Few surprises in PAP’s much-awaited Aljunied slate

SINGAPORE — With all eyes on the People’s Action Party (PAP) line-up to mount a challenge on the Opposition-held Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC), the slate was revealed with no big surprises, but the door was left open to last-minute changes come Nomination Day.

As widely expected, former Ang Mo Kio GRC Member of Parliament Yeo Guat Kwang was re-deployed to his old stomping grounds to replace PAP Serangoon branch chairman Chan Hui Yuh, 38, who had requested after National Day not to stand for the coming General Election to spend more time with her two young children.

Rounding up the team were private banker Chua Eng Leong, 44, insurance firm chief executive Victor Lye, 53, lawyer K Muralidharan Pillai, 47, and former school head of department Shamsul Kamar, 43.

The slate was the last to be unveiled by the PAP, which broke from tradition and began formally introducing its candidates since Aug 12 — well ahead of Nomination Day on Tuesday.

At the press conference to unveil the ruling party’s Aljunied GRC team, former PAP chairman Lim Boon Heng told reporters the line-up was finalised only a week ago. Even then, he did not think that any slate “is ever final”, he said. “Never say never.”

Mr Lim added: “In politics, things happen very quickly and between now ... and Sept 1, anything can happen.”

He also would not rule himself out of a return to politics. “These may not be things entirely within my decision ... Many people have been asking me whether I’ll be standing,” he said. “I don’t rule out anything.”

Mr Yeo was left out of the Ang Mo Kio GRC team that was introduced on Aug 15, leading to speculation that the four-term Member of Parliament would be redeployed.

Echoing Mr Lim’s comments, Mr Yeo said yesterday: “We have been in discussions, there were all kinds of possibilities and today we finally announced (the line-up). But, of course, it is still subject to change when it comes to Nomination Day.”

Mr Chua, Mr Lye, Mr Muralidharan and Ms Chan have been working the ground in Aljunied. Along with former PAP Kaki Bukit branch chairman Kahar Hassan, they were touted early on as potential PAP candidates for Aljunied GRC.

However, Mr Kahar was dropped less than a month ago after he was deemed to be unsuitable. He was replaced by Mr Shamsul.

Mr Lim said that he had left it to the party to decide on the replacement for Ms Chan, and Mr Yeo — who was a Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC from 2001 to 2011, before he was switched to Ang Mo Kio GRC in the 2011 GE — was the choice.

Mr Lim said: “I have not approached any other MPs who are retiring to come (to Aljunied). I heard some talk that some of them wanted to come ... but I’m not sure whether that’s true or not true.”

Political analysts said they would not be surprised if changes were made at the eleventh hour to the PAP line-up in Aljunied GRC.

Associate Professor Alan Chong of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said it is possible that the PAP may deal a “wild card” to the slate at the last minute — and put up a sitting member of the Cabinet or a former minister.

Assoc Prof Chong said the PAP “may need a bigger heavyweight” to challenge the WP’s line-up, which consists of “all their big guns” including party chief Low Thia Khiang and chairman Sylvia Lim.

“Mr Low’s reputation is now on a par with Mr Chiam See Tong and, potentially, (the late) J B Jeyaretnam. You want to defeat him, you have to have someone of the same calibre,” he said, referring to past Opposition figureheads.

But Associate Professor Eugene Tan of the Singapore Management University felt that any changes to the PAP slate would be “reactionary”, in response to any switches by the WP, for example. He said that he would be surprised if Mr Lim — a former Cabinet Minister who stepped down before the 2011 GE — came out of retirement to lead the team. Even if he did, Assoc Prof Tan doubted that he would be a gamechanger.

“(The PAP) needs more than one heavy hitter on their slate,” he said. “Even if they put a heavyweight slate in Aljunied at the last minute, voters will also consider the scenario where the WP incumbents don’t get re-elected. Could that result in the decimation of the Opposition in the next Parliament?”

The Aljunied GRC team was the last slate to be unveiled by the PAP. Barring any last-minute changes before Nomination Day, the ruling party will be fielding 22 candidates who will be making their electoral debuts. Of these, 14 — or almost two-thirds — are from the private sector. In comparison, only a third of the PAP’s slate of 24 first-time candidates for the 2011 GE were from the private sector.

Speaking at a press conference last week to introduce PAP’s new candidates for his Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the party draws its candidates from a wide range of backgrounds.

“This continues the tradition and practice of the party being a broad-based party, which seeks to represent all Singaporeans in as inclusive a way as possible,” he said.