SINGAPORE – Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the new Sembawang West SMC will remain an integral part of the Sembawang family.
The Sembawang GRC MP said in a Facebook post on March 12 that the SMC’s upgrading and development plans will continue to be part of the GRC and town development plan.
Said Mr Ong: “As an SMC, it will be able to have more autonomy and flexibility to implement initiatives to address the specific needs of its residents.”
The Elections Department (ELD) said on March 11 that the report and recommendations submitted by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) was accepted by the government.
The EBRC report said voter numbers have grown significantly in Pasir Ris-Punggol, Sembawang and Tampines GRCs, as well as the single seats of Hong Kah North and Potong Pasir, due to population shifts and new housing developments in these areas.
Voter numbers in each of these constituencies have increased by more than 10,000 since GE2020, it said.
“The change is not surprising, as over the past few years, more residents have moved into Sembawang GRC and the population has expanded considerably,” said Mr Ong in his Facebook post.
“Increasing the number of MPs from five to six in the area will help to better serve the needs of our residents.”
The EBRC recommended 33 electoral divisions: 15 SMCs, up from 14 previously; and 18 four-and five-member GRCs.
There are now eight four-member GRCs, up from six; and 10 five-member GRCs, down from 11.
“The key change for Sembawang GRC is that from a five-person GRC, it will become a five-person GRC plus an SMC, which is Sembawang West, with the 700 series blocks comprising six Resident Networks,” said Mr Ong.
It is not known if incumbent Sembawang West MP Poh Li San will take the lead for the new Sembawang West SMC.
Sembawang GRC comprises five MPs – Mr Ong, Ms Poh, Mr Vikram Nair, Mr Lim Wee Kiak and Ms Mariam Jaafar.
In February, Mr Ong had said in a news report he “expects at least one new member to be added to the People’s Action Party (PAP) team at Sembawang GRC in the upcoming general election”.
He said it was part of the ruling party’s renewal process every election cycle.
He also said that he intends to assign Galaxy CC – located at Woodlands Avenue 6 – to the SMC, even though the CC falls just outside of the SMC boundaries.
Zaihan Mohamed Yusof is senior crime correspondent at The Straits Times.
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