Come and run against us: SM Goh

By Elysa Chen
elysac@sph.com.sg

SENIOR Minister Goh Chok Tong wants opposition parties to run against him and his team.

So far, none of them has indicated an intention to contest the Marine Parade group representation constituency (GRC). The last time there was a contest in Marine Parade GRC was in a by-election in 1992.

Mr Goh said: "I think it's important for the people to have a choice. Come here. It doesn't matter if you don't win...Just learn how to compete against candidates who are well-known. You've got to learn that, otherwise you can never build. So, please come."

Mr Goh, speaking on the sidelines of the Marine Parade Town Carnival 2011 on Sunday, felt voters should consider the quality of candidates and the party.

He said: "If (the opposition) can field better candidates than the People's Action Party (PAP) candidates, the people will choose accordingly."

The opposition must build up their parties' reputation and field better candidates, so they have a chance to win some seats, said Mr Goh.

"Maybe this time they can't, but over the years they must. So that they have a chance to win some seats," said Mr Goh.

Mr Goh said there will be nine opposition candidates in Parliament, regardless of how they perform.

Nine opposition MPs

From the next general election, as long as the number of elected opposition members falls below nine, their ranks will be topped up to nine by allowing the best-performing losers to be admitted to Parliament as Non-Constituency MPs.

Mr Goh said: "So this is our way of evolving a system where voices different from the PAP can be heard in Parliament. This is important in Singapore. We don't want to just hear the PAP voice."

But at the end of the day, people on the ground need to be served.

Mr Goh said: "Policies can be debated in Parliament, buton the ground, you need to have a good MP to actually improve on the livelihoods of the people."

As of now, the PAP will not be introducing new candidates in Marine Parade GRC, he said. The new electoral boundaries also saw Mountbatten carved out from Marine Parade GRC as a single member constituency. Mr Goh is confident of continued support from voters in Mountbatten.

He said: "For example, if there is a stall which sells chilli crabs, and it's well-known, no matter where the stall is located, people will flock to the stall to eat.

"So, if you have a good candidate and a good party, people will vote for that."

MP Lim Biow Chuan, chairman of the Marine Parade Town Council, told reporters on Sunday that he hopes to stand for election in the ward.

He said: "It's indeed an exciting period for all of us...I think, for a politician, you cannot be frightened of elections.

"I've covered the ground extensively and I've worked hard. I want to go back to the electorate and tell them, 'Please judge me based on what I've done in the past five years and all the work I have done for you'.

"I'm quite confident and I'm looking forward to the election. I hope there will be a contest."

Marine Parade GRC

Current number of MPs at Marine Parade group representation constituency (GRC): 6

Incumbents: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Dr Ong Seh Hong and Mr Lim Biow Chuan

Next election: 5-member GRC

Other changes: Two polling districts with 6,000 voters moved from the Joo Chiat single-member constituency (SMC) to Marine Parade GRC. MacPherson SMC will also come under Marine Parade GRC. Mountbatten, which was absorbed into Marine Parade GRC in 1997, will become an SMC.

This article was first published in The New Paper.