SINGAPORE: The Progress Singapore Party ( PSP) on Sunday ( Apr 20 ) announced its slate for West Coast-Jurong West GRC, signalling a highly anticipated rematch in one of the most closely watched battlegrounds for the election.
The group’s leading three leaders – chairman and founder Tan Cheng Bock, secretary-general Leong Mun Wai and vice-chairperson Hazel Poa – may stand for vote in the West Coast-Jurong West GRC. All three were part of the PSP group that almost clinched West Coast GRC in 2020.
They will be joined by visitors Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah, rounding up the five-member stone.
Their opponents are expected to be a People’s Action Party ( PAP ) team led by National Development Minister Desmond Lee. He may be joined by original West Coast MP Ang Wei Neng and Mr Shawn Huang, whose Taman Jurong department was moved over from Jurong GRC, and two visitors – orthopaedic doctor Hamid Razak and attorney Cassandra Lee.
This election marks a transfer to the battle for Dr Tan, Mr Leong and Ms Poa, who were part of the PSP’s 2020 group that came within a few percentage points of winning. That challenge – the most densely fought culture of GE2020 – saw the PAP just retain West Coast GRC with 51. 69 per share of the voting. The PSP secured two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP ) seats as a result.
The PAP group they are likely to experience has seen considerable changes – past transport secretary S Iswaran resigned in January 2024 after he was charged with corruption. He had been an MP in the GRC since 1997. MPs Foo Mee Har and Rachel Ong may never returning to the stone. It remains vague if they will battle abroad.
The GRC has also seen substantial boundary changes. Renamed West Coast-Jurong West, it presently includes elements of Jurong West and Taman Jurong, and has an expanded voter of 158,581 citizens.
To keep voter-to-MP numbers, areas such as Harbourfront and Sentosa were shifted to Radin Mas SMC, while Dover and pieces of Telok Blangah were moved to Tanjong Pagar GRC.