After a tough fight, the Workers’ Party (WP) has made history by winning another Group Representation Constituency (GRC), having won Sengkang GRC with a vote share of 52.13%.
This makes it the second time an opposition party has won a GRC, and with its win in Aljunied GRC, it’s also the first time an opposition party has won 2 GRCs.
The result is a satisfying ending to a high-profile campaign by the WP in the brand-new GRC, due to the attention focused on its new candidates Jamus Lim and Raeesah Khan.
The result also effectively kicks out a minister, People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Ng Chee Meng, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and also secretary-general of the NTUC.
The campaign for Sengkang GRC became unexpectedly intense due to the high profile of WP candidate Jamus Lim, who despite being a newbie was sent to Singapore’s first political TV debate to face off against experienced politicians like the PAP’s Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and the Singapore Democratic Party’s Dr Chee Soon Juan.
Dr Lim subsequently won the Internet with his eloquence and likeability, not to mention his skillful debating techniques, and from then on the Sengkang GRC race became one to watch.
His running mate Raeesah Khan, however, was the subject of scrutiny after police reports were made against her over 2 Facebook posts about racial discrimination that she made in the past.
She’s since apologised for them, gained support from some netizens, and continued to stand as a candidate – a decision that the PAP had questioned.
Whether or not Dr Lim’s popularity helped the team’s campaign, or whether the controversy over Ms Khan hindered it, we may never know.
After the sample count was released, showing a 53% lead for the WP team, a video of jubilant Sengkang GRC residents went viral, reflecting the mood on the ground.
Netizens also reacted ecstatically to the news, with several of them expressing a wish to move to Sengkang.
The winning WP team that will be in Parliament comprises:
The losing PAP team comprises:
Featured image by MS News.
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