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Tag: Marine Parade GRC

  • Goh Chok Tong To Stand In Marine Parade, Reveals ‘Likely Team’

    Goh Chok Tong To Stand In Marine Parade, Reveals ‘Likely Team’

    Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who has been an MP in Marine Parade since 1976, said on Tuesday (Aug 4) that he will likely stand in the next election.

    In a post on the Marine Parade Facebook page, he revealed the People’s Action Party (PAP)’s likely line-up in his five-member GRC for the next election.

    Four of the five members of the current team will remain, except Ms Tin Pei Ling, whose MacPherson ward will be carved out as a single seat in the next General Election (GE).

    The fifth member of ESM Goh’s team is likely to be first-term MP Edwin Tong, whose current Jalan Besar ward is part of the soon-to-be-dissolved Moulmein-Kallang GRC.

    He will likely be fielded in the Joo Chiat division, a closely-contested single seat that will be absorbed into Marine Parade GRC for the next GE. Joo Chiat’s current MP, Charles Chong, is expected to contest the Workers’ Party-held single seat of Punggol East.

    Mr Tong attended his first public event at the constituency, a National Day celebratory parade, on Sunday. He also attended the Joo Chiat National Day dinner the same day.

    Said ESM Goh: “At my request, (the) party sent Edwin Tong to Marine Parade GRC to be tested for Joo Chiat.”

    “This is likely to be the MP GRC team for GE,” he added, referring to a picture of himself, Mr Tong, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin and veteran backbenchers Fatimah Lateef and Mr Seah Kian Peng

    “As for me, a few friends have suggested that I retire as I have done enough for the country. But Marine Parade residents and many others urge me to stay on. They say the country and Marine Parade still need me.”

    He added that he will explain his decision at the GRC’s National Day dinner to be held on Aug 14.

    The PAP slate won 56.7 per cent of the vote against the National Solidarity Party (NSP) in 2011, which was the ruling party’s second-closest shave in a group representation constituency, after East Coast.

    It was also the first contest the constituency had seen since 1992 by-election, and the first time the vote share in its history had fallen below 70 per cent.

    The constituency is also shaping up for a tough fight in the next hustings, with both the Workers’ Party (WP) and NSP having said they intend to contest there. The Straits Times also understands that this was one of the flashpoints at an opposition meeting on Monday, with neither party wanting to budge.

    Also on Tuesday, Mr Tan posted about the Joo Chiat National Day dinner on his Facebook page: “Appreciate the hospitality shown to both ESM and myself! We’d miss Charles but welcome Edwin Tong who will get to know all of you better, along with us in the team.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

     

  • Marine Parade Likely The First GRC To Go To Opposition

    Marine Parade Likely The First GRC To Go To Opposition

    The redrawing of electoral boundaries makes Marine Parade a ward with the most changes, with a cut and a paste. Presumably the changes are meant to favour the PAP in Marine Parade. The weakest link in the team, Tin Pei Ling, has been hived out to front a single seat in MacPherson. Many political observers see her as a liability and her absence in a way should strengthen Marine Parade some what. But this is off set by the inclusion of Joo Chiat. The marginal win at Joo Chiat must be scary for the PAP and it must be hoping to retain Joo Chiat by making it part of the firmer Marine Parade GRC. How would this work out is yet to be seen as the voters in Joo Chiat seem to be swinging towards the WP camp.

    The incumbents in Marine Parade are no guarantees for a win. Chok Tong, the strongest candidate due to his Premiership status is likely to be retired. Tan Chuan Jin has not much to show during his term in MOM and would not be the persuasive factor to carry Marine Parade. The rest of the team are just so so.

    Now comes the checkmate move by Low Thai Khiang. He has announced that WP would contest Marine Parade. Low Thia Khiang has a very good track record in winning elections. He broke ground by winning Hougang. Again he broke the records by winning a GRC, once seen as near impossibility. For Low Thia Khiang to make his move in Marine Parade and East Coast, he must have read his cards well. He must have sense the moment has come.

    PAP’s performance against NSP in the last election was nothing to crow about. NSP was a very weak team and the Nicole Seah effect was enough to rattle the PAP team and nearly knocked them over. The WP is no NSP, and has a more respectable track record and seen as a real challenger to the PAP in times to come. A so so team in Marine Parade is going to be a tough call and the chances of it falling to the WP is quite expectable. Would the PAP boost up the team with more ministers and take a big gamble to lose big?

    Just a few days after the electoral boundaries have been changed and confirmed, and with some comments and indications of intent from the opposition parties, Marine Parade is now hanging by a very thin thread. And the bonus that could come along would be MacPherson. If top notch candidates like Dr Koh Poh Soon can lose to Ah Lian, Tin Pei Ling would need to a miraculous act to stand a chance against an opposition candidate on her own. Very likely she would be retired on medical ground from this GE.

    It is looking like 1 GRC and 1 SMC down before the GE even started. My God, if this is the case, Tan Chuan Jin would be no more a minister.


    Source: http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com.au