GE2025: PAP scores big wins in newly formed Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Jurong Central SMC
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The PAP’s Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC candidates (from left) David Hoe, Murali Pillai, Grace Fu, Rahayu Mahzam and Lee Hong Chuang.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – The PAP won the newly created Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC after securing 76.66 per cent of the vote against Red Dot United (RDU) in the general election on May 3.
The ruling party also clinched Jurong Central SMC, also newly created, with 80.51 per cent of the vote against RDU. This PAP result was bettered only by those in Queenstown SMC (81.12 per cent) and Tanjong Pagar GRC (81.03 per cent).
Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu, Ministers of State Murali Pillai and Rahayu Mahzam, Mr David Hoe and Mr Lee Hong Chuang make up the PAP team that beat the RDU team of Mr Osman Sulaiman, Ms Liyana Dhamirah, Mr Ben Puah, Mr Marcus Neo and Mr Harish Mohanadas in Jurong East-Bukit Batok.
In her team’s victory speech at Bukit Gombak Stadium, Ms Fu thanked residents for their confidence and trust in her team.
Noting that in the last nine days of campaigning, many residents had given her team suggestions and feedback, she said: “We know that there are many things that we need to do. You have our word, we can promise you that we will work on those suggestions.” Besides municipal issues, she said she heard worries about job security, the economy and the next generation’s future.
“So these are issues that we, as a team, will work with you to address your concerns. So even though we know that it’s going to be a very turbulent future, you have the assurance that we are with you all the way,” she said.
For Jurong Central, PAP’s Xie Yao Quan was up against RDU’s Kala Manickam. In his victory speech at Bukit Gombak Stadium, Mr Xie thanked residents for a strong mandate and the trust they placed in him.
“I said on Nomination Day that it has been the greatest honour of my life to have served you for the last five years,” he said.
“Well, that has changed. The greatest honour of my life now is to be able to serve you for another five years.”
The PAP’s Jurong Central SMC candidate Xie Yao Quan greeting supporters at Bukit Gombak Stadium on May 3.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
During the campaign, the PAP candidates focused on alleviating concerns over the rising cost of living through local vouchers and food rescue programmes, as well as municipal issues such as building more sheltered walkways.
RDU’s Madam Kala said at her party’s headquarters in Ubi that she sees the result as a “confidence vote”, as she managed to clinch a vote share of just under 20 per cent in nine days.
“If I put myself in the shoes of a Jurong Central SMC (voter), they also need to know who we are and how to get connected. Within nine days, it’s always challenging and this is where the opposition is always at the losing end. We’ve done a good battle, and we are very proud about it,” she said.
Ms Liyana, who is with RDU’s team for Jurong East-Bukit Batok, said the party would still be around and would continue to walk the ground in areas that it is not familiar with. She said: “What we’ve garnered today is based on the hard work for the past five years that we’ve put in, regardless of all the changes that were done on the electoral boundaries.”
On whether the party will change strategy for the next election, she said: “It’s too early to say, but I would say that walking the ground has been one of our strategies.”
Both Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC and Jurong Central SMC were formed following the electoral boundaries review
With 142,753 voters, Jurong East-Bukit Batok comprises part of the former Jurong GRC as well as the Bukit Batok, Yuhua and Hong Kah North SMCs. Jurong Central SMC, with 29,667 voters, was carved out of Jurong GRC.
The former Jurong GRC had consistently been among the PAP’s best-performing constituencies in recent elections, securing a commanding 79.29 per cent of the vote in the 2015 General Election and 74.61 per cent in the 2020 General Election.
A key figure behind PAP’s traditionally strong electoral performance in that GRC was President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who served as an MP in the constituency for more than two decades before he stepped down from the party
In the 2020 General Election, the PAP team also went up against a team from RDU, which had been set up barely three weeks before the election.
