PUBLISHED ONApril 20, 2025 2:40 AMByLim KeweiThe People's Action Party (PAP) announced on Sunday (April 20) its candidates for the new Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC this General Election.
Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, 60, will recontest the constituency and lead the five-member team, which includes four-term Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng, 63.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong — whose Joo Chiat ward had been ceded to East Coast GRC — and Mohd Fahmi Aliman will not be part of this team, said Dr Tan.
Their replacements are Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, 56, and Tin Pei Ling, 41, who was MP of the now-defunct MacPherson SMC.
New face Diana Pang, a business development director and grassroots volunteer at East Coast GRC, completes the slate. The 51-year-old had been seen at constituency events alongside incumbent Marine Parade MPs.
She told the media that she has been walking the ground the past weeks, and that residents have "opened up" to her.
At the press conference on Sunday, Dr Tan said he seeks a "strong mandate" from residents in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC and Mountbatten SMC, to be able to implement the five-year masterplan announced by Marine Parade Town Council on April 19.
The masterplan proposes new community spaces such as a water park and community plaza.
Asked what would constitute a “strong mandate”, Dr Tan said that if the vote share for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC is “on par with” or better than the national popular vote share, it would be a good mandate.
“We are not presumptuous. All of us here have this singular focus in wanting to serve our country, our residents well, especially during these uncertain times. I think that is the crux of our soul, commitment, purpose, ambition.”
Tin added that the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights slate is "experienced in governance", and that all members have spent "many years" on the ground.
"We are also diverse in gender, in culture, in age, in profession. So I would like to say that overall, as a team, we are... well positioned in terms of our strengths to represent our voters in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, and Mountbatten SMC," she said.
Assoc Prof Faishal told the media he finds that the Malay-Muslim community is "better off with the PAP government", with the ruling party being the "best party that can look after the affairs and the issues related to the Malay-Muslim community".
"I go down to the ground to listen to the issues raised by the Malay community, and we have not been shy to listen, to share the different perspectives and see what we can do to address the issue," he explained.
Assoc Prof Faishal said the party puts what they feel and think into action, in a manner that look after the welfare, concerns of the Malay-muslim community and makes sure that the community, citizens and Singapore continue to be able to get through any storms and opportunities.
When asked about former Marine Parade GRC MP Tan Chuan Jin's resignation from the party, Dr Tan said that while it is a pity, his grassroots initiatives were not compromised in any way.
He asked for support and understanding from the residents and for them to look at what the team has done in the past.
Under the new electoral boundaries, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC absorbs the whole of MacPherson SMC, some districts from Potong Pasir SMC and an adjacent polling district from Mountbatten SMC.
The Chai Chee HDB estates and the Siglap private estates of Joo Chiat have been absorbed into East Coast GRC.
Opposition Workers' Party is expected to contest Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC again. PAP had won Marine Parade GRC in 2020 with 57.76 per cent of the votes over WP's 42.24 per cent.
The constituency will have 131,493 voters in GE2025.
For our GE2025 microsite, visit here.
For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.
