Chee Hong Tat hopes ‘very much’ to stay in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, who is also an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said he “very much” hopes to remain in the constituency at the next general election due by November.
Mr Chee was first elected as an MP for the GRC in 2015, and was re-elected in 2020.
“I’ve been here for (nearly) 10 years. I hope I can continue to serve the community and the residents here,” said Mr Chee, who is also Second Minister for Finance.
He said this on the sidelines of a community event at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh on Jan 26, four days after the formation of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC).
The minister was responding to a question from The Straits Times on how he is gearing up for the next general election, now that the EBRC has been set up.
Mr Chee said he and fellow Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MPs “await the report by the EBRC to see whether there are any changes to our boundaries, but I hope very much to remain in Bishan-Toa Payoh”.
The EBRC’s report will trigger a redrawing of Singapore’s electoral constituencies, a necessary step before a general election can happen.
Mr Chee said the constituency’s MPs had started their community activities and engagements right after the last general election in July 2020.
“We did not stop market visits, house visits, community events, infrastructure improvements... (This) is something that my team and I will continue,” he added.
Mr Chee’s fellow MPs in the constituency are anchor minister Ng Eng Hen, who is Minister for Defence, as well as Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Chong Kee Hiong.
In response to another question on whether he is ready to be the constituency’s anchor minister if called upon, Mr Chee said: “That is for PM (Prime Minister Lawrence Wong) to decide.”
He added: “I still have some plans and some ideas of what we can do together with our residents to improve the facilities and the services in our town, and I hope to be given the opportunity to continue to serve them in this area.”
On Jan 26, Mr Chee was joined by Mr Saktiandi and Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang at the community event, where they spent nearly 30 minutes giving out 888 pairs of mandarin oranges to residents. Ms Gan is the MP for Marymount.
The event was organised by the People’s Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (PA Mesra), which wanted to gift oranges to residents for Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan 29.
Mr Chee lauded the initiative, saying it showcased “the multiracial society of Singapore”.
“This is something which I hope we can continue to promote, to encourage a deeper understanding of one another’s culture, festivals and heritage,” he added.
PA Mesra chairwoman A.J. Suhani Sujari said that through the initiative, the council hopes to “strengthen the bonds between the Malay/Muslim community and our non-Malay neighbours, celebrating the richness of our multicultural tapestry during festive occasions”.
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