GE2020: PAP, PSP teams for Tanjong Pagar GRC point out errors in each other’s paperwork but contest goes ahead

SINGAPORE — Bendemeer Primary School, the nomination centre for Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC), was the scene of a minor disagreement on Tuesday (June 30), as the two parties contesting the GRC said they spotted mistakes in each other’s nomination papers.

However, both the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) decided not to object to each other’s papers, so that they could face off in the General Election (GE) on July 10.

It began when the PAP team, led by Mr Chan Chun Sing and Ms Indranee Rajah, pointed out a mistake in the opposing team’s papers — it was missing the name of the constituency that PSP wanted to contest in, Tanjong Pagar GRC.

Ms Indranee later told the media that by the time the error was spotted, it was already past the 12pm deadline for rectifications to be made, so her team decided to waive its right to object PSP’s nominations, as they did not want to be returned to power because of a technicality.

“We feel that the voters of Tanjong Pagar are people who we need not take for granted… We would want to be returned because our voters have said that they have given us the right and the privilege to return,” she said.

PSP organising secretary Michael Chua, 55, who leads the Tanjong Pagar team, acknowledged the mistake but noted that his team could also have chosen to dispute the PAP team’s nomination papers.

One of the PAP candidates, Mr Eric Chua, had written that his occupation was “retired SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force) officer”.

Before quitting to join politics, Mr Chua was a director of the SGSecure programme office at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Mr Michael Chua said: “That is not an occupation. If we really want to discuss, that would be retired or whatever, unemployed, or something like that, depending on the age.”

He added: “In the spirit of competition, we really want to give Singapore and Tanjong Pagar a choice of two very good teams and for them to cast their vote for the future. It is not about paper, as in very minor technicalities.”

However, a spokesperson from PAP’s Tanjong Pagar GRC team pointed out that “no such issue was raised at the nomination centre, as should be done under the rules if there was indeed an issue”. 

“The PAP team remains focused on the contest so the voters can decide who will represent them,” the spokesperson said. 

The PSP’s team comprises Ms Wendy Low Wei Ling, 43; Mr Harish Pillay, 60; Mr Abas Kasmani, 67; and Mr Terence Soon, 29.

They are going up against a PAP team comprising Mr Chan, 50; Ms Indranee, 57; Ms Joan Pereira, 53; and two new faces, Mr Eric Chua Swee Leong, 41; and Mr Alvin Tan Sheng Hui, 40.

Mr Chan was asked how he felt about the fact that he will not have to face off against Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and a PSP member, who confirmed on Tuesday that he was not running in this GE.

In response, Mr Chan said his focus had never been on who was going to be his opponent.

“Our focus has been to make sure that we take care of the residents of Tanjong Pagar, especially in these very difficult times,” he said. “Whoever wants to stand in Tanjong Pagar must have the gumption and the conviction that they truly want to serve. This is not politics for the sake of personal agenda.”

Mr Chan then cited a quote from Mr Lee’s father, the late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and said: “(Politics) is not fun and games. It’s the lives of people at stake, especially at this moment, so we will continue to stay focused on what we want to do for the residents of Tanjong Pagar.”