Tan Cheng Bock & PSP hold 1st walkabout in Taman Jurong, part of the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC

The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) held its first walkabout to engage residents in Taman Jurong — President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's previous ward — in the lead up to the upcoming 2025 general elections (GE).

More than 30 PSP members, including chairman Tan Cheng Bock and Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) Hazel Poa and Leong Mun Wai, were seen engaging residents at Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre on Mar. 16.

This indicates clearly the party's intentions to contest in the newly formed West Coast-Jurong West Group Representation Constituency (GRC), which now includes the Taman Jurong ward.

Taman Jurong, previously part of Jurong GRC, was a People's Action Party (PAP) stronghold held by then Senior Minister Tharman since 2001, until he resigned to run for president in 2023.

From 9:30am, PSP members went around from table to table to ask customers if they were residents of Taman Jurong, handing out party newsletters and urging them to support PSP in the upcoming election.

PSP will leave its options open: Tan Cheng Bock

When asked at a media doorstop after the walkabout if PSP would be contesting in the West Coast-Jurong West GRC for the GE, Tan said,

"We always leave our options open. There are so many other areas we can go to, but we have to study all the changes that are happening."

Yet Tan noted that if he does contest in the ward, the area is not new to him, and he brings with him "a lot of historical perspective" and past contributions.

West Coast GRC was dissolved in the recent Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report, with the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC absorbing some estates from Jurong GRC, while ceding estates in HarbourFront and Sentosa to Radin Mas SMC, and areas in Dover and Telok Blangah to Tanjong Pagar GRC.

On these changes, Tan said some friends expressed sadness that he "fought so hard in West Coast" and now has to "fight again in Jurong".

But Tan did not share their sentiment.

"Where we go, we fight, because we're all fighting for... the country, for Singapore. That's the most important. So wherever we go, we will still continue to give our best and put our best candidates [forward]", said Tan.

Leong added that the party faces "an uphill battle" with the addition of 41,000 new residents to the constituency, as well as the fact that Telok Blangah residents they "served very closely for the last four years" were "taken out"

However, he highlighted that Tan has a "strong track record in the west of Singapore" and PSP will do its "very best... to engage every resident".

In 2020, PSP fielded both Poa and Leong along with Tan in West Coast GRC.

When asked if the party would adopt the same strategy with the two NCMPs, Tan said a selection committee would decide how their candidates would be deployed.

PSP secretary-general Poa added that Taman Jurong was, at the last GE, a "PAP stronghold". However, with the addition of the ward to the West Coast-Jurong West GRC, PSP "will rise to the occasion".

"Today's walkabout shows that the residents here actually received us very warmly, so we're quite encouraged," Poa added.

Tan's history

Tan previously practised as a physician in Jurong West for many years, and said he saw "many familiar faces" on his walkabout.

Tan also highlighted his past political contributions to Jurong, such as starting the Jurong East Town Council, and chairing the Jurong Town Council, South West Community Development Council and South West Town Council.

Tan had served for 26 years as a PAP MP in the Ayer Rajah constituency, before he retired from politics in 2006.

His reputation in the area also appeared to serve PSP well in GE2020.

The newly-formed PSP, led by Tan, narrowly lost West Coast GRC to the PAP, who clinched 51.69 per cent of the vote.

Top image by Mothership