SINGAPORE: Former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong may be a “very seasoned operator” but the team that the People’s Action Party (PAP) is fielding in East Coast GRC has the infrastructure and stable base of preceding teams to build on, said Mr Edwin Tong, who will helm the party’s slate at the upcoming polls.
Mr Tong, who is Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, said that the Workers’ Party (WP) candidate is “very seasoned” in campaigning, but emphasised the diversity of experience that his PAP slate will bring to the “tough election” ahead.
While his team consists of fresh faces and he himself is a new entrant to the East Coast GRC team, Mr Tong said: “Over the years, we’ve seen teams come and teams go. You might be a new candidate, but we don’t take over from ground zero because we build on and work off the work that has been done in preceding terms.”
“Historically, East Coast has always been a tough seat for the PAP, and I expect this time around to be no different. The WP is a good party, they have a credible team, and I’ve known Jenn Jong for some years,” said Mr Tong.
“So I believe they will put up a good fight, and it’s something we have to take very seriously, and that’s why I regard this as possibly my toughest GE amongst the four (I have contested),” said Mr Tong.
While the PAP’s line-up for East Coast GRC had already been confirmed after Nomination Day proceedings, Mr Tong formally introduced his running mates later on Wednesday (Apr 23) at the PAP’s headquarters as the ward’s anchor minister.
Mr Tong will helm a team comprising Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How and Ms Jessica Tan, as well as new faces Hazlina Abdul Halim and Dinesh Vasu Dash.
Both the PAP and WP’s slates for East Coast GRC were only made known on Nomination Day itself.
On the WP slate alongside Mr Yee is his former running mate for Marine Parade GRC Nathaniel Koh and fresh faces Jasper Kuan, Sufyan Mikhail Putra and Paris V Parameswari.
