Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Vote for Poh Li San to stay in Sembawang family: Ong Ye Kung

The contest in Sembawang West SMC is about voting for PAP's Poh Li San to stay in the Sembawang family, and for her opponent, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan, to be out, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on April 24.

- Shermaine Ang

This is as Dr Chee has yet to give Bukit Batok residents a good explanation for why he abandoned them to come to Sembawang West, said Mr Ong, who is anchor minister for Sembawang GRC.

Speaking at the PAP's rally at Woodlands Stadium on April 24 in English, Mandarin and Hokkien, Mr Ong also urged Sembawang West voters to be careful of politicians who are not honest about their intentions.

He said that after electoral boundaries were redrawn in March, Dr Chee had told Bukit Batok residents that he was not going anywhere, but "shortly after that, he packed up and left and came to Sembawang West".

While Dr Chee's explanation for going back on his commitment to Bukit Batok residents was that the SMC had been redrawn into a GRC, the fact that his party gave up on contesting in Holland-Bukit Timah and instead formed a team to fight in Sembawang – meant it could easily have contested in the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC if Dr Chee so chose, said Mr Ong.

"He said 'I have no choice, Bukit Batok is not there any more'," said Mr Ong in Hokkien. "But if you go to Bukit Batok, the addresses are the same, the road names are the same. Bukit Batok is still there; it is the man who is not there."

The minister added that while the SDP chief told Sembawang West residents that he was contesting in the new single seat for them, he "slipped" and told the media that going to Sembawang was part of SDP's "northern strategy".