PAP's Alex Yeo wins Potong Pasir SMC with 69.18% of votes over SPP's Williamson Lee and PAR's Lim Tean

The People's Action Party (PAP) has won Potong Pasir SMC against the Singapore People's Party (SPP) and People's Alliance for Reform (PAR).

PAP received 19,185 votes while SPP and PAR received 6,230 and 2,316 votes respectively.

PAR will be forfeiting their deposit as they failed to garner more than 12.5 per cent of votes.

The party's secretary-general Lim Tean told reporters on May 3 that the results were disappointing not just for his party but the entire opposition, reported CNA.

He added that PAR will "reorganise and come back much stronger in four to five years" for the next General Election.

"PAR is a new political entity which has existed for only two years. By the next GE, the entire Singapore will know of us," he added.

GE2020 results

In the 2020 general election, PAP's Sitoh Yih Pin won Potong Pasir SMC with a vote share of 60.67 per cent against SPP.

The constituency, which has 30,971 electors, has seen its number surged from 18,551 in the past election due to recent population changes in the area - in particular the new Housing Board developments in Bidadari.

While not as closely watched as in past elections when retired opposition politician Chiam See Tong held the seat for 27 years, Potong Pasir was more contested this time with three candidates in the race.

Sitoh Yih Pin retires

Sitoh, 61, announced his retirement from politics shortly after Nomination Day on April 23, ending a three-term in Potong Pasir that began in 2011 when he broke the opposition's 27-year hold on the single-seat ward.

In a pitch to voters during the hustings, the two opposition candidates, SPP's Lee and Lim from PAR both said that they were contesting in Potong Pasir to continue the legacy of Chiam.

Lee, who is the treasurer of the party that Chiam founded, said that if elected, he would not be an MP who "opposes for the sake of opposing".

As for Lim, he is contesting in this general election despite being given six weeks' jail and a $1,000 fine in February for practicing law without a valid certificate.

In an interview with reporters, he described himself as a "renowned" lawyer and had asked voters not to be distracted by "smears" levelled against him.

Meanwhile, Yeo, who previously served as PAP branch chair in opposition-held Aljunied GRC, said that trust cannot be inherited or demanded in Potong Pasir and has to be earned.

He called for improvements to the estates there, such as more directional signs in the estate, more sports or recreation options, and better pest control.

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