GE2020: WP wins Sengkang GRC with 52.13% of votes, PAP 47.87%

The second GRC in Singapore to flip to the opposition.

Kayla Wong | July 11, 2020, 03:36 AM

The Workers' Party (WP) has won Sengkang GRC with 52.13 per cent of votes, marking a historic victory.

The WP lineup is made up of newcomers Jamus Lim, Raeesah Khan, and Louis Chua, as well as familiar face, He Ting Ru.

The People's Action Party (PAP) team comprises Ng Chee Meng, Lam Pin Min, Amrin Amin and new face Raymond Lye.

Second GRC in Singapore to flip

Previously, the sample count revealed the WP to be leading PAP by 6 percentage points (53% vs 47%).

The GRC is the second constituency in Singapore to flip to the opposition after Aljunied GRC.

WP team

Image by Edwin Koo

He, a lawyer, is running on the WP ticket for a second time, after contesting in Marine Parade GRC in the 2015 election.

Lim, back in Singapore after two decades abroad, is an economics associate professor who worked previously at the Institute for Southeast Asian studies, the World Bank and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

Khan, the youngest candidate from the WP and daughter of 2017 presidential hopeful Farid Khan, is the founder of the Reyna Movement, an organisation that aims to empower marginalised women and children.

Chua is an equity research analyst who was introduced together with Nicole Seah in the WP's first batch of candidates for the election.

PAP team

Image by Caroline Chia for Mothership

Ng, who is also Labour chief and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, was supposed to be the anchor minister for the four-member PAP team.

He was part of the PAP team that won the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in 2015.

Lam, who served as Senior Minister of State for Health and Transport, was a 14-year MP, and helmed Sengkang West SMC in the 2011 and 2015 elections.

Amrin, who served as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Health, was previously from Sembawang GRC.

Lye, a lawyer, though a relatively fresh face, is not new to the area. -- he chairs the Punggol East Citizens' Consultative Committee.

Newly-formed GRC

Sengkang GRC has been carved from the former SMCs of Sengkang West and Punggol East, as well as the Sengkang Central ward of Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC.

Sengkang Central used to be a PAP stronghold.

In the 2015 general election, Lam had won Sengkang West SMC with 62.1 per cent of the votes against WP's Koh Choong Yong.

Punggol East SMC used to be held by the WP for about two years after its candidate, Lee Li Lian, won a four-cornered fight in a 2013 by-election with 54.05 per cent of the votes.

But PAP member Charles Chong later wrested it back in the 2015 election with 51.77 per cent of the votes.

The areas under the new GRC are Compassvale, Rivervale and Anchorvale.

WP team's promise

Lim has previously proposed setting up a new town council to relieve bottlenecks at childcare centres, creating dedicated paths for bicycles and PMDs and more neighbourhood spaces.

Ng has also said that should the team get elected, they would first set up a new town council to better serve the municipal needs of residents at Anchorvale, Compassvale and Rivervale.

Raeesah Khan's controversy

In the midst of campaigning, WP's new candidate Khan was hit by controversy over her social media comments made on Feb. 2, 2018, and May 17, 2020.

Two police reports were lodged against Khan on July 4 and 5.

The PAP released a statement a day later that called on the WP to "state its stand" on Khan's posts, and questioned why the WP considers her "worthy of consideration as an MP".

Khan herself has apologised to any racial group or community who may be hurt by her "insensitive" remarks.

Lim's performance at debate well-received

Perhaps Lim's widely-praised performance at the first inter-party political debate of the election campaign brought the WP team its narrowly-won victory against the combined experience of the PAP team they were pitted against, even with the controversy surrounding Khan.

Top image via PAP & WP