Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency
- Not to be confused with the now-defunct Tanjong Pagar Single Member Constituency, where the first Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew made his debut.
| Tanjong Pagar | |
|---|---|
| Group Representation Constituency for the Parliament of Singapore |
|
 |
|
| Region | Central Singapore |
| Electorate | 130,752 |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1991 |
| Number of members | 5 |
| Member(s) | Indranee Rajah Chan Chun Sing Chia Shi-Lu Joan Pereira Melvin Yong Yik Chye |
| Town Council | Tanjong Pagar |
Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (Chinese: 丹戎巴葛集选区; Malay: Kawasan Undi Perwakilan Berkumpulan Tanjong Pagar; Tamil: தஞ்சோங் பகார் குழுத்தொகுதி) is currently a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in Central and Western Singapore, consisting of the Buona Vista, Queenstown, Moulmein-Cairnhill, Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru and Henderson-Dawson electoral wards. Geographically, this GRC consists of the areas of Tanjong Pagar, Queenstown, Tiong Bahru, Tanglin, Orchard Road, Bukit Merah, Buona Vista and Pek Kio. It is co-led by Senior Minister of State for Finance and Law Indranee Rajah, and led by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Labour Chief Chan Chun Sing. This GRC notably contains the electoral division where the late founding Prime Minister and former Senior Minister and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had stood since his debut in 1955.
Contents
History[edit]
This GRC came into formation in 1991, when it absorbed the Tiong Bahru GRC, Telok Blangah SMC and Tanjong Pagar SMC.
Prior to his passing on 23 March 2015, this GRC had been led by Lee Kuan Yew, MP for the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru ward. He and his People's Action Party (PAP) team were repeatedly returned to power unopposed in every general election from then till the 2015 elections.
In the 2011 elections, a group of independents led by Ng Teck Siong were disqualified from contesting this GRC as they submitted nomination papers 35 seconds late.[1] This was the last time Tanjong Pagar GRC remained uncontested.
Several current ministers had cut their teeth in Tanjong Pagar before moving on to other constituencies. Among them, the following:
- Lim Hng Kiang made his debut in Tanjong Pagar in 1991 and is now the Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade). In 1997, his Telok Blangah ward was absorbed into West Coast GRC.
- Lim Swee Say made his debut in 1997 as MP for the Buona Vista ward. His ward was redrawn into Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC in 2001, and then to Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in 2006. He moved to East Coast GRC in 2011, and is now the Minister for Manpower.
- Khaw Boon Wan served as MP for the Moulmein ward from 2001, when he made his debut, to 2006, when he moved to Sembawang GRC. He is now the Co-ordinating Minister for Infrastructure as well as the Minister for Transport.
- Lui Tuck Yew also made his debut in the Moulmein ward (in place of Khaw) during the 2006 general elections, after which he held the portfolio of Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. His ward was redrawn into the Moulmein-Kallang GRC in the 2011 elections, after which he became the Second Minister for Defence as well as the Minister for Transport. He retired from politics in 2015.
- Chan Chun Sing made his debut in the Buona Vista ward (in place of Lim See Say) in 2011; the ward had been returned to Tanjong Pagar GRC from the downsized Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. He is currently the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and is still the MP for the Buona Vista ward today.
Mr Lee retired from the cabinet after the 2011 elections, but continued to serve in the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru ward. After Mr Lee died, this GRC received its first ever contest from the Singaporeans First, whose candidates included Tan Jee Say and Ang Yong Guan.
Members of Parliament[edit]
Mr Lee Kuan Yew died on 23 March 2015 during his 60th year as MP. His Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) were conducted by Koo Tsai Kee from 1991 to 2011 and Indranee Rajah since 2011. His seat in parliament has since been filled by Indranee Rajah, whose Tanglin-Cairnhill (now called Henderson-Dawson) ward was in turn filled by Joan Pereira.
Candidates and results[edit]
Elections in 2010s[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAP | Indernee Rajah Chan Chun Sing Chia Shi-Lu Joan Pereira Melvin Yong |
90,448 | 77.71 | N/A | |
| SingFirst | Tan Jee Say Ang Yong Guan Chirag Praful Desai Chiu Weng Hoe Melvyn Mohamad Fahmi Bin Ahmad Rais |
25,943 | 22.29 | N/A | |
| Majority | 64,505 | 55.42 | N/A | ||
| Rejected ballots | 2,405 | 2.02 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 118,796 | 90.86 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 130,752 | ||||
| PAP hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAP | Lee Kuan Yew Lily Neo Indranee Rajah Chan Chun Sing Chia Shi-Lu |
Walkover | |||
| Turnout | 139,771 | N/A | N/A | ||
| PAP hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in 2000s[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAP | Lee Kuan Yew Koo Tsai Kee Indernee Rajah Lui Tuck Yew Baey Yam Keng Sam Tan |
Walkover | |||
| Turnout | 148,141 | N/A | N/A | ||
| PAP hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAP | Lee Kuan Yew Chay Wai Chuen Koo Tsai Kee Khaw Boon Wan Indranee Rajah Chong Weng Chiew |
Walkover | |||
| Turnout | 141,150 | N/A | N/A | ||
| PAP hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in 1990s[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAP | Lee Kuan Yew Ow Chin Hock S Vasoo Chay Wai Chuen Koo Tsai Kee Lim Swee Say |
Walkover | |||
| Turnout | 141,520 | N/A | N/A | ||
| PAP hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAP | Lee Kuan Yew S Vasoo Koo Tsai Kee Lim Hng Kiang |
Walkover | |||
| Turnout | 86,944 | N/A | N/A | ||
| PAP win (new seat) | |||||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Chua, Lee Hoong (28 April 2011). "Singapore heads to history-making polls on May 7". Straits Times. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
