There is much to admire about him. His genuine humility, sincerity, and compassion make him a model of servant leadership,' the WP's newly minted Aljunied MP Fadli Fawzi wrote in May. When it was announced that he would leave the Aljunied team to lead the slate at Tampines, a Facebook user observed: 'Faisal Manap, the WP's sole Malay-Muslim MP since 2011, has been a vocal advocate for issues pertinent to the Malay-Muslim community. His parliamentary interventions have often highlighted concerns such as the right of Muslim women to wear the tudung in uniformed services, the need for halal kitchens in naval ships, and perceived discrimination against Malays in the armed forces. Faisal argues that Parliament is the appropriate platform to raise these community concerns, emphasising transparency and open dialogue.' 'We have faith in you, Faisal Manap. You've earned our respect through your integrity and service. As minority Malays and indigenous people of Singapore, we stand with you. Keep speaking with courage — you are not alone. #Respect #Leadership #FaisalManap,' wrote another. /TISG Read also: 'My dear brother has always wanted to stand in Tampines,' says Pritam Singh of Faisal Manap () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
