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Straits Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
‘We never take your support for granted', says PSP's Tan Cheng Bock after losses in GE2025
PSP founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock acknowledged that the party had gone through a 'rough night'. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG 'We never take your support for granted', says PSP's Tan Cheng Bock after losses in GE2025 SINGAPORE - Opposition PSP founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock has thanked his supporters following its GE2025 losses. In his first remarks after the party lost all six constituencies it contested in, Dr Tan acknowledged on May 4 that the party had gone through a 'rough night'. 'To those who voted PSP, we offer our deepest and most heartfelt thanks. We never take your support for granted,' he wrote in a Facebook post. 'I share your hurt and disappointment... Together, we stood not just against political opponents, but against an entire machinery who came at us with boundary line changes and limitless resources. And yet, you brought courage, heart and an unquenchable spirit,' he said. For those who did not vote for PSP, Dr Tan said the party respects their choice and pledges to work harder to earn their trust in the future. He also congratulated Minister of National Development Desmond Lee and his team for winning and said that Mr Lee has conducted his campaign admirably. 'My team and I offer our sincere congratulations for your electoral success. I especially thank you for your gracious message to PSP last night, for 'putting up a strong contest, for raising good ideas, and for engaging with us for a better Singapore',' wrote Dr Tan. Dr Tan's team - which included PSP chief Leong Mun Wai and party vice-chair Hazel Poa - contested the West Coast-Jurong West GRC against the PAP team led by anchor minister Mr Lee. The party had said during the campaign that the 2025 General Election will likely be the last one that Dr Tan, 85, will contest. PSP had fielded 13 candidates in six constituencies, and obtained between 24.17 per cent and 39.99 per cent of the vote share. The PSP also contested Chua Chu Kang GRC and the Pioneer, Bukit Gombak, Kebun Baru and Marymount SMCs. The results also mean the PSP will lose its parliamentary presence since NCMP seats are given to the top losers in the polls – a title that now belongs to the WP. Dr Tan called on its young supporters to not lose heart. 'Today, we tend to our political wounds. But in time, those wounds will heal. 'And the scars we carry will not be marks of defeat, but lasting reminders that we dared to stand up, we dared to speak out, and together, we made sacrifices - not just for ourselves, but for the common good of all Singaporeans.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
AsiaOne
01-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
'It misleads the voters': ESM Goh Chok Tong calls out claims that losing ministers won't weaken govt, Singapore News
Claims from opposition parties that losing political office holders won't weaken the government is "plain and simple" electioneering, said Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. In a Facebook post on Wednesday (April 30), ESM Goh provided his take on the potential impact that losing ministers could have on the government, using the analogy of a football team. He wrote: "If four seasoned members of a football team's starting 11 are absent, will the team be weaker? According to the opposition, the answer is 'no'. Because you can use the reserves, they say." ESM Goh, who turns 84 later this month, questioned this train of thought, and stated that, even with "capable substitutes", nothing beats having "your first team on the field". Continuing with his analogy, he provided the potential scenario of The Workers' Party (WP) winning all 26 seats they are contesting in and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) winning five seats in West Coast-Jurong West GRC. ESM Goh asked: "What is the scoreline then? Sixty-six PAP (People's Action Party) MPs and 31 opposition MPs. Ten political office holders lost, including four seasoned Cabinet ministers." The ministers referred to are Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong who is a Punggol GRC candidate; Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong who's running in East Coast GRC; Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli running in Tampines GRC and National Development Minister Desmond Lee running in West Coast-Jurong West GRC. ESM Goh, who was the Prime Minister of Singapore between 1990 and 2004, stressed that such an outcome would make it "difficult" for PM Lawrence Wong to compete with other nations on the world stage. "In a world at risk of becoming 'might is right', we need the strongest team for our little red dot. If the opposition continues to assert that the government will not be weakened, that is electioneering, plain and simple. It misleads the voters," he added. "Singapore deserves the best team to lead us domestically and internationally. It also deserves honest political debate." 'Voters cannot have both' In a separate Facebook post on April 25, ESM Goh urged voters to consider the impact of their votes. He noted that voters want PAP to form the government while "understandably" also wanting to return more opposition candidates to parliament. But, according to ESM Goh, "voters cannot have both" and must decide to choose one or the other. For our GE2025 microsite, visit here. [[nid:717359]] amierul@
CNA
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: PSP makes assertions with ‘little regard for facts', says PAP's Desmond Lee on claims that he remained silent on housing issues
SINGAPORE: Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said it was concerning that the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) is making assertions with 'little regard for facts', after the opposition party's chief Leong Mun Wai claimed that Mr Lee had remained silent on housing issues. In a statement on Wednesday (Apr 30), Mr Lee said: 'It is indeed a matter of concern when the PSP makes assertions with little regard for facts. I would like to urge the public to consider the facts and concrete plans that each side has presented when making their choice during this General Election.' On Wednesday morning, Mr Leong spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a walkabout at Jurong West Street 91, claiming that Mr Lee – who is the anchor candidate of the People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in West Coast-Jurong West GRC – had yet to respond to several policy questions raised by the party. Among other housing issues raised, Mr Leong said he did not address concerns about the rising cost of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, lease decay and the lack of lift upgrading for certain flats in Singapore. On Wednesday, Mr Lee said these claims were 'untrue' and urged the public to consider the facts from both sides, adding that he had addressed national housing issues on 'multiple occasions' throughout the campaigning period. These included the launch of the West Coast-Jurong West GRC manifesto on Apr 23, another occasion when he spoke to the media last Friday, and his rally speech last Sunday. At the launch of the West Coast-Jurong West manifesto on Nomination Day, Mr Lee and his team outlined their achievements, including converting roads into Silver Zones and Friendly Streets to enhance safety for seniors, as well as implementing the Home Improvement Programme for public housing. Speaking to the media on Apr 25, Mr Lee had highlighted efforts to reduce the non-selection rate among home buyers, and said there was a 'determination' to support different groups of Singaporeans in achieving home ownership. Mr Lee said on Wednesday: 'Prior to the election campaign, the topic of housing has also been extensively debated in parliament.' He added that during his rally speech on Apr 27, he acknowledged concerns that Singaporeans have about housing, noting that the pandemic had caused the 'worst construction crisis' in decades, leading to high demand in flats and, in turn, higher housing prices. During the rally, Mr Lee said his team had spoken to residents over the past five years and had heard their aspirations for good jobs and homes as well as concerns over cost of living. 'I assured Singaporeans that we have completed building all the homes that had been delayed and significantly ramped up the supply of new housing,' said Mr Lee. He added that the housing market 'will stabilise', and that the government will be able to offer more affordable homes under the Standard, Prime and Plus framework. Mr Lee noted that the government is also exploring more public housing options for higher-income young couples and singles. 'These are topics that PM Lawrence Wong has spoken about, and public housing is a part of the PAP National Manifesto,' said Mr Lee. The PAP manifesto outlines plans to build 50,000 new flats over the next three years and increase the supply of homes with shorter waiting times. It also sets out to keep flats in prime locations such as Kallang-Whampoa, Bayshore and Mount Pleasant accessible to more applicants, while rejuvenating older HDB towns through the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme, or VERS. Mr Lee's teammates in West Coast-Jurong West GRC are Mr Shawn Huang, Mr Ang Wei Neng, Ms Cassandra Lee and Dr Hamid Razak. Come May 3, the team will go head-to-head with a PSP slate made up of the party's chairman Tan Cheng Bock, secretary-general Leong Mun Wai and first vice-chairperson Hazel Poa, as well as Mr Sani Ismail and Mr Sumarleki Amjah. 'We are clear about our commitment to keeping housing affordable and accessible for Singaporeans, through the ramping up of supply and cooling measures where necessary,' said Mr Lee.
AsiaOne
30-04-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
'We should avoid all that': Tan Cheng Bock responds to lively cheering contest between PSP and PAP supporters, Singapore News
Progress Singapore Party (PSP) founder Tan Cheng Bock has called for calm after a boisterous cheering contest broke out between PSP and People's Action Party (PAP) supporters who crossed paths during a walkabout at Block 964 Jurong West Street 91 on Wednesday (April 30) morning. Supporters from both parties were heard chanting while pumping their fists in the air, trying to outdo each other as they rallied behind their respective candidates at a hawker centre. The PSP team, led by party chief Leong Mun Wai, began chanting "PSP" as the rival PAP team, headed by incumbent PAP MP Ang Wei Neng, passed by. In response, some PAP team members enthusiastically chanted their own party's name. Urging restraint after the encounter, Dr Tan said: "I think we should avoid all that. Honestly, we have gone beyond that. We should up ourselves [and] not be so rowdy." When asked what was going through his mind after the incident unfolded, the 85-year-old noted that he's fought many battles throughout his political career and such animated exchanges belong to the past. "During the early days, yes, there was a lot of shouting [during campaigning]. There was even fighting. But now, no more," Dr Tan said, describing political battles since then as "cordial". "We even help our opposition because sometimes their posters would be down and we picked it up for them. Because that is the quality of grown and matured country," he added. Speaking to the media this morning, Leong also said that National Development Minister Desmond Lee has yet to respond to the party's queries on national issues including the affordability of HDB flats, lease decay and the GST hike. Lee is helming PAP's team for the newly redrawn West Coast-Jurong West GRC, alongside Ang, Cassandra Lee, Hamid Razak and Shawn Huang. Dr Tan optimistic about GE2025 At GE2020, Dr Tan led the now-defunct West Coast GRC, narrowly losing to the PAP with 48.31 per cent of the votes. Despite contesting in a new area this time around, Dr Tan is optimistic and upbeat about their chances. He noted that many West Coast-Jurong West GRC residents remember back when he looked after them as their former doctor. Dr Tan ran a clinic in Jurong West which subsequently closed in 2012. "So if I do come back here, I will continue to look after them but this time, I hope as a Parliamentarian." Present at the walkabout were fellow West Coast-Jurong West GRC candidates Hazel Poa, Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah. [[nid:717403]] For our GE2025 microsite, visit here. amierul@
CNA
27-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: PAP to launch more programmes, scale up existing ones at West Coast-Jurong West GRC, says Desmond Lee
SINGAPORE: Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on Sunday (Apr 27) said that the People's Action Party (PAP) team in West Coast-Jurong West GRC is committed to rolling out more programmes and scaling up existing ones for residents. Speaking at the party's rally for West Coast-Jurong West GRC and Pioneer SMC at Jurong West Stadium, the anchor minister for the GRC reiterated the nine pillars of focus if they are elected. These pillars, which include helping households cope with the cost of living by 'supplementing national policies and programmes', helping job seekers find good jobs and empowering people with disabilities, were also outlined in the five-year plan for the constituency that was unveiled on Nomination Day. On Sunday, Mr Lee also briefly issued a response to the opposition party. 'The message that you hear from the opposition is that 'we are moving in the wrong direction and the PAP is doing wrong by Singaporeans',' said Mr Lee. 'That is not true.' Mr Lee said the PAP has always planned for current and future generations. 'We may not have all the answers all the time, but we are staying on course and charting our new way forward,' he said. By coming up with solutions that are 'grounded in the present' without taking their eyes off the future, Mr Lee said that the PAP has built a better Singapore. 'We will never stop doing so,' he said. Both West Coast-Jurong West GRC and Pioneer SMC will see a rematch between PAP and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP). Ahead of the rally on Sunday, there were exchanges between the two parties over the issue of policy debates and plans for the constituency. Upon the confirmation of their nomination on Wednesday, the PSP slate for West Coast-Jurong West GRC challenged their PAP counterparts to debate on policies to 'let voters decide who has better ideas'. In response, after releasing his team's five-year plan for the GRC, Mr Lee said that political parties that have walked the ground should be able to put out detailed proposals and local plans to benefit residents. He also called on PSP to publish these local plans for residents to study. On Sunday, the PAP candidates for West Coast-Jurong West GRC outlined some of the programmes that the previous team had carried out, and how these initiatives will be expanded on in the next five years. Speaking before Mr Lee were his teammates, former MPs Shawn Huang, Ang Wei Neng and new faces Cassandra Lee and Hamid Razak. Of the four, only Mr Lee and Mr Ang have been retained from the party's previous West Coast GRC slate in 2020. Also speaking at the event were Mr Patrick Tay, who is contesting Pioneer SMC, and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean. In the redrawn West Coast-Jurong West GRC, Mr Lee's team will be facing off with PSP leadership who contested West Coast GRC in the last election: Chairman Tan Cheng Bock, secretary-general Leong Mun Wai and first vice-chairperson Hazel Poa. Joining the PSP team are newcomers Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah. In the 2020 General Election, the PAP retained West Coast GRC with 51.68 per cent of the vote, while PSP secured two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seats as the best-performing losing team. Following a redrawing of electoral boundaries, parts of Jurong West and Taman Jurong from traditional PAP stronghold Jurong GRC merged with West Coast to form the current West Coast-Jurong West GRC, with an expanded electorate of 158,581 voters. Over at Pioneer SMC, Mr Tay, who is also assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, will be defending his seat against PSP's new face Stephanie Tan. Pioneer SMC is one of nine constituencies that remained unchanged in the latest review of Singapore's electoral map. As of 2025, the ward has 25,166 registered voters. PROGRAMMES TO COMPLEMENT NATIONAL POLICIES New face Dr Hamid said even though there is a 'need for good policy',' the issues residents face are often multifaceted and cannot be resolved by policy alone. He said: 'While some may clamour for grand new policies every day, let us ask ourselves honestly: Can every single problem be solved by policy alone?' 'I believe no.' As an orthopaedic surgeon, he said how he saw firsthand how health problems and social issues are often 'intertwined', where patients with physical ailments frequently face other issues such as loneliness, financial worries and family breakdown. National-level programmes were not from policy papers but 'born from local ideas, from young people, from ground work, from listening to people first', he added. 'There is also a need for local programmes and ground-up initiatives to complement this community,' said Dr Hamid. 'Our community cannot rely on policies or programmes alone. It is made alive by us, the people.' Fellow PAP new face Ms Lee said residents can look forward to 'meaningful change' from her if elected. This would come in the form of tangible improvements from infrastructure to policies to help different segments. For her ward of Ayer Rajah, if elected, it would be more 'vibrant, forward-looking, and connected' with neighbourhood renewal, Silver Zones for safer streets, cycling paths, and better transport links. 'These are not distant plans, but developments I will work to deliver — improving life for everyone,' said Ms Lee. She also pledged to create more opportunities for youths to thrive in a fast-changing world, ease the pressures faced by young families and ensure that seniors can live with dignity and respect. PIONEER SMC Like his counterparts at West Coast-Jurong West GRC, Mr Tay also outlined some of the successful programmes rolled out in his constituency since he was elected there in 2020. At the ward level, he noted that residents benefited from the monthly legal clinics organised there, while 10,000 households in Pioneer were provided relief through direct assistance and local packages over and above national schemes. There were also rejuvenation and greening efforts such as the building of sheltered linkways and the planting of trees. In parliament, Mr Tay, who is also a labour MP, said that he has advocated residents concerns "with meaningful results" when it comes to employment and career advancement, citing the recent Workplace Fairness Act as one example. Moving forward, Mr Tay said residents can look forward to even more infrastructure upgrading, a rejuvenated community centre and more support programmes for Pioneer residents. "As a father of three teenagers, I want to do my part to create a fairer, more inclusive, more hopeful community for them and to help them inherit a nation with stronger foundation," said Mr Tay.
