MS Polls: 66% feel Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC should be contested
In a surprising turn of events, the five-member People’s Action Party (PAP) team in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Group Representation Constituency (GRC) secured a victory by default when the constituency was declared uncontested on Nomination Day (23 Apr).
Some residents of the constituency have expressed their disappointment over the walkover — the first at a General Election (GE) since 2011.
This sentiment has since been echoed in a recent poll conducted by Answers.sg, where 66% of the 2,097 respondents said they believed the GRC should have been contested at the upcoming GE.
A small portion of respondents (15%) felt that there was no need for a contest, with some arguing that the PAP’s dominance in the area rendered opposition efforts futile.Â
14% of respondents didn’t care whether the GRC was contested, while 4% were uncertain about their views.
Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC residents have mixed sentiments
The PAP team for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC includes experienced and new political figures in the form of Seah Kian Peng, Tin Pei Ling, Faishal Ibrahim, and newcomers Goh Pei Ming and Diana Pang.
Source: People’s Action Party on Facebook
Hudson Chen (not his real name), 41, a resident from the GRC, told MS News: “I’m hopeful that the newly carved-out GRC will improve, especially with the new MPs. I’m particularly looking forward to what Tin Pei Ling can do for the residents of Geylang.”
Ms Tin Pei Ling was previously the MP for MacPherson SMC, which was absorbed into the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC this election.
Meanwhile, 39-year-old Mary Lim (not her real name), also a resident of the GRC, said that she was “quite shocked by the walkover”.
GE2025 would be the first time in 10 years that the WP did not contest the area.
“I was shocked because there hasn’t been a walkover in the past few elections. Especially with so many opposition parties now, surely someone would have contested,” added Ms Lim, who works in admin.
“At the same time, I’m happy because we don’t have to take the time to queue and vote.”
Despite her surprise, Ms Lim said that she’s “pretty sure the results would have been the same anyway”.
Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC a PAP stronghold
Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC has been a PAP stronghold, winning decisively in the 2015 (64.07%) and 2020 (57.74%) elections against WP.
WP chief Pritam Singh said he explained the party’s decision to some Marine Parade-Braddell Heights residents after Nomination Day.
Mr Singh acknowledged the residents’ disappointment at the party not contesting the GRC. After explaining the boundary changes and party strategy, he felt the residents understood the decision.
Source: The Workers’ Party on Facebook
This is the case for 43-year-old Lucy Tan (not her real name) who acknowledged that “it’s a challenging area to contest, especially with the redrawn boundaries”.
Ms Tan also told MS News that she does not understand how Marine Parade, MacPherson, and Serangoon are connected to one another.
“So, I’m not disappointed with the WP or any opposition parties. I understand their positions,” she said.
“As a form of self-consolation, I’d rather not have to vote than to be in the position of the Mountbatten SMC residents (my old SMC before redrawn boundaries).”
In Mountbatten SMC, residents will decide between PAP candidate Gho Sze Kee and independent candidate Jeremy Tan.
Slight worry and disappointment from some residents
For some Singaporeans, even a symbolic opposition matters as contested elections are key to democracy.
It also enables the opposition to hold the ruling party accountable.
Like other residents, Mr Chen, an engineer, told MS News that he’s “happy” he does not have to vote.
For him, Polling Day now “feels like a free off day” as he does not need to make a decision nor trouble himself to make a trip down to the polling station.
“But I worry that because it’s a walkover, the resources and attention for this estate might be short-changed,” added Mr Chen.
He wonders if the ruling party may allocate more resources to “entice other wards” since there is a chance of losing.
“Because PAP did not need to fight for our vote, perhaps they might take us for granted?” questioned Mr Chen.
Despite the ruling party’s walkover win, the poll results suggest a public desire for more choices in future elections — and that some Singaporeans seek a more dynamic and competitive political scene moving forward.
For now, the uncontested outcome leaves some voters feeling disillusioned about the lack of choice in the upcoming election.
A netizen, who claimed to be a resident of the GRC, said they started with low expectations but were surprised when they dropped to “zero.”
Source: Reddit
The netizen added that they “don’t see or hear anything from the parties”, even leading up to Polling Day.
A missed opportunity?
The fact that Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC remains uncontested is an even bigger surprise considering observations that there are more multi-claim constituencies this time.
The PAP’s uncontested win raises concerns about whether lacking competition weakens the electoral process’ integrity.
Whether the WP or any other opposition decides to contest the GRC in the future will depend on several factors.
These include political strategy, the perceived viability of securing a seat, and resources.
A Redditor said politics is like wargaming, with PAP being best equipped, while the Workers’ Party (WP) likely conserved resources for winnable areas.
Source: Reddit
To illustrate the difference in resources, one can compare the number of candidates from each party this year.
In GE2025, PAP is fielding 97 candidates in all 33 constituencies.
Meanwhile, the WP is contesting a mere eight constituencies, with a total of 26 candidates put forth.
As campaigning hits a fever pitch, most Singaporeans — bar the ones in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC — can look forward to exercising their right as citizens at the polls on 3 May.
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Featured image adapted from Seah Kian Peng on Facebook & Pritam Singh on Facebook.
