SINGAPORE – West Coast-Jurong West GRC will likely see a keen contest in the coming polls but if residents give them a mandate, National Development Minister Desmond Lee and the PAP team stand ready to serve, he said.
Speaking at The Straits Times’ current affairs podcast The Usual Place, Mr Lee was responding to a question on whether he expected a tough fight in the west.
Mr Lee said: “It was a hot contest in 2020, and I have no reason to doubt that it will continue to be so.”
The discussion on March 18 touched on topics such as housing and politics, including the contest for the newly created West Coast-Jurong West GRC, where Mr Lee is expected to be fielded when polls are called.
In the 2020 General Election, he was part of the People’s Action Party’s West Coast GRC team that narrowly fought off a challenge from the opposition Progress Singapore Party with a vote share of 51.69 per cent.
With electoral boundaries redrawn, the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC will include parts of Jurong GRC – a PAP stronghold. Parts of Telok Blangah and Dover, which are part of the existing West Coast GRC, will be ceded.
Mr Lee was re-elected in 2020 as part of a PAP slate that also included former transport minister S. Iswaran, who oversaw the West Coast ward.
Iswaran resigned in January 2024 and [was later found guilty of corruption.](https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/iswaran-sentenced-to-12-months-jail-judge-says-former-minister-abused-position-to-accept-gifts)
Mr Lee said: “We stepped up, we made sure that West Coast was well supported. I looked after both districts, both Boon Lay... and now also looking after West Coast.
“It’s an important team effort, whether it’s at the grassroots, whether it’s MP duties, whether it’s in the ministry, you really need to work with a good team.”
Asked if he was ready to be an anchor minister, Mr Lee said: “Whether I’m ready or not, it ultimately depends on my boss. But I stand ready to serve when called upon.”
Mr Lee entered politics in 2011, but said the last five years have been the most intense as a politician.
As a minister, he has had to deal with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the supply of public housing, and as a West Coast GRC MP, he also had to deal with Iswaran’s departure.
What has he learnt about himself through the past five years?
For starters, he has become better at multitasking, but Mr Lee added that he has also learnt the importance of working with diverse teams, whether they are public servants in his agencies and ministries, or volunteers in Boon Lay and West Coast.
He said: “One thing that I’ve learnt is that working as a team is so critical to ensuring that you come up with good ideas, that you engage widely, and that you can implement policies on the ground that are sensible, that are fair and that are well received.”
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