SINGAPORE – Jurong GRC, long regarded as a stronghold of the PAP, will disappear from the electoral map in its current form.
Its 132,272 voters will be redistributed across multiple constituencies, with the majority – 62,424, or about 47 per cent – forming the core of the newly created Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.
This five-member group representation constituency, which will also absorb all of Bukit Batok SMC and parts of Yuhua SMC and Hong Kah North SMC, will have a total of 142,510 voters.
The remaining voters from Jurong GRC will be divided among three other constituencies: the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC, the new Jurong Central SMC, and the existing Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
Jurong GRC has consistently been the People’s Action Party’s best-performing constituency in recent elections, securing a commanding 79.29 per cent of the vote in the 2015 General Election and 74.61 per cent in the 2020 General Election.
The formation of Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC throws up questions about how the contest there will play out, including whom the PAP will choose to lead the new team and how they will consolidate support among voters from different constituencies.
The redrawn boundaries could also set the stage for a more competitive contest, with the possibility of a multi-cornered fight. Opposition parties that have previously contested in wards there may see an opportunity to make inroads, testing the PAP’s ability to retain its dominance.
At the heart of it all is the biggest question – whether Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC can uphold Jurong’s track record as PAP’s strongest-performing constituency.
How the battle will shape up
A key figure behind Jurong GRC’s strong electoral performance was President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who served as an MP in the constituency for over two decades.
His absence leaves a significant gap, raising questions about how the PAP will structure its leadership to contest Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.
The new GRC will include areas from the old Jurong GRC, including Bukit Batok East and Clementi wards, currently represented by Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam and backbencher Tan Wu Meng, respectively.
It will also take in the entirety of Bukit Batok SMC, overseen by Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai, as well as parts of Hong Kah North SMC, which comes under Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu, the current MP for Yuhua SMC, is the only Cabinet minister among the incumbent MPs.
Political observers suggest Ms Fu, who had contested in Jurong GRC in 2006 before moving to Yuhua, is the front runner to anchor the PAP team in the new GRC.
Singapore Management University law professor Eugene Tan said: “It is probable that Ms Fu will be the anchor for the PAP team in the new GRC. Dr Khor will either not be contesting or moved to another GRC or SMC.”
Dr Khor is a five-term MP, having first entered politics when she contested as part of the PAP team in the 2001 General Election in Hong Kah GRC.
The PAP typically refreshes its slate by introducing new candidates in each election to ensure leadership renewal. The longer an MP has served, the more likely he or she is to step aside to make way for fresh faces.
When asked on March 12 if she will be the anchor minister for the GRC, Ms Fu said: “That’s a decision for the Prime Minister to make.”
Speaking on ST’s current affairs podcast, The Usual Place, on March 20, Ms Fu noted that she is well acquainted with many of the wards within the new GRC, as they fall under the Jurong-Clementi Town Council, which she has been involved with.
The town council serves Bukit Batok SMC, Yuhua SMC and Jurong GRC.
Ms Fu acknowledged that Hong Kah North is not part of this town council, and said she intends to familiarise herself with the area to better understand the concerns of its residents.
The incumbent MPs in the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC are relatively well known to their constituents, which will help them connect with residents and secure their support, said Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore.
“If they have been able to connect with the ground, their incumbency advantage will still hold – even with the carving out of new boundaries,” he said.
Another key question is whom the PAP will face in the new GRC.
In the 2020 election, the PAP team in Jurong GRC went up against Red Dot United (RDU), then Singapore’s youngest political party.
RDU was barely three weeks old when it fielded a team led by its secretary-general Ravi Philemon, the managing partner of a media company.
The team also included educator and counsellor Michelle Lee, theatre director Alec Tok, entrepreneur and author Liyana Dhamirah, and legal engineer Nicholas Tang.
RDU garnered 25.39 per cent of the vote in Jurong, the only constituency it contested.
Undeterred by its loss, the party has identified Jurong East-Bukit Batok as one of six constituencies it plans to contest. It has yet to unveil its slate for the GRC, however.
On March 15, at a porridge distribution event at Bukit Batok East Point, RDU introduced a new potential candidate, Mr Pang Heng Chuan, a business director at a tech start-up.
Mr Pang said he has been engaging residents in various constituencies, including Jurong, though he has yet to confirm where he will be fielded.
While the RDU looks set to square off against the PAP, there is a question mark over whether another political party with a history of walking some wards in the new GRC will join the contest.
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has previously contested Yuhua and Bukit Batok SMCs, both of which are now absorbed into Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.
In GE2020, the SDP’s candidate for Yuhua, entrepreneur Robin Low, garnered 29.46 per cent of the vote.
Meanwhile, SDP chief Chee Soon Juan made significant inroads in Bukit Batok, securing 45.2 per cent of the vote against PAP’s Mr Murali. He improved on his showing in the 2016 by-election, where he got 38.77 per cent of the vote.
After the redrawing of electoral boundaries, the SDP expressed disappointment at the removal of Yuhua and Bukit Batok SMCs.
The party has not yet made its position clear about its plans for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.
But on March 23, Dr Chee bade farewell to residents in Bukit Batok and said he will contest the newly carved out Sembawang West SMC instead.
Addressing a crowd of SDP volunteers and party members, he said he had distributed his last flier in Bukit Batok just a day before the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report.
He thanked residents and said he will not “leave Bukit Batok behind”, as he will “carry their aspirations and dreams of wanting to see the opposition in Parliament”.
Should SDP field a team, it would have to negotiate with the RDU, said Dr Mustafa.
He noted how while both sides will say they have been actively engaging residents, the parties will have to weigh their options carefully with the prospect of a multi-cornered fight on the horizon.
“Multi-cornered fights typically favour the incumbent. It may well happen that one of them may even lose their deposit, if they don’t strategise,” he added.
An SDP spokeswoman told ST on March 26 that it is currently focusing its resources on Sembawang West SMC, Sembawang GRC and Bukit Panjang SMC.
“We have yet to finalise our plans for other areas,” she said.
Responding to concerns of residents
Most residents that ST spoke to in Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC said they are pleased with how their estates are run.
Madam Catherine Teo, 72, a retiree who has lived in a four-room flat in Bukit Batok East for 17 years, said she has seen improvements in her estate over the past five years, including the addition of drop-off points and playgrounds.
She particularly appreciates the construction of a low covered linkway between Block 268 and Block 269, which allows her to move around the estate without worrying about getting wet when it rains.
Madam Teo is among the 19 per cent of residents in Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC who are aged 65 and above, a figure slightly higher than the national average of 18 per cent.
For many of them, key concerns include stability, continuity and whether their voices will be adequately represented in Parliament.
Residents like Mr Abbas Mohamed Rizal are closely watching the movements of politicians in their neighbourhood. The 34-year-old, who works in the education sector and has lived in the Bukit Batok East area of Jurong GRC all his life, believes leadership will be a crucial factor in the upcoming election.
“Mr Tharman was the face of Jurong GRC, and he gave residents a strong sense of confidence. With a new team coming in – one that has not worked together in this way before – they’ll need someone who can bring them together and lead effectively,” he said.
Mr Bernard Lin, a 58-year-old manager at a transport company and another long-time resident of Jurong GRC, said it remains to be seen whether the opposition can mount a serious challenge in the new GRC.
“We will have to see who the opposition team is and if they will be strong enough to overthrow them. The PAP is still very strong,” said Mr Lin, who has lived in the Highgate Walk area in Bukit Batok East for 35 years.
Residents of Ms Fu’s ward in Yuhua were approving of the possibility of the minister leading a GRC slate.
Many said she has an active presence on the ground – from turning up regularly at community events to more informal coffee-shop chats with residents.
Homemaker Cindy Tan, 49, said: “Ms Fu is the face of this place. You would be able to bump into her every Saturday or Sunday in this area.”
Madam Tan pointed out the minister’s keen eye for detail.
“I bumped into her at an event and I realised she’s always observing. She would give feedback to her staff – like asking why there isn’t a ramp at corners (that need one).”
Customer service coordinator Pamela Ng, 66, who has lived in the Yuhua area for about a decade, said the estate has seen many upgrades over the years. These include the installation of rooftop solar panels, repainted blocks and expansion of walkways.
Madam Ng said she prefers being in a single-member constituency as she can get the undivided attention of her elected representative. “Ms Fu has done a good job here, and I’m not sure if things will change when we become part of a GRC.”
Over in Bukit Batok, where many flats were built in the 1980s and 1990s, residents have also seen many improvements in their estate. These include lift enhancement programmes and the installation of covered walkways and fitness corners.
A resident who wanted to be known only as Madam Kuok, 60, said she hopes more facilities and activities can continue to be rolled out for the elderly.
She pointed out that Bukit Batok Community Club is currently closed for major renovation, with activities temporarily relocated or held elsewhere.
Madam Kuok said: “I hope there can be more variety and timeslots for senior activities, so I can plan my schedule more flexibly.”
Start-up founder Andrew Vess, 36, said that he is still undecided about whether he would cast his vote for the ruling party or for the opposition.
“If an opposition party can come up with a sound idea of how to assure voters of job prospects, and the plan is reasonable and feasible, I will consider them,” said Mr Vess.
When asked what some issues she is facing in her day-to-day life are, Madam Cynthia Gomez, 66, who has lived in a three-room flat for the past 25 years in Clementi Avenue 2, said that the frequency of buses in her area could be better.
She also said healthcare costs are rising, and that more subsidies are needed to help unemployed people like her cope.
Some Jurong East-Bukit Batok voters said that while they value continuity, they are also curious about how the new electoral landscape will shape the contest.
A lifelong resident of Clementi who wanted to be known only as Mr Wong, a 39-year-old sales manager, said that while he has generally supported the PAP, he is open to hearing from the opposition.
“I know this area has always been strong for the PAP, but with the new boundaries, I want to see who steps up and what they offer,” he said.
“At the end of the day, it’s about what they can do for residents.”
Additional reporting by Zachary Lim
Hariz Baharudin is a correspondent at The Straits Times covering politics.
Lee Li Ying is a correspondent on the health beat at The Straits Times. She has a keen interest in mental health, health technology, ageing and reproductive care.
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