Latest news with #AljuniedGRC
Independent Singapore
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
WP MP-elect Fadli Fawzi pays tribute to Faisal Manap, holds first MPS at Kaki Bukit
SINGAPORE: Fadli Fawzi, who is part of The Workers' Party's (WP) slate that won at Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) on May 3, recently took to social media to reflect on his first Meet-the-People Session (MPS) and pay tribute to Faisal Manap, whose former ward in Aljunied, Kaki Bukit, he is now overseeing. Mr Faisal, well-loved in the Malay Muslim community, served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Aljunied GRC for three terms from 2011 to 2020. In the recent General Election (GE), he headed the team of WP candidates at Tampines GRC, which lost by a small margin to the ruling People's Action Party slate led by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli. About his first MPS, Mr Fadli wrote that a 'bumper crowd' of around 30 residents attended, attributing the large number to the backlog caused by the recent GE. 'MPS is an important platform where we understand more about the lived experiences of ordinary Singaporeans in relation to the laws and policies of the land. It makes me proud to think we are continuing the legacy of David Marshall, who started the practice when he was with the Labour Front,' the MP-elect wrote, thanking the volunteers helping him transition into his new role. He also gave a sneak peek of what these volunteers, whom he called unsung heroes, do, from arranging the venue for the sessions to writing up cases and drafting letters. Mr Fadli also wrote that he had done his share of case writing at Eunos, the ward under WP chief Pritam Singh, during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a recent post, he posted photos from his lunch with Mr Faisal at Tampines before the two headed to Ghufran mosque for Friday prayers. Mr Fadli, who has known the former Aljunied MP for 13 years, wrote, 'There is much to admire about him. His genuine humility, sincerity, and compassion makes him a model of servant leadership.' He called Mr Faisal a 'trailblazer,' adding that he will go down in history as Singapore's first Malay-Muslim opposition MP. 'During his tenure, he was steadfast in his commitment to give voice to the poor, the struggling, and the marginalised in Parliament. As a respected mentor and senior leader of the Workers' Party, he has also been generous in sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience with the younger members of the party, including myself,' he added. He wrote that he has benefited from Mr Faisal's service at Kaki Bukit, adding that the residents he meets during house visits and walkabouts speak well of the former MP and that the grassroots team the latter left behind is 'effective and well-oiled'. 'This is a testament to Faisal's hard work over the past three terms. During the lunch, we discussed how I can continue to effectively serve the needs of Kaki Bukit residents. His advice and insights are valuable in these early days of learning the ropes to be an MP. Being entrusted to build on what Faisal has accomplished for Kaki Bukit and Singapore is an enormous task. I am very glad and grateful that I can count on the backing and support of the man himself!' he wrote. /TISG Read also: 'The man of the day,' Faisal Manap is touched by warm welcome at Tampines
The Star
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Singapore GE2025: WP chief Pritam Singh to remain Leader of the Opposition, says PM Wong
PM Lawrence Wong (right) said Pritam Singh will continue as Leader of the Opposition, with staff and resources to perform his duties. - LAWRENCE WONG/FACEBOOK via ST/ANN SINGAPORE: Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh will remain the Leader of the Opposition with staff and resources to carry out his duties, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. 'The WP fielded a strong slate of candidates, and put up a tough fight in this election,' said PM Wong, who added that he had spoken to Pritam. WP has also consolidated and increased its presence in Parliament, the Prime Minister added in a Facebook post on May 5. The opposition party retained Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC and Hougang SMC, returning 1ten elected MPs to Parliament. As the 'best losers' at the polls - narrowly losing to the ruling PAP in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC - the party will be able to take up two Non-Constituency MP seats in Singapore's 15th Parliament. In the five constituencies that it did not win, WP candidates polled above 40 per cent. PM Wong said: 'I look forward to the contributions of the Workers' Party members in Parliament,' he added. Pritam was appointed Leader of the Opposition by former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after the last general election in 2020, which saw WP win its second GRC - Sengkang. The Leader of the Opposition's role is to lead the opposition in presenting alternative views in parliamentary debates on policies, Bills and motions. His duties also include leading and organising scrutiny of the government's positions and actions in Parliament. On May 3, WP triumphed in its traditional strongholds of Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC, returning its core leaders - including Pritam, its secretary-general - to Parliament. Despite a national swing towards the ruling party, the five-member WP team in Aljunied GRC maintained its hold over the constituency, with 59.68 per cent of the vote. In Hougang, WP polled 62.17 per cent. The party also held on to Sengkang, winning 56.31 per cent of the vote. While the party did not win any new constituency, it polled above 40 per cent in the constituencies where it lost, namely the Punggol, East Coast and Tampines GRCs, as well as the Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat SMCs. - The Straits Times/ANN
New Paper
05-05-2025
- Politics
- New Paper
GE2025: WP chief Pritam Singh to remain Leader of the Opposition
WP chief Pritam Singh will remain the Leader of the Opposition with staff and resources to carry out his duties, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. "The WP fielded a strong slate of candidates, and put up a tough fight in this election," said PM Wong, who added that he had spoken to Mr Singh. WP has also consolidated and increased its presence in Parliament, the Prime Minister added in a Facebook post on May 5. WP consolidated its hold over Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC and Hougang SMC, returning 10 elected MPs to Parliament. As the "best losers" at the polls - narrowly losing to the ruling PAP in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC - the party also has the option to take up two Non-Constituency MP seats in the 15th Parliament. In the five constituencies that it did not win, the party's candidates came close, polling above 40 per cent. PM Wong said: "I look forward to the contributions of the Workers' Party members in Parliament," he added. Mr Singh was appointed Leader of the Opposition by former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after the last general election in 2020, which saw the WP win its second GRC - Sengkang. The Leader of the Opposition's role is to lead the opposition in presenting alternative views in parliamentary debates on policies, Bills and motions. His duties also include leading and organising scrutiny of the Government's positions and actions in Parliament. On May 3, WP triumphed in its traditional strongholds of Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC, returning its core leaders - including Mr Singh, its secretary-general - to Parliament. Despite a national swing towards the ruling party, the five-member WP team in Aljunied GRC maintained its hold over the constituency, with 59.68 per cent of the vote. In Hougang, WP polled 62.17 per cent. The party also held on to Sengkang, winning 56.31 per cent of the vote. While the party did not win any new constituency, it polled above 40 per cent wherever it contested, including in Punggol, East Coast and Tampines GRCs, as well as Jalan Kayu SMC.
Straits Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: WP chief Pritam Singh to remain Leader of the Opposition, says PM Wong
PM Lawrence Wong (right) said Mr Pritam Singh will continue as Leader of the Opposition, with staff and resources to perform his duties. PHOTO: LAWRENCE WONG/INSTAGRAM GE2025: WP chief Pritam Singh to remain Leader of the Opposition, says PM Wong SINGAPORE - WP chief Pritam Singh will remain the Leader of the Opposition with staff and resources to carry out his duties, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. 'The WP fielded a strong slate of candidates, and put up a tough fight in this election,' said PM Wong , who added that he had spoken to Mr Singh. WP has also consolidated and increased its presence in Parliament , the Prime Minister added in a Facebook post on May 5. WP consolidated its hold over Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC and Hougang SMC , returning 10 elected MPs to Parliament. As the 'best losers' at the polls - narrowly losing to the ruling PAP in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC - the party also has the option to take up two Non-Constituency MP seats in the 15th Parliament. In the five constituencies that it did not win, the party's candidates came close, polling above 40 per cent. PM Wong said: 'I look forward to the contributions of the Workers' Party members in Parliament,' he added. Mr Singh was appointed Leader of the Opposition by former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after the last general election in 2020, which saw the WP win its second GRC - Sengkang. The Leader of the Opposition's role is to lead the opposition in presenting alternative views in parliamentary debates on policies, Bills and motions. His duties also include leading and organising scrutiny of the Government's positions and actions in Parliament. On May 3, WP triumphed in its traditional strongholds of Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC, returning its core leaders - including Mr Singh, its secretary-general - to Parliament. Despite a national swing towards the ruling party, the five-member WP team in Aljunied GRC maintained its hold over the constituency, with 59.68 per cent of the vote. In Hougang, WP polled 62.17 per cent. The party also held on to Sengkang, winning 56.31 per cent of the vote. While the party did not win any new constituency, it polled above 40 per cent wherever it contested, including in Punggol, East Coast and Tampines GRCs, as well as Jalan Kayu SMC. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Singapore GE2025: Workers Party did well despite vote swing to PAP, says Pritam
SINGAPORE: In an initial assessment of his party's electoral performance, Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh (pic) attributed the swing against the opposition to people giving Prime Minister Lawrence Wong a strong mandate amid a difficult international environment. In this context, the WP had done 'very commendably', consolidating its hold over Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC and Hougang SMC, he said. Even in the other five constituencies that it did not win, the party's candidates 'came really close', the 48-year-old Leader of the Opposition told reporters. 'I am very proud of the results in Hougang, Aljunied and Sengkang, where we have consolidated the position of the party,' he said. 'I couldn't be prouder of the team. I think they did a very, very good job. They fought very hard, they tried very hard for each vote, and I think they should be proud of themselves, and I am very proud of them.' Pritam was speaking at a doorstop interview at Block 630 Bedok Reservoir Road market on May 4, a day after his party failed to gain new ground at the polls, despite anticipation that it might win a new constituency. WP won Aljunied GRC with 59.68 per cent of the vote, Sengkang GRC with 56.31 per cent and Hougang SMC with 62.17 per cent. It lost in Punggol GRC, Tampines GRC, East Coast GRC, Tampines Changkat SMC and Jalan Kayu SMC, with its teams garnering above 40 per cent of votes. Based on its results in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC, WP will be able to send two Non-Constituency MPs into Parliament. When asked, Pritam said the party had not made a decision on the matter. As the polls closed at 8pm on May 3 and results trickled in over the course of the night, the ruling PAP saw a nationwide swing in its favour with 65.57 per cent of the popular vote, compared with its 61.24 per cent share in 2020. The WP's vote share, meanwhile, inched down slightly from 50.5 per cent in 2020 to 50 per cent this time around. Amid the showing, there have been suggestions that the party may have made tactical missteps by stretching its higher-profile candidates thin across two new battlegrounds in Punggol and Tampines GRCs, instead of consolidating them in places like East Coast GRC, where it previously got 46.61 per cent of the vote in the 2020 General Election against a PAP team led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. Some also questioned the party's decision not to contest in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, seemingly taken at the last minute. The WP has contested in the constituency since 2015, prior to the redrawing of electoral boundaries. Of the party's strategies, Pritam said he was proud that WP was not boxed in by electoral boundary changes, adding that the party's capacity to 'break out' of its original stomping grounds to move into other areas 'speaks well of (it) organisationally'. 'In hindsight, everybody is a master, but I am actually very warmed by how the party responded to the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report,' he added. In moving from Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC to Punggol GRC, the party also did very well, said Pritam, adding that he was 'delighted at how quickly the party was able to pivot its resources' towards the new constituency. Pritam was also asked if WP should have fielded more established candidates in Tampines GRC and Jalan Kayu SMC, where the party lost by narrow margins. He said that while he understood the reasoning, the party's strategy was based on its understanding of the ground. 'If you put somebody else, then either you weaken another team, or you strengthen another team, and then your overall strategy is... not in equilibrium any more,' he said. With the national vote swing of about five percentage points towards the PAP, 'there is always going to be one party that is going to be on the ascendancy, (and) one party that is not', he noted. He pointed to similar patterns in the 2015 election, where the WP did not win any new constituency, and in 2020, where voters instead swung in the opposition's favour and the WP took Sengkang GRC. Such 'gyrations' were likely to keep happening in future elections, he added. Meanwhile, WP chair Sylvia Lim, 60, also speaking at the interview, said the results presented the party with a chance for renewal, as several of its 'up and coming young leaders' were elected into Parliament. She noted that three of the ten elected MPs will be new MPs, namely, Fadli Fawzi and Kenneth Tiong in WP's Aljunied team, and Abdul Muhaimin from its Sengkang team. 'So, I mean, having been in this business for quite long, I do see that there is an opportunity here for us,' she said. This election, the WP had also pulled further apart from other smaller opposition players, some of which performed badly enough to lose their election deposits. Pritam declined to comment on the results of other parties when asked, but said: 'They know how they did, why they did, where they put their chips.' He also addressed the WP's decision not to address talks with other opposition parties to avoid multi-cornered fights. 'I would just say that we have got our agenda, and they have got their agenda,' he said. 'I wouldn't be surprised to see more three- or four-cornered fights in the future, but we have to be clear as a party why we are going to a certain place and whether we can give the voters there a good fight and make sure that we can represent them faithfully in Parliament. That would be our objective.' - The Straits Times/ANN
