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Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: WP wins in Sengkang GRC with 56.31%, improving on 2020 showing
The WP's Sengkang GRC candidates (from left) Louis Chua, He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim and Abdul Muhaimin addressing supporters at Serangoon Stadium on May 3. ST PHOTO: SARAH STANLEY Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE - The WP has strengthened its hold over Sengkang GRC, winning 56.31 per cent of the vote share against the PAP – a wider margin than that during the 2020 election. Its comfortable victory entrenches the opposition party's grasp over north-east Singapore, with Sengkang GRC looking likely to become a WP stronghold alongside neighbouring Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC. Incumbent MPs He Ting Ru, 41; Jamus Lim, 49; and Louis Chua, 37; and new candidate Abdul Muhaimin, 36, took 66,383 of the 117,888 valid ballots cast on May 3. They beat a refreshed PAP slate – led by eye doctor Lam Pin Min, 55 – which scored 43.69 per cent, or 51,505 votes. Its other members are political newcomers Elmie Nekmat, 43; Bernadette Giam, 38, and Theodora Lai, 39. The 2025 election was deemed by political observers to have been the ruling party's best chance of reclaiming the four-member constituency, given that it had been in WP hands for just a term following 2020's electoral upset when the team in blue won with 52.12 per cent. Instead, the WP improved its vote share in Sengkang GRC by four points. This is set against a nationwide vote swing towards the PAP, though WP-held constituencies remained constant or improved on their margins. At Bedok Stadium, where teams of PAP candidates and supporters gathered, the mood among the Sengkang contingent was one of resignation – a sharp contrast to the rest of the crowd armed with banners, LED signs and air horns. Dr Lam pledged: 'To Sengkang residents – the PAP team will never abandon you, we will be back stronger and we will want to win Sengkang back the next time!' The triumphant WP delegation at Serangoon Stadium, meanwhile, exchanged ebullient hugs and took photos. Asked what he thought contributed to the WP team's improved showing, Associate Professor Lim told The Straits Times that it boiled down to a mix of factors, including consistent interactions with residents and meeting their needs. 'Ultimately, it's what democracy is about – being responsive to the people who put their faith in us to want to work for them, and so perhaps that helped with our performance.' The 2025 outcome suggests that Sengkang residents were little affected by the scandal that rocked the WP when former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan resigned from her party and her post in November 2021, after admitting to lying in Parliament. It also will be fodder for any review of the PAP's strategy for how it can win back GRCs – Sengkang was the second GRC that the ruling party lost to the WP, after Aljunied in 2011. The PAP team in Sengkang was considered to have had an outside chance of wresting the constituency back, given how Dr Lam – a former senior minister of state and a familiar face to residents after 14 years as an MP and five as a grassroots adviser – had stayed on to fight the battle. He was bolstered by a team of young professionals who mirrored the constituents' profile and have mainly been on the ground since 2021. Sengkang has a higher-than-average share of younger voters aged 21 to 45. A key PAP argument during the nine-day hustings that the constituency – where nearly 85 per cent of residents live in Housing Board flats – was suffering from slipping standards of cleanliness and upkeep also failed to gain traction. At its only rally on May 1, the candidates cited residents' frustrations with unreliable lifts, multi-storey carparks in poor condition and pest infestations in the neighbourhood. The incumbent WP MPs defended their track record, noting, for instance, that Sengkang Town Council had achieved the top banding for estate cleanliness and maintenance in the Ministry of National Development's town council management report. During the hustings, they also touted their contributions in Parliament, with Ms He, Prof Lim and Mr Chua among the top 10 most active backbenchers during the 14th term. 'We have spoken up on matters that ring close to the hearts of the people of Sengkang,' Prof Lim said at an April 24 rally held in his ward of Anchorvale. First-time voter and NUS undergraduate Wesley Tan, 25, who showed up in support of the team at Serangoon Stadium after polling closed, said: 'I'm proud of the Sengkang residents for this result.' He added that he has a good impression of the team, especially Prof Lim, as they are active on the ground. On the campaign trail, the WP MPs pledged to be sensitive to the needs of young families, saying they will push for educational reform such as smaller class sizes and more childcare leave if re-elected. The PAP had similarly focused on courting them, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong promising when he visited the constituency on March 17 that the Government would do everything it can to support young parents. He later returned to Sengkang to deliver a speech at the May 1 rally, urging voters to give the PAP team a second chance and to judge them on their character. PAP's Dr Lam reiterated during the hustings that the PAP's candidates this time were younger and gender-balanced, with two working mothers in Mrs Giam and Ms Lai on the team. The new line-up was the result of a post-mortem conducted after the defeat in 2020, when the party fielded an all-male slate led by labour chief and former Cabinet minister Ng Chee Meng. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: WP wins Sengkang GRC with 56.31%, a wider margin than in 2020
The WP's Sengkang GRC candidates (from left) Louis Chua, He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim and Abdul Muhaimin addressing supporters at Serangoon Stadium on May 3. ST PHOTO: SARAH STANLEY Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE - The Workers' Party has strengthened its hold over Sengkang GRC, winning 56.31 per cent of the vote share against the People's Action Party - a wider margin than that during the 2020 election. Its comfortable victory entrenches the opposition party's grasp over north-east Singapore, with Sengkang GRC looking likely to become a WP stronghold alongside neighbouring Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC. Incumbent MPs He Ting Ru, 41, Jamus Lim, 49, and Louis Chua, 37, and new candidate Abdul Muhaimin, 36, took 66,383 of the valid ballots cast on May 3. They beat a refreshed PAP slate led by eye doctor Lam Pin Min, 55, which got 43.69 per cent, or 51,505 votes. The other members are political newcomers Elmie Nekmat, 43; Bernadette Giam, 38, and Theodora Lai, 39. The 2025 election was deemed by political observers to have been the ruling party's best chance of reclaiming the four-member constituency, given that it had been in WP hands for just a term following 2020's electoral upset when the team in blue won with 52.12 per cent. Instead, the WP improved its vote share in Sengkang GRC by four points. This is set against what appears to be a nation-wide vote swing towards the PAP, though WP-held constituencies held constant or even improved on their margins. At Bedok Stadium where teams of PAP candidates and supporters gathered, the mood among the Sengkang contingent was one of resignation - a sharp contrast to the rest of the crowd armed with banners, LED signs and air horns. The candidates declined to speak to the media ahead of the announcement of the official results, while one party volunteer told The Straits Times: 'We tried our best. The voters have spoken.' The triumphant WP delegation meanwhile at Serangoon Stadium exchanged ebullient hugs and took photos. Among the supporters was first-time voter and NUS undergraduate Wesley Tan, 25, who said: 'I'm proud of the Sengkang residents for this result.' He added that he has a good impression of the team, especially Prof Lim, as they are active on the ground. The outcome suggests that Sengkang residents were little affected by the scandal that rocked the WP, when former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan resigned from her party and her post in November 2021 after admitting to lying in Parliament. It also will be fodder for any review of the PAP's strategy for how it can win back GRCs; Sengkang was the second GRC that the ruling party lost to the WP, after Aljunied in 2011. The PAP team in Sengkang was considered to have had an outside chance of wresting the constituency back, given how Dr Lam - a former senior minister of state and a familiar face to residents after 14 years as an MP and five as a grassroots adviser - had stayed on to fight the battle. He was bolstered by a team of young professionals that mirror the constituents' profile and who have mainly been on the ground since 2021. Sengkang has a higher-than-average share of younger voters aged 21 to 45. A key PAP argument during the nine-day campaign - that the constituency, where nearly 85 per cent of residents live in HDB flats, was suffering from slipping standards of cleanliness and upkeep - also failed to gain traction. At its only rally on May 1, the candidates cited residents' frustrations with unreliable lifts, multi-storey carparks in poor condition, and pest infestations in the neighbourhood. The incumbent WP MPs defended their track record at multiple rallies, noting, for instance, that Sengkang Town Council had achieved the top banding for estate cleanliness and maintenance in the Ministry of National Development's town council management report since the WP took over. During the hustings, they also touted their contributions in Parliament, with Ms He, Prof Lim and Mr Chua among the top 10 most active backbenchers during the 14th term. 'We have spoken up on matters that ring close to the hearts of the people of Sengkang,' Prof Lim said at an April 24 rally held in his ward of Anchorvale. On the campaign trail, the WP MPs pledged to be sensitive to the needs of the many young families in Sengkang, saying they will push for educational reform such as smaller class sizes and more childcare leave if re-elected. The PAP had similarly focused on courting them, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong promising that the Government would do everything it can to support young parents when he visited the constituency on March 17, after the electoral boundaries were drawn. He later returned to Sengkang to deliver a speech at the May 1 rally, urging voters to give the PAP team a second chance and to judge them on their character. PAP's Dr Lam reiterated during the hustings that the PAP's candidates this time were younger and gender-balanced, with two working mothers in Mrs Giam and Ms Lai on the team. The new line-up was the result of a post-mortem conducted after the defeat in 2020, when the party fielded an all-male slate led by labour chief and former Cabinet minister Ng Chee Meng. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
GE2025: WP approach to town councils a success, can be applied to Tampines GRC, says Pritam Singh
WP secretary-general Pritam Singh also pointed out how Sengkang Town Council has been very aggressive in submitting proposals for an average of 100 improvement projects each year. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG GE2025: WP approach to town councils a success, can be applied to Tampines GRC, says Pritam Singh Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE – Rather than making 'empty promises' in Tampines GRC, the WP, as non-incumbents, will put out detailed constituency plans only after it has 'dug deep' and listened to residents. This is because it is not yet in charge of the town councils and grassroots organisations, said WP secretary-general Pritam Singh on April 26. The same approach it took in WP-held Aljunied and Sengkang GRCs has led to both town councils receiving top ratings in the town council management report by the Ministry of National Development in 2024, Aljunied GRC incumbent MP Gerald Giam also pointed out. Mr Singh was responding to comments that his party was focused only on parliamentary issues, and had not yet released its own five-year-plan for Tampines, unlike the PAP, which has unveiled its Tampines manifesto. He said: 'You can't take away the work that has been done by the people who've come before you. (In) the same way we can't take away the work that has been done by the PAP in Aljunied before 2011. 'I would rather teams, instead of making empty promises as non-incumbents, dig their roots into the constituency and understand the constituency better before making promises they can't keep.' In the doorstop interview at Kovan Market and Food Centre, Mr Singh also pointed out how the Sengkang Town Council has been very aggressive in submitting proposals for an average of 100 improvement projects each year, managing to secure funding for a significant proportion of them. Mr Giam said that the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) has accumulated $2 million in surplus over the past five years, which it will use for projects in Aljunied, such as the upgrading of 659 lifts. WP chairwoman Sylvia Lim at the Kovan Market & Food Centre. ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN The WP AHTC five-year plan, released on April 25, also includes the building of 17 more sheltered linkways and 24 more drop-off points for the town, as well as new playgrounds, fitness corners, community gardens and bicycle racks. Mr Singh, along with WP chairwoman Sylvia Lim, Mr Giam and new candidates Kenneth Tiong and Fadli Fawzi, were greeted by enthusiastic residents who clapped and crowded around them for photos during the walkabout. They are seeking to continue their winning streak in Aljunied GRC – the first to be won by an opposition party. The WP is also fielding a team in Tampines, led by WP vice-chairman Faisal Manap, against the incumbent PAP team helmed by Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli. Mr Singh was also asked about WP Tampines candidate Alia Mattar's rally speech, in which she said Singaporeans wanted to meet their MPs to discuss not just bread-and-butter issues, but also 'the effects of certain laws or the Government's positions on certain issues'. She had also brought up the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Mr Singh said: 'Many Singaporeans, regardless of race and religion, are very sensitive to that issue, and our approach is more of a humanitarian concern.' As for criticisms faced by candidates like Ms Alia, he said: 'In so far as picking on certain of our candidates, this is par for the political battle.' On the fourth day of hustings, Mr Singh reiterated that there were no safe opposition constituencies. For him, no vote is taken for granted. 'There are no done deals. Wherever we go, we promise to serve them from our heart and to represent them faithfully in Parliament.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
