The Online Citizen
Workers’ Party to skip Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, paving way for PAP walkover
The Workers’ Party has announced its decision to withdraw from contesting Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC in GE2025, citing strategic allocation of limited resources. The move results in a walkover for the People’s Action Party in the newly redrawn five-member GRC.
23 April 2025
By
The Online Citizen
SINGAPORE: In a statement released on 23 April 2025, Workers’ Party Secretary-General Pritam Singh confirmed that the party will not be contesting Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC in the upcoming General Election.
The announcement marks a shift in strategy for the opposition party, which had contested Marine Parade GRC since the 2015 General Election.
Singh addressed voters directly, thanking them for nearly a decade of support and engagement. He said the decision was a “very difficult” one, shaped by recent electoral boundary changes and resource considerations.
“The Workers’ Party will not stand in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC for these general elections,” Singh wrote. “This was a very difficult decision for us.”
He added that as a small opposition party, WP must continuously make tough choices about where to allocate its limited manpower and campaigning resources.
The new Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC is a reconfiguration introduced by the Electoral Boundary Review Committee for GE2025. Under the new boundaries, Joo Chiat SMC — previously absorbed into Marine Parade — has been moved to East Coast GRC.
In its place, MacPherson SMC and other estates have been drawn into the newly constituted Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
Singh noted that the party’s candidate in Joo Chiat SMC during GE2011, Yee Jenn Jong, had narrowly lost by just 388 votes.
The Workers’ Party subsequently contested
Marine Parade GRC in GE2015 and GE2020.
In the most recent election in 2020, the WP secured 42.26 per cent of the vote in Marine Parade GRC, signalling a credible challenge to the incumbent People’s Action Party.
Despite this, the Workers’ Party has opted to scale back its contesting footprint in GE2025. Singh explained that the party wants to concentrate its campaign efforts in fewer constituencies to improve electoral outcomes and continue advocating for meaningful changes.
“I hope you will continue lending your support to The Workers’ Party this GE2025,” Singh appealed to voters, pledging that the party will aim to restart outreach in the GRC after the elections.
Since the 2020 General Election, WP members and volunteers had maintained ground engagement in Marine Parade. One of the 2020 candidates, Nathaniel Koh, was seen conducting a walkabout at Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre as recently as 19 April 2025.
The withdrawal of the WP from the contest has led to an uncontested win for the PAP in the five-member GRC.
As a result, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, Minister of State for National Development and Home Affairs Faishal Ibrahim, incumbent MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling, and newcomers Diana Pang and
Goh Pei Ming will represent the constituency in Singapore’s 15th Parliament.
The PAP had reportedly been preparing for a rematch with the WP, given the previous election’s relatively close result.
