GE2025: PAP to field unchanged line-up in Holland-Bukit Timah; Liang Eng Hwa to defend Bukit Panjang
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Bukit Panjang SMC MP Liang Eng Hwa (second from right) with Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MPs (from left) Edward Chia, Sim Ann, Vivian Balakrishnan and Christopher de Souza on April 15.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
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SINGAPORE – The PAP team that will contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in the upcoming polls will remain unchanged, with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan helming the line-up in a constituency he has represented for about two decades.
In neighbouring Bukit Panjang SMC
Apart from Dr Balakrishnan, the Holland-Bukit Timah team is made up of Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, 50, lawyer Christopher de Souza, 49, and businessman Edward Chia, 41.
In a press briefing on April 15 at the Pang Sua Pond in Bukit Panjang, Dr Balakrishnan, 64, said the upcoming polls will take place at a time of profound change, where externally the world is beset by volatility.
He said: “We know that the old world order has ended, the new world order is coming, and we don’t know the exact shape.
“But what we do know is that a small, tiny city-state, trade-dependent economy like Singapore will face the impact, perhaps in a more turbulent way than many other bigger economies. So, this is a time to be prepared domestically.”
He added that the conversations and choices made in this election will have a major impact on whether Singapore is shipshape and ready for the storms to come.
When asked why there were no changes to the PAP slate, Dr Balakrishnan said that after holding discussions with the Prime Minister, they felt the team still has the right blend of experience.
For example, three members of his team are under the age of 50.
Dr Balakrishnan said: “We believe this is still a team which has the right blend of youth, ideas, energy, vigour. Fortunately, we have had the time to deeply embed ourselves into the society. So that’s why the Prime Minister decided to retain the line-up for now.”
But in the future, renewal is expected, he added.
He said: “This election is critical because Singapore needs to beef up the ranks of the 4G leadership at the national level, and there’s a need to do so in a PAP way, which is careful, deliberate and steady.”
He also said Mr Liang is experienced, having served as an MP since 2006, and that the Holland-Bukit Timah team is tried and tested.
“Our residents know us, we’ve been here a long time. We’ve walked with our residents, listened to their ideas, their anxieties, hopes and aspirations,” said Dr Balakrishnan.
Holland-Bukit Timah is a four-member group representation constituency with 122,891 voters, many of whom live in condominiums and landed homes.
With boundaries redrawn, Holland-Bukit Timah
Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, which also manages the Bukit Panjang single seat, on April 5 announced a five-year masterplan
In the pipeline are a new nursing home and active ageing centres in the neighbourhood, an upgrading exercise for Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park and more therapeutic gardens.
On April 15, the team of incumbent MPs gave updates on completed estate improvement projects like the refurbishment of community facilities, new hawker centres and upgraded exercise facilities. They also touched on upcoming projects like a new community cinema and co-working spaces.
Mr Liang, a managing director at DBS Bank, entered politics in 2006. The four-term MP said he decided to keep going because he still has the energy and ability to serve residents well.
Speaking in Mandarin, Mr Liang said he and his family live in the estate. “Bukit Panjang is my home and my life is here. To serve Bukit Panjang residents is my honour.”
When asked about his health, he said he recently underwent a medical check and is continuing with his regular medical reviews.
He said: “I’ve changed a lot of my lifestyle. I’m living more healthily now. I watch what I eat. I exercise more than before, so I feel a lot more energetic now.”
Four-term MP Liang Eng Hwa will defend the single seat in Bukit Panjang SMC in a likely contest against the Singapore Democratic Party.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
In July 2023, Mr Liang was diagnosed with stage two nose cancer,
He returned to his MP duties in September 2023.
There was talk that he would step down before this election, but on April 11 he said he would try his best to continue serving
Both Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Bukit Panjang SMC have seen a contest between the PAP and SDP in the last three elections.
In the 2020 General Election, the PAP team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC won 66.36 per cent of the vote against the SDP team, which included former SingFirst leader Tan Jee Say.
Bukit Panjang was one of the most hotly contested seats in the same election, with Mr Liang facing SDP chairman Paul Tambyah. The PAP retained the seat with 53.73 per cent of the vote.
For the upcoming polls, SDP has signalled that it is uncertain about fielding candidates in the GRC. declared its intention to contest the constituency for the first time.
RDU has introduced three potential candidates it plans to field in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
When asked how he saw the contest shaping up with a new opponent, Dr Balakrishnan said he knows RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon, and his impression of Mr Philemon is that he is a gentleman.
“He knows me, and he’s frank enough to express his divergent views. And I think that’s fair, completely reasonable at a time like this,” said Dr Balakrishnan.
SDP said it will once again field Professor Tambyah in Bukit Panjang
On the “rematch”, Mr Liang said that Prof Tambyah is a formidable opponent and he expects a tight contest.
“I will do my best to serve our residents, to think about improvements and their well-being and to safeguard the way of life for our residents here,” added Mr Liang.
Dr Balakrishnan was also asked about a recent controversial Facebook post
His official Facebook account was found to have “liked” the post, which proposed sending a group of activists to Gaza, as long as they never returned.
On April 2, Dr Balakrishnan said he did not “like” the post.
His press secretary said the same day that a report had been filed with Facebook’s parent company Meta over unauthorised activity, and Meta was investigating.
When asked about the Meta probe on April 15, Dr Balakrishnan said: “There’s no update, but I want to get to the core of the issue.”
Singapore is a small, diverse and open society, he added, and there will always be differences of perspective and opinion. But there must be mutual respect.
He said: “What is critical is that as we express these differences, there must be mutual respect, there must be courtesy, there must be recognition that we’re all in this together.
“And even as we argue, debate or discuss, we must be constructive.”
Lee Li Ying is a correspondent on the health beat at The Straits Times. She has a keen interest in mental health, health technology, ageing and reproductive care.
Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.
