Longer runway for PAP's three new faces in Sengkang to connect with residents: Political observers

SINGAPORE: The three new faces unveiled by the People’s Action Party (PAP) to its Sengkang GRC team gives them a longer runway to work the ground and connect with residents before the next General Election, said political analysts on Monday (Mar 28). 

The introduction of the new team also provides an opportunity for the trio to be more actively involved in the political processes, allowing residents a decent amount of time to make a comparison when election day arrives, added the analysts.

On Sunday, the PAP introduced three new faces - Associate Professor Elmie Nekmat, Ms Theodora Lai Xi Yi and Mr Ling Weihong - as branch chairs for its Sengkang team. 

They will replace former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng, former Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs Amrin Amin and Mr Raymond Lye, who were part of PAP's team fielded against the Workers' Party (WP) in the 2020 General Election.

In GE2020, WP won Sengkang GRC with 52.12 per cent of the vote against the 47.88 per cent by the PAP.

Observers told CNA they expect that Mr Ng and Mr Amrin will be redeployed to other constituencies. 

YOUNGER LINE-UP

PAP's announcement of the three new faces is in line with how members have been arguing for rejuvenation within their own party, said political analyst at Nanyang Technological University Dr Felix Tan. 

“Fielding three new faces at this point in time would also allow residents to familiarise who the PAP will be fielding in the upcoming elections instead of just rushing through some random faces at the last minute,” he added. 

The introduction of the new team in Sengkang is very much about the PAP "getting over a hump" after their “shock defeat” there in 2020, said Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan from the Singapore Management University. 

“It is clear the PAP is opting for a different line-up for the next GE - one that is younger and with no political office-holders. It appears that they have an assessment that it is not politically advantageous to have their quartet who contested in Sengkang in 2020 to contest there again,” he said. 

Assoc Prof Tan added that the PAP “looks set” to redeploy Mr Ng and Mr Amrin to other constituencies.

“It is clear that the PAP wants them to be elected at the next GE and, strategy-wise, that it would be better for them to contest elsewhere.” 

DOING THE GROUND WORK

Sengkang GRC was won in 2020 by a WP team comprising Ms He Ting Ru, Associate Professor Jamus Lim, Mr Louis Chua and Ms Raeesah Khan. 

Ms Khan has since resigned from the WP and given up her seat, after she confessed to lying in Parliament last year. 

Of PAP's Sengkang team, Dr Lam Pin Min will continue as branch chair of Sengkang West and will lead PAP’s team in the constituency, the party said in a statement on Sunday.

Mr Ng will now serve as an adviser to the PAP’s Sengkang GRC team while Mr Amrin and Mr Lye “will assist in seeing through the transition for the PAP Sengkang team to continue serving our Sengkang residents”, the party said.

The PAP’s three new faces for Sengkang come from the fields of academia, tech and law.

It was “only a matter of time” before the PAP introduced fresh faces to Sengkang GRC to rebuild its network there after its loss in GE2020, said Dr Gillian Koh, deputy director of research at the Institute of Policy Studies. 

The same thing happened after the PAP lost Aljunied GRC in the 2011 General Elections, where a new set of branch chairmen were appointed in June 2013, she noted. 

“In both cases, no former ministers were included (in those) who had contested in those teams,” said Dr Koh. 

The three individuals, however, may not necessarily be fielded in the next General Election.

"If you look at who was eventually fielded in GE2015 in Aljunied, it need not necessarily be the case that it will be the same individuals who may have been introduced as fresh new branch secretaries," said Dr Koh. 

“This is a period of trying out new people, giving residents a feel of them, and giving them a feel of the residents, the constituencies, and the nature of the work.” 

Having enough time for the new team to work the ground with Dr Lam is “critical”, said Dr Koh, noting that the WP’s Sengkang team did a "significant amount" of ground work well before GE2020.

NEW PAP FACES OFFER SIMILAR DIVERSITY AS WP TEAM

Analysts also noted that the new faces fielded by the PAP are “comparable” to the WP team in terms of diversity and representation.

“Sengkang GRC consists of a relatively younger crop of Singaporeans. As such, with these new faces, the PAP is hoping that they will be able to make that connection with the residents there,” said Dr Tan. 

“Moreover, residents in Sengkang GRC might not necessarily gravitate towards the well-worn experiences of those with high ministerial calibre, but rather those who are able to connect with the younger residents.” 

TIMING OF ANNOUNCEMENT

Political analysts were split on whether the timing of PAP’s announcement had anything to do with Ms Khan’s lie in Parliament and the subsequent Committee of Privileges (COP) proceedings. 

Ms Khan had admitted to lying in Parliament about accompanying a sexual assault victim to the police station in an anecdote that alleged the police had mishandled the case. She subsequently resigned as a Member of Parliament (MP) and from the WP.

Following the proceedings of the Committee, the House voted to proceed with its recommendations to fine Ms Khan S$35,000 and refer WP chief Pritam Singh and vice-chair Faisal Manap to the public prosecutor for possible criminal proceedings. 

Dr Tan said that Ms Khan's actions had a negative impact on WP and its credibility in Sengkang. 

"What Raeesah Khan did not only tarnished her own reputation but the hard work that the Workers' Party and her former teammates have put in there," said Dr Tan.

He added that while there is still support for the WP, that support would have diminished somewhat and the party would have to work doubly hard to regain the trust of residents.

“There is now a void that needs to be filled in Sengkang GRC. While the Workers' Party has to work doubly hard to regain and earn the trust of the residents there, the PAP finds this an opportunity for them to introduce new faces to recoup their losses,” said Dr Tan. 

Announcing the new team at this juncture would give the team a longer runway to connect with Sengkang GRC residents, he added. 

“However, one could also allude that this is indeed a great opportunity for the PAP, especially when the WP is down and struggling to recuperate from the events of the COP's proceedings,” said Dr Tan. 

“After all, this is a political game and one would need to be strategic lest it loses the chance to strike when the iron is hot.”

Meanwhile, Assoc Prof Tan was of the opinion that the Committee’s proceedings affected WP’s leaders more than the Sengkang GRC team, and that the team remains “in a good position”. 

“Given WP's reputational cachet as the leading opposition party, voters in Sengkang may feel that they have to carry the mantle of ensuring that there are good opposition MPs in Parliament,” he added. 

“The fact that the three top WP leaders, who are also Aljunied MP GRCs, have been undercut in their standing as a result of the COP's findings and recommendations might make the WP Sengkang team a safeguard measure should the WP Aljunied team be negatively impacted by their COP woes.” 

While Ms Khan’s lie in Parliament may have accelerated the PAP’s timeline in unveiling the line-up, the move has “much more to do” with the PAP’s timing, said Assoc Prof Tan. 

“It is time for the PAP to draw the line on the PAP's loss in Sengkang GRC in 2020 and to move on. And they have decided to move on with a very different line-up - one that they hope will resonate better with voters in Sengkang,” he added. 

“As the WP is re-grouping and dealing with its internal issues, it is high time for the PAP to be more visible on the ground and to start the campaign to win back Sengkang.” 

In contrast, Dr Koh said “there is no particular point about the timing”, and that the announcement was made after the Budget, when all parties involved were ready. 

Given that the WP team has lost a member, it is important for the PAP or other political parties that want to win the GRC to step in and try to win the support of residents by “serving them in earnest”, she added. 

This is probably also what residents are “waiting to see”, said Dr Koh, adding that it will not be easy to win the ground, given how polarising Ms Khan’s incident was.

“So it would not be right to say that the PAP is going to try to capitalise on what has happened as those who voted for WP may feel aggrieved by what has happened. It is the swing voters that the PAP will try to work hard to win over, whoever they may be,” she added. 

“So the PAP team has to be even more giving, more generous, more committed than otherwise. The residents are not likely to make it easy for them.”