WP slate reflects an increasingly confident party, say analysts
(From left) Ms Frieda Chan, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Png Eng Huat, Mr Leon Perera and Mr Bernard Chen of the Workers’ Party after the introduction of the party’s new candidates yesterday. Photo: Alfred Chua
SINGAPORE — Younger on the whole and demonstrating more gravitas, the Workers’ Party’s (WP) crop of new faces this General Election reflects an increasingly confident party that also has one eye on leadership renewal, said political watchers, as the party introduced its final batch of candidates yesterday.
And there are no “star” candidates making a splash this time round, unlike in 2011 when lawyer Chen Show Mao, later elected into Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC), set voters abuzz. The latest group includes a spread of lawyers, banking executives and businessmen, on par with expectations set by the ruling party in terms of qualifications.
Of the 19 candidates who will join the nine who have already served as Members of Parliament and Non-Constituency MPs, three had been fielded in previous elections. Nine are aged 40 and below, the youngest being 29-year-old Bernard Chen. The oldest, at 55, is Mr Gurmit Singh. Three are women.
Dr Felix Tan of the SIM Global Education said the WP recognises the importance of fielding candidates who have credentials which are “almost similar” to those fielded by the People’s Action Party.
“Moreover, the Workers’ Party is also seemingly looking around for leadership renewal, and to put forth a group of younger candidates this around would naturally give voters a chance to know who they are,” said Dr Felix Tan.
Singapore Management University (SMU) law don Eugene Tan felt the WP has become more able to recruit strong candidates because of their success in the 2011 General Election. This group, he added, has articulated themselves well and showed their desire to be in politics.
National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Tan Ern Ser concurred, saying: “The contrast (in calibre) is probably sharper between 2011 and previous elections, rather than between 2011 and 2015.”
Nonetheless, Dr Felix Tan noted that Ms Lee Li Lian, Mr Png Eng Huat, Mr Yee Jenn Jong and Mr Gerald Giam, while not the minister-material “high flyers” the PAP has touted in the past, have all done very well in elections, drawing large vote shares or winning by good margins.
Indeed, while “star candidates” can help a party in subsequent elections and recruitment efforts, there will be a need to complement any such candidates with other good-calibre candidates “to ensure that if they’re elected, they can do their jobs well”, said Assoc Prof Eugene Tan.
Among the latest crop, Assoc Prof Tan Ern Ser said NUS sociologist Daniel Goh was a stand-out for the party. “He possesses outstanding credentials, with a quiet pleasant demeanour, and is a deep thinker with a good grasp of issues,” he said.
Dr Felix Tan noted that Mr Chen has faded into the background after the initial buzz. “Perhaps, the ‘star catch’ this time round would be people like Yee Jenn Jong and Gerald Giam, who have both been getting a lot of positive reviews — not least on social media,” he said.
