GE2015: Three-cornered fights in three SMCs
The coming general election will see three-cornered fights in three single member constituencies (SMC) in General Election 2015, with the contest in MacPherson SMC likely to be the most closely watched.
MacPherson will see the People's Action Party's (PAP) Tin Pei Ling up against the Workers’ Party’s (WP) Bernard Chen, a grassroots organiser and political activist, and National Solidarity Party’s (NSP) Cheo Chai Chen, a former one-term MP when he was with the Singapore Democratic Party.
The three-way contest in MacPherson, which was carved out of Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) after the recent boundary changes, came about despite talks held among opposition parties last month to avoid such a scenario.
NSP was in the limelight recently due to internal bickering over the issue. Its former secretary-general Hazel Poa resigned from the party over her disagreement with the party leadership coming out in support of treasurer Steve Chia’s proposal to contest in MacPherson. Chia later announced that he will not be taking part in this year’s GE.
When asked about the three-cornered fight in MacPherson, PAP’s Tin said on Nomination Day on Tuesday (1 Sep) that she welcomed the challenge, “We can’t control these kind of things, but we will definitely put up our best fight and put up a tough fight and do our best because at the end of the day, our motivation is very clear - we want to come back and take care of our residents." She was MP of the ward, where she was part of the PAP’s Marine Parade GRC team that won in GE 2011.
Radin Mas SMC will witness a contest involving PAP’s incumbent MP Sam Tan, Reform Party’s Kumar Appavoo, a director of an oil and gas company, and Han Hui Hui, an independent candidate who is a social activist and a blogger.
Tan said, "Regardless whether it's a two or three cornered fight, candidates have to prove their worth to convince the residents."
Han was not fazed by the prospect of a three-cornered fight and said she will stay focused on the election issues. “I'm here to say we will fight for our CPF, our public healthcare and our public policies,” she said.
Bukit Batok SMC will see the People’s Action Party’s David Ong pitted against the Singapore Democratic Party’s Sadasivam Veriyah, an ex-teacher and unionist, and Samir Salim, an independent candidate who is a businessman. Ong was MP of the ward, where he was part of the PAP's Jurong GRC team that won in GE2011.
The impact of three-cornered fights on deciding the eventual winner during an election may not be that significant despite such concerns among opposition parties. In the only three-cornered fight during GE2011, PAP’s Michael Palmer secured victory with a clear majority in Punggol East SMC against WP’s Lee Li Lian and Singapore Democratic Alliance’s Desmond Lim, garnering 54.5 per cent share of the vote.
