SINGAPORE - Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong said he will continue with the work he has done in Joo Chiat ward even after it is moved into East Coast GRC.
He told The Straits Times in an exclusive interview on March 12: “As far as Joo Chiat is concerned, given that it is largely intact, it doesn’t change my plans at all.
“Everything that I promised to do, I agreed to do, and we have embarked on, we will continue doing so. There’s no change to the expectation of the Joo Chiat residents,” added the minister, who has been an MP for Marine Parade GRC since 2015.
The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report released on March 11 stated that East Coast GRC will absorb the entire Joo Chiat ward, and part of Kembangan-Chai Chee ward, from Marine Parade GRC.
As for the rest of East Coast GRC, the team will come together to prepare for the general election once Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has decided on the slate of candidates, said Mr Tong.
Mr Tong said that while he was “somewhat disappointed” and has mixed feelings about the Joo Chiat ward being moved out of Marine Parade GRC, he is relieved that Joo Chiat remains intact.
“I’ve served here (Joo Chiat) for 10 years... I felt a little disappointed that we are going to be leaving the GRC,” said Mr Tong.
For the past decade, he has been working not just with the other MPs in Marine Parade GRC, but volunteers, grassroots leaders and colleagues at the People’s Association (PA), said Mr Tong, who is Second Law Minister and deputy chairman of PA.
He highlighted several initiatives launched under the Marine Parade GRC banner, including WeCare programmes to help residents in need, the Caregiver Support Network that looks after the needs of caregivers in the constituency, and a free shuttle bus service to connect residents with amenities such as MRT stations, polyclinics and hawker centres.
“My disappointment comes from having to leave these programmes and start afresh somewhere,” said Mr Tong.
“We’ll try and find a way to replicate these (programmes), but of course, we also need to find a way to synergise with the rest of the divisions that are there (in East Coast GRC), and that’s something that we have to think about as we go down this journey.”
Mr Tong was first elected in 2011 and served one term as an MP in Jalan Besar. In 2015, he was moved to contest in Marine Parade GRC.
“We have to be prepared because we serve as a team and we serve wherever the Prime Minister puts us,” he said.
“We have to be prepared that after doing our very best for a particular estate for a term or two, or more, we will be moved.”
Mr Tong said his modus operandi as an MP is to consult, ensuring that initiatives align with community needs.
Over his decade representing Joo Chiat, he has focused on improving public spaces, fostering engagement and improving connectivity using a ground-up approach guided by feedback from residents, added Mr Tong.
One of the key initiatives he oversaw during his tenure was the rebuilding of PCF Sparkletots Preschoolin Joo Chiat, which saw him rallying sponsors and grassroots leaders to raise more than $2 million to rebuild the kindergarten.
Community park facilities were also improved and playgrounds upgraded to reflect the preferences of children in the area, with themes such as pirate ships and treehouses, said Mr Tong. In addition, dog runs have been introduced at Telok Kurau and Opera Estate, giving pet owners dedicated spaces for their animals to play.
Healthcare services have also been bolstered, with Parkway East Hospital opening a paediatric urgent care centre and Eunos Polyclinic opening during the Covid-19 pandemic to improve accessibility for residents.
A new integrated community hub in Siglap set to be completed in 2029 was also conceived after dialogues with residents, said Mr Tong.
Unlike other infrastructural development projects, the initial plans for this new hub did not start with construction drawings. Rather, they began with dialogues and town halls, said Mr Tong.
The new hub in Upper East Coast Road will contain amenities such as a 300m running track, jamming studio and a rooftop gym.
Between 2020 and 2024, Mr Tong and his team consulted hundreds of residents through estate dialogue sessions, town halls and other smaller engagement sessions at condominiums and community events while planning for the project.
Mr Tong said he does not want to speculate about the EBRC’s considerations in moving Joo Chiat ward to East Coast GRC.
“All I know is that we will continue with the programmes at Joo Chiat. We will work hard. Everything that we promised we will do, we will get done.
“And I’m just glad that it (Joo Chiat) is not cut up in a way where it makes it hard to deliver on the programmes.”
Mr Tong was also asked whether East Coast GRC can take on another full minister, since Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman are already on the team.
He said PM Wong will make the decision. “Who he’s going to field, what he’s going to do with Marine Parade, with East Coast, as well as with the others, we don’t know... We are just digesting the boundaries change and making adjustments, of course, in preparation.”
Mr Tong emphasised that MPs have a responsibility to look after their divisions.
“Of course, we have a greater responsibility as the ministers and senior MPs for the whole of the GRC, but our primary focus is to make sure that our own ward is well looked after,” he said.
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