GE2025: PAP's East Coast GRC team welcomes Edwin Tong into the fold, says DPM Heng

The PAP's East Coast GRC team welcomes Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong to the team and will work with him until detailed changes to the GRC's slate are announced, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on March 15.

"Our commitment to serve our residents has not changed. We remain as committed as ever, because we've been elected by our residents, and we want to make sure that we fulfil our promise," he added.

Mr Tong's Joo Chiat ward was subsumed into East Coast GRC in the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report released on March 11.

DPM Heng spoke to the media at the end of a morning walkabout in Simei Plaza - which is in Ms Jessica Tan's Changi-Simei ward - where all five MPs from the East Coast GRC team were present.

Mr Tong was not, as the Second Minister for Law was on a work trip to Hong Kong.

"(Mr Tong) would have liked to join us for the walkabout. Unfortunately, he's on a work trip that was planned some time ago," said Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How, who looks after the Kampong Chai Chee ward. He is also Senior Minister of State for National Development.

It is uncommon for the PAP to field so many political office-holders in one GRC's slate, which has given rise to speculation that one or more of the ministers - DPM Heng, Mr Tong or Dr Maliki Osman - might not be on the eventual line-up at the coming polls.

Dr Maliki is a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, and also Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs.

When asked about the EBRC's changes and how the GRC's slate would be tweaked, DPM Heng said the changes are necessary to reflect the changing profile of the population, given the new housing developments in the area.

"As to how we will divide the work, (that) is something which the Prime Minister and (PAP) secretary-general will decide," he added.

"But for now, we are all elected MPs. We have been elected by the people and our focus is on making sure that we carry out whatever we have announced earlier."

At another event in the afternoon, DPM Heng said it was clear there would be changes to the PAP's East Coast slate, given the inclusion of Joo Chiat in the redrawn boundaries.

Another change made by the report is to transfer the easternmost part of East Coast GRC to the new Pasir Ris-Changi GRC. This is Dr Maliki's Siglap ward, which contains the area around Changi Airport and Changi Prison Complex.

"It's a five-person GRC, there are six of us now, so there must be changes," he said. However, the finalised team for the constituency will be made known only on Nomination Day, he added.

Mr Tan said the team has begun reaching out to the residents who come within the new East Coast GRC boundaries - including the Housing Board flats in Chai Chee with about 20,000 residents.

"We started reaching out to the grassroots leaders there, the volunteers there, to understand what they're doing," he added.

"More importantly for us is to understand what the residents need, and what are some things that we can do to extend the support to our residents in those areas, and also involve them in creating a more inclusive and caring East Coast together," he said.

DPM Heng also spoke of the team's targeted efforts within each ward, given that East Coast is a "very diverse constituency" with residents of different ages and occupations.

Dr Maliki said with the higher proportion of private property owners in his Siglap ward, the challenge has been to get them involved when carrying out upgrading work in the estate.

In Fengshan and Bedok where there are more senior citizens, Ms Cheryl Chan said the community care ambassador programme aims to look out for isolated seniors.

With the next five years looking to be a "very unpredictable" period, given global events and conflicts, DPM Heng underscored the importance of having political stability and a sense of togetherness as a people.

Asked about his hopes for the upcoming General Election, he said it was for the PAP to secure a strong mandate. If it does so, then the Government would be in a strong position to implement important policies and to continue to govern the country for the good of all Singaporeans, DPM Heng added.

"I hope that we treasure what we have in Singapore, and that the PAP government, if re-elected again, can set a course for Singapore, to take Singapore forward."

• Additional reporting by Aqil Hamzah