GE2025: PAP to field ex-Aljunied branch chair Alex Yeo in Potong Pasir, Sitoh Yih Pin stepping down
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Mr Alex Yeo thanked Mr Sitoh Yih Pin for teaching him the ropes in Potong Pasir.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
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SINGAPORE – Lawyer Alex Yeo will stand in Potong Pasir
Mr Yeo, 46, entered politics in 2020, when he was fielded in Aljunied GRC as part of a PAP slate. The PAP lost with 40.05 per cent of the vote against the Workers’ Party, which won with 59.95 per cent.
In a press briefing in Potong Pasir on April 16, Mr Yeo said he is not new to Potong Pasir because he started volunteering in the constituency in 2013.
“It feels like I have come home... A part of me never actually left Potong Pasir,” he added.
In his opening remarks, he thanked Mr Sitoh for teaching him the ropes in Potong Pasir.
He said: “He is a dear mentor of mine, and I have learnt many lessons in community leadership and service from him.” Mr Sitoh, 61, has been the MP for Potong Pasir SMC since 2011.
Mr Yeo added that he had been coming back to the estate – even when he was on the ground in Aljunied – to run a community legal clinic he set up in 2016. He also launched a pro bono Lasting Power of Attorney programme.
“I am just a viaduct away,” he said, referring to the proximity of Aljunied to Potong Pasir.
In the pipeline is a manifesto he is preparing to launch soon, which will provide details of a five-year plan for Potong Pasir, said Mr Yeo.
It will contain what he called the “hardware” or infrastructure improvements, and “heartware”, which are initiatives aimed at supporting families and strengthening community bonds.
Improvements could include more sheltered walkways, overhead bridges and directional signs.
Mr Yeo also hinted at plans to refresh and rejuvenate mature estates in Potong Pasir, and look after seniors in the community by, for instance, bringing in mobile clinics.
He said: “We derive these plans through listening, observing, engaging Potong Pasir residents across the constituency. We do not set out to propose these plans lightly, and intend to deliver on every promise made.”
Mr Yeo added that he appreciates the area’s “political history and legacy, and what voters expect of their representatives, regardless of what political party they represent”.
“I know I cannot simply ride on the good work of my predecessors,” Mr Yeo said, adding that he will work to earn the trust of residents.
Anyone who wants to serve Potong Pasir residents, he said, will need to understand “how to blend the rich heritage of the past with the dreams and aspirations of residents in the future”.
Mr Sitoh joined politics in 2001, when he was tasked with winning back the Potong Pasir single seat, which was held by veteran opposition MP Chiam See Tong for 27 years.
Mr Chiam, 90, who has retired, won the seat in 1984 when he beat Mr Mah Bow Tan, who would go on to hold several Cabinet positions.
In 2011, Mr Sitoh finally wrested the seat from the opposition, having failed twice before in 2001 and 2006.
An accountant by profession, Mr Sitoh defended his Potong Pasir seat successfully against the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) at the 2015 polls, winning 66.39 per cent of the vote, and again at the 2020 polls, garnering 60.67 per cent.
When asked about his future plans, Mr Sitoh said he hopes to spend more time with his family and three-year-old granddaughter.
Mr Yeo, who is married with two children, served as branch chair of the Paya Lebar ward in Aljunied GRC, which has been held by the WP since 2011.
When asked why he has moved to contest Potong Pasir after spending more time in Aljunied GRC, Mr Yeo said: “I am not a stranger here... I have always been in and out of Potong Pasir.”
He added: “This is a constituency that I have many links with, and I have served here for many years, and continue to serve here for many years, so I am looking forward to taking a bigger role moving forward.”
Most Potong Pasir residents live in Housing Board blocks, with only 7.8 per cent in landed property. The majority of the residents are 46 years old and above.
On a potential three-cornered fight in Potong Pasir, Mr Yeo said his focus is on himself and his team, and “what we can give to the residents”.
The SPP is expected to contest the constituency again
Mr Yeo added that serving in Aljunied has had an impact on him.
He said: “Having served in Aljunied for eight years, I can tell you, if you are not frank and honest and brave, you will probably not survive serving in Aljunied GRC.”
