The opposition Singapore Democratic Party is unlikely to field a team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, despite having contested there the past three elections.
SDP secretary-general Chee Soon Juan said: “We are still seeing what we can do, but it looks unlikely at this stage... because we want to be able to afford to consolidate our resources.”
He was speaking to the media at the launch of SDP’s campaign slogan, ‘Thrive, Not Just Survive’, on April 19.
SDP has so far confirmed that it will be fielding candidates in four constituencies - the five-member Sembawang GRC, the four-member Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, as well as the Bukit Panjang and Sembawang West single seats.
“There’s no point in us just trying to just put up one or two posters, and then they see us, but then they don’t see us,” said Dr Chee, who is set to contest the newly carved out Sembawang West SMC.
He added that SDP will instead focus on quality of candidates, not quantity.
In Sembawang GRC, the SDP will be fielding its deputy head of policy James Gomez, party vice-chairman Bryan Lim, party treasurer Surayah Akbar, and party members Alfred Tan and Damanhuri Abas.
The opposition party has also unveiled its four-member slate for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, comprising party stalwart Jufri Salim, alternative news site founder Ariffin Sha, theatre director Alec Tok and full-time caregiver Gigene Wong.
SDP’s slogan launch was held at Block 257 Bangkit Road, which is part of Bukit Panjang SMC.
SDP party chairman Paul Tambyah is set to contest there again, facing off against Mr Liang Eng Wah, the area’s incumbent PAP MP.
Both men were seen to be walking the ground in Bukit Panjang in the morning of April 19.
Prof Tambyah was distributing rations given to the party by volunteers to residents in the vicinity of Bangkit Road while Mr Liang attended a family carnival at Fajar Hills.
In an exclusive interview with ST on April 11, Mr Liang had called Prof Tambyah “a formidable opponent”. “He (Prof Tambyah) wants us to think that he’s the underdog, but I don’t think that’s the case. He stands a good chance, like me, of winning the SMC. The outcome could go either way, and I’ll do my best,” Mr Liang was quoted as saying then.
Asked his response on this, Prof Tambyah, a senior consultant in infectious diseases at the National University Hospital noted that Mr Liang has a “tremendous” amount of resources from the PAP and the People’s Association.
“We (SDP) did really well in 2020 and we are hoping we can do better. Like I said, it’s an uphill battle because we have got an even more formidable opponent there,” Prof Tambyah added.
The pair had squared off in 2020, a tight race which Mr Liang won with 53.74 per cent of the vote.
Prof Tambyah added that he will be sticking with a largely similar strategy for the upcoming polls, by providing voters with a choice to have an SDP MP in parliament who will be able to speak up for them on matters in the areas of healthcare, housing and education.
Meanwhile, Mr Liang was spotted at a family carnival at Fajar Hills on April 19, partly organised by the People’s Association.
He had declined to speak on anything related to the general elections, explaining that he was there to enjoy the fair.
Residents were treated to the usual carnival fanfare, including popcorn and drinks, and games such as inflatable bowling. The highlight of the carnival were horse rides provided by employees at the Bukit Timah Saddle Club.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
