SINGAPORE: On Saturday afternoon (April 12), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the People’s Action Party (PAP) had finalised its list of candidates for the upcoming General Election.
They will be introduced constituency by constituency. The Prime Minister began with his own constituency, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, which he has represented in Parliament since 2015 when it was first formed, and where he is the anchor minister.
The slate remains unchanged, with Senior Minister of State Zaqy bin Mohamad, Mayor Alex Yam Ziming, and Hany Soh Hui Bin, together with PM Wong.
@lawrencewongst In the coming GE, PAP will introduce 30+ new candidates. But in our GRC, the slate remains unchanged. I’ll continue to lead the team. Full remarks on my YT <link in bio>
As he has done recently, the Prime Minister underlined the turbulent times Singapore, along with the rest of the world, is facing, adding that “In such conditions, who you have in the cockpit matters.”
And while he noted that the PAP MPs are “excellent,” he also reiterated the point he’s made to refresh the party’s leadership, saying that “new blood, new ideas, and new energy” are being brought in as a priority. To this end, the PAP will be fielding more than 30 new candidates, the largest pool of new candidates the ruling party has introduced in recent history.
“This is my first General Election as Prime Minister and Secretary General of the PAP— and amidst this global uncertainty, I hope Singaporeans will give me and my team the opportunity to continue to serve you and secure a brighter future for every Singaporean. We will do our best for you!” wrote PM Wong.
Many commenters online cheered the Prime Minister on his YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok accounts, wishing him and the party the best for the coming election.
Interestingly, a number of netizens, however, asked about one-time former PAP MP Amrin Amin. Mr Amin had represented Woodlands (Sembawang GRC) in Parliament from 2015 to 2020. In 2020, he was fielded as part of the PAP slate at the then newly formed Sengkang GRC, which lost to The Workers’ Party (WP).
“Hi, sir.. where is our beloved former MP Amrin Amin? He was so good and helped so many residents in Woodlands before. Please bring him back,” wrote one.
Another chimed in with, “Sir! Why you don’t bring back Amrin?”
Still, another wrote, “Very excited about the coming election! May I know if we could have Amrin Amin back to Woodlands? He is so hardworking, so kind, and always on the ground with the residents. We miss him a lot, can you bring him back?”
Some commenters asked questions, including those who asked why there is a need for mayors in Singapore at all.
Although Mr Amrin is still active on his public account on social media, it is unknown and perhaps unlikely that he will be fielded by the PAP as a candidate for the upcoming GE since there has not been any indication of this, nor has he been part of recent walkabouts or on-the-ground activities.
And though he stayed on as PAP branch chair of Sengkang Central from 2020 to 2022, he stepped down by March of that year.
The WP’s win at Sengkang, narrow though it was, came as a surprise to many, given that the opposition team or relative newbies was up against a heavily stacked PAP team made up of NTUC chief Ng Chee Meng, Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min, Mr Amrin, and Raymond Lye.
It marked the first time an opposition party won two GRCs, which contributed to WP Secretary-General Pritam Singh being appointed as Singapore’s first Leader of the Opposition. /TISG
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