The Singapore People’s Party (SPP) has finalized its five candidates for Potong Pasir SMC and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC but will only announce its lineup and deployment plans closer to Nomination Day.
On Saturday (March 29) morning, the SPP visited Block 93 Market and Hawker Centre at Toa Payoh Lorong 4 and Toa Payoh Central to engage with residents of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
SPP Secretary-General Steve Chia responded to Lianhe Zaobao’s questions before the walkabout, saying that the SPP will only be contesting Potong Pasir SMC and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC in the upcoming General Election. “We have already confirmed the candidates for both constituencies, but we will only reveal the deployment plans closer to Nomination Day.”
In the upcoming General Election, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC is one of the nine unchanged constituencies, with a total of 98,505 voters as of February 1. This GRC requires a Malay representative.
When asked whether the SPP has found a suitable Malay candidate, Steve Chia replied, “He is not available to join the walkabout today, but he will be here tomorrow.”
The SPP has contested Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC in the last three General Elections. In the 2011 General Election, the SPP team led by veteran politician Chiam See Tong lost to the People’s Action Party (PAP) by nearly 14 percentage points.
In 2015, this margin widened even further, with the SPP securing only 26.41% of the votes.
The SPP’s performance improved slightly in the last General Election, but they still only managed to win 32.77% of the votes. The SPP team was led by Steve Chia, with members Williamson Lee, Melvyn Chiu, and Osman Sulaiman.
Currently, the four PAP MPs managing Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC are: Defence Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Transport Minister and Second Minister for Finance Chee Hong Tat, Chong Kee Hiong, and Saktiandi Supaat.
Lee Hai Bao (75 years old, retired), who has been living in Toa Payoh for about 10 years, said during an interview, “Compared to PAP, SPP members are less active in the community. From chatting with other residents, most people have a positive impression of PAP, especially because of the many sheltered walkways built in recent years, which make it more convenient to get around.”
Regardless of which party wins the next General Election, he hopes MPs will address the issue of rising living costs. “Food prices at hawker centres keep increasing. Besides providing subsidies, should the government also consider addressing the rental costs for hawkers to tackle the problem at its root?”
As for Potong Pasir SMC, it used to be an opposition stronghold. Chiam See Tong held the seat for six consecutive terms until the 2011 General Election, when PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin defeated Lina Chiam, who contested in place of her husband, with 50.36% of the votes.
In the last General Election, SPP fielded Jose Raymond in an attempt to reclaim Potong Pasir, but he ultimately lost to Sitoh Yih Pin, receiving only 39.33% of the votes.
