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GE2015: The prodigal son returns home

PAP MP Yeo Guat Kwang at the unveiling of Aljunied GRC candidates.

Vignesh Louis Naidu is the Managing Editor of Inconvenient Questions.

Yeo Guat Kwang, a long-time PAP veteran, has been announced as a candidate for the WP-held Aljunied GRC. Will the PAP’s brand of tried-and-tested work, or will the electorate affirm their faith in the WP?

The highly anticipated slate of PAP candidates in Aljunied has finally been revealed. After all the whispered speculation, PAP veteran Yeo Guat Kwang has been confirmed as the heavyweight anchor. This play is in line with what Prime Minister Lee emphasised during his National Day Rally speech about the PAP being the party with a proven track record.
 
Yeo has been a PAP politician since 1997, and has generally served the same area. He started in Cheng San, where his team scored a marginal victory over the Workers’ Party led by the late JB Jeyaretnam. After that constituency was dissolved, parts of his ward remained in the current Aljunied GRC, which he contested in the 2006 elections. In the fateful 2011 election, he was not part of the defeated PAP Aljunied GRC team as his division had been redrawn into Ang Mo Kio GRC that year.

Yeo could very well be the PAP’s saving grace in a GRC that they want badly to wrest back and to which the WP is holding tightly by keeping its heavyweight star candidates intact on the slate. Despite Yeo’s move out of Aljunied in 2011, he has maintained a strong relationship with the grassroots and residents.

“Being asked to stand in Aljunied is like a homecoming. I have spent most of my political life serving residents in this area, and even served as both chairman and vice-chairman of the town council. I have built many strong friendships with residents in this area, and hope that they would [sic] give me and my team a chance to serve them once again," Yeo told IQ.

Along with Yeo, the PAP is fielding a slate of first-time candidates. Despite being fairly new, all of them have been working with the PAP branches in Aljunied for some time. A veteran politician like Yeo would certainly add experience  as well as boost the credibility of the team. Yeo also brings with him his experience as chairman of Aljunied town council, a position he held till 2004.   

The WP has stated that their MPs will defend their seats. If this holds true, the PAP, even with Yeo, is going to face an uphill fight come 1 September. Despite being marred by controversies surrounding its management of the town council, the WP does not seem to have had its image significantly tarnished. Some residents to whom IQ spoke said that they did not understand the accusations of mismanagement leveled against the WP. Others feel that the incumbent has maintained their estate as well as previous administrations, and accept the party’s explanation that the lapses had simply been administrative.   

The PAP has emphasised the importance of municipal issues this GE. Fielding an Aljunied veteran like Yeo, with his wealth of experience chairing Aljunied town council, highlights the PAP’s strong desire to win back the GRC. I am certain that during the upcoming hustings, Yeo and his team’s record in managing Aljunied town council will be repeatedly highlighted.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out come 11 September. If the voters in Aljunied once again reject the PAP, it would mean a rejection of the PAP’s brand of tried-and-tested, and an affirmation of faith in the WP, despite the AHPETC cloud. A faith that perhaps indicates that the electorate there is willing to look past lapses in municipal issues, as they crave for greater change in Singapore’s political landscape.