The residents are 'like old friends': SDA on walkabout at Pasir Ris-Changi GRC

As the campaigning period for GE2025 hits its halfway mark, many candidates are doubling down on their efforts to win over voters.

For the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), the Sunday  (Apr. 27) starts at 9:30am at Pasir Ris Mall.

There, the party greeted residents of Pasir Ris-Changi GRC donned with fliers, flags, and LED screen backpacks with displays encouraging voters to "vote for SDA".

Campaign activities have been very smooth: Desmond Lim

"The whole campaign activities [have been] very smooth," SDA chief Desmond Lim told Mothership.

Lim said that the reception from the residents has been very good.

"You can say that the residents [are] like old friends."

During the walkabout, some residents approached Lim to express their support and took pictures with him.

SDA newcomer Chia Yun Kai, who made a surprise move in joining the party during nomination day, said that "the residents are very welcoming to SDA".

"What we can contribute is a very unique, strong voice, where people's interests and needs are put at the forefront," Chia said.

"[The residents] also understand that we are coming from the heart for Singaporeans and we are not here just to oppose."

Focus for the rest of the campaign

When asked what the team would be focusing on for the rest of the campaign, Lim said that SDA will be "advocating to reserve the greenery in Pulau Ubin".

"Pasir Ris used to [have] a lot of forest and greenery," Lim said.

However, if one were to walk around Pasir Ris now, they would notice that a lot of these vegetations are now gone.

Under the new EBRC report, Pulau Ubin is now under the Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, the constituency SDA will be contesting.

Chia told Mothership that he will be focusing more on job security and support for younger families.

"With strong job security, higher job wages, we are able to allow younger families to better support their families."

Straight fight

During their walkabout, the SDA team bumped into Minister Indranee Rajah and the rest of the People's Action Party (PAP) Pasir Ris-Changi GRC team.

The two exchanged smiles and pleasantries.

@mothershipsg PAP’s Indranee Rajah exchanged greetings with SDA’s Desmond Lim while walking the ground in Pasir Ris. 🤝 Things are COOKING. Follow #MothershipGE2025 ♬ original sound - Mothership

The Pasir Ris-Changi constituency will see a straight fight between PAP and SDA in the May 3 general election.

The PAP team consists of Indranee, Desmond Tan, Sharael Taha, and new face Valerie Lee.

The SDA team comprises Lim, Chia, Harminder Pal Singh, and Abu Mohamed.

There are a total of 100,639 electors in the Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.

Top image via Mothership