Singapore GE2020: Two new faces in PAP's Tanjong Pagar GRC team led by Chan Chun Sing

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing (centre), with other PAP candidates for Tanjong Pagar GRC (from left) Mr Eric Chua, Ms Joan Pereira, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, and Mr Alvin Tan. PHOTO: PEOPLE'S ACTION PARTY
(Clockwise from top left) Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, Mr Alvin Tan, Ms Joan Pereira and Mr Eric Chua. PHOTOS: KUA CHEE SIONG, PEOPLE'S ACTION PARTY

SINGAPORE -THE PAP team in Tanjong Pagar GRC led by Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing will include two new faces: Mr Alvin Tan, 39, LinkedIn's Asia-Pacific head of public policy and economics, and former public servant Eric Chua, 41.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah and Ms Joan Pereira complete the five-member team.

Mr Melvin Yong leaves Tanjong Pagar GRC to contest solo in nearby Radin Mas SMC, taking over from Minister of State Sam Tan, who is retiring after holding the ward for the ruling party for three terms, since 2006.

Dr Chia Shi Lu, who has served as an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC since 2011, is stepping down after two terms as a backbencher.

Unveiling the new five-person line-up via a Zoom video conference on Monday (June 30), Mr Chan said both first-time candidates, Mr Tan and Mr Chua, were not new to the constituency.

"I've known Alvin ever since he was working with Dr Lily Neo in the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng area, particularly in Chinatown for the last 16 years. He's been particularly active taking care of vulnerable elderly residents in the Chinatown area," Mr Chan said.

As for Mr Chua, a former civil servant and SCDF officer, he has been active as a youth leader in the Moulmein-Cairnhill area of the GRC for over 15 years, Mr Chan said.

Mr Alvin Tan has been active in the Moulmein-Cairnhill ward for more than a year and will take over from Mr Yong there. Mr Yong had invited Mr Tan to join him as a volunteer after the two met at a community event.

"Alvin has also joined me for many of my weekly house visits, our residents are familiar with him, and he understands their issues. I hope that residents will support him in this coming election," Mr Yong said.

Mr Chua, a former director of the SGSecure Programme Office, takes over Dr Chia's Queenstown ward.

Ms Indranee said the party has put together a team that would put the interests of residents front and centre.

"The thing that was uppermost in our minds was, who will work hard to serve the residents, who would have the care for them, would really look after their needs, and who are the people who are familiar with them. It was with these tenets in mind that we came up with the Tanjong Pagar team," she said.

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing unveiling PAP's candidates for Tanjong Pagar GRC via a Zoom webinar. PHOTO: ZOOM

The PAP team is set to go head-to-head with one from the Progress Singapore Party(PSP). They will fight for the support of the GRC's 134,642 voters.

Over at Radin Mas SMC, Mr Yong will likely face a candidate from the Reform Party in a contest for the support of 24,980 voters.

Asked about the coming contest against PSP, Mr Chan said the PAP team was "focused on taking care of our residents".

"Our philosophy has always been this - if we have taken good care of our residents and we have taken good care of the estates, the result will speak for itself," he said.

After the video conference, the five Tanjong Pagar GRC candidates visited a coffee shop in Bukit Merah, within the GRC's Henderson-Dawson ward. They walked around and greeted residents, then sat down for a breakfast of iced Milo, prata and steamed bao.

Residents and business owners say incumbent MP Joan Pereira is a familiar sight in the estate, visiting the area two or three times each week.

"She's very warm and caring," said Mr Leow Leng Beng, 61, a coffee shop assistant. "This is an estate with a lot of elderly people and when she comes down and people can feel that she is concerned about them."

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