And the people of MacPherson SMC have spoken. With a winning percentage of 65.58%, the PAP has won MacPherson SMC.
In case you haven’t been following the election coverage, we summarise everything you need to know about the fight for one of the hottest constituencies this GE.
These were the candidates contesting in the MacPherson SMC, a constituency recently carved out for this election from Marine Parade GRC. They included the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate and two contesting candidates, one from Workers' Party (WP) and National Solidarity Party (NSP) each.
Here is MacPherson's newly-elected MP from the People’s Action Party
Name: Tin Pei Ling
Age: 31
Profession: Full-time MP
Terms as MP: 1
What does this outcome mean?
Sticking to her promise of improving infrastructure for the elderly and strengthening support for the low-income families and children, Tin Pei Ling will probably push for lifts to be installed at three overhead bridges and a new childcare centre constructed.
She may also push for more support in Parliament for all mothers (including single mothers), having stated that “we should improve the situation in Singapore so that women are not forced to choose between motherhood and career”.
He said, she said
Elections bring out the best – and worst – in people. Sometimes, it even turns them into bona fide quote machines. Here are some of the most epic anecdotes and speeches from both sides during the campaign.
The most memorable gaffe was likely when Cheo Chai Chen passed a sexist remark that was meant to discredit Tin Pei Ling's capabilities but which eventually signalled the swinging of public sentiment away from the NSP.
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Claiming that since MacPherson’s population was much older, he would have an easier time connecting with them. He also hammered the WP in his fliers as “an arrogant opposition party [that] does not want to give cooperation” and further criticized them for the AHPTEC saga.
“If I am mandated by you, we will manage the Town Council on our own. We will not let the incident of 'TC general manager is also the boss of its contractor' to happen.”
Then he talked about Tin Pei Ling’s newfound status as a mother: “In general, mothers love their children, so they spend a lot of time with them. If voters choose her, she might focus more on her child than on her voters. This is her weakness.”
Deciding he was making a very smart move already, he proceeded to dismiss Bernard Chen as inexperienced:
“My Workers’ Party opponent is inexperienced, and I will work hard to get the support of voters.”
Perhaps realizing that an opportunity presented itself, Tin responded with a polite but firm tone
on why she disagreed with Cheo:
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Posted by Tin Pei Ling on Thursday, 3 September 2015
It was a fantastic smackdown. Cheo’s subsequently reply was, for intents and purpose, decidedly self-demonstrating: “It was a joke. I did not mean it to be taken seriously”.
But the damage was done. People jumped on his comments like bloodhounds, while praising Tin on how far she had come since the 2011 GE:
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Posted by The Straits Times on Thursday, 3 September 2015