All photos by Edwin Koo and Bernice Wong unless otherwise stated.

The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Wednesday (Aug 26) introduced its candidates for the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the coming General Election (GE).

The five-member team features several members who contested the Marine Parade GRC at the 2011 GE: Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, and MPs Fatimah Lateef and Seah Kian Peng.

MP Edwin Tong, previously MP for Moulmein-Kallang, will be joining the team and looking after the newly-added Joo Chiat ward.

MP Tin Pei Ling was previously part of the Marine Parade GRC and will be contesting in MacPherson Single Member Constituency (SMC) for GE2015.

With almost all of the PAP wards being revealed, save for East Coast GRC and Aljunied GRC, how did the Marine Parade GRC team fare? Here are our five observations:

1. The politicians took time to be... well... politicians

It was a small gesture but none of the GRC teams who hosted the press conference did what the Marine Parade GRC team did.

ESM Goh, and MPs Fatimah Lateef, Seah Kian Peng, and Edwin Tong arrived early, even earlier than the stated press conference time at 8.30am. They welcomed the journalists, asked for their names, and reached out to shake the hands of almost all the media present.

In fact, they found time to speak to the folks from The Straits Times, Mothership.sg, and The Middle Ground, with ESM Goh taking genuine interest in the number of readers and the type of readers who visited online sites.

2. Minister Tan's mini-National Day Rally

Minister Tan was one of the few (if not the only) anchor Minister among the GRCs to speak in three languages - English, Malay and Mandarin.

He provided both national and local reasons on why the ruling party and the Marine Parade GRC is the team for Singaporeans.

Tan told the media, "I entered the government four to five years ago. The reason I joined is very much the same as what keeps me going today. I have a very strong belief that it’s important for us not just to give back to society but to be there and look after our people as best as we can".

“What is this General Election about? We’re here not only to choose MPs, but our leaders and government as we embark on the journey in the next phase of the nation," he said.

3. ESM Goh's larger-than-life presence

ESM Goh has only "two quick points" to make.

In the two points, he made a strong case for both the fourth generation leadership (in Chuan-Jin at Marine Parade GRC) and the Lee Hsien Loong administration.

On Minister Tan, he said, "Chuan-Jin has been working hard as the anchor minister and he is leading the Marine Parade team to fight the elections. Chuan-Jin is a member of the fourth generation leadership team".

How about PM Lee and his government? "As a former Prime Minister, I know the importance of politics in affecting people's lives. There are three types of governments - good bad and ugly - and we can see in many countries there are ugly ones," Goh said.

"Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Government is a good government, and if the people are happy with what they are doing, give them a strong mandate. If a good government does not get good support, then we are repudiating what they have been doing."

4. Edwin Tong, Joo Chiat and 388 votes

Joo Chiat, which disappeared as a single member constituency (SMC) seat, was the negative gerry-gerrymandering story following the release of the electoral boundaries report.

Moreover, first-term MP Edwin Tong, who just joined the team from Moulmein-Kallang GRC, lacks the profile and prominence of Joo Chiat "local boy" and WP NCMP Yee Jenn Jong.

Yee has lived in the area all his life and went to schools in and around the area.

So what's Marine Parade team's strategy?

Both Minister Tan and ESM Goh will support Tong, as Goh said that it would "not be fair for him to campaign alone".

Joo Chiat is unique because it is almost a 100 percent private property constituency.

Goh's assessment of GE 2011 was that "the Government did not acknowledge enough the sentiment of residents living in private properties who felt left out by government schemes". He highlighted the asset rich retirees who "felt ignored" and taken for granted.

Goh said that since then, "the Pioneer Generation Package has been tailored for all residents regardless of where they live."

5. ESM Goh's many quotable quotes

Here are seven of them:

On Marine Parade and his affinity with his residents: 

"I have spent forty years there. Marine Parade was new in 1976 when I went there. I built up a community there...... I will leave it up to them to decide whether I've done a good job over the last 40 years."

On his longevity in politics:

“I’ve fought nine General Elections, I’ve done this for 40 years. I’m the only Pioneer Generation leader left in politics! When PM asked me to stay on, I felt duty-bound to contribute."

Poking the Workers' Party: 

"Are we concerned about Workers’ Party coming to Marine Parade GRC? I will just tell the Marine Parade residents, “Look at the way they run their Town Council’s finances, and look at the way we run our Town Council’s finances. You decide.”

Poking WP even more:

“Strength is relative. They (WP) are stronger than NSP (National Solidarity Party) - there's no doubt about it - but there is a certain arrogance about them.

“With that arrogance will they be able to replace me and my team? Let them try."

On checks and balances:

"Until the 2011 elections, there were very few opposition MPs in Parliament, did the PAP let the people down? As Chuan-Jin said, the ‘check’ is on the integrity of the leadership. Look at the Town Council in Aljunied. One term. No check. What happened? So we are our own ‘check’. The integrity of our leaders, of our MPs – that’s where the ‘check’ comes from. Not this seductive line of ‘checks and balances’."

On opposition parties contesting in Marine Parade:

“Opposition parties come and go like nomads. Nomads will not have an interest in the people's welfare. A new tribe is coming - do they really have interest in Marine Parade's welfare?

On opposition parties claiming that the government has become responsive to Singaporeans because of the opposition's presence:

“You know the fable of the rooster that crows when the sunrises? The rooster goes around claiming that it's the crow causing the sun to rise. So that’s what they're doing.”

He speaks his mind. He has the moral authority to weigh in on any issues related to Singapore and the world. Wait. Has he become our new Minister Mentor?

Check out our 5 observations series here: 

5 things we unconsciously noticed when Ng Chee Meng & Sun Xueling were unveiled as part of PAP Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC team

5 things we consciously observed about the Tampines GRC team

5 observations on the PAP Holland-Bukit Timah team’s press conference

5 observations of Tin Pei Ling and MacPherson SMC, four years on

5 things about the newest GRC on the block: Marsiling-Yew Tee

5 observations we had while watching the Tharman show

5 observations we tried to make about PAP Tanjong Pagar candidates that show we have run out of narrative idea

5 reasons why this underrated PAP Jalan Besar GRC team may outperform the other PAP-WP contests

5 things we learnt from tailing the Workers’ Party in Nee Soon GRC

5 observations on why the PAP Ang Mo Kio GRC team is actually just PM Lee

5 observations from how the savvy Sembawang PAP team introduced their boyband

5 moments from the unveiling of Bishan-Toa Payoh PAP candidates that got us scratching our heads

Top photo by Edwin Koo.

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.