SINGAPORE – A three-cornered fight can be expected in Sembawang GRC, and this outcome will give residents more choices in exercising their democratic right to vote, said Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung.
On its end, the PAP team will campaign on the party’s values, as well as the team’s track record and its plans for the group representation constituency in the coming years, Mr Ong said on the sidelines of a Sembawang community event on the evening of April 6.
Earlier in the day, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) introduced its team for Sembawang GRC for GE2025 at a media event in Kampung Admiralty.
The National Solidarity Party (NSP) was also on a walkabout at the integrated development in Woodlands. Both opposition parties had earlier declared their intentions to contest in Sembawang.
“This morning, Sembawang was a bustling place, with two political parties – plus PAP, three political parties – moving around,” noted Mr Ong.
Mr Ong, who is anchor minister for Sembawang, said a three-cornered fight is likely, given that each party has its own ideas and vision for Singapore. He expects a keen contest, but a three-cornered fight will not change how his team will contest the coming election.
“We’ll contest on three fronts: based on our values as a party, based on our track record – let our action do the talking – and then based on our plans for the future, and we do have very exciting plans in Sembawang,” he said.
The SDP has said it would compete in Sembawang GRC and Sembawang West SMC as part of what the opposition party had dubbed its “northern strategy”.
This means that SDP chief Chee Soon Juan will run in Sembawang West, which is currently helmed by Ms Poh Li San. Ms Poh’s ward has been carved out as a single-member constituency for the upcoming election, although Sembawang remains a five-member GRC.
Mr Ong told reporters that while Dr Chee is “nationally a more famous figure, who has left Bukit Batok to come here”, he believed that Sembawang residents are fair-minded.
“They know who is the one who has been working for them all these years, and who is here because of (their party’s) political strategy,” he said. “So I believe this will be their basis of consideration… when they consider who to vote for.”
(From left) Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and new faces Gabriel Lam and Ng Shi Xuan greeting residents at the Family Day Carnival @ Sembawang on April 6.ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
At the April 6 event, a family day carnival at the open field beside Sun Plaza, Mr Ong recapped his team’s “report card” for the past five years, which included better transport links such as the opening of the Thomson-East Coast Line and the 25km Northern Explorer Loop, a park connector network linking the towns of Sembawang, Woodlands and Yishun.
While the Sembawang plan for the next five years will be published in the coming weeks, Mr Ong hinted that it will include plans for a future seafront district once Sembawang Shipyard relocates.
“When (the shipyard) moves to Tuas, we have a whole new area – waterfront – to imagine how to transform Sembawang,” he said.
Mr Ong was joined at the event by his Sembawang teammates – Mr Vikram Nair, Ms Poh and Ms Mariam Jaafar. Two new faces that the minister had introduced to residents at a March 29 event were also there – Mr Gabriel Lam and Mr Ng Shi Xuan.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung (centre) addressing Sembawang GRC residents on April 6. With him are (from left) Mr Gabriel Lam, Sembawang GRC MPs Vikram Nair, Mariam Jaafar and Poh Li San, and Mr Ng Shi Xuan.ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Dr Lim Wee Kiak, an MP who oversees Canberra ward in the GRC, was not at the event. In Facebook posts on April 3 and April 4, Dr Lim had thanked members of Canberra’s Residents’ Networks for their support and contributions to the community.
Dr Lim’s recent posts also showed him introducing Mr Lam and Mr Ng to grassroots volunteers in the area.
Mr Lam, 42, and Mr Ng, 35, were recently appointed as second advisers to grassroots organisations in Canberra.
Mr Lam is chief operating officer of moving company Shalom International Movers, while Mr Ng is director of battery company Powermark Battery and Hardware.
Mr Lam, who has been involved with Yellow Ribbon Singapore since 2011, told reporters that he would like to champion second chances for struggling families, and also for small and medium-sized enterprises facing challenges.
Mr Ng, previously a grassroots volunteer in MacPherson for a decade, said he would like to build on his work helping young families and single parents, especially as there are more young families in Sembawang.
When asked about the PAP’s Sembawang line-up, Mr Ong said this takes time to firm up as the ruling party contests every seat, but residents can see who is at community events.
“I leave you to infer who will be on the slate for Sembawang GRC, as well as (Sembawang West) SMC,” he said.
Join ST’s WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.