A New Beginning Soon In Singapore- The Departure of the Giants Among Us

Wow...the upcoming Singapore General Election is going to be quite unpredictable. PAP Giants Goh Chok Tong and Khaw Boon Wan will not be running for parliament. Opposition Workers' Party also announced that its veterans Low Thia Khiang, Chen Show Mao and Png Eng Huat will not be running. Anyway, what I mean by unpredictable will be how many opposition can get into parliament- PAP will definitely form the government as always due to the in-depth  talents and capabilities among their candidates being fielded.

What will happen to Aljunied GRC now that Mr Low Thia Khiang and Chen Show Mao have decided to step down from their MP position? I think that without the star powers of Low Thia Khiang and Chen Show Mao, it will be a very tough fight. My personal thoughts are that most likely, this stronghold of the Workers' Party will fall soon due to the last court case on mismanagement of the town council and also the departure of two super stars from the GRC team. The PAP will reclaim back this given that the last team fielded did extremely well in the polls.

Also, the residents of single ward Hougang had performed their national service for many decades. You can see a very clear distinct over the precincts which are Hougang and which are PAP controlled GRCs. Will the residents of Hougang accept another new Workers' Party MP or will they elect the PAP as MP? Hopefully, Workers' Party survive this General Election with their new face Nicole Seah.

Tan Cheng Bock and Lee Hsien Yang looked like a formidable duo. It will be interesting whether the Progress Singapore Party will combine the 2 together into a GRC to maximize their chances of entering parliament or split into 2 GRC contesting teams. My guess is the former which is similar to the strategy used by Low Thia Khiang when he stepped out of the single ward Hougang and into Aljunied GRC with an all star team previously.  

I am feeling an air of melancholy after Mr Khaw Boon Wan decided to end his political career. He has served Singapore diligently for 19 years. From housing issues to transport issues, the lion-hearted Khaw Boon Wan was not afraid to jump into the hot soup to do the best for the people. I will miss him a lot. Similarly, Mr Low Thia Khiang has contributed so much and taken so much beating as an opposition voice that stands up for the common people. Anyway, changes is the only constant in life and a new beginning in Singapore political landscape will be inevitable. 

As the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew had said: "There is a glorious rainbow that beckons those with the spirit of adventure. And there are rich findings at the end of that rainbow. To the young and to the not so old, I say, look at the horizon, follow that rainbow, go ride it!"