By Massita Ahmad
SINGAPORE — The People’s Action Party (PAP) is contesting all the 93 seats in its bid to retain power in the Singapore general election on July 10 that sees 191 candidates from 11 parties and one independent candidate in the fight.
The 192 candidates filed their papers at nine nomination centres today to contest in 17 group representation constituencies (GRCs) and 14 single-member constituencies (SMCs).
This is the second consecutive general election in which the PAP has fielded candidates in all electoral divisions.
The Workers’ Party (WP), which had six seats in the last Parliament, has fielded 21 candidates in six constituencies while the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), a political party founded last year, has 24 candidates in nine constituencies.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s younger brother Hsien Yang, who joined PSP a day after the dissolution of Parliament on June 23, is not contesting the election, thus ending speculation that he will be a candidate.
Hsien Yang (pic) was seen earlier today near the Bendemeer Primary School nomination centre in a show of support for the PSP candidates contesting the Tanjong Pagar GRC.
Meanwhile, other political parties, namely the Singapore Democratic Party, Peoples Voice, National Solidarity Party, Reform Party, Singapore People’s Party, People’s Power Party, Red Dot United and Singapore Democratic Alliance, have each fielded a small number of candidates.
The sole independent candidate is contesting in the Pioneer SMC, the only SMC that will see a three-cornered fight in the general election. The other three-cornered fight is for the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.
Hsien Loong, who is the secretary-general of PAP, and his team will face the Reform Party led by its secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam in the Ang Mo Kio GRC.
Speaking to reporters after the nomination at the Deyi Secondary School, Hsien Loong said the PAP will fight for every vote.
“Every constituency is contested, so this is not a by-election. It is a general election for the most important issues concerning the country at the moment of crisis.
“I think everybody needs to understand that, everybody must have that in mind when they assess the votes,” he said.
PSP secretary-general Dr Tan Cheng Bock will lead his five-member team in the contest in the West Coast GRC while Workers’ Party secretary-general Pritam Singh will defend the Al Junied GRC.
Both GRCs will see straight fights with the PAP, just as in the new Sengkang GRC.
In the last general election, in 2015, PAP retained power by winning 83 seats out of a total of 89 seats. The Workers’ Party had won the remaining six seats.
— BERNAMA
