In the 2020 General Election, the People's Action Party (PAP) team in Sengkang GRC, consisting of three political office holders, lost to a Workers' Party (WP) team of fresh faces.

Five years on, Dr Lam Pin Min, the only remaining member of the losing PAP slate, told the media on Sunday (March 30) that the "new and younger" line-up is looking to win back the hearts — and votes — of residents with sincerity and passion in the coming election.

"We know there's always a challenge to win back a constituency, especially a GRC from the opposition, but I think the effort speaks for itself," said Dr Lam before a walkabout in Sengkang GRC.

The 55-year-old ophthalmologist and former senior minister of state was with 39-year-old Theodora Lai, a principal at private equity firm Tembusu Partners; Associate Professor Elmie Nekmat, 43, who teaches communications and new media; and Bernadette Giam, 38, a director at local food and beverage enterprise Creative Eateries.

They have an average age of 44, five years younger than the previous PAP team that contested in Sengkang, said Dr Lam. 

"We've started working on the ground the moment Covid-19 restrictions were lifted… me, Elmie and Theodora for four years," added Dr Lam.

"We also welcomed Bernadette as the newest member of the team, and she has been working very hard as well."

During the hour-long walkabout, the PAP representatives distributed teddy bears and chatted with residents at Sengkang Grand Mall and a coffee shop in the Rivervale ward.

Lam also responded to a question from a reporter on whether this is the final PAP slate who will be contesting in the election.

"Unfortunately, I think's not for us to decide," said Dr Lam. "Ultimately it will depend on [PAP] HQ… I think we just have to wait in due course.

"You can see we are much younger and [have] good gender representation with two ladies and two guys. The new team comes with a lot of passion and different offerings to our residents.

"We hope that through our sincerity and diligence, we will be able to win over the hearts of Sengkang residents."

During the 2020 General Election, Dr Lam, who was part of an all-male PAP slate, contested against a WP team comprising lawyer He Ting Ru, financial analyst Louis Chua, economics professor Jamus Lim and social enterprise founder Raeesah Khan.

In a major upset, WP won with 52.12 per cent of the vote.

One Sengkang resident of 15 years, who only gave his name as Tan, said that while he voted for PAP in the last election, the incumbent opposition MPs are doing a "good job".

The 47-year-old pointed out to the new covered walkways as one of the improvements to the Rivervale ward.

On the PAP team who gave his eight-year-old son a teddy bear, Tan said they looked "new and young", and hopes a current political office holder will stand in the GRC in the coming election.

"Someone of a minister level will be so much better. We will have better improvements in the whole Sengkang area," he said.

But Michael Lim, 35, said that it is still too early to judge the PAP team having only met them for the first time. 

Unlike Tan, he said that the calibre of the candidates is "not too much of a deciding factor" on who gets his vote.

"I just want to see what they have to offer first," said Lim, who will be voting in Sengkang GRC for the first time. 

Lai told reporters that the regular walkabouts are a chance for the team to "listen and know" residents better.

"They can also reach out to us if they need help in some ways," the branch chair of Sengkang North said.

Town hall meeting with WP MPs

During a town hall meeting on Saturday (March 29), the WP MPs told Sengkang residents that they will continue to be a voice for those living in the area for as long as they remain elected representatives.

Held at a multipurpose hall in Compassvale Link, He, Lim and Chua addressed a range of issues, from noise from fighter jets at Paya Lebar Air Base to the lack of coffee shops, reported The Straits Times.

The Sengkang MPs also shared how they spoke up on issues raised by residents during the recent two-week Budget debate. 

chingshijie@asiaone.com

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.