GE2020: PPP's Goh Meng Seng to contest MacPherson SMC, may face off PAP's Tin Pei Ling

SINGAPORE - The People's Power Party (PPP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng on Thursday (June 25) said he will contest MacPherson SMC, where he is expected to face off against the People's Action Party's Tin Pei Ling.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Mr Goh posted a picture of a map of the MacPherson area and captioned it: "Finally put my Operational Skills learned from Army as Officer into good use..."

When contacted, the 50-year-old confirmed that he would stand in the single seat, and said more details will be released later on Thursday.

Ms Tin was first elected in 2011 and won a three-cornered fight for MacPherson in 2015, garnering 65.6 per cent of the vote.

On Tuesday, PPP announced plans to field candidates in the Radin Mas and MacPherson SMCs, two areas where other opposition parties have backed out.

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In a Facebook post at about 2.30am on Wednesday, the party subsequently said it would "take a step back" for the Reform Party to focus on Radin Mas.

Mr Goh said his party, which he formed to run in the last election in 2015, has two core principles - to ensure every Singaporean has a choice to vote for different parties, and to avoid three-cornered fights.

The National Solidarity Party (NSP) had indicated its interest in MacPherson SMC in March, but has since dropped its plan, ST understands.

"I hate to see MacPherson being left behind, this was the first place I held a rally at when I was with NSP in 2011," said Mr Goh, who was NSP's secretary-general at the time. He quit the party after the 2011 election and set up PPP.

"It's only good for me to get back there to do something," he added.

MacPherson, a single ward which was merged with Marine Parade GRC in 1991, became an SMC again in the 2015 election.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.