SINGAPORE – The electoral battle in West Coast-Jurong West GRC will be closely watched as the Progress Singapore Party looks set to return with its A-team to challenge a refreshed PAP slate.
The PAP won the constituency in its previous form – West Coast GRC – with 51.68 per cent of the vote against a PSP team led by former PAP stalwart Tan Cheng Bock.
It was the narrowest win for the ruling party, and political observers expect the constituency to be keenly contested again.
Since 2020, its boundaries have been significantly redrawn – with possible electoral implications.
About 41,000 voters from Jurong GRC – mostly from the Jurong Spring and Taman Jurong wards – will join the renamed West Coast-Jurong West GRC.
The five-member constituency will also cede estates in HarbourFront and Sentosa to Radin Mas SMC, and Dover and Telok Blangah estates to Tanjong Pagar GRC.
With these changes, the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC will comprise the wards of Boon Lay, Nanyang, West Coast, Ayer Rajah-Gek Poh, Taman Jurong and parts of Jurong Spring.
The new boundaries could give the PAP a “lift”, as the Taman Jurong ward was a PAP stronghold under long-time MP and now President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, said Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan.
Mr Tharman represented Taman Jurong from 2001 to 2023, and returned the ruling party’s biggest win in several elections.
But the PSP has also had time to build its national reputation.
PSP’s 2020 showing had allowed it to send two Non-Constituency MPs into Parliament – Mr Leong Mun Wai and Ms Hazel Poa. The pair’s performance in Parliament has allowed the PSP to build its national brand and standing, said Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Gillian Koh.
How the battle will shape up
How the election will pan out depends on whom both parties field – and neither side has confirmed its slate.
This could be as both are waiting for the other to reveal their team in order to better select theirs, observers said.
Independent political observer Felix Tan said: “It is a game of poker where the political strategy lies in who reveals its cards before the other.”
The PAP slate will see significant changes and a new anchor.
Former transport minister S. Iswaran had been anchor minister for West Coast GRC until he resigned in January 2024 following a corruption probe.
Since then, National Development Minister Desmond Lee has stepped up in the constituency, although it remains to be seen if he will lead it in the 2025 General Election.
Mr Lee himself had in GE2020 been moved from Jurong GRC to West Coast GRC to strengthen PAP’s team there against Dr Tan’s PSP.
On April 2, Mr Lee introduced trade unionist Natasha Choy as a new face on his team.
She had previously been seen with current West Coast GRC MP Foo Mee Har.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee (left) with trade unionist Natasha Choy at the launch of Our Residents’ Hub at the Jalan Mas Kuning Playground on April 2.ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
It is unclear if Ms Foo and Mr Ang Wei Neng, who represents Nanyang, will stand again as both have served three terms, although Mr Ang has said he wishes to.
The redrawn boundaries will also trigger some reshuffling among the other MPs.
Taman Jurong and Jurong Spring, which had both been under Jurong GRC, are represented by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Education Shawn Huang. Mr Huang has helmed the Taman Jurong ward since President Tharman stepped down.
Mr Huang is expected to move with his wards into the West Coast-Jurong West GRC.
Orthopaedic surgeon Hamid Razak has since 2024 also been spotted on the ground in Jurong Spring, and is also expected to be fielded in the new constituency under the PAP banner.
Current West Coast GRC MP Rachel Ong, who represents Telok Blangah, is likewise expected to move into Tanjong Pagar GRC with her ward.
The PAP team will eventually face off with the PSP, which is expected to field its chairman, Dr Tan, as well as its two NCMPs, Mr Leong and Ms Poa, who ran in West Coast in the last election.
Dr Tan was a PAP MP for Ayer Rajah SMC for 26 years, an area which is inside the current West Coast-Jurong West GRC.
Who will round out the PSP team remains unclear.
On April 5, Ms Poa was seen at a walkabout in the constituency with three new faces: Mr Sani Ismail, Mr Sumarleki Amjah and Ms Stephanie Tan. Ms Poa’s husband Tony Tan, formerly from the Reform Party and National Solidarity Party, was also seen helping the PSP at walkabouts.
Ms Poa has also said she is not against running in a single-seat constituency.
Both the PAP and the PSP are “playing a waiting game for obvious strategic reasons”, said SMU’s Associate Professor Tan.
“We should be prepared for eleventh-hour surprises on Nomination Day,” he added.
For both parties, the key question is how to refresh and strengthen their slates, Prof Tan said.
Ms Hazel Poa (right) and (second from left) Mr Sumarleki Amjah speaking with residents during a PSP walkabout on April 5.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Observers expect both teams to be strong, and highlighted the residual pull that President Tharman and Dr Tan will have on certain areas.
For 63-year-old retiree Mustapha Kamal Osman, his main concern is the credibility of the candidates. The long-time Taman Jurong resident said candidates should have “good character” and “good heart”.
Both parties told The Straits Times that they have been working the ground hard over the past five years.
In response to queries from ST, the PAP said that over the past five years, it has introduced social and community programmes, as well as enhanced infrastructure and hardware across the constituency.
These include local schemes to supplement national programmes to help lower- and middle-income households cope with the cost of living.
It also launched Jobs @ West Coast, a programme comprising jobs and skills fairs, and digital jobs portals for residents.
As for the PSP, the party’s chief, Mr Leong, told ST that over the past five years, it has tried its best to meet as many residents as possible in the original West Coast GRC.
He noted that the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC is now the second-largest GRC in Singapore by voter size.
“So we are making additional efforts to meet as many of the new voters who have been drawn into the constituency as quickly as possible,” he said.
“If we are elected as MPs, we hope to engage the residents even more regularly as elected MPs.”
West Coast-Jurong West GRC is a microcosm of Singapore, with the make-up of the constituency largely similar to national trends.
About 30 per cent of residents are between the ages of 46 and 65, close to the national average of 28.7 per cent, according to estimates by ST.
At the same time, the constituency has seen some renewal. Its proportion of school-going children and young adults aged 21 to 25 is slightly above the national average.
Responding to residents’ concerns
For residents whom ST spoke to, inflation was top of mind.
Ms Liyana Horsahamay, who is expecting her third child, said the announcement at Budget 2025 of more financial benefits for families with three or more young children gave her some relief.
The new measures include large families receiving up to $16,000 in additional support for each third and subsequent child born on or after Feb 18.
But the 33-year-old healthcare worker raised concerns that such help may not be sustainable in the long run.
Others like West Coast resident Chua Lian Hock, 63, a deliveryman, said the price of everything has increased over the last few years.
He said in Mandarin: “I understand that some of this is out of the Government’s control, and I think they have been helping enough, but it’s been difficult.”
With nearly eight in 10 residents there living in public housing, Housing Board flat maintenance is also a concern among residents in the constituency.
Mr Chua said his flat – located near Ayer Rajah Food Centre and built in the late 1970s – has had some issues with leakage through its walls, although these were promptly fixed by the town council.
Another resident, a 23-year-old nurse living in the Taman Jurong ward who wanted to be known only by her initials D.K, said she is concerned about the upkeep of her estate. She also noted that lift breakdowns occur frequently.
Inflation and Housing Board flat maintenance are two of the top concerns in the minds of residents of the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC.ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
The PAP said it has introduced more sheltered walkways, barrier-free ramps for seniors and Silver Zones to slow down traffic in areas with more elderly residents.
Several areas within the constituency have also completed the Home Improvement Programme, with more ongoing, as well as neighbourhood renewal programmes that bolster ageing infrastructure in the neighbourhood.
Mr Lee said: “Many of these efforts stem from what residents have shared with us on the ground – their concerns, aspirations, and hopes for their families and community. Whether it’s making our estates more accessible, creating more opportunities for our young, or helping families cope with daily costs, we’ve focused on practical solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives.”
Observers say bread-and-butter issues such as the cost of living, housing affordability and immigration are likely to be the focus of both sides’ campaigns.
SMU’s Prof Tan said: “I don’t think municipal issues will feature all that prominently. On the pivotal issue of immigration, we can expect a bruising battle for the hearts and minds of voters.”
In the lead-up to the hustings, both parties said they will be doing more to engage residents.
The PAP said that following the Covid-19 pandemic, when social interactions had been more limited, the party is “excited to once again reconnect with residents in more personal and meaningful ways”.
It added that it has focused on several areas, including more in-person interactions and increased hybrid engagement combining digital channels with in-person events.
It said: “Regardless of the format, our commitment remains the same – to serve our residents with dedication, sincerity, and a focus on building a stronger, more inclusive community together, where no one is left behind.”
As for the PSP, the party said it has ramped up engagement in Jurong West, and conducted its first walkabout in Taman Jurong on March 16, five days after the release of the new electoral boundaries.
Taman Jurong resident Cheah Kok Keong, 59, a senior manager at an education institute, said the PSP has established itself since the last election.
Mr Cheah said: “The two NCMPs have brought up a number of issues in Parliament, and the PSP may be perceived as a relatively credible choice.
“It could be a tough fight.”
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