Swee Say hands reins to Vivian
MCYS minister will lead four-man team in Holland-Bukit Timah
By Elgin Toh
Dr Balakrishnan (right) thanking Mr Lim Swee Say (second from left), the outgoing anchor minister for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, while former army chief Chan Chun Sing (left), Mr Lim's successor in the Buona Vista ward, and MP Christopher de Souza join in the applause at a community event in Ulu Pandan yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
The current anchor minister for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Mr Lim Swee Say, announced his successor yesterday.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan is the man who will helm the four-man team there for the coming General Election, Mr Lim said.
'Under the leadership of Dr Vivian and the team of four... it will be a smaller GRC, but a better GRC, so please support them,' Mr Lim said to residents at a community event in Ulu Pandan.
The anointing came a week after it was announced that Mr Lim, who is labour chief and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, had been redeployed to lead the People's Action Party's (PAP) five-man team in East Coast GRC.
Mr Lim's Buona Vista ward became part of Tanjong Pagar GRC under the latest electoral boundary changes, reducing Holland-Bukit
Timah GRC from a five-man GRC to a four-man one.
But speaking to reporters later, Dr Balakrishnan did not confirm the full PAP line-up in his team. He provided only a hint: 'At least half my team will consist of office holders.'
The four incumbent MPs already include two office holders: Dr Balakrishnan and Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, who is Minister of State (Community Development, Youth and Sports).
The other two MPs are Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Mr Christopher de Souza.
Dr Balakrishnan also indicated that the PAP candidate in the neighbouring Bukit Panjang single-seat ward is expected to be incumbent MP Teo Ho Pin.
Fielding a question on why voters should vote for his team, Dr Balakrishnan, who has served as MP for two separate divisions in the GRC, emphasised his personal links to the GRC and the strong track record of MPs there.
'This is home for me: I live in this GRC. My parents were teachers in Bukit Panjang Primary School, so if I could pick a GRC which reflects my roots and my origins, this is it,' he said.
Every eligible block of Housing Board flats has received upgrading, he said.
Private estates, which form roughly one-third of the constituency, have been 'progressively upgraded'.
The GRC recently celebrated the opening of a new sports hub in Bukit Panjang.
'We have delivered, we have delivered substantially, and at a quality which I believe our residents are happy with,' he said.
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MCYS minister will lead four-man team in Holland-Bukit Timah
By Elgin Toh
Dr Balakrishnan (right) thanking Mr Lim Swee Say (second from left), the outgoing anchor minister for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, while former army chief Chan Chun Sing (left), Mr Lim's successor in the Buona Vista ward, and MP Christopher de Souza join in the applause at a community event in Ulu Pandan yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
The current anchor minister for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Mr Lim Swee Say, announced his successor yesterday.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan is the man who will helm the four-man team there for the coming General Election, Mr Lim said.
'Under the leadership of Dr Vivian and the team of four... it will be a smaller GRC, but a better GRC, so please support them,' Mr Lim said to residents at a community event in Ulu Pandan.
The anointing came a week after it was announced that Mr Lim, who is labour chief and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, had been redeployed to lead the People's Action Party's (PAP) five-man team in East Coast GRC.
Mr Lim's Buona Vista ward became part of Tanjong Pagar GRC under the latest electoral boundary changes, reducing Holland-Bukit
Timah GRC from a five-man GRC to a four-man one.
But speaking to reporters later, Dr Balakrishnan did not confirm the full PAP line-up in his team. He provided only a hint: 'At least half my team will consist of office holders.'
The four incumbent MPs already include two office holders: Dr Balakrishnan and Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, who is Minister of State (Community Development, Youth and Sports).
The other two MPs are Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Mr Christopher de Souza.
Dr Balakrishnan also indicated that the PAP candidate in the neighbouring Bukit Panjang single-seat ward is expected to be incumbent MP Teo Ho Pin.
Fielding a question on why voters should vote for his team, Dr Balakrishnan, who has served as MP for two separate divisions in the GRC, emphasised his personal links to the GRC and the strong track record of MPs there.
'This is home for me: I live in this GRC. My parents were teachers in Bukit Panjang Primary School, so if I could pick a GRC which reflects my roots and my origins, this is it,' he said.
Every eligible block of Housing Board flats has received upgrading, he said.
Private estates, which form roughly one-third of the constituency, have been 'progressively upgraded'.
The GRC recently celebrated the opening of a new sports hub in Bukit Panjang.
'We have delivered, we have delivered substantially, and at a quality which I believe our residents are happy with,' he said.
[email protected]
