GE2020: Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC sees PAP, SDP face-off; Kebun Baru SMC to host PAP and PSP

The Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC will see the People's Action Party (PAP) face off against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in the upcoming General Election.

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong leads the incumbent PAP team, comprising Minister of State for National Development and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad, backbencher Alex Yam and new face Hany Soh. Ms Soh, a lawyer, takes the place of two-term MP Ong Teng Koon, who said he will not contest in this election.

The SDP team comprises Bryan Lim Boon Heng, Damanhuri Abas, Khung Wai Yeen and Benjamin Pwee. Mr Khung and Mr Pwee were last-minute additions to the line-up. James Gomez, who previously said he would contest in the GRC, did not do so.

Mr Pwee had earlier been seen conducting walkabouts in Yuhua SMC while Mr Khung had been walking the ground in Bukit Panjang SMC, before they joined the Marsiling-Yew Tee team.

Mr Wong said the PAP team contesting in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC is committed and has experience and the ideas to take the GRC forward. "We seek your mandate so that we can continue this important fight against Covid 19, so that we can overcome the crisis together, so that we can work with you to secure our lives, our jobs, and our future together," he said.

The SDP team for the GRC reiterated their "Four Yes, One No" campaign theme, which includes a proposal to suspend the goods and services tax until 2021 and another proposal to provide retirees with a monthly income of S$500.

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In 2015, when it was newly formed, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC also saw a straight fight between the PAP and SDP. The PAP team, jointly headed by Halimah Yacob and Mr Wong, garnered 68.73 per cent of the valid votes. SDP's team comprising Mr Lim, Mr Damanhuri, John Tan and Wong Souk Yee received 31.27 per cent.

Mdm Halimah resigned from her post in 2017 to run for president, and Mr Zaqy took over her role as grassroots adviser.

The Kebun Baru SMC, meanwhile, will witness first-term PAP MP Henry Kwek going head-to-head with Progress Singapore Party (PSP) candidate Kumaran Pillai.

Kebun Baru was part of Nee Soon GRC in 2015, and has been carved out as an SMC this year for the first time in nearly 30 years. Mr Kwek has been in charge of the Kebun Baru ward since he was elected with the Nee Soon PAP team in 2015.

Mr Pillai is the former publisher of sociopolitical website The Independent Singapore, and now runs a startup accelerator.

Mr Pillai said the issues he has identified in the Kebun Baru SMC are infrastructure needs for the ageing population, a dengue outbreak, flooding issues as well as a "huge job loss problem". The PSP has come up with a manifesto to address these issues over the next five years, he said.

For more of our Singapore GE2020 coverage, go to bt.sg/ge2020