GE2025
'It was a walkover': Tan See Leng says he never abandoned Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC
Tan said he felt he had to go where he was called to stand, which is Chua Chu Kang GRC.
April 26, 2025, 04:13 PM
Chua Chu Kang GRC People's Action Party (PAP) candidate and anchor minister Tan See Leng has insisted he never "abandoned" Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, but he had to "stand up when called upon" to be redeployed when the constituency saw a walkover.
On Apr. 26, Tan rebutted Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) vice chairman Paul Tambyah's comments during his rally speech, which alluded to Tan "abandoning" his residents in Marine Parade to contest in Chua Chu Kang.
No abandonment here
When asked for his thoughts, Tan told the media on a walkabout at Teck Whye, as reported by CNA:
“I don't think I've ever abandoned Marine Parade. It was a walkover, it was a walkover. It was a walkover. I said it three times.”
Image from Tan See Leng/Facebook
Tan, who was elected in 2020, had initially been slated to helm the PAP slate for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
But in a last-minute move on Nomination Day, Tan was deployed to contest in Chua Chu Kang GRC, replacing Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong who shored up the Punggol GRC team instead.
Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC saw a walkover the same day as the Workers' Party opted not to contest in the constituency.
Marine Parade has a solid team
Tan emphasised to reporters that Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC had "a solid team" and he did not abandon them.
"And the fact is that because of the initiatives, I think that the opposition has chosen to redeploy their own talents elsewhere,” said Tan.
Given the walkover, Tan said he felt he had to “stand up when called upon to go to anywhere that the party and the country think they need me to go".
"So as far as we are concerned, there is no abandonment here".
Abandonment issues
In Tambyah's speech on Apr. 25, he referred to comments made by PAP Sembawang GRC anchor minister Ong Ye Kung about SDP secretary-general Chee Soon Juan.
On Apr. 24, Ong had called upon Chee to provide a better explanation for why he "abandoned" Bukit Batok SMC to contest in Sembawang West SMC.
Tambyah alluded to the irony that Ong, in his accusations about candidates switching constituencies for a "political agenda", could easily be referring to Tan and Gan's surprise deployments on Nomination Day.
"Although he (Ong) kept referring to Dr Chee in his speech, it was quite obvious that someone who abandoned their residents one hour before Nomination Day was far more questionable," said Tambyah.
Previously, prime minister and PAP secretary-general Lawrence Wong explained the surprise deployment of cabinet ministers Tan See Leng and Gan Kim Yong on Nomination Day was for a "better distribution of our senior leadership for the campaign".
Specifically, the decision to deploy DPM Gan to Punggol GRC was with the view that he (PM Wong) would be in the west in Marsiling-Yew Tee and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong "in the centre" in Ang Mo Kio.
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Top image from Tan See Leng/Facebook
