Even with the presidential elections being the talk of the town recently, Dr Tan Cheng Bock is here to ensure the next General Election (GE) is still on Singaporeans’ minds.
The former Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chief confirmed that he would run for the next GE.
PSP’s Dr Tan Cheng Bock Confirmed to Contest in Next GE
On Saturday (22 July), 83-year-old Dr Tan Cheng Bock, the former PSP chief, confirmed that he would be running in the next GE, regardless of when the GE will be held.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the 83-year-old was spotted interacting with residents at West Coast Market Square.
Wah… Doing homework already.
He will likely contest West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC), where he previously contested and lost to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in the 2020 GE.
“Regardless of how the West Coast GRC is delineated, we are ready,” Dr Tan added.
In an earlier press conference in May, the PSP shared that the party aims to campaign on bread-and-butter issues.
Ah, appealing to Singaporeans like you and me—the party will likely include issues that most of us hold close to heart, including jobs, housing affordability and social safety nets.
PSP’s Take on the CPIB Iswaran Probe
Of course, PSP has something to say about the recent developments in Singapore’s political scene—specifically, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) Iswaran probe and the Speaker’s resignation.
If you haven’t heard of the two issues, you can read more about the CPIB Iswaran probe here and the Speaker’s resignation here.
Alternatively, watch this video for a TLDR of the Speaker’s resignation given by Goody Feed’s Blue Cats.
But wait, what do these developments have to do with PSP? Don’t suaku leh.
First, for the benefit of all the east siders out there who aren’t aware of who’s in the West Coast GRC, here’s the news flash: S Iswaran is in the West Coast GRC.
Or, was in.
Since the transport minister is under investigation by the CPIB, his responsibilities in the West Coast GRC are now overseen by the Minister of State for National Development of Singapore, Desmond Lee, and other Members of Parliament (MPs) in the GRC.
Dr Tan has pointed out that while PSP has been considering expanding its presence in West Coast GRC given the above, he emphasises that the PSP will not do so merely for the sake of expansion.
In Mandarin, we call Dr Tan’s actions “会做人”.
Aside from the West Coast GRC, the PSP will also evaluate their foothold in other constituencies. This includes constituencies the party has previously contested as well as constituencies the party has yet to contest thus far.
It is also unclear how many seats the PSP will be gunning for the next GE.
PSP’s Take on the Speaker’s Resignation
What about the Speaker’s recent resignation following the “third party” saga?
PSP has done more on this matter. Before the Speaker’s resignation, a parliamentary motion was filed by PSP members regarding Tan Chuan-Jin’s independence and use of “unparliamentary” language.
PSP non-constituency member Hazel Poa filed the motion alongside PSP’s secretary-general, otherwise known as “the guy that has pissed just about everyone off in Parliament”, Leong Mun Wai.
Yes, you read that right. If you haven’t been keeping up with Singapore’s opposition politics, you now know that “the guy that has pissed just about everyone off in Parliament” is now the secretary-general of his party.
So don’t let anyone tell you your dreams can’t be fulfilled.
Although the Speaker resigned after the parliamentary motion was filed, whether PSP will withdraw the motion is unclear. The PSP will make this decision only after the Prime Minister addresses the matter in Parliament.
For now, shake leg and wait lor.
While the PSP team led by Dr Tan may have lost West Coast GRC to PAP in the 2020 GE, it’s worth noting that the loss was only by a small margin.
In the 2020 GE, the PAP team, which included Mr Iswaran, achieved a historically low 51.69% of the vote share.
Breaking PAP records, but not in the way the PAP would like. We can only wait and see if the delineation of West Coast GRC will change in the next GE, if you get what I mean.
Aside from West Coast GRC, PSP also contested in eight other constituencies in the 2020 GE, including Nee Soon GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC, Chua Chu Kang GRC, Marymount SMC, Hong Kah North SMC, Yio Chu Kang SMC, Keban Baru SMC and Pioneer SMC.
This brings the total number of seats the PSP contested for in the previous GE up to 24.
Unfortunately, as you probably know by now, the PSP failed to win any seats.
Perhaps they’ll fare better the next GE. As long as there isn’t news of a “third party” going around about PSP in the next few years, everything should be fine, right?
In a PSP news conference in May, Dr Tan shared that the PSP’s goal was to be a political party that Singaporeans want to vote for.
Yeah, duh…
Okay, what Dr Tan meant was this: PSP hopes to become “the party of the first choice by Singaporeans” instead of one Singaporeans choose out of a process of elimination should they not like other parties.
To put it in simple terms, to avoid PSP becoming that kaki you call only when your main friend group isn’t free.
We’ll see how everything plays out when the GE is eventually called.