GE2025: Rematch between PAP and PSP in West Coast-Jurong West GRC

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SINGAPORE – One of the key constituencies to watch in the 2025 General Election, West Coast-Jurong West GRC, will see a rematch between the PAP and PSP, with National Development Minister Desmond Lee facing off against former PAP stalwart Tan Cheng Bock.

The PAP team was confirmed on April 23 at the Nan Hua High School nomination centre to include Mr Lee, 48, who is the anchor minister for the GRC, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Education Shawn Huang, 42, and three-term MP Ang Wei Neng, 58.

Rounding out the slate are two first-time candidates – orthopaedic surgeon Hamid Razak, 39, and lawyer Cassandra Lee, 33.

They are up against the opposition PSP’s A-team, which includes its top three leaders – Dr Tan, 84, party chief Leong Mun Wai, 65, and vice-chair Hazel Poa, 54.

The other two candidates are first-timers – head of packaged food and business development Sumarleki Amjah, 53, and in-house legal counsel Sani Ismail, 49.

In the 2020 General Election, the PAP won the constituency in its previous form – West Coast GRC – with 51.68 per cent of the vote against a PSP team led by Dr Tan. It was the narrowest win for the ruling party in that election.

Mr Leong and Ms Poa were part of the PSP team that lost marginally, while Mr Lee and Mr Ang were part of the PAP team that won.

The five-member constituency has since had its boundaries significantly redrawn, absorbing some 41,000 voters from Jurong GRC – one of PAP’s best-performing constituencies.

It ceded estates in HarbourFront and Sentosa to Radin Mas SMC, and Dover and Telok Blangah estates to Tanjong Pagar GRC.

During his candidate speech, Mr Lee thanked the residents for the privilege of serving them since 2020 and sought their support for the next five years and beyond.

PSP’s Mr Leong, meanwhile, said that although the electoral boundaries have “changed a lot”, the party is not discouraged and will strive for a breakthrough this election as it has a strong manifesto that it is convinced will help Singaporeans have a better life.

To cheers, PSP’s Dr Tan said: “We are back. We are ready to serve you.”

The PSP team also invited their PAP counterparts for a debate on policies.

Candidates for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Pioneer SMC and Jurong Central SMC were also confirmed on April 23 at Nan Hua, one of nine nomination centres for this election.

At the newly formed Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu will helm the PAP team, which includes Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai, 57, and Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, 44.

The remaining members of the five-member team are political newcomer David Hoe, 37, and Mr Lee Hong Chuang, 54, who contested the Hougang single seat in the 2015 and 2020 elections.

Mr Hoe is the director of philanthropy at The Majurity Trust, while Mr Lee is the former branch chairman of the PAP’s Hougang division.

The opposition Red Dot United (RDU) is contesting Jurong East-Bukit Batok with a team that has two candidates with political experience – entrepreneur and author Liyana Dhamirah, 38, who was an RDU candidate for Jurong GRC in 2020, and waste management company director Osman Sulaiman, 50, who ran on the Reform Party’s ticket in 2011 and 2015, and was a Singapore People’s Party candidate in 2020.

The RDU team is rounded out by contemporary artist Benjamin Puah, 48; marketing agency director Marcus Neo, 33; and principal software engineer Harish Mohanadas, 39.

At Pioneer SMC, PAP’s labour unionist Patrick Tay, who has represented the single seat since 2020, will face off against PSP’s Stephanie Tan, 37, who is a full-time homemaker.

PAP’s Xie Yao Quan, 40, will contest the

newly formed Jurong Central SMC,

having served the ward since 2020 as a Jurong GRC MP. He is up against RDU’s Kala Manickam, 57, an educator and former Singapore Armed Forces officer.

RDU had previously said piano teacher Emily Woo would be its candidate in Jurong Central, but Ms Woo was on April 23 put forward instead as part of the RDU slate

contesting Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

Supporters’ enthusiasm at the Nan Hua nomination centre was not dampened by the heavy rain, which started just before 11am.

PAP supporter Carol Lim, a 73-year-old retiree, was so excited about being at a nomination centre for the first time that she woke up before the sun rose and could not get back to sleep.

“I’m very familiar with my ministers, especially Desmond Lee. They have all been very responsive, so I want to return the support,” said the resident of Jurong Spring, which is part of West Coast-Jurong West GRC.

Mr Helium Tan, 53, who arrived at the nomination centre around 11am, took issue with housing projects “taking five to seven years” to be completed.

When asked if he thought having PSP candidates elected would change that, he said no, but it would be “worth a shot”.