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Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
WP's strategy clicks into place, even without new wins at GE2025
WP candidates taking the stage before the announcement of the election results on May 4. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Commentary WP's strategy clicks into place, even without new wins at GE2025 SINGAPORE — For a hot minute on Nomination Day, WP chief Pritam Singh hopped on a bus bound for Yusof Ishak Secondary School – the nomination centre for East Coast and Punggol GRCs – teasing what looked like a bold departure from the party's Aljunied stronghold to conquer new ground. But the Leader of the Opposition would then alight, and subsequently board another bus bound for Poi Ching School, the nomination centre for Aljunied GRC, where he would eventually contest. If he had left with the first bus, things might have panned out differently at the polls on May 3, with the WP potentially winning more seats instead of retaining its existing 10. 'In hindsight, everybody is a master,' Mr Singh himself said on May 4 when asked how he would have conducted things differently. Political observers said the way the WP played its cards this general election was ambitious and conservative in equal parts – a paradoxical mix of bold manoeuvres and calculated restraint that ultimately delivered mixed results, offering both reason to celebrate and cause for regret. Conservative, because the party's top brass – Mr Singh and chairwoman Sylvia Lim – stayed put in their Aljunied 'home base' along with head of policy research Gerald Giam, choosing only to swing vice-chair Faisal Manap out to Tampines GRC. Ambitious, as the WP appeared to have deployed its candidates in a way that gave it the best possible chance to win big – all 26 of the 97 seats it was contesting, which would have been a leap towards its medium-term goal of securing a third of Parliament from the 10 seats it held. Several aspects of its campaign hinted at this game plan to chip away at the PAP's vote share uniformly across all eight battlegrounds where the 26 were fielded. One, the WP spread the deployment of its higher-profile first-time candidates – such as Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh, former Institute of Mental Health director Ong Lue Ping, and start-up co-founder Michael Thng – across Tampines and Punggol GRCs, not prioritising either one. NTU political scientist Walid Jumblatt Abdullah opined that had the WP fielded Mr Harpreet Singh in Tampines alongside Mr Faisal, it 'would have been a done deal'. But Mr Harpreet Singh was fielded in Punggol, while Dr Ong and Mr Thng were fielded in Tampines alongside Mr Faisal. The allocation of its most appealing candidates to the two GRCs – both areas where the WP had never ventured in past elections – led to the perception that the party had deprioritised East Coast GRC, where it had come close to winning after two decades of it chipping away at the PAP's majority. The likely reality is that WP's strategy to win all 26 seats had necessitated the allocation of its chips in areas where fresh party buy-in was needed the most. Instead of fielding a line-up of higher-profile candidates to move East Coast voters, the party likely thought that its two decades of groundwork and brand premium would come through and flip the group representation constituency blue in this election, with former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong as the 'party heavyweight' at the helm. WP's move to cede Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC – where its members and volunteers had poured hundreds of hours over the past five years sustaining a ground presence after its 2015 and 2020 electoral bids, only for it to end in a walkover – made greater sense if the plan was to win 26 seats. Past electoral results have shown that the former Marine Parade GRC was a tough ground to crack. The absorption of MacPherson SMC further altered the battleground this time, and the WP likely assessed that its chances of winning had diminished. Instead of fielding its reserve pool of candidates there, concentrating its firepower elsewhere allowed the WP to put forward the message that its slate of 26 was the best the party has ever convened, and Singaporeans should seize the opportunity to shore up the opposition bench in Parliament. As the days bore out, the WP leaders repeated this message in more than a few ways: The 26 present a 'serious choice' against PAP backbenchers, Mr Pritam Singh said. Even if Singaporeans vote in all 26, the ratio of WP MPs to PAP MPs will be only about two or three to nine, he said in another setting. At the final rally before Polling Day, Ms Lim said: 'If these candidates do not get elected this time, there may be no next time.' WP also made a strong push for the single seats of Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat, with Mr Pritam Singh taking aim at the NTUC's close relationship with the PAP. Labour chief Ng Chee Meng and NTUC assistant secretary-general Desmond Choo were PAP contenders in the two SMCs. At one rally, the WP chief called the labour movement a 'guaranteed trampoline' for losing PAP candidates, saying Mr Ng and Mr Choo would continue helping workers even if they were not elected. The thinking behind WP spreading its 14 new faces so evenly across its eight battlegrounds – Aljunied, Sengkang, Tampines, Punggol, East Coast, Hougang, Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat – was likely not to just win one or two more constituencies, but to take them all. Pulling away from the rest In the end, the WP's cautious yet ambitious campaign led to the opposition party solidifying its grip on its existing seats, while gaining a foothold in adjacent constituencies . By keeping its leaders in the Aljunied safe harbour, the WP consolidated its base. The party fared better in two of the three constituencies it held and maintained status quo in the third. It polled 56.31 per cent in Sengkang GRC, improving on the 2020 result by 4.2 percentage points, while its Hougang score inched up almost one percentage point to hit 62.17 per cent. The WP also garnered 59.68 per cent of the vote in Aljunied, largely unchanged from its 59.95 per cent result in 2020 – allaying fears that Mr Pritam Singh's court trial over two charges of lying to a parliamentary committee could factor at the polls. These results suggest that once constituencies turn blue, the ground is likely to stay blue. The WP's ambitious streak saw it gain a foothold in several new territories contiguous to the three it holds, though the party ultimately walked away empty-handed from its drive to capture multiple new constituencies. Zooming out, WP ran a considerably larger campaign in 2025 than it did in 2020, covering 32.8 per cent more voters. Yet, the expansion came without making a dent to its vote share, which dipped slightly from 50.49 per cent in 2020 to the current 50.04 per cent. Safe to say, today's WP is no longer the party it was a decade ago, when it was still finding its footing. Before the 2020 election, the WP's popular vote share had fluctuated more widely between 38.4 per cent and 46.6 per cent. It is now clearly a head above the rest of the opposition parties. NUS economist and former Nominated MP Ivan Png's statistical analysis further confirms this. In his bid to figure out how far ahead the support for the three top opposition parties of 2020 are from that of the other opposition parties, he found that the average WP candidate polled 25.9 percentage points higher in 2025, compared with 2006 when its lead was much smaller, at 3.4 percentage points. This shows that the WP premium has grown, and the party has pulled away from the rest of the opposition pack . It also reflects that even as more voters threw their support behind the ruling party at the election, they also wanted a continued and stable opposition presence in Parliament, with the WP securing a firm place in Singapore's evolving political landscape. Said Singapore Management University's Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan: 'Voters signalled that a firm mandate for the PAP was not at all at odds with a more vibrant political system characterised by a credible and responsible opposition.' 'That the WP maintained its ground despite its controversies in the past five years is a reflection of the niche it now occupies in Singapore's political firmament,' he added. Playing the long game All these provide the context to former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat's sanguine message to the WP on May 4. He wrote in a Facebook post: 'The WP has planted the seeds in this GE. I look forward to a well-earned harvest for the new generation in the coming years. This is a fitting time to close an old book and start a new one. Congratulations to the Workers' Party and godspeed.' Asked about it, he told The Straits Times the 'old book' refers to an old order where the party leaned towards making politically expedient moves that relied too much on party figureheads at the expense of greener hands. This meant it ended up poorer in terms of experience and exposure. 'Party figureheads are important but it can't be more important than party renewal,' he told ST. If Mr Png's words are anything to go by, the book that the WP is writing next is about giving its next generation of leaders enough room to come into their own, instead of just focusing on securing wins. Lending weight to this theory was the decision to field 33-year-old former disputes lawyer and newcomer Andre Low in Jalan Kayu SMC, where he was given the chance to hold his own against Mr Ng, a 56-year-old former minister, and earn his political chops in the process. Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Gillian Koh picked this up as well, giving her take that the way its chips were played showed that the WP was 'comfortable with playing the long game'. They are good choices that set the stage for 'more organic growth' and 'more robust connection' between the newbies and the areas they are entrusted with, she said. In an interview with ST on April 18, Mr Low said the party has started working at trimming its 'key man risk' – having all expertise and knowledge centred around key individuals – and establishing a stronger party machinery. 'I do think that, in a good way, we have gotten to a place as a party where it's not down to the individual anymore. Some of us can step away, if life comes into the picture, but we are mature enough now that the cause will keep going, and people will come in,' he said. Prof Tan said the buzz and excitement generated by the 14 WP new faces this time round stand them in good stead in the next general election, where the stakes, given 2025's fruitless run, would be higher. For its goal of one-third of Parliament seats to 'still be within the ballpark of realism for its current leaders', the party should double its seat count by the end of the decade, he noted. Dr Koh said the WP's moderate tactics, grounded policy proposals, and fresh-faced candidates are likely to attract more voters to its brand in the years ahead. Singapore is on its way to a ' 1½- party system' , where the opposition does not yet present itself to be a shadow government but is a steady presence to hold the dominant party to account, she added. 'I think (the WP leaders) read the room correctly,' she said, pointing to how voters want credible opposition candidates on the ballot. WP has worked towards 'high averages with three or four new stars' fielded in teams, she added. But whether the party can field good candidates in the same constituencies at the next election, and also introduce a fresh batch of credible newcomers, remains to be seen, Dr Koh said. Another question mark is whether it will have sufficient resources to scale up and contest in more than a third of the seats, she added. Wong Pei Ting is a correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers politics and social affairs. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Online Citizen
29-04-2025
- Business
- Online Citizen
Pritam Singh criticises GST hike, says votes for Workers' Party will force PAP to reconsider future actions
At a rally held on 28 April 2025 at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh delivered a strong critique of the People's Action Party (PAP) government's decision to raise the Goods and Services Tax (GST) during a period of global inflation. Singh described the GST hikes as having 'turbocharged' inflation, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis already faced by Singaporeans. He emphasised that the decision was poorly timed and avoidable. The GST increase, announced in Budget 2022, involved a two-stage hike from 7% to 9%, with the first increase to 8% on 1 January 2023 and the second to 9% on 1 January 2024. According to Singh, the Workers' Party had opposed the GST hike during parliamentary debates. He highlighted that, globally, few governments chose to raise consumption taxes while inflation was soaring. Singh argued that the PAP's decision was unique, stating, 'Which government turbocharged inflation with a consumption tax hike? Nobody did except the PAP.' He acknowledged the PAP's rationale that future healthcare and ageing population costs necessitated revenue increases. However, he insisted that the GST hike could have been postponed. Referencing debates in Parliament, Singh recalled questioning the Prime Minister about the impact of the GST hike on inflation. He pointed to a statement by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), under the Prime Minister's Office, which indicated that the GST hike could raise inflation by up to 40%. 'Isn't that turbocharging?' Singh asked, asserting that the government was aware of the inflationary effects but proceeded nonetheless. Singh further criticised the government for acting despite a reported fiscal surplus of more than S$14 billion during the past parliamentary term. He contended that this surplus demonstrated that the GST hike was unnecessary at that time. He noted that Singaporeans had experienced sharp cost increases across various sectors, including food at hawker centres and election campaign costs, which had risen by 25% since 2020. Singh expressed concern for retirees reliant on CPF payouts, highlighting that such payments do not adjust for inflation, leaving seniors particularly vulnerable. He also referenced a comment by a PAP MP, who suggested that a 'little pain' was necessary to keep Singaporeans 'alert.' Singh called this sentiment insensitive, questioning why additional pain had to be inflicted on citizens already struggling with global inflation. Singh stressed that the PAP's ability to implement unpopular policies without severe political consequences stemmed from a lack of sufficient pressure from opposition parties. He urged voters to support the Workers' Party, arguing that stronger opposition presence would force the PAP to reconsider or better time future policy decisions. 'Votes and seats are the KPIs for PAP politicians,' Singh said. 'When the PAP loses votes and seats to the Workers Party, it has to take corrective action.' The decision to raise the GST despite a robust corporate income tax (CIT) collection had already faced public scrutiny. In 2023, then-Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong had rejected calls to defer the hike, despite CIT revenue climbing by 26.8% to S$23.1 billion. According to a Straits Times report from 2023, Wong had argued that deferring the GST increase would create greater fiscal risks, citing long-term spending needs. Opposition parties, including the WP and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), had proposed alternatives such as drawing more from reserve earnings to avoid burdening the populace further. Despite these calls, PAP MPs supported the GST hike during the Budget 2022 debate, maintaining it was necessary to ensure fiscal sustainability. Singh's rally speech highlighted enduring tensions over fiscal policy, cost of living, and the responsiveness of Singapore's government to economic challenges faced by ordinary citizens. Polling day is scheduled for Saturday, with opposition parties hoping to galvanise voter sentiment amid these economic concerns.
The Star
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Singapore GE2025: Rainbows, rallies and revelry – a weekend at the hustings
SINGAPORE: Singapore's general election rallies are always a spectacle, and this past Friday and Saturday (April 25-27), the island was positively ablaze with colour, character, and the unmistakable pulse of democracy in action. This year's campaign trail feels especially electric, as these are the first physical rallies in a decade – live hustings having been halted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With crowds flocking to fields and stadiums across the island, Singaporeans are rediscovering the raw energy and communal fervour that only an in-person rally can bring, making GE2025 a historic return to form. Saturday was particularly hectic with nine rallies across the island. PAP held three of them with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng energising the crowd at a hard court in Chua Chu Kang GRC, while Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean headlined one at Yusof Ishak Secondary School in Punggol GRC. Meanwhile, at PAP's rally for East Coast GRC at Bedok Stadium, the mood was a mix of curiosity and conviction. The evening started with the hosts launching quickly into the agenda ('turning the blue sky white') and a tutorial ('when I say 'majulah', you say 'PAP''). Activists gave testimonials of PAP's East Coast slate leader Edwin Tong's bravura. Men and women in white pressed balloon sticks, whistles and lightning-imprinted paper fans into restless hands that found scarce use for them until the first notable appearance – retiring Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin – close to 8pm. Sitoh – the first but not last to bid listeners vote for 'your children's children's children' – was followed by Lim Swee Say, a former MP for East Coast GRC known for his folksy manner when he was labour chief, who got murmurs of approval ('I like that he sounds like us,' went one review). Constant arrivals and departures turned the stadium into a revolving door. The bigger fringe, by now sunk into their seats, were persuaded to look up, then back down. Even when the running candidates arrived around 8.20pm and the white-shirts on the field made several inspired cracks at a PAP chant, they kept poker postures. Many like 68-year-old resident Peter Lee were at a PAP rally for the first time. Not all could pin down their sudden interest but the retiree gestured at a new political moment: 'Newcomers are coming in, both (sides) are qualified.' A joke that his last name was 'Lee for Lee Kuan Yew' was a jolt. The founding father had not been invoked even once at the podium, though opposition candidates had early in the hustings declared their inner 'iron' – a sign of the tug of two narratives. Reluctant fence-sitters have been produced. One of them, 62-year-old Tan Eng Hwa wept at the sight of Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who he vouched for, with hand on heart, as a 'gold class' friend to the elderly. But on the pitch, he kept one eye on a live feed of the concurrent WP rally, citing soaring housing prices and a conscience for the young. 'We have to look at both,' Tan said. DPM Heng, who had led the PAP slate in East Coast from 2020, announced his retirement from politics on Nomination Day and Tong is taking over to helm the team. And it was the WP's pull that weighed heavy on the night's big speeches. Messages of geopolitical crisis, the PAP's steady hand and estate management nous got some love, but it was Tong's snipe at his rival party's implausible plans (can they stand?) that earned an unmoderated cry of 'no!'. Newcomer Dinesh Vasu Dash's indictment – 'What have they done for you? They have been talking and talking since 1981!' – drew a young girl, to remark on his confidence. ('First-time candidate can say all these things ah?') The year 1981 was when then WP chief J.B. Jeyaretnam won the party's first parliamentary seat post-independence in the Anson by-election. The rhetoric was so polished, few could find fresh purchase. Charisma – like the breathy timbre of electoral debutante Hazlina Abdul Halim's voice – was noted but not dwelt on. By 10pm, the stands had thinned. Save for a lively clutch of bona fide fans bearing signs and waiting to shake hands with the leaders – Tong's numbers were on a par with DPM Heng's – the crowd had left as quietly as they had come. There was a sense that the night had vindicated all positions. A Chai Chee resident said for good measure, he would check out the WP but his loyal PAP vote was already decided. A 60-year-old sceptic waved at the smattering of plastic sleeves on the ground, seeing metaphor in the detritus of PAP party favours: 'Things are given out and this is what happens. They think someone else will clean it up.' The rallies had got rolling under stormy skies in Bukit Panjang on Friday. The first was held in Beacon Primary School – tucked between the Bukit Timah Expressway and a quiet neighbourhood road – where supporters of the Singapore Democratic Party gathered in force. A persistent lightning risk warning and flashes of electricity across the night sky mirrored the SDP's uphill battle. Yet, right before the rally was about to begin, the skies eased up, and a rainbow peeked out through the clouds against the setting sun. The SDP rally at Beacon Primary School was the night's only hustings – the other parties were gearing up for Saturday. A senior, hair dyed black, joked loudly to his friends, mostly men of similar vintage: 'We're older now so we have to use whistles instead of just shouting because we don't have the strength any more!' When asked if this was his first rally in a long time, he blew his whistle in response. Ditto when asked if he bought the whistle from the merchandise stand. As the drizzly evening gave way to a cool, starless night, a post-dinner crowd filled up the playing field, undeterred by the muddy grass. 'I came all the way from Jurong because I think opposition politicians are very courageous and need to be supported,' said a retired civil servant, 60. Meanwhile, party volunteers waved giant SDP flags as the party candidate, Professor Paul Tambyah, took the stage just after 9pm to loud cheers from the crowd. But it was Dr Chee Soon Juan who, despite having to leave and return to the stage three times because of technical issues, drew the biggest cheers of the night. As he spoke, lightning flashed above, lighting up the dark pink sky. The symbolism was not lost on a 21-year-old law student from Singapore Management University, who was attending the rally with her father and 14-year-old brother. She was excited about her maiden political rally experience but got slightly concerned after her father, who works in a government-linked corporation, cautioned her against revealing her name to this newspaper. 'I've just missed the cut-off to vote but for me, it's important to see candidates who follow through with what they say, and not just make promises during the campaign for votes.' Later, she was spotted in a post-rally queue for a meet and greet with Dr Chee. Also in the queue was polytechnic student Ho Jun Wei, 18. 'I've always had a keen interest in politics, so getting to hear Dr Chee in person and getting to meet him was quite an experience,' he said, adding that he had attended the WP rally in Sengkang the night before. As Friday's rainbow faded, Saturday brought a birthday bash with a political twist in Bukit Gombak. It was the day Dr Tan Cheng Bock turned 85 years old. The festivities started in the morning at Teban Gardens Food Centre – with a bowl of longevity noodles, two red eggs, and two cakes – and continued late into the evening. As the sun set, residents, supporters and curious onlookers streamed into Bukit Gombak Stadium, where Dr Tan's PSP was gearing up for its second rally. It was not his constituency, nor his celebration per se, but there was little doubt about who most of the audience was there to see. A 'righteous man' was what Johnson Lee called him. He knows friends whose grandmothers received medicine from Dr Tan, even when they could not afford it. The 56-year-old retiree has never personally sought treatment from the veteran politician, but remembers how Dr Tan sent him heartfelt good wishes after he underwent surgery. 'He's like my ah gong. I can tell he loves everyone, whether rich or poor.' Kicking off the three-hour-long event was the chairman's West Coast-Jurong West GRC running mate Sani Ismail. Taking to the podium flanked by two of the PSP's otter mascots, he opened with a quote warning of a time 'when the public will say, look, let's try the other side'. 'Who said this?' he yelled to the crowd. 'LKY!' Echoed the uproarious response. 'Ladies and gentlemen,' pronounced Sani with mounting gravitas. 'That day has come.' And thus, the night was off to a roaring start, its unfaltering energy sustained in no small part thanks to the efforts of one Rosli. Armed with a tambourine and zeal that would put a man half his age to shame, the 63-year-old handyman made a formidable one-person cheer squad. 'PSP – I see the way they talk, the way they debate in Parliament, much stronger than others. They can say enough is enough. WP, what did they do? Never bring up so many things,' he croaked, voice already hoarse, before turning back towards the stage to roar 'no!' to a question about whether Singaporeans were okay. The audience was split into three sections: those, like Rosli, who were at the front, spectators in the bleachers, and the lucky few who snagged plastic chairs on the track. Dass, 71, a retiree, and his three childhood friends fell into that last category, watching the proceedings unfold from their front-row seats. He wanted to learn more about the PSP's proposals. The former electrical engineer, who used to work in the Singapore Turf Club with his friends, has a bone to pick with the PAP government for shutting down horse racing. 'Really heart pain. We need somebody who can speak up against bad decisions in Parliament.' It was curiosity that drew junior college students Isaac, 18, and Kaleb, 17, to the rally, too. Well, that and their teachers' prompting. 'My GP teacher said going for rallies will help you get some points to say during the exam,' said Kaleb, who, like his friend, declined to disclose his last name. He also wanted to pick up public speaking tips to sharpen his presentation skills for project work. Midway through the night, the audience was reminded of Dr Tan's birthday. Good wishes were chanted and Chua Chu Kang GRC candidate S. Nallakaruppan asked the crowd what was the best present it could give the birthday boy. 'Vote PSP!' ricocheted all around. The party's impassioned plea to the crowd delved into the usual hot-button topics of the day: from the Government's response to the cost-of-living crisis to the trust-damaging scandals of the past couple of years. For their efforts in Parliament, Hazel Poa and Leong Mun Wai – Non-Constituency MPs for the past five years – were greeted with loud whoops of acclamation. But it was the man of the hour who drew the most vociferous cheers. He drilled into matters of transparency and accountability. He lambasted the 'inbreeding' in Parliament. He invoked history, both personal and national. Even after the last words had been spoken – not by Dr Tan but by Leong – the front mass of supporters had no intention to disperse. They clustered around the fence separating the stage from the field, waving and chanting to the PSP team. It was only after they were reminded that the rally permit expired at 10pm that they reluctantly turned to go. But not before two 23-year-old students with handmade signs, voting for the first time this election, managed to snag autographs – and a shoutout – from the men they had come to see. Wax figurines, inflatable hammers, freshly snipped morsels of muah chee, families and couples whispering in camping chairs and a Kallang wave rising from a bobbing sea of blue on the bleachers – a carnival-like atmosphere enveloped the crowd, their excitement finally erupting into hoots and horns when the men and women in blue stepped into view. It was the WP's first rally in Tampines GRC, where three-term MP Faisal Manap has left the safer harbour of Aljunied to anchor a team of new faces in a four-cornered face-off. Pang, 71, a retiree, who has attended practically every WP rally since the 1990s, surveyed the astro-turf field of Temasek Junior College and quipped: 'It's a special night – look at how many young people are stepping out.' In the past, he always looked forward to former party chief Low Thia Khiang's rousing Teochew speeches. But tonight, the torch had been passed. Instead, it was former diplomat Eileen Chong who held court, her Mandarin and Hokkien speech perhaps lacking the fiery gusto of an old warhorse but captivating the crowd nonetheless with earnest charm and doe-eyed conviction. Rally veterans like Pang might have been in the minority but they were also among the most outlandish. Deng Wei Hua, 60, who moved from Hougang SMC to Tampines GRC, brandished a custom figurine of Low and wore a snug shirt with 'Support Punggol GRC' scrawled with a marker pen. He showed the crowd how it was done back in the day, stridently bellowing the party's name, rallying a crowd eager to follow his lead. 'Singapore is unbearable now. I used to be able to feed myself with S$10 a day, now it's hardly enough for a meal,' said the cleaner, adding that WP could be a voice for the people in Parliament. Many at the rally were young faces such as 30-year-old Cheong – a working mother of two – who said the WP are 'slaying at their social media game'. She hoped the night would be a 'core memory' for her four-year-old son, who had watched WP chief Pritam Singh's Sengkang rally online with her and was curious to know why he was 'so angry'. 'I would be really worried if my children had to buy a million-dollar flat,' said the Tampines GRC voter, citing cost of living as her biggest concern. She was also there to bust a 'boomer rumour' – the persistent fear that voting for the opposition might somehow hurt her children's chances in the primary school ballot. As the night wore on, the blows and barbs got heavier and sharper. Supporters cheered Faisal when he took to the podium, tearing up as he spoke of having to leave his Kaki Bukit ward. It felt like more than just a 'step up' – the defiant rallying cry WP candidates have echoed throughout the campaign. Tonight, it appeared as though Faisal had stepped into his own. Newcomers like Michael Thng jolted the crowd with an unexpected surge of energy; one attendee even dubbed him a 'cute bad boy'. But not every speaker could hold the restless crowd: the soft-spoken Nathaniel Koh struggled to engage the fidgety audience. Then, as if answering Cheong's four-year-old son's question of why Pritam was 'so angry', the Leader of the Opposition proved he could be funny too. Pritam capped off the night like a seasoned stand-up comedian, riffing on how the NTUC was a 'guaranteed trampoline' for losing PAP candidates. His supporters roared with laughter. He ended his speech with three cheers of 'Majulah Singapura'. The crowd roared in response, and just like that, the night drew to a close. But the exits quickly clogged, and many were in no hurry to leave. Some sprawled out under the stars, chatting and laughing. The young ones lingered even longer, stretched out across the track like stubborn foam clinging to the shore after the rush of a high tide. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: Rainbows, rallies and revelry – a weekend at the hustings
With crowds flocking to fields and stadiums across the island, Singaporeans are rediscovering the raw energy and communal fervour that only an in-person rally can bring. ST PHOTOS: KEVIN LIM, SHINTARO TAY, JASON QUAH Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE - Singapore's general election rallies are always a spectacle, and this past Friday and Saturday, the island was positively ablaze with colour, character, and the unmistakable pulse of democracy in action. This year's campaign trail feels especially electric, as these are the first physical rallies in a decade – live hustings having been halted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With crowds flocking to fields and stadiums across the island, Singaporeans are rediscovering the raw energy and communal fervour that only an in-person rally can bring, making GE2025 a historic return to form. Saturday was particularly hectic with nine rallies across the island. PAP held three of them with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng energising the crowd at a hard court in Chua Chu Kang GRC while Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean headlined one at Yusof Ishak Secondary School in Punggol GRC. Meanwhile, at PAP's rally for East Coast GRC at Bedok Stadium, the mood was a mix of curiosity and conviction. The evening started with the hosts launching quickly into the agenda ('turning the blue sky white') and a tutorial ('when I say 'majulah', you say 'PAP''). Activists gave testimonials of PAP's East Coast slate leader Edwin Tong's bravura. Men and women in white pressed balloon sticks, whistles and lightning-imprinted paper fans into restless hands that found scarce use for them until the first notable appearance – retiring Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin – close to 8pm. Mr Sitoh – the first but not last to bid listeners vote for 'your children's children's children' – was followed by Mr Lim Swee Say, a former MP for East Coast GRC known for his folksy manner when he was labour chief, who got murmurs of approval ('I like that he sounds like us,' went one review). Constant arrivals and departures turned the stadium into a revolving door. The bigger fringe, by now sunk into their seats, were persuaded to look up, then back down. Even when the running candidates arrived around 8.20pm and the white-shirts on the field made several inspired cracks at a PAP chant, they kept poker postures. Why had they come? Many like 68-year-old resident Peter Lee were at a PAP rally for the first time. Not all could pin down their sudden interest but the retiree gestured at a new political moment: 'Newcomers are coming in, both (sides) are qualified.' A joke that his last name was 'Lee for Lee Kuan Yew' was a jolt. The founding father had not been invoked even once at the podium, though opposition candidates had repeatedly declared their inner 'iron' – a sign of the tug of two narratives. Reluctant fence-sitters have been produced. One of them, 62-year-old Tan Eng Hwa wept at the sight of Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who he vouched for, literally with hand on heart, as a 'gold class' friend to the elderly. But on the pitch, he kept one eye on a livefeed of the concurrent WP rally, citing soaring housing prices and a conscience for the young. 'We have to look at both,' Mr Tan said. Mr Heng, who has led the PAP slate in East Coast since 2020, announced his retirement from politics on Nomination Day and Mr Tong is taking over to helm the team. And it was the WP's pull that weighed heavy on the night's big speeches. Messages of geopolitical crisis, the PAP's steady hand and estate management nous got some love but it was Mr Tong's snipe at his rival party's implausible plans (can they stand?) that earned an unmoderated cry of 'no!'. Supporters at the PAP's rally for East Coast GRC at Bedok Stadium on April 26. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO Newcomer Dinesh Vasu Dash's indictment – 'What have they done for you? They have been talking and talking since 1981!' – drew a young girl, to remark on his confidence. ('First-time candidate can say all these things ah?') The year 1981 was when then WP chief J.B. Jeyaretnam won the party's first parliamentary seat post-independence in the Anson by-election. The rhetoric was so polished, few could find fresh purchase. Charisma – like the breathy timbre of electoral debutante Madam Hazlina Abdul Halim's voice – was noted but not dwelt on. By 10pm, the stands had thinned. Save for a lively clutch of bona fide fans bearing signs and waiting to shake hands with the leaders – Mr Tong's numbers were on a par with Mr Heng's – the crowd had left as quietly as they came. There was a sense that the night had vindicated all positions. A Chai Chee resident said for good measure, he would check out the WP but his loyal PAP vote was already decided. A 60-year-old sceptic waved at the smattering of plastic sleeves on the ground, seeing metaphor in the detritrus of PAP party favours: 'Things are given out and this is what happens. They think someone else will clean it up.' Talking up a storm The rallies had got rolling under stormy skies in Bukit Panjang on Friday. The first was held in Beacon Primary School – tucked between the Bukit Timah Expressway and a quiet neighbourhood road – where supporters of the Singapore Democratic Party gathered in force. A persistent lightning risk warning and flashes of electricity across the night sky mirrored the SDP's uphill battle. Yet right before the rally was about to begin, the skies eased up, and a rainbow peeked out through the clouds against the setting sun. A rainbow seen at the SDP rally for Bukit Panjang SMC at Beacon Primary School on April 25. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH The SDP rally at Beacon Primary School was the night's only hustings – the other parties were gearing up for Saturday. A senior, hair dyed black, joked loudly to his friends, mostly men of similar vintage: 'We're older now so we have to use whistles instead of just shouting because we don't have the strength any more!' When asked if this was his first rally in a long time, he blew his whistle in response. Ditto when asked if he bought the whistle from the merchandise stand. As the drizzly evening gave way to a cool, starless night, a post-dinner crowd filled up the playing field, undeterred by the muddy grass. 'I came all the way from Jurong because I think opposition politicians are very courageous and need to be supported,' said a retired civil servant, 60. Meanwhile, party volunteers waved giant SDP flags as the party candidate, Professor Paul Tambyah, took the stage just after 9pm to loud cheers from the crowd. But it was Dr Chee Soon Juan who, despite having to leave and return to the stage three times because of technical issues, drew the biggest cheers of the night. As he spoke, lightning flashed above, lighting up the dark pink sky. The symbolism was not lost on a 21-year-old law student from Singapore Management University, who was attending the rally with her father and 14-year-old brother. She was excited about her maiden political rally experience but got slightly concerned after her father, who works in a government-linked corporation, cautioned her against revealing her name to this newspaper. 'I've just missed the cut-off to vote but for me, it's important to see candidates who follow through with what they say, and not just make promises during the campaign for votes.' Later, she was spotted in a post-rally queue for a meet and greet with Dr Chee. Also in the queue was polytechnic student Ho Jun Wei, 18. 'I've always had a keen interest in politics so getting to hear Dr Chee in person and getting to meet him was quite an experience,' he said, adding that he had attended the WP rally in Sengkang the night before. Saturday night fever As Friday's rainbow faded, Saturday brought a birthday bash with a political twist in Bukit Gombak. It was the day Dr Tan Cheng Bock turned 85 years old. The festivities started in the morning at Teban Gardens Food Centre – with a bowl of longevity noodles, two red eggs, and two cakes – and continued late into the evening. As the sun set, residents, supporters and curious onlookers streamed into Bukit Gombak Stadium, where Dr Tan's PSP was gearing up for its second rally. It was not his ward, nor his celebration per se, but there was little doubt about who most of the audience was here to see. Election time means supporters can be spotted toting party merchandise like this keychain featuring the PSP's otter mascot. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN A 'righteous man' was what Mr Johnson Lee called him. He knows friends whose grandmothers received medicine from Dr Tan, even when they could not afford it. The 56-year-old retiree has never personally sought treatment from the veteran politician, but remembers how Dr Tan sent him heartfelt good wishes after he underwent surgery. 'He's like my ah gong. I can tell he loves everyone, whether rich or poor.' Kicking off the three-hour-long event was the chairman's West Coast-Jurong West GRC running mate Sani Ismail. Taking to the podium flanked by two of the PSP's otter mascots, he opened with a quote warning of a time 'when the public will say, look, let's try the other side'. 'Who said this?' he yelled to the crowd. 'LKY!' Echoed the uproarious response. 'Ladies and gentlemen,' pronounced Mr Sani with mounting gravitas. 'That day has come.' And thus, the night was off to a roaring start, its unfaltering energy sustained in no small part thanks to the efforts of one Mr Rosli. Armed with a tambourine and zeal that would put a man half his age to shame, the 63-year-old handyman made a formidable one-person cheer squad. 'PSP – I see the way they talk, the way they debate in Parliament, much stronger than others. They can say enough is enough. WP, what did they do? Never bring up so many things,' he croaked, voice already hoarse, before turning back towards the stage to roar 'no!' to a question about whether Singaporeans were okay. Mr Rosli cheering with his tambourine. ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK The audience was split into three sections: those, like Mr Rosli, who were at the front, spectators in the bleachers, and the lucky few who snagged plastic chairs along the track. Retiree Mr Dass, 71, and his three childhood friends fell into that last category, watching the proceedings unfold from their front-row seats. He wanted to learn more about the PSP's proposals. The former electrical engineer, who used to work in the Singapore Turf Club with his friends, has a bone to pick with the PAP government for shutting down horse racing. 'Really heart pain. We need somebody who can speak up against bad decisions in Parliament.' Mr Dass (second from right) with his childhood friends at the PSP's rally on April 26. ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK It was curiosity that drew junior college students Isaac, 18, and Kaleb, 17, to the rally, too. Well, that and their teachers' prompting. 'My GP teacher said going for rallies will help you get some points to say during the exam,' said Kaleb, who, like his friend, declined to disclose his last name. He also wanted to pick up public speaking tips to sharpen his presentation skills for project work. Midway through the night, the audience was reminded of Dr Tan's birthday. Good wishes were chanted and Chua Chu Kang GRC candidate S. Nallakaruppan asked the crowd what was the best present it could give the birthday boy. 'Vote PSP!' ricocheted all around. The party's impassioned plea to the crowd delved into the usual hot-button topics of the day: from the Government's response to the cost-of-living crisis to the trust-damaging scandals of the past couple of years. For their efforts in Parliament, Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leong Mun Wai – Non-Constituency MPs for the past five years – were greeted with loud whoops of acclamation. But it was the man of the hour who drew the most vociferous cheers. He drilled into matters of transparency and accountability. He lambasted the 'inbreeding' in Parliament. He invoked history, both personal and national. Even after the last words had been spoken – not by Dr Tan but by Mr Leong – the front mass of supporters had no intention to disperse. They clustered around the fence separating the stage from the field, waving and chanting to the PSP team. It was only after they were reminded that the rally permit expired at 10pm that they reluctantly turned to go. But not before two 23-year-old students with handmade signs, voting for the first time this election, managed to snag autographs – and a shoutout – from the men they had come to see. Students Eunice Yeow (left) and Chihiro Soh (right) with their handmade signs at the PSP's rally at Bukit Gombak Stadium. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH PSP chairman Tan Cheng Bock and party chief Leong Mun Wai signing Ms Yeow's and Ms Soh's signs. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH From red to blue, the action shifted to Tampines, where the WP staged its first rally in the GRC. Wax figurines, inflatable hammers, freshly snipped morsels of muah chee, families and couples whispering in camping chairs and a Kallang wave rising from a bobbing sea of blue on the bleachers – a carnival-like atmosphere enveloped the crowd, their excitement finally erupting into hoots and horns when the men and women in blue stepped into view. It was the WP's first rally in Tampines GRC, where three-term MP Faisal Manap has left the safer harbour of Aljunied to anchor a team of new faces in a four-cornered face-off. Retiree Mr Pang, 71, who has attended practically every WP rally since the 1990s, surveyed the astro-turf field of Temasek Junior College and quipped: 'It's a special night – look at how many young people are stepping out.' In the past, he always looked forward to former party chief Low Thia Khiang's rousing Teochew speeches. But tonight, the torch had been passed. Instead, it was former diplomat Eileen Chong who held court, her Mandarin and Hokkien speech perhaps lacking the fiery gusto of an old warhorse but captivating the crowd nonetheless with earnest charm and doe-eyed conviction. Rally veterans like him might have been in the minority but they were also the most outlandish. Mr Deng Wei Hua, 60, who moved from Hougang SMC to Tampines GRC, brandished a custom figurine of Mr Low and wore a snug shirt with 'Support Punggol GRC' scrawled with a marker pen. He showed the crowd how it was done back in the day, stridently bellowing the party's name, rallying a crowd eager to follow his lead. 'Singapore is unbearable now. I used to be able to feed myself with $10 a day, now it's hardly enough for a meal,' said the cleaner, adding WP could be a voice for the people in Parliament. Many at the rally were young faces such as 30-year-old Mrs Cheong – a working mother of two – who said the WP are 'slaying at their social media game'. She hoped the night would be a 'core memory' for her four-year-old son, who had watched WP chief Pritam Singh's Sengkang rally online with her and was curious to know why he was 'so angry'. 'I would be really worried if my children had to buy a million-dollar flat,' said the Tampines GRC voter, citing cost of living as her biggest concern. She was also here to bust a 'boomer rumour' – the persistent fear that voting for the opposition might somehow hurt her children's chances in the primary school ballot. Supporters at the WP's rally at Temasek Junior College on April 26. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG As the night wore on, the blows and barbs got heavier and sharper. Supporters cheered Mr Faisal when he took to the podium, tearing up as he spoke of having to leave his Kaki Bukit ward. It felt like more than just a 'step up' – the defiant rallying cry WP candidates have echoed throughout the campaign. Tonight, it appeared as though Mr Faisal had stepped into his own. Newcomers like Mr Michael Thng jolted the crowd with an unexpected surge of energy; one attendee even dubbed him a 'cute bad boy'. But not every speaker could hold the restless crowd: the soft-spoken Mr Nathaniel Koh struggled to engage the fidgety audience. Then, as if answering Ms Cheong's four-year-old son's question of why Mr Singh was 'so angry', the Leader of the Opposition proved he could be funny too. Mr Singh capped off the night like a seasoned stand-up comedian, riffing on how the NTUC was a 'guaranteed trampoline' for losing PAP candidates. His supporters roared with laughter. He ended his speech with three cheers of 'Majulah Singapura'. The crowd roared in response, and just like that, the night began to unravel. But the exits quickly clogged, and many were in no hurry to leave. Some sprawled out under the stars, chatting and laughing. The young ones lingered even longer, stretched out across the track like stubborn foam clinging to the shore after the rush of a high tide. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: PAP keeps opposition guessing with last-minute deployments on Nomination Day
SINGAPORE – It was yet another deputy prime minister surprise switch as DPM Gan Kim Yong appeared at Yusof Ishak Secondary School at about 11.20am. It signalled his potential filling of the vacant anchor minister slot in the newly-formed Punggol GRC, one of the hottest wards of this general election. Back in 2020, DPM Heng Swee Keat was the one pulling off the surprise, when he was a Nomination Day switch from Tampines GRC to East Coast GRC. Those watching the PAP's candidate deployments closely over the past few months would have already raised an eyebrow at how many times new faces were switched from ward to ward, sometimes from the West to the East. These changes continued right up to the last hour on Nomination Day itself, with full-fledged ministers moving in a calculated fashion. Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, who had earlier appeared at 9.30am where the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights team was meeting, later emerged at Jurong Pioneer Junior College, the nomination centre for Chua Chu Kang GRC. Both men had been announced last week as returnees to the constituencies they had contested in 2020 – MPBH for Dr Tan and CCK for DPM Gan. New face and former SAF brigadier-general Goh Pei Ming, who had been missing all morning, ended up as the missing name for the MPBH slate. Through all the smoke and mirrors, the PAP kept everyone – the residents and the opposition – guessing right to the last minute. It had already pulled off some surprise moves before Nomination Day, by switching Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah from Tanjong Pagar to helm Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, and completely overhauling the Nee Soon GRC team, with Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam leading a team of four rookies. Confident read of the tea leaves The Nomination Day moves – done in secrecy and with changes up to the eve of the hustings – suggest a quiet confidence in their reading of the opposition's movements. Each change appeared to go toe to toe with the movements of the Workers' Party, the second-biggest political party in Singapore with decades of parliamentary experience among its members. Both Punggol and East Coast GRCs had been highlighted by political observers as hot wards to watch since the release of the electoral boundaries report in March. In both areas, the PAP had its plans ready. It had DPM Gan up its sleeve, while publicly dangling DPM Heng and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean as pieces still in play. On April 23 morning, both DPM Heng and SM Teo appeared at the PAP's Punggol West branch, where the teams that were heading to Yusof Ishak Secondary School were meeting. As nomination proceedings closed, it was revealed that DPM Gan was moved to Punggol, bolstering the slate there. His name was handwritten on the nomination papers displayed at the centre, while his teammates' names were printed on the forms. This move brings him head-to-head with the WP, who fielded newcomer senior counsel Harpreet Singh and three other new faces in Punggol. While DPM Gan is not the PM-in-waiting that DPM Heng was in 2020, he has a national profile upped by his co-chairing of the multi-ministry task force amid the Covid-19 pandemic and almost 25 years of political experience. He was recently named to chair a new Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce that aims to help businesses and workers navigate the uncertainties arising from the US tariffs and global uncertainty, at a time when many economists expect a slowdown in growth globally. In East Coast, the PAP fielded a line-up that was not that surprising: Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How, four-term backbencher Jessica Tan and new candidate Hazlina Abdul Halim that had been present at constituency events in the last few weeks. It switched out one new face for another - moving out Mr Goh Pei Ming, who had been present on the ground recently, and brought back former Agency for Integrated Care chief executive Dinesh Vasu Dash who was seen in East Coast early in April but had been quiet as of late. Those who had speculated WP's Harpreet Singh or even party chief Pritam Singh to contest East Coast would have also expected PAP to deploy extra firepower to East Coast. But the party read the tea leaves correctly – most of the senior WP leaders stayed put in Aljunied GRC – and the opposition slate sent to contest East Coast is instead led by party veteran Yee Jenn Jong. While Mr Yee's team will still put up a respectable contest – Mr Tong had called Mr Yee a 'strong opponent' and said the 'WP has a credible team' – the deployment decisions show where the PAP team has calculated its risks in this general election. It was so assured in its assessment that it deviated from its usual tradition of fielding a minister in every GRC. The MPBH GRC slate was left to be anchored by Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng – and as it turned out, there was a walkover. Will the tactical decisions pay off? These last-minute switches appear to have given the PAP a strong hand as it heads into the hustings. The party has stated repeatedly that it does not take it for granted that it will form the next Government. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has caveated multiple times that he does not know if he will remain as head of government after the election. At an evening press conference after the nomination proceedings, PM Wong stressed this point: 'I fully expect this election to be a tough contest… My team and I will work very hard to make our case to Singaporeans and to win every vote in this changed world.' With the troops deployed, the real battle is now on, with nine days of campaigning in the days ahead. Candidates who have been switched or introduced at the last minute will have to work extra hard over the next week and a half to make their presence known and connect to the voters. For now, PAP has played its cards well. On May 3, we'll find out if it can cash out. Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
