Nothing untoward' about decision not to contest GRC, says WP chief Pritam

He has explained move to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights residents, he says

- Kok Yufeng

WP chief Pritam Singh has defended the party's decision not to field a team to contest Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, saying there was "nothing untoward" about its election planning.

The WP has drawn flak from other opposition parties for pulling out of Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, which led to an unexpected walkover win for the PAP on Nomination Day.

Speaking to reporters on April 24 after a walkabout in Sengkang, Mr Singh said: "We put forward the best slate of candidates we can for Singapore. We want a more balanced political system. And this is the same point I made yesterday to some Marine Parade residents whom I met."

He added: "I acknowledged and validated their disappointment that we were not standing there, but after I explained it to them, after I shared with them the reality of boundaries being redrawn, the reality of our own calculations as a party... I think they understood where I was coming from."

Former WP chief Low Thia Khiang, who turned up in Sengkang on April 24 to stump for the WP candidates along with former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat and WP chairwoman Sylvia Lim, admitted that the WP's failure to contest Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC disappointed voters, but said there was "no other way".

Mr Low told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao that political parties face realistic resource constraints when campaigning, and it is impossible to contest every constituency. He said: "You can't go everywhere, so you must make choices. In this case, there is really no other way."

Some of the opposition parties that raised a stink over the walkover in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC had argued that this could have been avoided if the WP had given them notice.