• Mrs Josephine Teo, an MP at Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC since 2006, replaces Dr Yaacob Ibrahim
• She said the party's decision to place her in Jalan Besar GRC not exactly “rocket science”
• Four-member team includes a new canddiate, Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah, 42

SINGAPORE — The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Monday (June 29) announced that its team to contest in Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency (GRC) for the upcoming election will be headed by Mrs Josephine Teo, who was previously Member of Parliament at Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

The rest of the team comprises Mr Heng Chee How, 58, Ms Denise Phua, 59, and a new candidate, Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah, 42.

They were spotted at a walkabout at Beo Crescent Market and Food Centre within the ward, with Mrs Teo, 51, and the others greeting residents and food stallholders during breakfast hours.

Outgoing incumbent MP Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, a former Cabinet minister who led the PAP Jalan Besar team in the 2015 General Election (GE), and Dr Lily Neo, who was also MP for Jalan Besar GRC before the election was called, later sat down with the team for a bite.

Both Dr Yaacob and Dr Neo were from the same batch of PAP candidates in 1997 and they will not be standing in the July 10 polls.

Mrs Teo has been an MP at Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC since 2006. She is expected to be replaced there by Ms Gan Siow Huang, a PAP new face and former Republic of Singapore Air Force brigadier-general.

Dr Wan Rizal, a Republic Polytechnic senior lecturer, was introduced last Thursday by the party.

Mrs Teo (right) and Mr Heng (left) greeting residents at Beo Crescent Market and Food Centre on June 29, 2020. Photo: Nuria Ling 

Speaking to TODAY, Mrs Teo said that the decision to place her in Jalan Besar GRC was not exactly “rocket science”, and was a matter of fielding a good mix of new candidates and incumbent MPs — Mr Heng and Ms Phua — in order to ensure renewal along the PAP’s political ranks.

She thanked both Dr Yaacob and Dr Neo for their years of “faithful service”, and to Dr Neo for showing her around the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng ward. 

Mrs Teo said: “Dr Neo, Dr Yaacob, having served here so many years, gracefully stepped down and there are therefore two positions to fill in the slate. 

“Maybe because many of the older folk (in Jalan Besar) are dialect-speaking, and I am comfortable to speak in dialect, so that is one factor (why I am here).”

She said that it was the older residents within Jalan Besar and their struggle dealing with the impact of Covid-19 that have left the deepest impression on her as she learnt more about the ward with the incumbent MPs.

“The (older residents) remember what it was like to go through the racial riots, the economic difficulties in the earlier years… That’s their simple request of me: Keep Singapore going.” 

Dr Wan Rizal told TODAY that he received invaluable advice from Dr Yaacob about the history of the ward, and also thanked his mentors Zainal Sapari from Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and Charles Chong from Punggol East Single Member Constituency, which now forms part of the new Sengkang GRC.

Asked if he expected to be fielded further east since he has been volunteering there for some time, the new candidate admitted he felt somewhat disappointed since Pasir Ris, where he lives, is part of his family. But he said he understands his role in the "rejuvenation" of the Jalan Besar community: "I made it clear to the party leadership... wherever I am placed, I will do my best."

RESIDENTS EXCITED ABOUT THE HUSTINGS

The GRC was previously contested by a team from the Workers’ Party (WP) in GE2015, which got 32.25 per cent of the vote that year. The opposition party has not indicated its interest to contest in the GRC again.

Addressing a question about the possible match-up, Mrs Teo said: “Whichever opposition party decides to contest in Jalan Besar GRC, we take the contest seriously, and we don’t take the voters for granted. We know we have to earn their support.”

Taking pictures of the walkabout from afar, food stallholders and residents told TODAY that Mrs Teo’s presence in Jalan Besar will raise the excitement surrounding the coming election in their constituency, despite the retirement of their longtime anchor minister, Dr Yaacob. 

Madam Christine Chia, in her 40s, a stallholder of a fried desserts stall at the food centre, said that she has a good impression of the previous PAP team and was “very happy” that the new team, as well as the two retiring incumbent MPs, were visiting the hawker centre.

The walkabout attracted a small breakfast crowd as well as the media. Several safe-distancing ambassadors were also present to remind the crowd to keep at least 1m away from others, quickly stepping in at times when a group of more than five persons appeared to be gathering.

Another resident of six decades, Mr SK Choo, 82, said: “It's always been exciting here. But with Mrs Teo, I think there's a good chance for them." ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY GRACE CHEW