SINGAPORE — For the second time in successive General Elections, People’s Action Party veteran Charles Chong was parachuted into a Single Member Constituency, and emerged with a slim victory. And this time, he can take extra satisfaction from regaining an Opposition ward for the ruling party.

Yesterday (Sept 11), Mr Chong, 62, who had previously served six terms in Parliament, seized Punggol East SMC from the Workers’ Party after garnering 51.76 per cent of the votes — giving him a winning margin of 1,156 votes, or 3.5 percentage points, over the Workers’ Party’s Lee Li Lian, who was the incumbent Member of Parliament.

Mr Chong’s latest victory came after he was sent to Joo Chiat SMC in the 2011 elections to replace retiring Member of Parliament Chan Soo Sen. Then, Mr Chong won 51.02 per cent of the vote against the WP’s Yee Jenn Jong. Joo Chiat SMC was merged into the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency this election.

Mr Chong’s win means that Punggol East SMC — whose accounts were the subject of a dispute between the PAP and the WP during the hustings — is changing hands for the second time in two-and-a-half years. Ms Lee won the SMC seat in a by-election in January 2013 after former PAP MP Michael Palmer resigned because of an extramarital affair.

Last night, Mr Chong thanked Ms Lee for taking care of the constituency. “I know she did her best,” he said.

Although the PAP won the seat, Mr  Chong said: “I would request humbly that you do not celebrate too much, maybe just for tonight.”

The WP’s Lee Li Lian with a supporter at Hougang Stadium this morning. Ms Lee, who won the Punggol East seat in a 2013 by-election, said she would ensure a smooth handover of the town council. Photo: Don Wong

About an hour after the results were announced, Ms Lee wrote on her Facebook page that she will not be taking up the position of a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament.

“I respect the voters’ decision and I should give this chance to my other WP colleagues,” said Ms Lee. “We really have some good people who deserve the slot.”

In a separate Facebook post, she said she will work to “ensure a smooth handover of the town council”, adding that she may consider looking for a full-time job now.

Addressing the crowd at Hougang Stadium, Ms Lee, who appeared teary-eyed said: “I will be taking this opportunity to spend some time with my family, my greatest supporters.”

Speaking to the media, she thanked her supporters. “Although (my term) was short, it was very meaningful,” said Ms Lee.

“I have learnt a lot. It was a very humbling experience. You see people from different walks of lives having different sets of problems. I made a lot of friends; they are very encouraging.”

Ms Lee said she thinks municipal issues may have contributed to the loss, although she will be evaluating other factors. She declined to discuss the issue further although she also added that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council accounting dispute “hardly cropped up” when she was on the ground speaking to residents.

“Right from the start we cannot expect we will win ... We have to fight for every vote and cannot take any election for granted whether I am the incumbent or coming in.”