PAP West Coast-Jurong West team offers mix of experienced & younger candidates: Desmond Lee 

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said he respects the work that Tan Cheng Bock, the founder and chairman of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), put in when he served in Ayer Rajah SMC.

Lee described Tan as a "veteran politician" and said he had brought benefits to his residents during his tenure.

This was in response to a media query, on whether the fact that it might be Tan's last time standing in the General Elections would be something that would factor into voters' and the PAP team's considerations.

PSP has announced earlier today (Apr. 20) that they would be contesting West Coast-Jurong West GRC, where Lee has been fielded.

Aside from Tan, Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) Hazel Poa and Leong Mun Wai, as well as new faces Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah, are the other candidates fielded.

"I respect the work he has done and the contributions he has made to Singapore and Ayer Rajah," Lee added.

Tan served as a Member of Parliament (MP) under the People's Action Party (PAP) for 26 years, from 1980 to 2006 at Ayer Rajah SMC.

Lee: Looking forward to PSP's ideas so that residents can decide

Lee was speaking at the launch of an initiative by NTUC's e2i, called "Bringing Jobs to Your Doorstep", at Boon Lay Community Club.

He added in a doorstop that he was looking forward to the ideas and proposals that the PSP candidates will put forward at both the national and local levels.

Lee also spoke about how the candidates on both sides are "known quantities".

"So in a way, the things that we've talked about, the proposals that we've pushed, the debates we've had in Parliament as well as out in the community, these are things that Singaporeans know."

West Coast-Jurong West team has a mix of both experienced and younger candidates

Lee also touted how his team has a mix of both experienced and younger candidates.

The experienced candidates include colleagues from the government while the younger candidates "nevertheless have got many years of experience under the belt in the communities that we are seeking to serve".

The younger candidates will therefore be able to bring in fresh ideas and new ways of doing things, Lee added.

He was echoed by his fellow West Coast-Jurong West candidate Hamid Razak who said that collectively, the fresh candidates have close to 35 years of experience volunteering in the community and interacting with residents.

Look at parties' track record

Lee also said his team remains focused on rolling out their commitments to residents for the next five years to serve them.

Some of the "many things [the team] need[s] to do" include working on the "social challenges in society" and infrastructure upgrades.

He further noted that Singaporeans will be looking at the parties' track records and what they have achieved in the previous years.

"Elections are really about giving residents, giving Singaporeans choice, and in their decisions that they make, Singaporeans will scrutinise the plans, both at the national level, policy level, but also at the local level, what do the different participating teams bring to the table in terms of what they will do if elected on the ground... and also the track record of what they've been able to achieve in the years before that."

"So certainly, I think in the in the days ahead, we look forward to presenting what we've done in print, but also directly to our residents through the media as well and of course, rolling out our plans and proposals for the next five years, if given the opportunity," Lee said.

Top photo by Mothership