Sitoh retains Potong Pasir with much larger majority
SINGAPORE — It was a night of disappointment for Singapore People’s Party (SPP) chairman Lina Chiam as she went from losing by the slimmest margin in the 2011 General Election to a defeat of more than 30 percentage points in the polls this year.
Widening his winning margin in Potong Pasir, incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Sitoh Yih Pin pulled ahead with 66.41 per cent of the votes against Mrs Chiam’s 33.59 per cent in the Single Member Constituency (SMC). She lost by less than one percentage point in the 2011 election.
The SPP’s defeat was expected in advance as sample counts released around 10.30pm suggested that Mr Sitoh was leading with a vote share of 68 per cent.
In a statement released on the SPP’s Facebook page around midnight — minutes ahead of the official release of the results — Mrs Chiam conceded defeat, saying that she had congratulated her opponent at the Cedar Girls’ Secondary School counting centre.
“This is a time of great challenge for Singapore. I hope that Singaporeans can work hand in hand with their elected MP to help the Government create better policies,” she said.
She added: “I ran for Potong Pasir because I wanted to be the voice for Potong Pasir. I was the NCMP (Non-Constituency Member of Parliament) and I was proud to have spoken up fearlessly for them as well as for all Singaporeans.”
“Nonetheless, the people have voted. I respect their decision. The SPP will never give up Potong Pasir. Potong Pasir is too close to our hearts,” said Mrs Chiam.
Potong Pasir is the smallest constituency, with 17,407 voters. Mrs Chiam’s husband, opposition veteran Chiam See Tong, was Potong Pasir’s Member of Parliament (MP) for 27 years before he left to lead a team to contest in the neighbouring Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency during the 2011 General Election.
Mrs Chiam then contested for the SMC seat in Potong Pasir, only to lose to Mr Sitoh by a close 114 votes.
Yesterday, both candidates left the counting centre at around 11.30pm. Mrs Chiam left first, looking downcast. Mr Sitoh followed shortly, and told reporters that the counting of votes had been completed.
Meanwhile, the SPP’s supporters gathered at a coffee shop at Block 146 Potong Pasir Avenue 1 to await the official results.
Loud jeers were heard when they were announced on the television. Mrs Chiam’s nephew, Mr Chiam Yauming, described the results as “devastating”.
Mrs Chiam declined to speak to the media at the SPP’s headquarters at 1 Siang Kuang Avenue.
Resident Louis Ang, 32, said that he was taken aback by the widening of the vote margin between the two candidates. “I see a lot of support (for Mrs Chiam) on the ground, so I’m surprised that there was so much difference,” said the taxi driver.
Another resident, Mr Cassian Leow, was not surprised by the results.
“It’s quite expected. I read somewhere that this might be her last election. I think people want an MP who can serve them in the long-term,” said Mr Leow, 27. The assistant manager added that Mr Sitoh had contributed “a lot” to upgrade his neighbourhood in the past four years.
Long-time resident Noel Tan agreed that Mr Sitoh’s campaigning efforts over the past four years had paid off.
However, he felt that the PAP candidate’s campaign had largely been focused on municipal issues, and had hoped to hear more about his plans on a national level.
“That’s a big question mark for me, because there wasn’t much of it shared at the rally,” said Mr Tan, 45, consultant.
