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SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Sunday (Apr 20) that he respects the People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Tan Cheng Bock for his longtime contributions. However, he hopes to offer residents of West Coast-Jurong West Group Representation Constituency (GRC) a team of young contenders and more experienced candidates to address the new challenges that Singaporeans will face in the coming years.
He was speaking at the launch of a job fair at Boon Lay Community Club initiated by the National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) Employment and Employability Institute (e2i).
The media asked questions about the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) team challenging the PAP in the constituency.
Asked about the likelihood of a ‘second go’ between PSP and PAP in this election, Mr Lee emphasised that the contenders on both sides are “known quantities” that have liaised with each other for some time.
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“We know each other. We’ve interacted with each other over the years in Parliament but also in the community,” said Mr Lee.
He also added, “These are things that Singaporeans know, and so it’s not a matter of uncertainty coming into this General Election and in a way, I think, better give Singaporeans the opportunity to decide.”
The GRC, formerly known as West Coast, was the most fiercely contested constituency in the 2020 General Election. The PAP won the GRC with 51.69% of the vote. The PSP, however, secured two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seats for Mr Leong and Ms Poa as the “best losers” for having lost the election most narrowly.
At the job fair launch on Sunday, Mr Lee was joined by a new face, Dr Hamid Razak, who is part of the PAP team contesting West Coast-Jurong West GRC.
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The five-member slate also includes Cassandra Lee, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Shawn Huang, and ex-West Coast GRC incumbent MP Ang Wei Neng.
The constituency has been substantially redrawn following the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee’s recommendations. It now consists of portions of Jurong West and Taman Jurong, leading to its new name: West Coast-Jurong West GRC. The constituency has grown to include 158,581 voters.
Apart from Dr Hamid, PAP’s new face and trade unionist Natasha Choy was also seen at the event.
At the e2i’s “Bringing Jobs to Your Doorstep” event, Mr Lee engaged with community participants, inked a memo to aid Singapore workers, and met with job seekers from the district.
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The event was intended to make job- and skills-related resources more easily available to residents in the GRC. Over 3,500 job positions were highlighted at the fair.
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