GE2025: Redrawn boundaries in West Coast an 'uphill battle' with short runway to next election, says PSP’s Leong Mun Wai
Now that People's Action Party-stronghold Taman Jurong has been added into the GRC, the bar has been raised, said PSP chief Hazel Poa.
PSP walkabout at Taman Jurong market and food centre on Sunday, Mar 16, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
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SINGAPORE: Taking on the new areas added to the revised West Coast-Jurong West GRC is an "uphill battle", especially with a "very short" runway leading up to the upcoming General Election, said Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) Leong Mun Wai on Sunday (Mar 16).
Noting that new residents have been added to the GRC, Mr Leong said: "We have served the Telok Blangah residents very closely over the last four years, but they've taken them out and given us 41,000 new ones.
"And the runway is very short, so we've got to gear up our interaction with them, definitely," he added, speaking at a doorstop during a PSP walkabout at Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre on Sunday morning.
PSP new faces Ms Stella Stan Lee, Mr Sumarleki Amjah and Mr Sani Ismail were among the 50 party members and volunteers walking the area on Sunday.
In its report released on Mar 11, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee recommended that West Coast GRC absorb some estates in Jurong West and Taman Jurong, and be renamed West Coast-Jurong West GRC.
Estates in Harbourfront and Sentosa were carved out and moved to Radin Mas SMC, while districts in Dover and Telok Blangah were moved to Tanjong Pagar GRC.
In 2020, the People's Action Party (PAP) team led by then-Transport Minister S Iswaran, beat their PSP opponents with 51.69 per cent of the vote in West Coast GRC, making it the tightest contest of the COVID-19 General Election.
The performance by PSP – led by former PAP MP Dr Tan Cheng Bock – scored the party two Non-constituency Member of Parliament seats, now held by party chief Hazel Poa and Mr Leong.
At GE2020, Taman Jurong, the district helmed by former-Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, was a PAP stronghold, said Ms Poa on Sunday.
"Now that this has been added in, they raised the bar, but we will rise to the occasion," she said, adding that residents greeted them warmly, which was encouraging.
Jurong GRC has long been one of the PAP’s strongest-performing constituencies. The team, then led by now-President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, secured 79.28 per cent of the vote in GE2015 and 74.61 per cent in GE2020.
Dr Tan has a strong record in the west of Singapore, including in Taman Jurong and Jurong Spring, which are now part of West Coast-Jurong West GRC, said Mr Leong, adding the party intends to do its best to engage every resident leading up to the election.
When asked about where the party plans to contest in the upcoming election, including West Coast-Jurong GRC, Dr Tan declined to reveal their strategy, but confirmed that the team has been decided and that it would be keeping its options open.
PSP will also be meeting with other opposition parties to coordinate their approach soon, said Mr Leong.
The party will try to avoid three-cornered fights, which is very important, Dr Tan added.
Dr Tan started his clinic in Jurong East, as well as started and chaired the Jurong East Town Council, he shared on Sunday. He was also chairman of South West CDC.
"When my friend saw the changes, they expressed sadness for me ... (They) said, 'You are going to a new area. You fought so hard in West Coast now you've got to fight again in Jurong'," said Dr Tan on Sunday.
"Where we go, we fight. Because we're all fighting for the country, for Singapore, and that's most important."
