'Wherever MacPherson goes, I will follow': Tin Pei Ling on switch from SMC to GRC

When she first started out at MacPherson, "it wasn't an easy start", shared PAP's Tin Pei Ling at a press conference on Apr. 20.

"But my residents in MacPherson, my team in MacPherson, accepted me and gave me the opportunity to serve," she said.

"Because of that, I've been able to journey with [them] over the past 14 years."

In her time as an MP, the connections she's forged are "most precious" to her, she said.

"So wherever MacPherson goes, I will follow."

Tin, 41, confirmed that she would be part of the PAP candidate line-up for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights.

The other candidates in the slate are anchor Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, former Nee Soon MP Faishal Ibrahim, and new face Diana Pang.

Rough start

Tin's journey into politics began in 2011.

At the time, she was the PAP's youngest candidate at just 27 years old.

But she had a rough start. Personal photos from her Facebook page were circulated shortly after her political debut, showing her posing with a Kate Spade bag in a gift box.

This led to public criticism of her alleged "extravagant lifestyle".

However, Tin won her contest in 2015 when MacPherson became an SMC, emerging from a three-cornered fight with over 65 per cent of the vote. She did even better in 2020, winning over 71 per cent of the vote.

Today, Tin is a veteran politician. If elected, it will be her fourth term as an MP, making her one of the more experienced MPs in Parliament.

Experienced team

Speaking at a candidate introduction session at Marine Parade, she acknowledged this, calling the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights team one that is "experienced in governance".

"We have [Minister] Tan, we have Professor Faishal, even our Speaker...[and] the rest of us, in fact all of us, have spent many years on the ground."

She added that having gotten to know her residents over the years, it is no longer just a job for her.

"It has actually evolved to something really different," she said, adding that she now has an "emotional attachment" to her residents, and has even become "quite good friends" with some of them.

As a result, she hopes to stay and serve the MacPherson residents, Tin said.

"To me, this is really important, because MacPherson residents have so readily embraced me since 2011," she said.

"We have journeyed together for 14 over years. The stories we shared, the bonds, the emotional encounters that I had with my residents...mean the world to me.

"And so this something that I don't want to let go [of]."

Homecoming

On her move from a solo SMC seat to part of the larger Marine Parade-Braddell Heights team, Tin called it a "homecoming".

The SMC was absorbed into Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC after the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report, following 10 years as an SMC.

Tin recalled that in her first term, MacPherson was a ward under the former Marine Parade GRC.

It was later carved out into a single seat for the next two terms, which Tin successfully defended — first against the Workers' Party and National Solidarity Party in 2015, and then against the People's Power Party's Goh Meng Seng in 2020.

Speaking to Mothership, Tin assured her residents who may have concerns about the move back to a larger GRC that she will continue to "fight for every chance to stay in MacPherson".

The past 14 years have been "a wonderful experience", and she remains eager to forge strong bonds with her residents.

"I know I'm not perfect, but I will do my best to be as perfect as I can for my residents," she said.

She added:

"I hope to be the trusted person, part of the trusted team, with new resolve. A stronger-than-before resolve, to continue to represent and be the voice for my residents."

Top image by Ilyda Chua