GE2020 SINGAPORE VOTES:POST-ELECTION WALKABOUTS
Work has started for PAP's West Coast team: Iswaran
Minister pledges to deliver on promises made, following close fight against PSP in polls
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Above: Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee (standing, centre) and Ms Foo Mee Har, who are part of the newly elected People's Action Party (PAP) team in West Coast GRC, interacting with residents in a coffee shop at Block 964 Jurong West Street 91 yesterday. The PAP team won in Friday's election, with 51.69 per cent of the votes against the Progress Singapore Party.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The newly elected People's Action Party (PAP) team in West Coast GRC is grateful for the support of the majority of voters in a closely fought contest, and it has started work to deliver on its promises, said Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran.
Speaking to reporters yesterday after a walkabout at Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village to thank voters, Mr Iswaran said the contest put up by the opposition Progress Singapore Party (PSP) had given voters much to think about.
In Friday's general election, the PAP won the group representation constituency with 51.69 per cent of the votes against the PSP, led by former PAP stalwart Tan Cheng Bock.
When asked what went right or wrong with the PAP's campaign strategy, Mr Iswaran, who was the team's anchor minister, said it was too early to arrive at definitive conclusions.
The PAP's vote share was a 26 percentage point drop from the 2015 polls, when it secured 78.57 per cent of the votes against the Reform Party (RP).
Asked about the possible reasons for the tilt towards the opposition, Mr Iswaran said: "I think there are obviously multiple factors at play, and it's very hard to make specific attributions."
The PAP team ran a mostly low-profile campaign, including market and house visits, as well as social media posts. It did not hold any online rallies during the campaign period.
The team's manifesto highlighted numerous upcoming infrastructure improvements, such as the Jurong Regional Line and Silver Zones for the elderly.
Said Mr Iswaran: "I think the post-mortem will have to be done at different levels so it's a bit early to analyse this. But as you have heard from PM (Lee Hsien Loong) and so on, there are multiple factors at play, we imagine. There are national-level issues, and I think it's also a function of the opponents in the relevant divisions, and so on."
The contest between the PAP and the PSP in this GRC was among the tightest in the election.
The PAP team - comprising Mr Iswaran, Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee, Ms Foo Mee Har, Mr Ang Wei Neng and new candidate Rachel Ong - had campaigned on creating jobs, providing employment assistance, strengthening social safety nets, and initiatives for youth and families.
On the other hand, Dr Tan had cited his track record as a long-serving former PAP MP, and called for greater transparency, as well as putting workers and businesses first. His team included PSP assistant secretary-general Leong Mun Wai, Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Nadarajah Loganathan and Mr Jeffrey Khoo.
Yesterday, Mr Iswaran said the team's immediate priority is to set up a town council that will oversee municipal matters in both West Coast GRC and Pioneer SMC.
It will be chaired by newly elected Pioneer MP Patrick Tay, with participation from other West Coast GRC MPs, he added.
When asked why Mr Tay is taking the chairman's job, Mr Iswaran said: "Patrick was chair of our West Coast Town Council. So I think all of us agree that he is the best choice to do it because that will allow us to have the continuity."
Beyond this, a range of other initiatives will be rolled out, including programmes focusing on jobs and employment, he added. There will also be efforts to reach out to senior citizens, and new plans in the area of healthcare, Mr Iswaran said.
West Coast GRC was created in 1997 and since then, the PAP has seen two walkovers and challenges from the Workers' Party and RP, but has never secured less than 66.6 per cent of the votes until now.
Traditionally viewed as a PAP stronghold, the GRC absorbed parts of Chua Chu Kang GRC and Hong Kah North SMC for this election, and was expanded from four members to five. The number of voters increased from 99,300 in 2015 to 146,089 this year.
