General Election 2025

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Budget 2025 both generous and responsible, say experts​

Measures in the Budget for hawkers show Singapore is committed to preserving its hawker culture, said an expert.ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Anjali Raguraman and Hariz Baharudin
Feb 19, 2025

SINGAPORE – From private home owners and hawkers to those interested in sports and the arts, the Budget measures announced on Feb 18 provide support across diverse segments of society, reinforcing Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s promise of a “Budget for all Singaporeans”.

Experts, observers and MPs told The Straits Times that the speech was notably comprehensive, reflecting the Government’s commitment to ensuring that no Singaporean would be left behind.

Several noted how the announcements made by PM Wong cast the spotlight on groups that are not typically featured, highlighting its inclusivity and broad reach.

Calling it an “even-handed approach Budget” that focuses on the social dimension as well as the economic dimension, Singapore Management University (SMU) law don Eugene Tan said that Budget 2025 seeks to get the balance right in dealing with top-of-mind concerns.

“It also attempts to recognise the concerns, needs and aspirations of different generations, as well as ensures the equitable distribution of the country’s wealth between those in public and private housing,” he said.

Something for everyone​

Experts noted that several giveaways are extended to private property owners, a group that sometimes feels left out when goodies are distributed.

PM Wong announced that all Singaporean families living in private property will receive $400 worth of vouchers to buy eco-friendly household appliances as an expansion of the existing Climate Friendly Households Programme.

Separately, he also said that the Enhancement for Active Seniors programme, which sees the Government pay for upgrades to homes to be fitted with age-friendly features, will also be extended to seniors living in private property.

Private home owners are often perceived as being able to take care of themselves, but the announcements show that some of them could be in need of help, said Mr Song Seng Wun, economic adviser at CGS International.

“Many are asset-rich but cash-poor. Because we have fiscal flexibility, the Government can afford to extend some support,” he said.

A slice of the Budget pie is set aside for hawkers, which shows that Singapore is committed to preserving its hawker culture, said Mr Song.

PM Wong announced $600 in one-time rental support for each hawker stall in centres managed by the Government or government-appointed operators.

In addition, up to $1 billion will be allocated over the next 20 to 30 years to the upgrading of ageing hawker centres and the building of new ones.

“Placing the measures for hawkers in the same statement as other key measures in the Budget gives it a certain importance,” said Mr Song.

Former offenders are another group that will benefit from Budget 2025. PM Wong said that the Uplifting Employment Credit, which provides a wage offset of up to 20 per cent of local former offenders’ wages for the first nine months, will be extended by another three years.

Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat, who is also Maybank’s head of foreign exchange research, said that this is good news, given how he has been advocating more support for former offenders.

Mr Saktiandi said that, together with targeted measures like additional financial support for large families and those in the middle-income groups, the Budget is a “forward-looking” one that extends assistance to those who need it.

“The broader aim of the announcements is to provide targeted help where needed,” he said.

Experts noted that Singapore’s strong fiscal position allows for more wiggle room for spending on other areas of Singaporean lives, such as arts and sports.

Referencing the newly introduced SG Culture Pass that will be rolled out in September 2025, CGS International’s Mr Song noted that Singapore has “reached a stage where we can have better work-life balance”.

In June, there will be a one-off $100 ActiveSG credit top-up to encourage participation in sports.

“(The Government is) spending on how to improve the way we work, how we play... Especially since people are living longer, work-life balance has become more important,” he said.

A measure of support for Singaporeans​

Given that the Budget came ahead of the upcoming general election, observers told ST that generous giveaways were largely anticipated.

But they noted that the measures also signal a long-term strategy to support everyday Singaporeans, families, workers and businesses amid an increasingly complex global landscape.

Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser, adjunct principal research fellow at IPS Social Lab, highlighted the quantum of CDC and SG60 vouchers announced in Budget 2025.

PM Wong announced that some 1.3 million Singaporean households will each get $800 in CDC vouchers, with $500 to be disbursed in May and the remaining $300 in January 2026.

All Singaporeans aged between 21 and 59 in 2025 will also get a one-time $600 handout in the form of SG60 vouchers, while seniors aged 60 and above will get $800.

“The amount of CDC vouchers for households, together with the SG60 vouchers for individuals, does come across as rather generous,” said Prof Tan.

The rising cost of living was addressed by the Budget, said Mr Yip Hon Weng, MP for Yio Chu Kang, who called the amount given out in the various vouchers “quite substantial”.

“There is a cost-of-living issue. The vouchers will come in handy for those really feeling the pressure daily. I think it will be well received on the ground,” he said.

SMU’s Prof Tan said that the announcement of the vouchers suggests that the Government recognises the persistent issue of costs, and that this is likely to be a significant issue in the upcoming general election.

The vouchers will help to some extent, but the feeling persists that Singapore has become too expensive, he added.

“The irony of the handouts is that the Budget statement seems to confirm this perception. Moreover, such help will be seen more as ‘Band-Aid’ and (the question is) whether the root causes can be better addressed,” said Prof Tan.

More on this Topic
Budget 2025: All you need to know about the eight SG60 goodies, and how to get themBudget 2025: A bonanza Budget with no pain, and no red ink
Most observers agreed that despite the generous giveaways, the Government is still spending responsibly and within its means.

Mr Song said that it is common for politicians around the world to give out more handouts ahead of an election. “The key difference is that Singapore is spending within its means – using what we have today, not borrowing from the future,” he said.

Business associations such as the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) said that this is a Budget that comes from a position of fiscal strength, and one with a vision to maintain that strength.

This would enable Singapore to address longer-term issues such as a rapidly ageing population, while staying nimble in a tough international environment.

“No segment of citizen society is left behind in this well-constructed, generous and impactful Budget... It balances short-term needs with long-term infrastructural and societal needs,” SICC said.

“It is bold, and demonstrates a government operating from a position of strength in the interests of the citizens of this country and its economy.”

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An election Budget? Maybe not in the way you think​

Tham Yuen-C

PM Lawrence Wong unveiled a bonanza of vouchers, credits, tax rebates and top-ups for Singaporeans on Feb 18.ILLUSTRATION: CHNG CHOON HIONG, ADOBE STOCK
Feb 19, 2025

SINGAPORE - There is little doubt Budget 2025 is an election Budget.

After all, we are in an election year, with the constitutional deadline to go to the polls in November.

Of course, Budgets are dubbed election Budgets not just because they happen to fall in an election year.

The phrase is bandied about whenever there are goodies galore, and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Feb 18 unveiled a bonanza of vouchers, credits, tax rebates and top-ups for Singaporeans.

To celebrate Singapore’s 60th year of independence, he introduced an SG60 package to recognise the contributions of all Singaporeans and to share the benefits of the nation’s progress. Under the package’s headline measure, every Singaporean adult will get $600 worth of SG60 vouchers, with seniors aged 60 and older getting $200 more.

Every Singaporean household will get an additional $800 in CDC vouchers to provide relief from rising cost pressures, as Singaporeans adjust to the new price realities caused by the sharp rise in global inflation when the war in Ukraine broke out.

“We will continue to provide support for as long as needed, within our means,” PM Wong said, adding that inflation in Singapore has already come down and is expected to ease further.

These two voucher schemes alone will cost the Government about $3 billion.

In addition, there will be a 60 per cent personal income tax rebate capped at $200 for Year of Assessment 2025, designed to benefit those who earn less, as well as SG Culture Pass credits and ActiveSG credits for people to pay for cultural and sporting pursuits.

Children will also benefit, in the form of $500 in LifeSG Credits for the younger ones aged 12 and below, and $500 in Edusave and Post-Secondary Education Account top-ups for those who are 13 to 20 years old.

Even Singaporeans living in private property will get more this year. For the first time, they, too, will get climate vouchers worth $400.

It is a Budget that truly lives up to the tagline of a “Budget for all Singaporeans”.

Such largesse is often viewed with suspicion, drawing refrains of “election Budget”. The implication is that the goodies will result in a better showing at the voting booth.

But this connection is perhaps too simplistic, given that voters are motivated by different concerns. If past Budgets in election years are any guide, Budget goodies have not always resulted in better outcomes at the polls for the ruling party.

In the 2011 Budget, for instance, up to $800 in growth dividends was handed out to every Singaporean. The general election that year was when the PAP lost a group representation constituency for the first time.

It is perhaps also an overly cynical view of the Government, since the extra money given out at such end-of-term Budgets has more to do with prudent husbandry and cumulative surpluses.

Under the Constitution, the Government has to balance the Budget over its full term. It already knows it will end the 2024 financial year with a surplus of $6.4 billion, and expects to end the 2025 financial year with an even bigger surplus of $6.8 billion.

Surpluses earned in one term of government cannot be carried over to the new term of government, which means the Government can afford to be more generous and give back some of the extras to Singaporeans.

But a focus on just the hongbao and handouts would be missing the wood for the trees.

For the Budget goes beyond appealing to individual interests, to ensuring that Singapore can lay the groundwork for a better future.

To this end, PM Wong also announced measures to tip the balance in Singapore’s favour and overcome challenges.

Bold moves were made in this Budget to enhance Singapore’s enterprise ecosystem. A Global Founder Programme will be launched later this year to encourage experienced entrepreneurs to anchor and start new ventures in Singapore.

There is also the new Enterprise Compute Initiative that will put in up to $150 million to help businesses access computing power so they can leverage artificial intelligence to transform.

On the infrastructure front, another $5 billion will be set aside to top up the Changi Airport Development Fund, so that Singapore can sustain its position as an air hub – a key pillar in the nation’s hub-economy strategy.

Looking further ahead, PM Wong also announced measures to protect Singapore against climate risks such as coastal flooding and to improve energy resilience through studying the potential deployment of nuclear energy here, among other things. The Coastal and Flood Protection Fund and the Future Energy Fund will each receive a $5 billion top-up.

There are also concrete steps taken to further strengthen the social support system, such as higher subsidies for long-term care services for seniors and for adult disability services.

Although PM Wong, who has been Finance Minister since 2021, has announced three other Budgets previously, this one has added significance.

It is his first as both Prime Minister and Finance Minister, and the moves unveiled will further make concrete the vision – first painted in the Forward Singapore exercise he led – of a nation that is dynamic, caring and inclusive, where people have good jobs, and where no one is left behind.

As PM Wong said, the 2025 Budget incorporates the aspirations and views of Singaporeans.

So, while the goodies will be welcomed by those dealing with cost-of-living pressures and other immediate concerns, this Budget is much more than that.

As a Budget for all Singaporeans, it goes beyond immediate gratification and prepares the ground for longer-term goals.

And that may just be what an election Budget calls for.

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Polling district changes for 12 constituencies in latest update ahead of GE2025​

In Tampines GRC, what used to be a single polling district in Tampines North is now six.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Goh Yan Han
Feb 20, 2025, 07:36 AM

SINGAPORE - Changes have recently been made to polling districts in 12 constituencies, signalling that the work of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) is under way.

This is the third time polling districts have been updated by the Elections Department since the 2020 general election. They were previously updated in June 2023 and June 2024.

With the recent round of changes, nine constituencies – most of which have seen voter numbers go up – now have more polling districts.

The other three did not have adjustments to the number of polling districts, but had redrawings between neighbouring districts.

Polling districts are sub-divisions in a constituency with at least one polling station each.

The changes are part of the process before the next general election, and were published in the government gazette on Feb 14.

The 12 affected constituencies are Aljunied, East Coast, Holland-Bukit Timah, Jurong, Marine Parade, Pasir Ris-Punggol, Tampines, Tanjong Pagar and West Coast GRCs, as well as the single-seat wards of Hong Kah North, Potong Pasir and Yio Chu Kang.

The number of polling districts increased in all except Marine Parade, Tampines and Tanjong Pagar GRCs.

While the adjustments do not necessarily impact how constituency boundaries will be redrawn, these changes will be referred to in the EBRC’s upcoming report. A change in polling districts within a constituency means voters may cast their ballots at a different polling station than before.

The committee can also create new electoral divisions by moving polling districts from one constituency to another.

Observers said polling district changes are typically made for several reasons: population shifts, to make voting more convenient with nearer polling stations, and to ensure each district serves around the same number of voters.

In these updates, polling districts have often been re-numbered for administrative reasons and district boundaries redrawn, resulting in more or fewer polling districts overall. The larger constituency boundaries remain the same.

The latest updates come after the EBRC was convened on Jan 22. The next general election, widely expected by mid-year, is due by November 2025.

The maps show that changes often take place where new Build-to-Order projects have sprung up.

In Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, the completion of projects such as Northshore Residences I and II has seen one polling district redrawn into six.

Tampines GRC has seen a similar change, as what used to be a single polling district in Tampines North is now six, after new residents moved into estates like GreenVines and GreenCourt.

Generally, constituencies that saw increases in registered voters over the last five years also saw increases in the number of polling districts.

But there are a few exceptions. For example, Aljunied GRC has 3,561 fewer voters but three more polling districts.

A smoother and more convenient voting process​

Polling district boundaries likely also change because of feedback from recent elections – for instance, that queues at polling stations were too long – and the desire to even out voter numbers across districts, observers concurred.

The goal is to make voting efficient and smooth, and for each district to serve around the same number of voters, said Singapore Management University (SMU) law don Eugene Tan.

During the 2023 presidential election, the number of polling stations went up by 15 per cent. The number of voters allocated to each station went down from an average of 2,400 to 2,150.

Said Associate Professor Tan: “With a larger voting population in Singapore, ELD has been increasing the number of polling districts with every GE. This will make voting more efficient, with fewer voters per polling district and voters not having to travel too far to cast their ballots.”

As at July 2024, there were 2,715,187 registered electors. This was up from 2,709,455 in the 2023 presidential election and 2,653,942 in the 2020 general election.

Space constraints in estates would also be taken into account, given considerations about crowd control, said independent political observer Felix Tan.

The ELD might want to ensure easy access and avoid long queues at the polling stations, he said.

He pointed out that some polling stations in Sengkang GRC saw queues late into the evening during GE2020, after voting hours were extended beyond 8pm.

Potential changes to boundaries
Do not read too much into polling district updates or use them to speculate on constituency boundary changes, observers said – these are simply part of administrative arrangements ahead of Polling Day.

However, they do give a preview of voter numbers in some constituencies, which is information the EBRC would rely on as it goes about its work, SMU’s Prof Tan said.

Institute of Policy Studies research fellow Teo Kay Key said redrawn boundaries would be expected in areas with significant changes in voter numbers, to ensure that the voter-to-MP ratio is not too skewed.

The five-member East Coast GRC, for example, is likely to see changes.

In its 2020 report, the EBRC said it was mindful that GRCs with fewer MPs should not have more voters than GRCs with more MPs.

Based on the July 2024 voter rolls, East Coast GRC has 121,916 voters. In comparison, the four-member Sengkang GRC, which had fewer voters in GE2020, now has 124,871 voters.

Dr Teo said that if the EBRC maintains this consideration this year, there would likely be boundary changes in these areas.

For instance, East Coast GRC may be expanded to include more voters – it is also one of the GRCs with the lowest voter-to-MP ratios – or Sengkang GRC might become a five-member GRC or have its boundaries redrawn, she said.

However, Prof Tan pointed out that based on the EBRC’s past practice, the opposition-held Sengkang GRC probably will not have its boundaries redrawn in any significant way, making changes to East Coast GRC more likely.

He added that the EBRC should be expected to complete its work shortly, as it has been about a month since the committee was formed. The report could be expected after the Budget season is over, in the middle to third week of March, said Prof Tan.

In the 2020 and 2015 general elections, updates to polling districts preceded the boundaries report by one to three days.

But in 2011 and 2006, the boundaries report was released over a month after the changes to polling districts.

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GE2025: PAP looks set to face 4-way fight for Tampines GRC against WP, NSP, PPP​

Tampines GRC looks set to be hotly contested in the upcoming general election. Party sources said the Workers' Party intends to contest Tampines.PHOTOS: SHINTARO TAY, THE WORKERS' PARTY
Wong Pei Ting
Feb 23, 2025

SINGAPORE – Tampines GRC looks set to be hotly contested at the upcoming general election, with three opposition parties staking their claim to the constituency held by the People’s Action Party (PAP).

The Workers’ Party (WP) has been walking the area over the past two years, at least, and party sources told The Straits Times that it intends to contest Tampines.

The National Solidarity Party (NSP), which contested the five-person group representation constituency in the last three general elections, has held walkabouts there as recently as Jan 6 and Feb 9. It told ST it would press on with its work there, which has not stopped since 2020 and has intensified of late.

Now, the People’s Power Party (PPP) is entering the fray, with its secretary-general Goh Meng Seng announcing on Feb 23 at the party’s latest outing in Tampines Street 81 that he intends to field a team in Tampines, as it is the constituency with the “highest possible chance of winning for (the party)”.

He said this just hours after PPP announced late on Feb 22 its withdrawal from an opposition alliance led by Peoples Voice (PV) party chief Lim Tean due to “irreconcilable strategic differences”.

WP’s new faces for Tampines GRC​

For WP, the four individuals tipped to be fielded as candidates in Tampines are Mr Jimmy Tan, 53, who is self-employed; Mr Jasper Kuan, 46, a payment expert; Mr Andre Low, 33, a dispute lawyer turned consultant; and Madam Afifah Khalid, an associate director in the financial services industry.

They have been photographed with former party chief Low Thia Khiang and other party leaders on two occasions in 2024, as part of WP’s Hammer newsletter outreach activities in April and November.

Former Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang (centre) with the four tipped to be candidates in Tampines: Mr Andre Low (second from left), Mr Jasper Kuan (fourth from left), Madam Afifah Khalid (third from right) and Mr Jimmy Tan (second from right).PHOTO: THE WORKERS' PARTY
Mr Andre Low is a Raffles Institution alumni who graduated with first-class honours from University College London’s law school and pursued a Master of Business Administration at business school Insead after pivoting into the start-up scene. He currently works at one of the Big Three consulting firms.

His LinkedIn profile showed that he was aide to Sengkang GRC MP Louis Chua for three years from July 2020. He helped with weekly Meet-The-People Sessions, as well as policy research and grassroots engagement.

Mr Andre Low is part of the four-person executive committee in the WP’s media team, where he leads strategy and messaging, and manages the party’s web and experimental digital engagement.

Mr Kuan, who does business development work in the payment industry, was once Hougang MP Dennis Tan’s legislative assistant. He has been involved in party activities since the 2020 General Election.

Tampines MPs planting a tree with PAP’s new face, Dr Charlene Chen (far right), at the launch of the five-year masterplan titled “Building Our Tampines Home Together, Now And Always” on Feb 22.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Mr Jimmy Tan joined WP as a volunteer in 2017, and is WP chief Pritam Singh’s legislative assistant.

ST has contacted WP for comment.

Banking on boundary changes​

In 2020, a PAP team led by Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli retained Tampines GRC with 66.4 per cent of the vote against an NSP team helmed by president Reno Fong.

NSP chief Spencer Ng (second from right) and president Reno Fong (third from right) conducted an outreach session at Tampines Round Market and Food Centre on Feb 9.PHOTO: NATIONAL SOLIDARITY PARTY
The GRC has been operating with one representative less since July 2023, after Ms Cheng Li Hui vacated her seat in Tampines East after her affair with then Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.

Mr Goh said he will “definitely” work out with the other opposition parties how to avoid a multi-cornered fight in Tampines, noting that he is anticipating significant changes to its boundaries when the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee releases its report.

Since the last election, nine polling districts have been added to Tampines GRC, which has seen its voting population increase by 11.69 per cent during this period to 164,462. It now has 60 polling districts.

The only other GRC with more polling districts added since the 2020 election is the neighbouring Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, where 10 were added, giving it 65 districts.

Mr Goh expects a redrawing of boundaries in Tampines GRC, given its expanded size.

Up till Feb 22, his PPP was in an alliance with PV, the Reform Party and the Democratic Progressive Party. They had intended to contest under the People’s Alliance for Reform banner.

Lim, who heads the alliance established in 2023, was sentenced to six weeks’ jail and a $1,000 fine on Feb 17 for practising as a lawyer without a valid certificate in 2021.

Mr Goh and Lim have separately contested Tampines GRC under the NSP banner previously, in the 2011 and 2015 elections, respectively.

The common thread in both their previous candidacies in Tampines is NSP’s Mr Fong, who stayed put in the constituency, while Mr Goh and Lim branched out to contest under the parties they each founded.

In 2020, Mr Goh fought in MacPherson SMC and finished with 28.26 per cent of the vote, and Lim led a team from PV to contest the four-person Jalan Besar GRC and garnered 34.64 per cent of the vote.

Mr Goh said: “The voters staying in Tampines are hoping for me to return as I met them on the ground.”

NSP secretary-general Spencer Ng said NSP welcomes all parties to contest the election “in the true spirit of democracy”.

“It does not matter whether it’s a straight fight or multi-cornered fights. What matters most to us are our voters’ concerns, and how we can help to address them and build a more perfect home and country,” he said.

 

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PSP chairman Tan Cheng Bock says he intends to contest GE2025 in West Coast​

Progress Singapore Party chairman Tan Cheng Bock (second from left) greeting Clementi residents during his party's walkabout at Clementi Central on Feb 23.ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

Ng Wei Kai
Feb 23, 2025

SINGAPORE – Opposition Progress Singapore Party founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock has indicated that he intends to contest the next general election.

When asked after a walkabout in Clementi on Feb 23 if he will stand in the election due by November, Dr Tan, 84, said: “As long as I am able and I’m still relevant, I will be around.”

Asked again if he will be at the nomination centre before the election, he stopped short of confirming his candidacy but said: “That has to be the natural conclusion, right?

“I think so long as I’m relevant, and I think the country needs people, and I feel that I can contribute to the country, I cannot shirk that duty.”

Dr Tan added that the party expects West Coast GRC’s boundaries to change before the polls, but he said the party will contest in the area regardless.

“You are a politician, you fight… I am not making excuses – however West Coast is going to be cut, we will be there,” he said.

He was also asked why the PSP was walking about in Clementi, which is in the neighbouring Jurong GRC.

Dr Tan said the party wants to have a feel of not just what West Coast residents are thinking, but what other Singaporeans are thinking, too.

He said: “West Coast is too big... So we have many, many neighbours. We do not know what’s going to happen after the redrawing (of the electoral boundaries). We could be part of them and they could be part of us.”

When asked about his health, Dr Tan said: “Well, look at me. I can still talk to you. I can still answer questions.”

He added: “Every year I go for a medical. So my last medical was okay. I had a bad spell, which is quite normal for my age and I regard it as normal.”

While Dr Tan did not specify what this bad spell was, he had precautionary surgery on a lung to remove a lesion in 2022.

Dr Tan, who will be 85 in April, led the party’s West Coast GRC slate in GE2020.

The constituency saw the closest fight in that election, with the PSP earning 48.31 per cent of the vote to the ruling People’s Action Party’s 51.69 per cent, and it is expected to be hotly contested again in 2025.

Dr Tan – a former PAP stalwart who was MP for Ayer Rajah from 1980 to 2006 – ran alongside Mr Leong Mun Wai, Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Nadarajah Loganathan and Mr Jeffrey Khoo.

Members of the Progress Singapore Party answering questions from the media after their party’s walkabout at Clementi Central on Feb 23.ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Mr Leong and Ms Poa, who is now PSP’s secretary-general, then took up positions as Non-Constituency MPs in Parliament.

They ran against a PAP team led by then Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran, then Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee, Ms Foo Mee Har, Mr Ang Wei Neng and new candidate Rachel Ong.

The PAP slate will have to be reshuffled for the 2025 polls. Iswaran is serving a one-year jail sentence for obtaining valuable items as a public servant and obstructing justice.

His successor remains unclear.

Most members of the PSP’s 2020 slate were seen at the Feb 23 walkabout with Dr Tan, except Mr Loganathan, a former Singapore Armed Forces officer.

He remains on the party’s central executive committee but has not been seen on the ground or on the party’s social media pages in recent months.

Also present at the Feb 23 walkabout was a new face, Ms Stephanie Tan, 36. Her biography in the party newsletter states that she is a full-time housewife with a law degree from the National University of Singapore. She has two children.

When asked about Ms Tan’s potential candidacy, Dr Tan said: “You will see on Nomination Day.”

He added that the party’s philosophy is to bring in new people because the country has to be run by these people.

He said: “In fact, the country must be run by people better than us because we belong to that generation... The future belongs to them.”

The PSP has had several new faces appear alongside its leaders at walkabouts in recent months. They include Ms Anna Ravichandran, a director with Singapore-based logistics and export firm Raj Global Enterprise, and in-house legal counsel Sani Ismail.

Also in the mix are former journalist Stella Stan Lee and Mr Lawrence Pek, former secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation.

 

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People’s Power Party withdraws from four-party opposition alliance led by Lim Tean​

People's Power Party chief Goh Meng Seng said the withdrawal comes as PPP has come to a “disheartening crossroads” with the alliance parties.PHOTO: ST FILE
Wong Pei Ting
Feb 23, 2025

SINGAPORE – The People’s Power Party (PPP) has withdrawn from its four-party alliance with the Peoples Voice (PV), the Reform Party (RP) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Announcing this on Facebook on Feb 22, its secretary-general Goh Meng Seng, who was the organising secretary of the People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR), said the decision comes as PPP has come to a “disheartening crossroads” with the alliance parties.

“In view of irreconcilable strategic differences for GE2025, we have reached a consensus that it would be a better option for PPP to withdraw from PAR,” he said.

This is to ensure that PAR can continue to function as an effective political force in the upcoming general election, which must be held by November, without unnecessary disruptions that might arise from fundamental strategic differences between PPP and the other parties in the alliance, he added.

PAR’s formation was announced in 2023.

PV secretary-general Lim Tean, who is secretary-general of the alliance, said early on Feb 23 that PPP had insisted on contesting Tampines GRC, and that PV, RP and DPP did not agree with this as it could lead to a four-cornered fight in that constituency.

The other three parties also could not agree with PPP’s position on the Covid-19 vaccine, he added in a Facebook post.

PPP had in 2024 made several calls to suspend Covid-19 vaccination, drawing rebuttals from the Ministry of Health.

“In the circumstances, we have agreed to part ways amicably with PPP, who are leaving the alliance,” wrote Lim, who was sentenced to six weeks’ jail and a $1,000 fine on Feb 17 for practising as a lawyer without a valid certificate in 2021.

Speaking to the media during a walkabout in Tampines on Feb 23, Mr Goh said the PPP is not anti-vaccine, but is instead “pro-safe vax”.

He said: “We do not want mandatory vaccination to be imposed on anyone.

“But unfortunately, Mr Lim Tean and Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam do not agree on that, because they think that it’s controversial.”

Mr Jeyaretnam chairs the alliance and is RP’s secretary-general.

Mr Goh added that the party will release its election manifesto in March, which will cover its positions on vaccination as well as how a family unit should be defined.

He said: “Our manifesto is coming up. It’s going to be pro-family... We are against the LGBT agenda.”

Mr Goh said PPP is eyeing Tampines, Nee Soon and Ang Mo Kio GRCs, as well as Yio Chu Kang SMC, in the upcoming election.

He was the only candidate from PPP that contested the last election in 2020, garnering 28.26 per cent of the vote at MacPherson SMC, which was retained by incumbent Tin Pei Ling of the ruling People’s Action Party.

Mr Goh had said then that it was to be his last election.

He said PPP wishes PAR all the best in the coming election and is open to future collaboration with the alliance, should opportunities arise.

Other office-bearers in the central executive committee of the alliance include head of RP’s women’s wing Yasmine Valentina, who is assistant secretary-general.

PPP member Peter Soh was the alliance’s vice-chairman, but will no longer hold the post following PPP’s withdrawal, said Mr Goh.

 

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At least 1 new member expected to join Sembawang GRC slate for GE2025: Ong Ye Kung​

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and fellow Sembawang GRC MPs (behind Mr Ong) Mariam Jaafar, Lim Wee Kiak (partially hidden) and Vikram Nair at the launch of Bazar Raya Utara@Woodlands on Feb 23.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Anjali Raguraman
Feb 23, 2025

SINGAPORE - Health Minister Ong Ye Kung 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, saying it is part of the ruling party’s renewal process every election cycle.

“As of now, I expect at least one new member on the team,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of Bazar Raya Utara@Woodlands, an annual Ramadan bazaar, on Feb 23.

“I do not know who he or she is yet, (and) I am as eager as you to find out who, and when I know, I will quickly introduce him or her,” he said in response to a question about possible changes to the Sembawang GRC slate.

Besides Mr Ong, who is anchor minister for the constituency, the other MPs at Sembawang GRC are Mr Vikram Nair, Mr Lim Wee Kiak, Ms Poh Li San and Ms Mariam Jaafar.

All of them were present at the event on Feb 23, save Ms Poh, who was overseas on a work engagement.

When asked if he expects a new member because the GRC is expanding, or if a person is leaving, he put it down to the PAP’s bid to regularly refresh its lineup with each election.

“This is a tradition of the PAP, (where) every election, we try to refresh a quarter to a third of all our candidates... so this being a five-person (constituency), I must expect one or even two persons will change up,” he said.

“This is something that always happens every election. Very few GRCs can go through an election without changing any of their members, so I very much expect one... So I’m eagerly awaiting whoever the person is.”

He added that the new person will be supported, and will be “integrated quickly” and shown the ropes, to make sure that “from day one, they can start running and start serving the residents”.

Also spotted at the event on Feb 23 was former SingPost Singapore chief executive Shahrin Abdol Salam, who resigned from the role earlier in 2025, less than a year after he moved to the national postal service company from rail operator SMRT.

Mr Shahrin had resigned “to pursue opportunities outside the company”, SingPost had said. Since his resignation, he has not announced his next move.

When asked if Mr Shahrin’s presence at the event was an indication that he was a potential election candidate, Mr Ong quipped: “The fact that I did not introduce him on stage means I don’t know.”

When pressed further about Mr Shahrin, Mr Ong said not to speculate.

But he noted that Mr Shahrin has been appearing in the constituency “quite a lot”, and considered him a “very old friend” whom he has worked with from his days in the union.

Mr Ong was deputy secretary-general at the National Trades Union Congress from 2011 to 2012.

When approached, Mr Shahrin declined comment.

Former SingPost Singapore chief executive Shahrin Abdol Salam was spotted at the launch of Bazar Raya Utara@Woodlands on Feb 23.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Mr Ong also addressed questions about his role and preparedness for the next election due by November.

Saying that he is “always ready... since last year”, the minister added that his role is to lead the Sembawang GRC team, and to convince residents to “continue to work together” with them, he said.

Mr Ong also hopes that he gets to stay in the constituency.

“We always have cold sweat thinking of those, but I really hope I get to stay here because of the support (from) the volunteers, the residents... but the party decides such things and I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” he said.

Earlier in the night, Mr Ong and his fellow MPs officially launched the bazaar with a gong and fanfare, after a slew of performances by residents and students. This included a lively dikir barat, a style of Malay choral singing, performed by students from Qihua Primary School.

The MPs also launched a sparkling green and yellow street light-up at the 2025 bazaar, which spans Woodlands Avenue 6 and Woodlands Avenue 7, with a total of 92 stalls.

The holy month of Ramadan falls between March 1 and 30.

 

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JTC Corporation to get new CEO on April 1​

Ms Jacqueline Poh will be taking over as CEO of JTC Corporation from Mr Tan Boon Khai.PHOTOS: JTC
Calista Wong
Feb 21, 2025

SINGAPORE – JTC Corporation will welcome a new chief executive officer come April 1.

In a media statement on Feb 21, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced that Ms Jacqueline Poh will take over from Mr Tan Boon Khai in the role at the statutory board in charge of Singapore’s industrial progress.

Ms Poh, who will be appointed CEO-designate of JTC from March 1, will also be appointed as a member of the JTC Board in an ex-officio capacity.

She has been serving as the managing director of the Economic Development Board (EDB) since October 2021, and led it as it exceeded investment commitment targets amid Singapore’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

During her tenure, said MTI, she worked towards strengthening Singapore’s presence in international business, fostering deeper relationships with global leaders, particularly within the technology and start-up space.

Prior to her time in EDB, Ms Poh, 49, served in various senior roles in public service, including as deputy secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office strategy group, founding CEO of the Government Technology Agency of Singapore and managing director of the former Infocommunications Development Authority.

Mr Tan, 51, will officially step down as JTC CEO on March 31 to pursue other interests, said MTI.

He first joined JTC in September 2020 and led the agency in responding to Covid-19, supporting industries critical to the nation’s resilience and recovery from the pandemic.

In his time as CEO, Mr Tan oversaw the completion of several new estates and buildings, including Punggol Digital District, CleanTech Three, Jurong Innovation District and Woodlands North Coast.

He also made preservation and adaptive reuse key considerations in the rejuvenation of ageing industrial estates in the redevelopment of Singapore’s industrial sector, and drove broader productivity in operations through the use of digitalisation and technology adoption, said MTI.

Mr Jeffrey Siow, Second Permanent Secretary for MTI, said that Mr Tan has made “significant contributions” to JTC as CEO.

“Under his leadership, JTC drove the planning and development of future-ready industrial infrastructure, which supported the growth of our industries and companies,” said Mr Siow.

Welcoming Ms Poh, he said: “Already part of the MTI family, Jacqueline has a deep understanding of investor needs which will help in her new role to develop attractive and innovative industrial land and spaces.

“I am confident that Jacqueline will build on Boon Khai’s good work to advance Singapore’s industrial infrastructure.”

 

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Brigadier-General Cai Dexian to take over Major-General David Neo as army chief​

Brigadier-General Cai Dexian (left) will take over from Major-General David Neo as Chief of Army from March 21. PHOTOS: MINDEF

Eileen Ng
Feb 25, 2025

SINGAPORE - Brigadier-General Cai Dexian will take over from Major-General David Neo as Chief of Army from March 21.

The change is part of the “continuing process of leadership renewal” in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) on Feb 25.

“Mindef expresses its deep appreciation to MG Neo for his sterling leadership and distinguished service to Mindef and the SAF,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Straits Times has reached out to Mindef about MG Neo’s future plans.

BG Cai, 40, joined the SAF in 2003 and was awarded the SAF Overseas Scholarship.

An armour officer by vocation, he has held various senior command and staff appointments within Mindef and the SAF.

These include commanding officer of the 48th Battalion Singapore Armoured Regiment, commander of the 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade, head of the Joint Plans and Transformation Department, director of personnel policy and Commander of the 3rd Singapore Division.

Mindef said BG Cai drove many capability development and force transformation efforts for the SAF, such as establishing the Digital and Intelligence Service and developing the SAF 2040 long-term plan.

“BG Cai was also deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, as part of the SAF’s contribution to the international reconstruction efforts there,” said Mindef.

MG Neo, 47, joined the Singapore Army in 1996, and has served the SAF with distinction, Mindef said, adding that he was the first commando officer to be appointed Army Chief.

He served his junior command tours in the Commando Formation, and subsequently commanded the First Battalion Singapore Guards, 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade and 3rd Singapore Division.

He also held key staff appointments in Mindef and the SAF, including Head of the Joint Plans and Transformation Department, Director of Joint Operations and Deputy Secretary (Technology).

MG Neo has served as army chief since March 10, 2022.

“Under his stewardship, the Singapore Army maintained a high level of operational readiness, expanded its range of capabilities, and enhanced its interoperability with government agencies,” Mindef said.

MG Neo has also led the Army 2040 transformation plan, steering the operationalisation of new warfighting concepts, inter-service integration, acquisition of cutting-edge warfighting systems, as well as development of workforce, innovation and digitalisation initiatives.

“During his tenure, MG Neo guided the Singapore Army to resume and expand local and overseas integrated, large-scale training and live-firing after the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mindef said.

“He also expanded collaboration with the militaries of major powers and regional countries.

“The Singapore Army also successfully executed several operations, such as the disposal of one of the largest wartime bombs unearthed in Singapore and the delivery of humanitarian aid for Gaza,” Mindef added.

 

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Elections Department raises alarm over warning linked to voting status circulating online​

Voters should check their voting status only through official sources like the ELD voter services page on its official website or via the Singpass app.ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

Ang Qing
Feb 25, 2025


SINGAPORE - Singaporeans need to be alert to fake messages from scammers masquerading as official notices asking them to restore their names to the Registers of Electors.

On Feb 25, an advisory issued on Telegram by government portal gov.sg alerted prospective voters to a notice, which claims to have been issued by the Elections Department (ELD) and has been circulating online and in messaging groups.

The advisory said voters should check their voting status only through official sources, like the ELD voter services page on its official website www.eld.gov.sg or via the Singpass app.

In a Facebook post on Feb 19, ELD said: “The ELD is aware of a scam warning that is currently circulating on chat messaging platforms. This warning did not come from ELD.

“However, the image used in the message appears to have come from a screengrab of ELD’s voter services webpage. This same image was also circulated during the 2023 Presidential Election, and more recently in 2024.”

Singaporeans who cannot check their voting status electronically can call the ELD hotline on 1800-CALL-ELD (1800-225-5353), or visit the nearest community centres and ServiceSG centres for help.

ELD said it can send e-mails with clickable links that people can use to access the ELD voter services webpage, but these e-mails will always come from email addresses ending in @eld.gov.sg

All SMSes sent from the Singapore Government will also come only from SMS message sender gov.sg.

 

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GE2025: Expect more multi-way fights in GRCs, say experts​

A multi-cornered fight is expected in Pasir Ris-Punggol and five other GRCs. Pasir Ris-Punggol was the only GRC to see a multi-cornered fight during the 2020 General Election.PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO, ST FILE
Wong Pei Ting and Tham Yuen-C
Feb 26, 2025

SINGAPORE – An unprecedented number of multi-cornered fights could feature in the next general election, with at least six group representation constituencies (GRCs) drawing interest from multiple opposition parties.

Checks by ST found that five GRCs might see three-cornered contests between the PAP and two opposition parties. They are Ang Mo Kio, Nee Soon, Pasir Ris-Punggol, Sembawang and Tanjong Pagar.

And one constituency – Tampines – could form the backdrop of a four-way showdown.

With various political parties vying for ground, multi-cornered fights are now harder to avoid, analysts said.

They noted that by staking an early claim, parties could also be “posturing” or aiming to use constituencies as bargaining chips in a horse-trading exercise, which is usually carried out after electoral boundaries are firmed up.

Ten opposition parties have signalled their intent to contest the coming polls, including the three grouped under the People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR). There were 10 opposition parties in the last election too, but other than the longstanding Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), none of the parties had formed blocs then.

“We have far too many political parties; it’s a crowded political landscape for sure,” said Singapore Management University (SMU) law professor Eugene Tan, a former Nominated MP.

Multi-cornered fights in GRCs have historically been rare because the belief is that they tend to favour the ruling party. There have been only two such contests in the 37 years since the GRC system was introduced to ensure better minority representation.

The most recent such contest took place in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC during the 2020 General Election, between the People’s Action Party, SDA and Peoples Voice (PV).

Before that, the only multi-way GRC battle was in the 1992 Marine Parade by-election, when the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Singapore Justice Party challenged a PAP team led by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

However, such battles are not uncommon in single-member constituencies (SMCs) due to the lower barrier to entry, with just one candidate needed. Multi-way fights in SMCs have featured in every general election since 1972, except for the one in 2006.

Amassing bargaining chips​

The prospect of multi-way clashes was thrown into focus over the weekend, when People’s Power Party (PPP) chief Goh Meng Seng announced his party’s withdrawal from PAR and staked claims in Tampines, Nee Soon and Ang Mo Kio GRCs, as well as the single-seat Yio Chu Kang.

If there are no changes to these constituencies, it would mean the PPP – founded in 2015 – would field 16 candidates in the coming election.

Mr Goh – the only PPP candidate to contest in 2020 – told The Straits Times that he does not intend to make way for other parties, and does not expect them to do so either.

“It’s inevitable that we are moving towards this, because the space is getting more crowded relative to the participants,” he said. “Every (party) wants to grow. It’s a natural process.”

The SDA, which intends to field a team in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC again, is similarly unfazed by the prospect of a multi-cornered fight.

Workers’ Party (WP) members have recently been spotted walking the ground in parts of Punggol town that are part of Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.

But SDA chairman Desmond Lim said his party would not move aside as it has been engaging residents there for the past 18 years. “We are dedicated to residents here, so we are not concerned about three-cornered fights,” he said.

Multi-way fights are also becoming more likely as opposition parties seek to expand, although the parties typically firm up their plans only after the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) issues its report.

Red Dot United (RDU), founded in 2020, contested only in Jurong GRC in the last election. Since then, it has walked the ground in Nee Soon GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC. The party has also been seen in Yuhua SMC.

Party leader Ravi Philemon said it will field at least 12 candidates – up from five in 2020 – and contest at least four constituencies.

“Exactly which these will be will depend on the EBRC report, but at the moment we are most active in the areas of Jurong, Yishun and Redhill,” he added.

Mr Philemon declined to comment on multi-way fights, saying that any discussion is speculative since the EBRC report has not yet been released. “We do not want to fuel speculation by commenting prematurely on electoral contests,” he said.

But the informal coalition comprising his party, NSP, the Singapore United Party and the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) have agreed to avoid contesting in the same constituencies, he noted.

In a Feb 25 Facebook post addressing the brewing speculation around multi-way fights, Mr Philemon added that opposition parties have been “pragmatic” and that there is a “certain camaraderie” among most of them.

“Let’s also not forget – no one wants to lose their election deposit. For a five-member GRC, that’s almost $70,000 – a significant amount for any candidate or political party,” he said.

The PAR – an alliance between PV, the Reform Party (RP) and the Democratic Progressive Party – appears to have exited Pasir Ris-Punggol and Ang Mo Kio GRCs.

But it has moved to cover new territory at Tanjong Pagar GRC, where RDU is also active, as well as Marymount, Kebun Baru and Potong Pasir SMCs – all also claimed by other opposition parties.

PAR leader and PV chief Lim Tean also said on Feb 23 that his party will field “a very strong candidate” in Potong Pasir, where SPP continues to stake a claim.

Mr Lim was also seen at Jalan Besar GRC and Mountbatten SMC, where PV contested in 2020, and Radin Mas SMC, where RP contested, with his alliance partners.

Only one party – the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) – looks set to put up fewer candidates in the coming election, potentially halving the number of seats that it contests from 24 to 12, going by the areas it now covers versus in the 2020 election.

Based on existing electoral boundaries, five parties, including WP and the SDP, look set to up the ante on the number of seats they would contest, while three parties look set to maintain their participation.

The tenth party is a newcomer, the Singapore United Party (SUP), which is staking its claim on seven seats at Ang Mo Kio GRC and Yio Chu Kang and Kebun Baru SMCs. SUP is led by former RP members, Mr Andy Zhu and Mr Darren Soh.

While multi-way contests may be increasingly unavoidable, analysts said not to put too much weight on the evolving state of play at this point in time.


With the EBRC report still in the works, Associate Professor Tan said opposition parties are working towards negotiations to decide who contests where. As such, more “over-exuberant staking of claims” is expected in the days ahead.

“This is all about staking claims and posturing to secure bargaining chips in the horse-trading that will take place,” he said.

National University of Singapore political scientist Elvin Ong said opposition parties always appeal to historical contests and vote shares to strengthen their claims for districts they want to contest.

“We should be wary of reading too much into the noise and giving it too much weight,” he said.

Pitfall or potential?​

In previous elections, opposition parties usually got together for a pow-wow in the name of opposition unity, to negotiate which parties would contest in each area, and which would withdraw.

However, those involved in previous discussions say the WP has gone into these talks mostly to reaffirm its intentions. The party has also made clear that everyone has a right to contest wherever they wish.

The PSP has stated the same in the past GE, and also said that it would inevitably have overlapping claims with other parties as a relative newcomer on the scene.

For now, opposition party leaders told ST it is too early for such talks, with some adding that no one has initiated the meeting yet.

Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Gillian Koh said: “In the end, it very much depends on whether the opposition parties feel they would achieve more as an informal but unified movement, or if it is each party for itself.

“(This is) especially if they feel that they are on the rise and do not wish to cede ground to the smaller parties that may not look like they will be effective.”

The PPP’s Mr Goh believes that smaller parties may have a higher chance of victory in multi-cornered fights involving many parties.

With the vote split among more parties, the winning party will need fewer votes to prevail, he said.

But IPS Social Lab adjunct principal research fellow and academic adviser Tan Ern Ser said pro-opposition voters would likely coalesce around the bigger parties.

In such situations, there is also a real chance that a smaller and weaker opposition party may lose its deposit, which could work out to about $70,000 for a five-member GRC. Candidates must win more than 12.5 per cent of votes to keep their deposit.

Critics have sometimes labelled smaller opposition players as “spoilers”, believing that they may cost more established opposition parties victory in close fights.

Prof Tan said: “In a GRC or SMC where the contest is very keen, any dilution of the opposition votes may be costly to the leading opposition party in that particular contest.”

 

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PAP new faces spotted in West Coast, Nee Soon GRCs​

Trade unionist Natasha Choy (standing, left) with West Coast GRC MP Foo Mee Har (standing, right) at a Chinese New Year dinner in the constituency. PHOTO: FOO MEE HAR

Ng Wei Kai
Mar 01, 2025, 12:46 PM

SINGAPORE – A third new face has been seen on the ground with the People’s Action Party (PAP) in West Coast GRC – trade unionist Natasha Choy.

Ms Choy has since mid-February been seen at community events with West Coast GRC MP Foo Mee Har.

Also pictured with Ms Foo since late 2024 is Ms Valerie Lee, Sembcorp’s head of corporate affairs for Singapore and South-east Asia.

They join entrepreneur Chua Wei-Shan as new faces seen with the constituency’s sitting MPs. Ms Chua was appointed acting branch chairman in former transport minister S. Iswaran’s West Coast ward, after he resigned in January 2024 following a corruption probe.

Iswaran’s successor in the group representation constituency remains unclear. The three women do not fulfil the GRC’s ethnic requirements, where the minority seat is allocated to the Indian community.

Ms Foo, who has been an MP in the GRC since 2011, told The Straits Times: “Both Valerie and Natasha are volunteering and serving residents at West Coast.”

She did not comment on whether the pair are potential candidates for the ruling party.

When contacted, Ms Choy and Ms Lee also did not comment on the possibility of their candidacy.

Ms Lee, 39, said she has been volunteering for more than five years through different organisations and avenues.

She said: “I find joy in serving the needs of all Singaporeans, be it seniors or youth, families, communities. And I will continue serving in whatever capacity that is presented to me as long as I can value-add to the lives of the people I am helping.”

Sembcorp head of corporate affairs for South-east Asia and Singapore Valerie Lee (left) with West Coast GRC MP Foo Mee Har at an event on lasting power of attorney and wills in the constituency in December.PHOTO: FOO MEE HAR
Ms Choy, a director for youth development at the National Trades Union Congress, said she is grateful for the opportunity to serve the community.

She is one of two unionists who have emerged as possible PAP candidates in the upcoming election expected by mid-year. The other is Mr Jagathishwaran Rajo, who was in August 2024 made a party branch chairman in Aljunied GRC.

In the last election, the ruling PAP fielded 10 candidates linked to the labour movement – a mix of sitting MPs and new faces. Of these, eight were elected, including then deputy secretaries-general Heng Chee How and Koh Poh Koon.

Ms Choy, who is in her 30s and is also executive secretary for the Creative Media and Publishing Union, recently joined Ms Foo in celebrating Pongal – a Tamil harvest festival – with West Coast residents.

A day later, Ms Foo posted a picture of Ms Choy – clad in white – and other volunteers wearing the PAP uniform at Teban Market.

Ms Lee similarly has been featured in social media posts by Ms Foo.

On Dec 14, Ms Foo posted pictures of Ms Lee along with herself and Minister for National Development Desmond Lee at another walkabout at Teban Market.

Ms Lee also led a talk on lasting power of attorney and wills for residents in Ms Foo’s ward – Ayer Rajah-Gek Poh.

In a post on Dec 9, Ms Foo said: “Special thanks go to our PAP activists, led by Ms Valerie Lee, for their hard work in organising this successful event.”

Also on the ground in the north of Singapore is Ms Lee Hui Ying, 36, who has been volunteering in Nee Soon GRC for more than 15 years.

She was seen with Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam at an event in January, along with another new face – lawyer Deryne Sim.

Ms Lee Hui Ying (left) with Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam at an event where they distributed radios to seniors in October 2024. PHOTO: K. SHANMUGAM
Mr Shanmugam had introduced the pair to the media as people who had been helping him on walkabouts.

Ms Lee has also been seen at Meet-the-People Sessions in Mr Shanmugam’s Chong Pang ward.

When contacted, Ms Lee did not comment on her potentially standing in the general election. She added that she is volunteering with grassroots organisations in the area, not the PAP.

 

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GE2025 electoral boundaries announced: 15 SMCs and 18 GRCs​

The EBRC's recommendations have been accepted by the Government, the Elections Department said on March 11.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Linette Lai
Mar 11, 2025, 03:13 PM

SINGAPORE - Major changes ahead of Singapore’s next general election will see the creation of one more GRC and an additional single-seat ward, bringing the total to 18 GRCs and 15 SMCs. The number of elected MPs will increase to 97, up from 93 now.

The revisions will see electoral boundaries change in 22 out of the current 31 constituencies.

The release of the report marks a major step on the road to the next GE which is expected to be held in the first half of 2025.

Explaining its recommendations, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) said in its report that 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.

This is largely due to population shifts and new housing developments in these areas, it said. Voter numbers in each of these constituencies have increased by more than 10,000 since GE2020.

Revisions to electoral boundaries in these areas had knock-on effects on boundaries in some surrounding constituencies, the EBRC said.

The number of four-member GRCs will grow from six to eight, while the number of five-member GRCs will go down from 11 to 10.

One key change is the creation of a new four-member Punggol GRC. It will take in Punggol West SMC and parts of the old Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, which has been shrunk to a new four-member Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.

Five SMCs have been taken off the map, while six new ones have been added. The single seats removed are: Bukit Batok, Hong Kah North, MacPherson, Punggol West and Yuhua.

The new SMCs have all been carved out of existing GRCs. They are: Bukit Gombak, Jalan Kayu, Jurong Central, Queenstown, Sembawang West and Tampines Changkat.

Three polling districts in Tampines West, east of Bedok Reservoir, have been moved from the opposition-held Aljunied GRC to Tampines GRC.

Sengkang GRC, which is also held by the Workers’ Party, is among nine constituencies to see no changes to electoral boundaries. The other eight are Bishan-Toa Payoh, Jalan Besar, Marsiling-Yew Tee and Nee Soon GRCs; as well as Bukit Panjang, Hougang, Marymount and Pioneer SMCs.

An estimated 2,753,226 voters will head to the polls this year, an increase of 101,791 from GE2020.

The EBRC submitted its report to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on March 7. Its recommendations have been accepted by the Government, said the Elections Department (ELD) on March 11.

Significant changes have been made in the east and west of Singapore, where the fiercest electoral battles are expected to be fought.

In the east, the new Pasir Ris-Changi GRC will be formed by merging parts of Pasir Ris-Punggol and East Coast GRCs.

East Coast remains a five-member GRC. However, it will take in 15 polling districts from Marine Parade GRC, comprising mostly flats in Chai Chee and private estates in Siglap.

In the west, West Coast GRC will take in estates from the neighbouring Jurong West and Taman Jurong, which were formerly in the five-member Jurong GRC.

Meanwhile, a new five-member Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC will take in polling districts from the existing Jurong GRC, as well as parts of three SMCs which have been taken off the map - Bukit Batok, Hong Kah North and Yuhua.

The committee, which comprises five senior civil servants, was formed seven weeks ago, on Jan 22. It was directed to keep the average size of GRCs, the proportion of MPs elected from SMCs, and the average ratio of electors to elected MPs, about the same.

The average number of MPs in each GRC is now 4.56, down from 4.65. In the coming GE, there will be approximately 28,384 voters per MP, compared with 28,510.

And about 15.5 per cent of MPs will be elected from single-seat wards, compared with 15.1 per cent.

The next big step will be the issuance of the Writ of Election. This sets out a date for Nomination Day, when candidates confirm the constituencies in which they will stand.

Nomination Day will likely be followed by the minimum nine-day campaign period and Cooling-off Day - when campaigning is banned - before Polling Day.

In the past four general elections, the time between the release of the EBRC report and Polling Day has ranged from two to four months.

​

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

New Punggol and Pasir Ris-Changi GRCs in north-east, following rapid population growth​

The existing five-member Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC will be split into two new four-member GRCs.PHOTO: ST FILE

Goh Yan Han
Mar 11, 2025

SINGAPORE – Two new GRCs have been formed in the north-east - the area with the largest increase in the number of voters since the last general election.

The existing five-member Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC will be split into two new four-member GRCs, with a new Punggol GRC created by carving out the estates in Punggol and merging those with Punggol West SMC.

Further east, Pasir Ris-Changi GRC will take in the remaining estates in Pasir Ris and some of the eastern-most parts of East Coast GRC.

The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) detailed these boundary changes in its report released on March 11, nearly two months after it was formed on Jan 22.

Compared to past reports, the committee set out in greater detail its rationale for the boundary changes, which the Government has accepted. The changes will take effect at the next general election - widely expected by mid-year.

New constituencies due to population growth​

The number of voters has increased to 2,753,226 voters as at Feb 1, 2025, up from 2,651,435 at the 2020 general election.

This increase was not evenly distributed across the island, the committee noted.

There was higher growth in Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC, Sembawang GRC, Tampines GRC, Hong Kah North SMC and Potong Pasir SMC due to population shifts and new housing developments, it said.

The two new GRCs in the north-east are largely drawn from the existing Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, which made its debut on the electoral map in 2001.

This constituency has seen large population growth in the last five years, given the new Build-to-Order estates in Punggol such as Northshore Residences I and II. It will continue growing, with more housing developments in the pipeline.

In 2020, it had 161,952 voters. This grew to 184,593 voters as at Feb 1.

The EBRC hence recommended that the Punggol area of the constituency - roughly demarcated by looking north of the Sungei Serangoon park connector - merge with Punggol West SMC to form the new Punggol GRC.

This will combine some 96,825 voters in Punggol with 26,732 voters from the single-member ward for a total of 123,557 voters.

“This will also better reflect the identity of the estates in Punggol town,” said the committee.

The remaining polling districts from Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC will merge with the Loyang and Flora estates from East Coast GRC.

This new Pasir Ris-Changi GRC will have 100,639 voters - 87,768 from Pasir Ris-Punggol and 12,871 from East Coast.

The East Coast polling districts that come under this new constituency are those around Changi Airport and Changi Prison Complex.

Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC has been won by the PAP with vote shares between 64 and 73 per cent over the years. Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, who anchors the GRC now, has contested there since 2001.

In 2020, it saw a three-corner fight with the Singapore Democratic Alliance and Peoples Voice where the PAP came away with a 64.16 per cent victory.

Punggol West SMC, a one-term constituency, was won by PAP’s Sun Xueling with 60.98 per cent of the vote in 2020 against the Workers’ Party’s Tan Chen Chen. It had been carved out of Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC then, reducing the six-member constituency to five.

WP may look to contest Punggol GRC in the upcoming election, based on its activity in the area so far.

In its report, the EBRC also recommended reducing the size of Ang Mo Kio GRC, which had the most electors - 190,800 as at Feb 1. It had grown from 180,186 in 2020, when it was also the largest constituency in terms of voter numbers.

By carving out a new Jalan Kayu SMC, the five-member GRC will now cover 161,235 voters.

Jalan Kayu will have about 29,620 voters.

Hong Kah North SMC has also grown significantly, and will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years, with new housing developments in Tengah and Bukit Batok West, noted the EBRC.

“It has become too big to remain as an SMC,” said the committee, which recommended dissolving the constituency into those around it.

The Tengah estates will be absorbed into Chua Chu Kang GRC, while the Bukit Gombak and Hillview estates in the GRC will be carved out to form a new Bukit Gombak SMC.

The remaining sections of Hong Kah North will join parts of Bukit Batok and Yuhua SMCs as well as Jurong GRC to form a new five-member Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

New single seats will be carved out from Sembawang GRC and Tampines GRC, which both saw their voter populations grow in the last five years due to new housing developments in Canberra and Tampines North.

The new Sembawang West SMC will have some 24,153 voters, while the new Tampines Changkat SMC will have 23,802 voters.

This will leave Sembawang GRC and Tampines GRC with fewer or similar number of voters as that of 2020.

Changes to adjacent constituencies​

With East Coast GRC ceding parts of its estate, the committee recommended that it take in parts of Marine Parade GRC - 40,675 voters from the Chai Chee Housing Board estates and Siglap private estates.

It will remain as a five-member GRC with 150,691 voters.

Marine Parade GRC will in turn absorb parts of Potong Pasir SMC given the high population growth from new HDB developments in Bidadari, said the committee.

The five-member GRC will also absorb all 26,779 voters of MacPherson SMC and 4,966 voters from Mountbatten SMC.

It will be renamed as Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.

With the changes to Jurong area, a new Jurong Central SMC will also be formed, to maintain the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC as a five-member constituency.

Some estates in Jurong West and Taman Jurong - formerly in Jurong GRC - will also be merged into the adjacent West Coast GRC.

It will also be renamed to become West Coast-Jurong West GRC, which will remain as a five-member GRC.

To maintain its voter numbers, the eastern-most sections of the constituency that currently comprises estates in Harbourfront and Sentosa will be taken into Radin Mas SMC.

The Dover and Telok Blangah estates from West Coast GRC will also be moved into the adjacent Tanjong Pagar GRC.

With these changes, some estates in Queenstown - which is originally part of Tanjong Pagar GRC - will be carved out to form a new Queenstown SMC.

Renaming of constituencies​

A number of the new GRCs featured double-barrelled names.

Some existing GRCs already follow this naming convention, meant to better reflect the identities of the geographic areas in the GRCs. These include Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.

Hence the committee recommended continuing this practice for the new GRCS - Jurong East-Bukit Batok, Pasir Ris-Changi and West Coast-Jurong West.

It also recommended renaming Marine Parade GRC as Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.

 

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Joo Chiat hived off from Marine Parade, absorbed into East Coast GRC​

With the addition of the 40,675 Joo Chiat voters, East Coast GRC will now have 150,691 voters - up from 120,239 voters in the 2020 general election.PHOTO: ST FILE
Wong Pei Ting
Mar 11, 2025

SINGAPORE – Voter numbers in East Coast GRC got a 25 per cent bump in the latest boundary report after absorbing Joo Chiat ward, including the Telok Kurau and Opera Estate landed enclaves that used to be part of Marine Parade.

Joo Chiat, when it was part of Marine Parade GRC, was overseen by Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong. It is home to the stretch of condominiums on the eastern tip of Marine Parade Road, where Mandarin Gardens and Laguna Park are located.

East Coast was helmed by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat at the last polls in 2020. The four other MPs with him are Mr Tan Kiat How, who is Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, and National Development, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman, Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Cheryl Chan.

The Workers’ Party (WP) has been walking the ground in East Coast GRC before it contested the ward for the first time in 2006. It fielded a team there again in the 2011, 2015, and 2020 polls.

After former WP chief Low Thia Khiang moved out of Hougang SMC to stand in Aljunied GRC in 2011, WP has fielded in East Coast what has been described as its “second-best” slate or B team.

In the 2020 polls, East Coast marked the narrowest defeat for the WP in a GRC, when it got 46.61 per cent of the vote against the PAP. In Marine Parade, it lost after getting 42.26 per cent of the vote.

With the publication of the latest Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report on March 11, the largest five-member GRCs are Ang Mo Kio, West Coast-Jurong West, Nee Soon and East Coast, in that order.

With the addition of the 40,675 Joo Chiat voters, East Coast GRC will now have 150,691 voters - up from 120,239 voters in the 2020 general election.

A chunk of voters from Siglap ward, formerly part of East Coast GRC, will now become part of the newly formed four-member Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.

The 12,871 voters were carved out of largely private residential areas in the easternmost part of the GRC, where the Changi Prison complex, Changi Airport, and the Salvation Army’s Changi Corps are located. The ward was under Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman.

Another chunk of East Coast that has been carved out is a parcel bordering Aljunied GRC and Tampines GRC, which will form part of Tampines Changkat SMC.

The largely industrial area has just one registered voter, and is home to Safra Tampines and the upcoming United Medicare Residence (Tampines West) nursing home.

A public housing development is set to be completed in the area this year. The Tampines GreenOpal project will comprise eight blocks, with 1070 units in total.

​

 

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Jurong GRC to be split into four different constituencies, including new GRCs and SMC​

Voters will be split into two new five-member GRCS.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE

Hariz Baharudin
Mar 11, 2025

SINGAPORE - Jurong GRC, which has been the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) best-performing area in the past two general elections, will be split into four separate constituencies for the upcoming polls.

The 132,272 voters currently in Jurong GRC will be redistributed into a newly created five-member Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, a new five-member West Coast-Jurong West GRC, a new Jurong Central SMC, and the existing Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

The new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC will have 142,510 voters, incorporating 62,424 from the current Jurong GRC, according to the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report released on March 11.

On top of absorbing parts of the existing Jurong GRC, it will take in adjacent polling districts Bukit Batok SMC, Yuhua SMC, and Hong Kah North SMC.

Meanwhile, 41,404 voters from Jurong GRC will be placed under the newly created five-member West Coast-Jurong West GRC, which will take in some estates in Jurong West and Taman Jurong. This new GRC will have 158,581 voters.

A new Jurong Central SMC will be carved out from Jurong GRC, encompassing 29,620 voters, with 25,668 from Jurong and the rest from Yuhua SMC.

The remaining 2,776 voters from Jurong GRC will be absorbed into the four-man Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, which will have 122,891 voters.

Jurong GRC has long been one of the PAP’s strongest-performing constituencies, securing 79.29 per cent of the vote in GE2015 and 74.61 per cent in GE2020, reinforcing its status as a party stronghold.

A key figure behind Jurong GRC’s strong performance was President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who had represented the area for over two decades while he was an MP.

Mr Tharman began his political career in 2001 as MP for Taman Jurong and remained a key representative of the area until he stepped down in 2023 to contest the Presidential Election.

During GE2020, he led the PAP team that included Minister of State for Health and Digital Development Rahayu Mahzam, who oversees the Bukit Batok East ward, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Education Shawn Huang, responsible for Jurong Spring.

The team also comprised backbenchers Tan Wu Meng, who looks after Clementi, and Xie Yao Quan, in charge of Jurong Central.

 

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West Coast GRC renamed West Coast-Jurong West GRC; to absorb parts of Jurong​

The new West Coast-Jurong West GRC will remain a five-member one, and will have 158,581 voters.ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Ng Wei Kai
Mar 11, 2025

SINGAPORE – West Coast GRC will absorb some estates from Jurong GRC and be renamed as West Coast-Jurong West GRC in the coming general election.

It will also cede estates in Harbourfront and Sentosa to Radin Mas SMC, and areas of Dover and Telok Blangah to Tanjong Pagar GRC, said the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) in a report released on March 11.

The new West Coast-Jurong West GRC will remain a five-member one, and will have 158,581 voters, it said.

This is up from the 144,516 voters the current GRC had at the 2020 general election, where it had that election’s closest contest with the ruling PAP winning with 51.69 per cent of the vote against the newly-founded Progress Singapore Party (PSP), led by former PAP stalwart Tan Cheng Bock.

The report was received by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on March 7 and accepted by the Government to be implemented at the next general election which must be held by November 2025.

It gave reasons for the changes to West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

They are part of a cascade triggered by the growth of new estates in Tengah and Bukit Batok West – areas to the north of the constituency’s current boundaries.

The growth in population in these areas means they cannot remain in their current boundaries as the committee was tasked to keep the ratio of voters to MPs largely unchanged from the previous election, where the figure was 28,510 to one.

It therefore recommended re-drawing several constituencies in the area to creating, amongst others, the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

To maintain this new GRC as a five-member one, the committee recommended carving out some of its estates to form the new Jurong Central Single Member Constituency (SMC), as well as absorbing some of its estates in Jurong West and Taman Jurong into West Coast GRC.

In order to also retain the new West Coast-Jurong West as a five-member GRC after absorbing these areas, the committee also recommended carving out the current GRC’s Eastern-most polling district, comprising estates in Harbourfront and Sentosa, and placing it under Radin Mas SMC.

It also recommended moving polling districts in Dover and Telok Blangah estates into the adjacent Tanjong Pagar GRC.

The areas the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC will absorb from the current Jurong GRC are largely under Taman Jurong ward, which is represented by senior parliamentary secretary for Education and Finance Shawn Huang.

Mr Huang took over as the ward’s MP in 2023 from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who resigned in July that year to contest the presidential election.

The estates the current GRC will lose to Radin Mas and Tanjong Pagar are in largely under Telok Blangah ward, represented by MP Ms Rachel Ong.

Ms Ong, an entrepreneur, is a first-term MP introduced by the ruling party in the previous election.

The new West Coast-Jurong West GRC will likely be contested again by the PSP, with Dr Tan, 84, possibly remaining on the slate.

He told the media at a walkabout in February that the party expects West Coast GRC’s boundaries to change before the polls, but he said the PSP will contest in the area regardless.

“You are a politician, you fight... I am not making excuses – however West Coast is going to be cut, we will be there,” he said then.

Members of its previous slate, including Dr Tan and non-constituency MPs Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa, as well as new faces have been seen walking the area in the lead up to the election.

The PAP team has since the last election lost its anchor in former Transport Minister S Iswaran, who resigned in January 2024 following a corruption probe. He was later jailed.

The team’s other members have remained in place. They are: National Development Minister Desmond Lee, Ms Foo Mee Har, Mr Ang Wei Neng and Ms Ong.

Iswaran’s successor in the group representation constituency remains unclear, but new faces have been spotted in the area alongside sitting MPs.

They are: trade unionist Natasha Choy, Ms Valerie Lee, Sembcorp’s head of corporate affairs for Singapore and South-east Asia, and entrepreneur Ms Chua Wei-Shan.

Ms Chua was appointed acting branch chairman in Iswaran’s ward following his resignation, but the three women do not fulfil the GRC’s ethnic requirements, where the minority seat is allocated to the Indian community.

West Coast GRC was formed in 1997 out of the former Brickworks GRC and several surrounding areas.

It has over the years seen some changes such as the carving out of Pioneer SMC in 2011.

​

 

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6 new SMCs for GE2025, five single seats gone​

There will be a total of 15 single-member constituencies for Singapore’s upcoming General Election.PHOTO: ST FILE
Chin Soo Fang
Mar 11, 2025, 03:25 PM

SINGAPORE – Six new Single Member Constituencies (SMC) have been created, while five have been removed from the electoral map.

The new SMCs in the latest report by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) released on March 11 are Bukit Gombak, Jalan Kayu, Jurong Central, Queenstown, Sembawang West and Tampines Changkat.

The five that will be removed are Bukit Batok, Hong Kah North, MacPherson, Punggol West, and Yuhua.

There will be a total of 15 single member constituencies (SMC) for Singapore’s upcoming General Election (GE), which is one more than the previous election in 2020.

The remaining SMCs are Bukit Panjang, Hougang, Kebun Bahru, Marymount, Mountbatten, Pioneer, Potong Pasir, Radin Mas and Yio Chu Kang.

Based on the report’s recommendations, the proportion of Members of Parliament (MP) elected from SMCs will be 15.5 per cent of the 97 MPs. There will be 28,384 electors per MP, a slight decrease from the 28,510 electors per MP five years ago.

In all, a total of 400,484 electors will be voting in the 15 SMCs.

Punggol West SMC has been removed, with the EBRC recommending carving out the Punggol estates in the growing Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC to merge with the SMC to form a new 4-MP Punggol GRC.

Hong Kah North SMC has grown, and will continue to expand due to housing developments in Tengah and Bukit Batok West. With 45,586 electors, it was deemed too big to remain as an SMC. The Tengah estates will be absorbed into Chua Chu Kang GRC, while a new Bukit Gombak SMC will be formed to take in those from Bukit Gombak and Hillview.

The remaining polling districts of Hong Kah North SMC, together with the adjacent polling districts in Bukit Batok and Yuhua SMCs, will be merged with Jurong GRC to form a new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

A new Sembawang West SMC and Tampines Changkat SMC will also be formed in view of the growth in Sembawang GRC and Tampines GRC.

Ang Mo Kio GRC, which has 190,800 electors, is the electoral division with the most number of electors. It will be reduced in size by having some of its polling districts carved out to form a new Jalan Kayu SMC.

Potong Pasir SMC, which has had high population growth due to new Housing Board developments in Bidadari, will have some polling districts moved to Marine Parade GRC. The GRC will absorb MacPherson SMC and an adjacent polling district from Mountbatten SMC.

A new Jurong Central SMC will be formed with some polling districts carved out from Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

Radin Mas SMC will take in estates in Harbourfront and Sentosa, which are now part of West Coast GRC.

A new Queenstown SMC will be carved out of Tanjong Pagar GRC to maintain it as a 5-MP GRC.

In total, the EBRC recommended 33 electoral divisions, comprising 18 GRCs and 15 SMCs.

The Government has accepted the recommendations and will implement them in the next GE, which must be held by November 2025.

The report is the penultimate step before Parliament can be dissolved for the upcoming GE, which will be Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s first electoral outing since taking over Singapore’s top political post in May 2024.

​

 

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EBRC report: Opposition wards largely untouched; slight change to Aljunied GRC’s boundaries​

The Tampines GreenGem housing estate will be moved from Aljunied GRC to Tampines GRC at the next general election.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Kok Yufeng
Mar 11, 2025

SINGAPORE - Three polling districts in Tampines West, comprising 3,834 voters, will be moved from the opposition-held Aljunied GRC to the People’s Action Party-held Tampines GRC at the upcoming general election.

This is one of three minor changes that the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) has recommended in its report on March 11, so that some of the electoral boundaries at the 2025 polls are aligned with key geographical features, it said.

The other two changes are to the boundaries of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Chua Chu Kang GRC.

The EBRC’s proposals, which have been accepted by the Government, hew to a long-standing practice of leaving opposition wards largely intact, with Sengkang GRC and Hougang SMC among nine constituencies that will not have their boundaries redrawn.

Aljunied, Sengkang and Hougang are all held by the Workers’ Party (WP).

The other seven constituencies that will have no changes to their boundaries are Bishan-Toa Payoh, Jalan Besar, Marsiling-Yew Tee and Nee Soon GRCs, as well as Bukit Panjang, Marymount and Pioneer SMCs.

This means that less than a third of the 31 constituencies at the 2020 hustings will maintain the status quo at the coming election, which must be held by November.

The three polling districts being carved out of Aljunied GRC include two areas that are bounded by Tampines Avenue 1, Tampines Avenue 10, Bedok Reservoir Road and Bedok Reservoir itself.

These two districts cover the Waterview and Tropica condominiums, as well as Tampines GreenGem and the still-under-construction Tampines GreenJade public housing estates.

The third polling district, bounded by Tampines Road, Tampines Link and Tampines Avenue 10, covers two worker dormitories, several temples and a funeral parlour.

Polling districts are sub-divisions in a constituency with at least one polling station each.

Meanwhile, in the west, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC will take in one new polling district, which is under the soon-to-be-dissolved Jurong GRC.

This polling district, which has 2,776 registered voters, lies east of Upper Bukit Timah Road. It covers a number of condominiums, including Springdale, Sherwood Towers, Garden Vista and Jardin.

Farther north, two new public housing estates under construction - Rail Green I @ CCK and Rail Green II @ CCK - will come under Chua Chu Kang GRC, bringing with them 193 registered voters from The Tennery condominium in nearby Junction 10.

The EBRC said the two Rail Green housing developments straddled the previous electoral boundary between Chua Chu Kang GRC and Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. This had been drawn based on the former railway track that no longer exists, and which has since been turned into part of the Rail Corridor.

Hence, the committee’s recommendation is to redraw this boundary so it runs along Woodlands Road instead, effectively assigning the two new estates, as well as Junction 10, to Chua Chu Kang GRC instead of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

With the changes, Aljunied GRC will have 144,032 voters, Tampines GRC will have 147,904 voters, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC will have 122,891 voters and Chua Chu Kang GRC will have 93,368 voters.

In terms of size, Aljunied and Tampines GRC will remain five-member wards, while Holland-Bukit Timah and Chua Chu Kang GRC will stay as four-member wards.

 

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10 key takeaways from GE2025 boundaries report​

The EBRC report, released on March 11, paves the way for the next general election, which must be held by November 2025.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Anjali Raguraman
Mar 11, 2025

SINGAPORE - The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) has recommended that there be 18 GRCs and 15 single-member constituencies, up from the current 17 GRCs and 14 SMCs.

The EBRC report, released on March 11, paves the way for the next general election, which must be held by November 2025.

Among the changes proposed are the creation of two new four-member GRCs, one fewer five-member GRC, alongside redrawn boundaries for a slew of electoral divisions.

Here are 10 key changes from the report:

1. New four-member Punggol GRC​

The five-member Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC that debuted in GE2001 is no more. Instead, Punggol estate will merge with Punggol West SMC to form a new four-member Punggol GRC.

The EBRC recommended this change based on the GRC having the largest increase in the number of electors since the last general election, and the estate’s continuing growth with new housing developments.

Phase two of the Punggol Point Cove development and Kempas Residences were recently completed in January 2025.

With 123,557 electors, this makes it the second largest four-member GRC after Sengkang GRC, which has 126,641 electors.

2. New Pasir Ris-Changi GRC takes in parts of East Coast​

Following the creation of Punggol GRC, the remaining polling districts from the former Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC will be combined with the adjacent parts of East Coast GRC - namely Loyang and Flora estates.

These are the eastern-most parts of East Coast GRC around Changi Airport and Changi Prison Complex in Siglap ward.

This will form the four-member Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, with 100,639 electors.

3. East Coast GRC to absorb Chai Chee and Siglap estates​

East Coast GRC will absorb parts of Marine Parade GRC - namely the Housing Board estates in Chai Chee and the private estates in Siglap.

By absorbing Joo Chiat, currently overseen by Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong, it will add over 30,000 electors and become 25 per cent larger than it was in the last election.

The upsized East Coast GRC remains a five-member constituency.

4. Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC absorbs MacPherson, part of Potong Pasir and Mountbatten​

The single-seat MacPherson ward, currently helmed by MP Tin Pei Ling, will be absorbed into Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.

The newly renamed five-member GRC will also comprise parts of Potong Pasir, as well as an adjacent polling district from Mountbatten SMC.

The EBRC said that parts of Potong Pasir SMC are being moved, owing to the high population growth there due to new housing developments in Bidadari.

5. Chua Chu Kang GRC takes in Tengah estates​

Chua Chu Kang GRC will take in upcoming HDB developments - Rail Green I and II, as well as Plantation Edge I and II in Tengah - which used to straddle Chua Chu Kang GRC and Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

It will also take in the new housing developments in Tengah, a town which is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

In order to keep Chua Chu Kang as a four-member GRC, Bukit Gombak and Hillview estates will be carved out to form a new Bukit Gombak SMC.

6. New Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC incorporates Bukit Batok and Yuhua, part of Hong Kah North​

The committee said that even with the Tengah estates being absorbed into Chua Chu Kang GRC, the remaining Hong Kah North SMC comprising Bukit Batok West is “still too big and growing”.

As such, it will be merged with Jurong GRC, Bukit Batok and Yuhua SMCs to form a new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

To keep the new constituency as a five-member GRC, a new Jurong Central SMC will be carved out. The GRC will also shed estates in Jurong West and Taman Jurong.

7. West Coast absorbs Taman Jurong, lose areas in Dover and Telok Blangah to become West Coast-Jurong West GRC
West Coast will gain the estates in Jurong West and Taman Jurong from the now-defunct Jurong GRC, but lose its eastern-most polling district - comprising estates in Harbourfront and Sentosa - to Radin Mas SMC.

Its estates in Dover and Telok Blangah will also be moved to next-door Tanjong Pagar GRC.

The resulting West Coast-Jurong West GRC will have 158,581 electors and be the second largest GRC after Ang Mo Kio GRC.

8. Tampines GRC takes in Tampines West estates from Aljunied GRC​

Polling districts in Tampines West, which are currently under Aljunied GRC, will be moved to Tampines GRC. These are the new estates near to Tampines West MRT and to the East of Bedok Reservoir.

The change comes as the committee recommended that electoral boundaries be regularised along key geographical features.

9. New SMCs carved out of Ang Mo Kio, Sembawang, Tampines and Tanjong Pagar​

To keep four existing five-member GRCs from becoming too large, new SMCs will be carved out.

From Ang Mo Kio, a new Jalan Kayu SMC will be created. Even so, Ang Mo Kio will remain the largest GRC with 161,235 electors.

In view of the growth in Sembawang GRC and Tampines GRC, a new Sembawang West SMC and Tampines Changkat SMC will be created respectively. A new Queenstown SMC will also be carved out from Tanjong Pagar GRC.

10. Boundaries unchanged for nine wards​

Apart from the shifting of polling districts in Tampines West from Aljunied GRC to Tampines GRC, electoral boundaries for the other Workers’ Party-held wards of Sengkang GRC and Hougang remain unchanged.

This is in keeping with EBRC’s past practice of leaving opposition wards largely intact.

The other constituencies with status quo boundaries are Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, Jalan Besar GRC, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Nee Soon GRC and the SMCs of Bukit Panjang, Marymount and Pioneer.