Chee Soon Juan Faces Accusations Over Switch to Sembawang West
Singapore Democratic Party chair Chee Soon Juan has come under fire for his decision to leave Bukit Batok to contest for Sembawang West in the upcoming 2025 elections. During a rally on Thursday night, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung accused Chee of “abandoning” Bukit Batok and questioned his political intention. “To be fair, there’s nothing wrong with making a calculated political move; it’s the motive that baffles me,” he said, referring to the move as “frontloading” for the 2025 elections. “It’s a feature of politics, but don’t lie to voters. Stop telling residents of Sembawang West, voters, that I’m doing it for you,” Ong expressed. Prior to this, Chee ran for Holland-Bukit Timah before shifting to Bukit Batok in 2016 during a by-election.
Critics Point to PAP’s Own Last-Minute Shifts
PAP was equally under fire for its last-minute constituency switches. SDP Chairman Paul Tambyah noted that Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Minister of Manpower Tan See Leng made last-minute decisions in the lead-up to nomination day. “While he [Ong] kept talking about Dr. Chee in the speech, it was pretty clear that someone who ditched their constituents an hour before nomination day had made far more questionable decisions,” Tambyah noted during a rally on Friday. Social media users were quick to comment that Ong contested Aljunied GRC in 2011 under a banner for the incumbent ruling party and lost to the Workers’ Party before he relocated to Sembawang in 2015.
PAP Claims Uncontested Victory Over Workers’ Party in Marine Parade GRC
The Workers’ Party has come under fire after allowing the PAP to retain Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC without contesting for the seat after 14 years. Opposition member Goh Meng Seng publicly declared his disappointment, stating, “It is a shame that WP has decided to abandon the 130,000 voters.” Considering redistricting, which brought in MacPherson as part of Marine Parade, a PAP stronghold, WP claimed they were limited in resources. Prominent candidate from WP, now contesting in Punggol GRC, Harpreet Singh stated, “The Workers’ Party has never been one to shy away from a challenge. Rest assured, we will continue to walk the ground, engage Singaporeans, and fight for a fairer, more balanced political landscape.”
Analysts Urge Focus on Policy, Not Personal Attacks
Political advisors encouraged candidates to put allegations on pause and concentrate on issues relevant to citizens. “Attacking politicians for relocating their constituencies is, in reality, hollow theatrics,” said Eugene Tan, SMU law professor. Tan remarks, “Even though we know that parties use such sentiments to create doubt about the seriousness or loyalty of a party or a candidate seeking election, the argument is too weak.”
Nanyang Technological University’s Associate Professor Walid Jumblatt Abdullah raised similar concerns regarding maturity, noting in his social media show that “Everyone does it, and we all just can move on.” He also stated that the little geographical area of Singapore lessens the worry of the candidates changing wards.
Switching Wards: A Generalized Practice Across Political Parties
Independent political observer Felix Tan pointed out that constituency shifts are not only a practice among the ruling party but also among opposition parties. “If the PAP expects the opposition to explain why they have moved out of one area, then the PAP should also expect it of themselves,” he states. Tan even noted that for a politician to be tied to a constituency for a substantial period of time, it, too, would be ideal. However, he added, gerrymandered boundaries and tactical maneuvers made such fealty difficult to honor. Further, he stated that most voters assessments prior to elections do not spend their time determining which candidates are standing up for particular regions.
Voters Will Ultimately Judge Candidates’ Sincerity
As insiders note, the matter of determining the candidates’ sincerity rests with the electorate. “Tan noted that he sees very little impact in Sembawang West regarding Chee Soon Juan’s constituency move. “If they don’t vote for Chee, it is more for other pertinent reasons’,” says Tan. “He also does not believe that SDP is suffering from an abandonment perception because of SDP’s performance elsewhere.” While several other parties are busy with eleventh-hour gerrymandering, voters are assumed to have their minds set on macro-national matters instead of personal diatribes during polls.
