GE2025: Five questions to be answered on Nomination Day
Yusof Ishak Secondary School is the nomination centre for East Coast, Pasir Ris-Changi, Punggol and Sengkang GRCs. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
GE2025: Five questions to be answered on Nomination Day
SINGAPORE - The ruling PAP is expected to face contests in all 97 seats, with 10 opposition parties likely to field candidates in every constituency when nomination proceedings close at noon on April 23.
Follow our live coverage on Nomination Day as the parties unveil their final line-ups for the May 3 general election.
Here are five things to look out for:
1) Where will the political heavyweights be fielded?
Back in 2020, something was clearly afoot at the St Anthony's Canossian Primary School nomination centre, when the PAP team for East Coast GRC arrived without an anchor minister.
With the retirement of former frontbencher Lim Swee Say, there had been a question mark over who would lead the PAP team in the constituency .
The answer came later that morning when Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat was spotted at the nomination centre.
Five years on, surprises are expected on Nomination Day again, with the deployments of several political heavyweights still unclear.
This includes whether DPM Heng will continue to anchor East Coast GRC, be fielded in another constituency, or retire from politics.
It appears certain that Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong will move from Marine Parade GRC to East Coast GRC, which has absorbed his Joo Chiat ward.
He was introduced b y Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman as the team's leader in an April 19 visit to Bedok, although Mr Tong later said that 'ministers are leaders of the GRC as a team,' and that DPM Heng is also a minister.
There is also a question mark over PAP's deployment of Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean. He announced on April 21 that he will not be standing for re-election in the new Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, but added that he was still 'available to contribute'.
Asked if he would be moving to Punggol GRC, SM Teo requested for a 'little bit of patience', saying that 'everything will be clear' by Nomination Day.
The slate in Tanjong Pagar GRC, anchored by Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, is up in the air after Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah's surprise move to the new Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.
Then there is Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, who currently serves in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC. With the new Punggol GRC carved out for this election, there is a chance he could be tapped to anchor the team there.
While PAP teams in GRCs are typically led by a full minister, Dr Janil, as an incumbent and political office-holder, is one option to lead the team in Punggol.
On the WP side, there are similar uncertainties over where the party's heavyweights could be fielded. The WP has kept its electoral cards close to its chest and not confirmed its lineup or which constituencies it will contest.
There has been chatter that party chief Pritam Singh could move out of Aljunied GRC to contest East Coast GRC. It is also unclear whether any of the other incumbent WP MPs in Aljunied - Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Faisal Manap and Mr Gerald Giam - could be fielded elsewhere.
As for the party's new faces, senior counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal has been spotted walking the ground in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC but could end up being fielded in East Coast GRC.
2) Which new faces will be on the PAP slate in East Coast and Punggol?
The PAP has yet to unveil its lineup for five constituencies - East Coast, Punggol and Tanjong Pagar GRCs, and Radin Mas and Queenstown SMCs.
Potential PAP candidates have stepped up their ground efforts in these hotly contested constituencies.
In East Coast, new face Hazlina Abdul Halim looks set to take over the Siglap ward from Dr Maliki, who announced his retirement from politics on April 21.
(From left) PAP new faces Hazlina Abdul Halim and Goh Pei Ming with Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, Ms Jessica Tan and Mr Tan Kiat How at Bedok Food Centre and Market on April 15.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, the former chief executive of the Agency for Integrated Care, was seen with East Coast GRC MPs at community events in the constituency soon after he resigned on March 28.
More recently, former brigadier-general Goh Pei Ming has been a regular presence on the ground with the incumbent East Coast GRC MPs.
Mr Goh has also been spotted in the new Punggol GRC, along with former Ministry of Transport director Foo Cexiang.
3) Where will the WP's new faces be fielded?
Of the 14 new faces introduced by WP so far, the opposition party has specified where only two would be fielded: technology start-up director Kenneth Tiong in Aljunied GRC, and town council senior property manager Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik in Sengkang GRC.
The party is being deliberate about how it unveils its deployment of candidates. In an April 20 press conference to introduce its final batch of new candidates, WP chief Pritam Singh requested for voters to 'understand how we have to determine what are the best prospects of success' for the party.
Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh (third from left) and chairman Sylvia Lim (third from right) with new faces (from left) Eileen Chong, Siti Alia Abdul Rahim Mattar, Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik and Kenneth Tiong on April 17.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
While no official announcements have been made about where the rest of the WP candidates would be fielded, ground activity and GRC composition requirements offer some clues.
Mr Jimmy Tan, Mr Andre Low and Mr Jasper Kuan have been spotted in Tampines, while Dr Ong Lue Ping has been seen walking the ground in Punggol.
Mr Jackson Au has been pictured with the party's Marine Parade team.
Political observers reckon that new face Paris V. Parameswari could be fielded in Punggol GRC, which requires one candidate who is Indian or from another minority community.
4) How many multi-cornered fights will there be?
Since Singapore's redrawn electoral boundaries were unveiled on March 11, political parties have wasted no time staking their claim across constituencies islandwide.
Based on party movements observed on the ground and statements made by politicians, at least four constituencies could see multi-cornered fights.
This includes a potential four-way contest in Tampines GRC involving the PAP, WP, National Solidarity Party, and People's Power Party.
Three-cornered fights are also shaping up in Ang Mo Kio and Sembawang GRCs, as well as Potong Pasir SMC.
Many potential multi-cornered fights evolved into one-on-one duels with the PAP in past elections, as opposition parties coordinated to avoid vote-splitting.
This year, some opposition parties have already indicated they would pull back from certain areas following closed-door discussions, but it remains to be seen if others will follow suit.
5) Who else will bow out of politics?
(From left) PAP veterans such as Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman and Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor have announced their retirement from politics in the lead-up to Nomination Day.
PHOTOS: BRIAN TEO, BARITA HARIAN, ST FILE
Several PAP veterans have announced their retirement from politics in the lead-up to Nomination Day.
They include Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Dr Maliki, both of whom have served five terms since 2001.
Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor and two-term MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Chong Kee Hiong have also announced their retirements.
A number of first-term MPs have stated they will not be standing for re-election. This includes Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Don Wee and Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Ng Ling Ling
ST had reported that about 20 PAP MPs are likely to retire before the upcoming election. While some have said publicly they will retire, others have signalled or hinted strongly at it.
This includes Sembawang GRC's four-term MP Lim Wee Kiak, Dr Tan Wu Meng from Jurong GRC, as well as Ms Foo Mee Har from West Coast GRC.
Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How from Jalan Besar GRC and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin from Potong Pasir SMC were also vague about their next moves.
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