GE2025: ‘This will be my best term,’ says veteran MP Liang Eng Hwa of upcoming term in Bukit Panjang

SINGAPORE - Bukit Panjang MP Liang Eng Hwa is looking forward to what he says would be his “best term” in the area, as he acknowledged surprise at the significant swing in vote share in the May 3 General Election.

The backbencher’s 61.41 per cent victory

was an improvement of over seven percentage points from the result in the nail-biting race in 2020 with the same rival, Singapore Democratic Party’s chairman Paul Tambyah.

That showdown, where Mr Liang narrowly beat Dr Tambyah with only 53.73 per cent of votes, was the closest contest among all single-member constituencies in that election.

So Mr Liang was surprised to see his vote share improve this time, when observers had touted Bukit Panjang as a “hot ward” in this election.

“I also expected it to be a close race, like anyone else who observed these elections,” said Mr Liang, who was in a buoyant mood on May 4 as he thanked supporters in the Fajar area.

He credited the vote swing to the hard work he had put in to improve the town and bring people together.

It was also a race which ended graciously, with Mr Liang and Dr Tambyah exchanging phone numbers at a counting centre after the sample count results were announced.

He said Dr Tambyah, an infectious diseases expert and professor of medicine, had extended his congratulations.

Describing the race as a “gentleman’s contest”, he said of his SDP opponent: “He’s a good man. I’ll find some time to meet up with him.”

Mr Liang, a managing director at DBS Bank, had represented the Zhenghua ward in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC for three terms from 2006, and was moved to Bukit Panjang SMC in 2020 after the retirement of its PAP MP Teo Ho Pin.

In a victory parade that took him from Bangkit Market to Fajar Shopping Centre, Mr Liang was greeted by rapturous cheers from residents who were eager for handshakes and photos.

With him was Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Edward Chia, and the pair were greeted by a lion dance performance at Chi Hock Keng Temple in Fajar Road, where they attended a Mother’s Day event.

In unison, the crowd sang Teresa Teng’s classic Small Town Story, a song which Mr Liang had often referenced in his speeches to describe Bukit Panjang: “There are many stories in this small town / Filled with joy and happiness.”

Asked about his upcoming fifth term, he said: “This will be my best term.

“Every term, I get better, in terms of resourcing, effectiveness, and connectedness with the residents. I’ve built it up over the years,” he added.

Municipal issues he hopes to tackle immediately include resolving the lack of lift access in some Housing Board flats in Bukit Panjang, which was a talking point during the campaign.

Dr Tambyah had commented about how such municipal issues were not resolved, and Mr Liang responded that HDB was already looking into solutions, and that he was confident the works could be done.

Mr Liang said he would work with Holland-Bukit Timah’s Mr Chia –

whose team, led by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, won 79.29 per cent of the votes

– on making their neighbourhoods a “wellness heartland”.

This was one of the main pitches for the PAP’s campaign in both constituencies, which include new active ageing centres and the upgrading of Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park, among other plans.

On the national front, Mr Liang said he would speak up in Parliament on more support for graduate employment and mid-career individuals, and discuss how to lower or stabilise the cost of living.

He said: “I will do my best. That’s why I’m standing, to bring about better lives.”