There is no denying that Singapore’s General Elections have become more eventful in recent years. Since The Workers’ Party (WP) secured a historic win at Aljunied GRC in GE2011, the political landscape has shifted. The stakes have increased for both the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and the opposition.
With higher stakes, election strategies have also evolved. In GE2020, then Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat made a surprise move from Tampines GRC to East Coast GRC. Heng had previously won in Tampines in both GE2011 and GE2015, and was seen as a leading candidate to be the next Prime Minister. While we will never know how East Coast would have voted without his presence, the PAP managed a narrow win with 53.4 percent of the vote against WP’s 46.6 percent.
So, do bold, last-minute moves make a difference? Sometimes they do. In politics, as in life, well-timed decisions can be game changers.
Nomination Day for GE2025 brought its own set of surprises. For those paying close attention, it certainly lived up to expectations.
Here is a look at some of the most notable moments from Nomination Day and what they could mean for Polling Day.
#1 Long Weekend For Marine Parade-Braddell Heights
It has been some time since we last saw a walkover in a General Election. Both GE2015 and GE2020 featured contests in every constituency, making it clear that electoral competition had become the norm.
Heading into Nomination Day, there was little reason to expect any walkovers for GE2025 as well. In fact, much of the pre-election chatter centred on whether multi-cornered fights would emerge, and whether opposition parties should coordinate to avoid splitting the vote (spoiler alert, they did not).
That made it all the more surprising when Marine Parade–Braddell Heights was left uncontested. The Workers’ Party (WP) was widely seen as the party that chose not to contest, effectively leading to a walkover.
Leader of the Opposition and Secretary-General of WP, Pritam Singh, explains the rationale for this decision.
The bad news for residents of Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC is that they won’t get the chance to exercise their right to vote this General Election. The good news? They now have the option to fully enjoy their long weekend.
With 1 May (Thursday) being a public holiday, taking just one day of leave on Friday, 2 May, and using your off-in-lieu on Monday, 5 May, gives you a five-day break for the price of one day off. Not quite democracy in action, but at least you get a longer, well-deserved break.
#2 Journey To The West
Did the Workers’ Party’s decision not to contest Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC set off a chain reaction? The coincidence is hard to ignore.
Anchor Minister for Marine Parade–Braddell Heights and Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, who first contested and won there in GE2020, made a surprise last-minute move to helm Choa Chu Kang GRC. That shift also saw Gan Kim Yong moving to Punggol GRC (more on that below).
Was this reshuffle always part of the plan? It’s worth noting that the PAP had already announced its five-member team for Marine Parade–Braddell Heights before Nomination Day. So, was the switch made only after it became clear that WP wouldn’t be contesting, despite some WP figures being spotted at Kong Hwa School? And where exactly was Tan See Leng before the switch? Did his driver speed when driving to Choa Chu Kang? We have so many questions, but we will never know unless the PAP tells us.
#3 From Choa Chu Kang To Punggol
As NSF who stays in the east but have their army camp in the west, driving from Choa Chu Kang to Punggol isn’t exactly a short distance. But that’s exactly the journey that Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong had to take to stand as a candidate in the newly formed Punggol GRC.
He now leads a heavyweight PAP team that includes Party Whip Janil Puthucheary, Minister of State Sun Xueling and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Yeo Wan Liang. On the other side is a young and formidable WP team, featuring none other than senior counsel Harpreet Singh.
This looks set to be a closely watched contest. Will Gan Kim Yong’s presence give the PAP the edge it needs to win this GRC?
#4 Where Exactly Is East Coast?
Is the east side really the best side in Singapore?
If you ask Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong and the PAP team standing in East Coast GRC, the answer is a resounding yes.
Since GE2020, when The East Coast Plan made its debut during then Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat’s now-iconic speech, the phrase has taken on a life of its own.
But here’s the serious bit: who exactly is included in this East Coast Plan, and more importantly, where is East Coast?
The former Joo Chiat SMC, which was part of Marine Parade GRC in 2020, is now within East Coast GRC, and this means that incumbent MP Edwin Tong who oversees Joo Chiat, is also part of East Coast GRC—and by extension, part of the East Coast Plan. So are Chai Chee and Siglap. If you are confused with the phrasing here, it’s fine. East Coast residents are used to it.
Source: East Side, Best Side
Areas that are (rightly) no longer part of the East Coast GRC/Plan include the Loyang and Flora Drive estates—which are essentially part of Pasir Ris—as well as Pulau Ubin.
#5 What Is Going On In Tampines?
If you are wondering why so many parties seem to want a slice of Tampines, you’re not alone. Let’s break it down.
Four different parties will be contesting in Tampines. They are: the incumbent PAP team led by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, a WP team led by former Aljunied MP Faisal Manap, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) led by Party President Reno Fong, and the People’s Power Party (PPP) led by party chief Goh Meng Seng. NSP also contested in Tampines in GE2020, securing 33.6 percent of the vote.
So, what happened?
NSP’s decision to contest wasn’t surprising, given their track record of fielding candidates in Tampines in GE2011, GE2015, and GE2020.
Things got more interesting when PPP chief Goh Meng Seng issued an apology to NSP yesterday on 22 April for also fielding a team in the constituency. According to Goh, PPP had been in contact with NSP since the previous year, proposing a joint team—an idea that was turned down by NSP.
As for the WP, their interest in Tampines may have something to do with electoral boundary changes. According to The Straits Times, parts of Aljunied GRC—specifically, three polling districts in Tampines West near Bedok Reservoir, which comprise 3,834 voters—have been moved into Tampines GRC.
Three-cornered fights— or in this case, a fatal four-way—tend to work against opposition parties. When multiple non-PAP teams contest the same constituency, the opposition vote often gets split, diluting their overall impact. There’s also the very real risk that one or more of the parties may lose their election deposits.
In GE2020, every constituency that saw a three-way contest ended with at least one party forfeiting its deposit. The odds will not improve with a fourth player in the mix.
Read Also: How Closely Do The GE2025 Electoral Boundaries Mirror Singapore’s Postal District Map
