SDP's Chee Soon Juan will 'rethink' strategy after Bukit Batok SMC removed
Given the changed circumstances, Chee said he will be rethinking his strategy.
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March 13, 2025, 04:46 PM
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Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan shared his thoughts following the release of the 2025 Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report.
The report introduced recommended changes to Singapore's electoral map, including the creation of five Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and the removal of five Single Member Constituencies (SMCs), including Bukit Batok.
Chee contested Bukit Batok SMC in the 2020 general election, losing to PAP's Murali Pillai by 12,787 votes to 15,500.
In a video posted on his TikTok account, Chee commented on the changes that affected the Bukit Batok constituency, the ward his party had intended to contest.
Critiqued the changes
Chee reflected on the general elections that SDP participated in over the years, noting that after SDP lost by just 858 votes in the 1991 elections for Bukit Batok, the boundaries were redrawn to include it in the larger Bukit Timah GRC.
Chee added that he "made headway" in 2020 when he garnered 45 percent of the vote during that year's election.
"Every time I did not succeed, I took defeat on the chin, picked up the pieces, and looked to see how I could do better," he said.
Chee claimed that the PAP resorts to “gerrymandering the boundaries” to maintain power.
Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing had said in Parliament on Aug. 7, 2024, that the process of determining electoral boundaries is “fair and transparent” and is “meant to serve the interests of Singaporeans and not the interests of political parties”.
He said:
"The delineation of the boundaries of electoral divisions comes down to a balance between the population, and the geographical size of each electoral division.
Over time, with the movement of people, and the development of new estates and towns, population densities in different areas will change."
He added that the EBRC does not consult the PAP or any other political party when making its decision.
Rethinking his strategy
Chee said that he had worked hard for the residents of Bukit Batok — pushing for improvements to their walkways, building up the community, and helping out whenever he could.
"And now, with the stroke of a pen, I find the years long work now diluted with the area absorbed into the Jurong GRC, an area that is multiplied five times," he said.
"But if you know me, you know that I never say die. If I've said it once, I've said it many times, I'm not going anywhere," he said.
Given the changed circumstances, Chee said he will be rethinking his strategy.
He asked for Singaporeans' support, encouraging them to volunteer with the SDP and to attend his fundraising dinner at his restaurant, Orange & Teal.
The fundraising event will take place between Apr. 1 and 9 and is open to Singapore citizens only.
He shared that he will be updating the public on his plans in a few days.
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Top photos from Chee Soon Juan's Facebook and TikTok
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