GE2025: WP notes 'significant' changes to boundaries in areas it's been working; PSP questions 'drastic' tweaks

SINGAPORE: The opposition Workers' Party (WP) noted "significant" changes to areas where it has been "working consistently for the last few years", in revisions to Singapore’s electoral boundaries released on Tuesday (Mar 11).

Meanwhile, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) questioned what it called "drastic" tweaks to the boundaries ahead of a coming General Election, which left just nine constituencies untouched from the last polls.

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) also said it was "disappointed" with the disappearance of two Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) – Yuhua and Bukit Batok – where it had previously contested.

Other smaller opposition parties too voiced discontent at some of the changes, even as they expressed readiness to adapt to a redrawn electoral map.

Voters must head to the polls by November to elect 97 Members of Parliament (MPs) across 33 constituencies, up from 93 MPs and 31 constituencies previously.

This was after the Singapore government accepted recommendations released by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) on Tuesday.

In response, WP said the confirmation of the electoral boundaries was a critical part of election preparations.

“The report contains some brief justifications for the redrawing of boundaries, such as the population growth of certain electoral districts," the party said in a Facebook post.

WP added that it will share more information in due course on the likely constituencies it will contest and its potential candidates.

PSP said it was "heartened" that the EBRC disclosed more of the reasoning behind the recommendations in its report this time.

"However, PSP’s view is that much of the EBRC’s decision-making remains unexplained, and the EBRC could have accounted for population shifts without making drastic changes to existing major electoral boundaries," the party said in a statement.

"For instance, the population changes to Hong Kah North SMC because of the new Tengah estate could have been dealt with by merging it with Yuhua SMC and Bukit Batok SMC to form a new GRC.

"Instead, this was used to justify changing the electoral boundaries of Jurong GRC, West Coast GRC, Chua Chu Kang GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC."

In an interview with CNA, PSP Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa also pointed to Telok Blangah ward in West Coast GRC, which saw the tightest race in the 2020 polls, with the PAP edging out PSP.

Noting that the ward was moved to Tanjong Pagar GRC, she said this "made Tanjong Pagar GRC too big, so that they have to carve out an SMC", in reference to the new Queenstown SMC.

Ms Poa said this "doesn't make sense, because you could have made Telok Blangah an SMC to begin with, and then leave Tanjong Pagar alone".

"So we do feel that there are certain changes that are not fully explained," she added.

PSP said it would study the EBRC report and make further announcements about where it would contest the election.

Ms Poa said the party would "take into account how familiar with we are with that location and whether we have been walking the grounds there sufficiently" in deciding where to run.

In a statement to CNA, SDP said the whole process of redrawing electoral boundaries "lacks transparency, done without open discussion among stakeholders".

The party added that it will have to study the details of all the changes carefully and consolidate its plans.

SMALLER OPPOSITION PARTIES CRITICISE REDRAWING

Last year, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing rejected suggestions by opposition MPs that the review of electoral boundaries had become politicised.

He said the EBRC does not make recommendations based on voting patterns, does not consult any political party, and comprises senior civil servants with no party allegiance.

On Tuesday, smaller parties in the opposition landscape raised the same criticisms in response to the revisions to the electoral map.

The People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR) secretary-general Lim Tean said the bloc was “outraged“ by what he described as the "wanton redrawing of the electoral boundaries with no good reasons given".

"In particular, we protest that parts of Potong Pasir SMC and Mountbatten SMC, where Peoples Voice (PV) has been active for the last four and seven years respectively, have now been absorbed into the new Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC without any justification," said Mr Lim, who leads PV.

The PAR comprises PV, the Reform Party and the Democratic Progressive Party. Mr Lim said the alliance would “definitely” contest in eight SMCs and two GRCs.

These are the two new SMCs of Jalan Kayu and Queenstown, as well as existing SMCs in Kebun Baru, Marymount, Mountbatten, Potong Pasir, Radin Mas and Yio Chu Kang.

"We will, of course, contest the new Jalan Kayu SMC as that was part of Ang Mo Kio GRC in which PAR’s component party The Reform Party had contested for the last three General Elections," he told CNA.

"And needless to say, we will also be contesting the new Queenstown SMC as that was carved out of Tanjong Pagar GRC, in which Peoples Voice has been active since 2018. This new SMC also borders Radin Mas SMC which has been contested by The Reform Party for the past two elections."

PAR also expects to run in Jalan Besar GRC and Tanjong Pagar GRC.

Another bloc, the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) - which is made up of the Singapore Justice Party and the Singapore Malay National Organisation - has contested Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC since 2006.

That GRC has been divided into two new GRCs – Pasir-Ris Changi and Punggol.

SDA chairman Desmond Lim said the bloc was "very happy to welcome Changi residents" and would work hard to serve them.

As for Punggol GRC, Mr Lim said it was "centred around the former Punggol-West SMC", which the WP contested in 2020.

"We will speak honestly and sincerely with the Workers’ Party about the boundary changes. And how, together, we can put forward an arrangement that will make sure the wellbeing of Punggol residents (comes) first," he said.

People's Power Party secretary-general Goh Meng Seng meanwhile said his party was "disappointed" with the EBRC's report, which he described as "apparently skewed to protect (the PAP's) electoral interests".

Nonetheless, he said PPP was prepared to contest in the new SMCs in Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat, and the GRCs in Ang Mo Kio, Nee Soon and Tampines.

Also part of the opposition landscape is The Coalition, an informal alliance formed in October 2023 and comprising the National Solidarity Party (NSP), Red Dot United (RDU), Singapore People’s Party (SPP) and Singapore United Party (SUP).

NSP's secretary-general Spencer Ng said the party was "deeply disappointed and perplexed" by the electoral boundary changes. He also described the "persistent adoption of the outdated GRC system" as "more disturbing".

Mr Ng said that NSP will contest in the SMCs of Sembawang West and Tampines Changkat, as well as in five GRCs: Jalan Besar, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Sembawang and Tampines.

RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon expressed “deep disappointment” at how the latest EBRC report had, according to him, “drastically altered the political landscape in the west of Singapore”, especially affecting Jurong GRC. He said RDU had built strong relationships with residents there.

Jurong GRC was redrawn into Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Jurong Central SMC and West Coast-Jurong West GRC.

Mr Philemon said RDU’s intention at this stage was to contest Jurong East-Bukit Batok, Nee Soon and Tanjong Pagar GRCs, and the single-seat constituencies of Jurong Central, Jalan Kayu and Radin Mas.

He also said the review "appears to disproportionately affect opposition-contested areas in the west", in particular West Coast GRC and Bukit Batok SMC, which the PAP won by 51.68 per cent and 54.8 per cent respectively in 2020.

"The introduction of new GRCs and SMCs in these areas has fragmented strong opposition ground, and the intention is clear to create rivalry between opposition parties that are active in the area," he said.

SPP told CNA that while it needed time to review the EBRC report and recommendations, its initial position was to stand prepared to contest in Potong Pasir SMC and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. 

SPP has contested Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC since 2011. As for Potong Pasir, the party has had a long history with the SMC. SPP’s former secretary-general Chiam See Tong represented the SMC from 1984 to 2011, first as part of SDP and then, from 1997, with SPP before stepping down from his post in 2019.

And SUP secretary-general Andy Zhu noted that Ang Mo Kio GRC and Kebun Baru and Yio Chu Kang SMCs, which his party has been eyeing, were "still around".

"Therefore, I would say the release of boundaries did not affect much of SUP’s planning. However, things are still fluid at the moment," he said.

Mr Zhu said that SUP would work with other opposition parties to avoid three-cornered or even more-cornered fights, and would announce its plans when elections are called.