Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency

Tanjong Pagar
Group Representation Constituency for the Parliament of Singapore
Region	Central Region, Singapore
Electorate	134,642
Current constituency
Created	1991
Seats	5
Party	People's Action Party
Member(s)	Chan Chun Sing Indranee Rajah Joan Pereira Eric Chua Swee Leong Alvin Tan Sheng Hui
Town Council	Tanjong Pagar
Created from	Tiong Bahru GRC Tanjong Pagar SMC Telok Blangah SMC

Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (Chinese: 丹戎巴葛集选区; Malay: Kawasan Undi Perwakilan Berkumpulan Tanjong Pagar; Tamil: தஞ்சோங் பகார் குழுத்தொகுதி) is currently a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in Central and Western Singapore. The five divisions consists of Buona Vista, Queenstown, Moulmein-Cairnhill, Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru and Henderson-Dawson; it notably contains the electoral division where the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew stood from his debut in 1955 until his death on 23 March 2015, after serving for 60 years.

Tanjong Pagar GRC is helmed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister of Finance and National Development Indranee Rajah and Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing.

History

This GRC came into formation in 1991, when it absorbed the Tiong Bahru GRC, Telok Blangah SMC and Tanjong Pagar SMC. Since the formation of the GRC, the ward was notable for its repeated walkovers until the ward faced its inaugural contest on the 2015 elections by Singaporeans First, whose candidates included former SDP members Tan Jee Say and Ang Yong Guan. In the 2020 elections, the PAP had its worst showing in Tanjong Pagar GRC, winning with just 63.13% of the votes. It was the first time in many decades that the constituency was seriously contested by an opposition party - Progress Singapore Party.

The most recent walkover was in 2011 when Tanjong Pagar GRC became the only constituency to be uncontested following the disqualification of a team of independent candidates (which led by Ng Teck Siong) as they submitted their nomination papers 35 seconds late.^[1]

Several former ministers had cut their teeth in Tanjong Pagar before moving on to other constituencies. Among them, the following:

• Lim Hng Kiang made his debut in the Telok Blangah ward in 1991, where his ward was absorbed into West Coast GRC in 1997. Prior to his retirement from the cabinet in 2018, he was the Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade). He retired from politics in 2020.
• Lim Swee Say made his debut in 1997 as MP for the Buona Vista ward. His ward was redrawn into Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC in 2001, and then to Holland–Bukit Timah GRC in 2006, before leaving the ward and contest East Coast GRC in 2011. Prior to his retirement from the cabinet in 2018, he was the Minister for Manpower. He retired from politics in 2020.
• Khaw Boon Wan served as MP for the Moulmein ward from 2001, when he made his debut, to 2006, when he moved to Sembawang GRC. He is currently the Chairman of PAP, the Co-ordinating Minister for Infrastructure, as well as the Minister for Transport. He retired from politics in 2020.
• Lui Tuck Yew also made his debut in the Moulmein ward (in place of Khaw) during the 2006 general elections, after which he held the portfolio of Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. His ward was redrawn into the Moulmein–Kallang GRC in the 2011 elections, after which he became the Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Defence. In 2015, following Lui's retirement, a majority of his ward was returned to Tanjong Pagar GRC, while the remaining were subsumed into Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC, Holland–Bukit Timah GRC and Jalan Besar GRC. He retired from politics in 2015.

Currently, these two ministers are deployed in these constituencies following the death of Lee Kuan Yew on 23 March 2015:

• Indranee Rajah also made her debut in 2001 as the MP for the Tanglin-Cairnhill ward (now Moulmein-Cairnhill and Henderson-Dawson). She is currently the MP for Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru ward (which previously led by the late Lee Kuan Yew), and was now the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, and Second Minister for Education and Finance.
• Chan Chun Sing made his debut in the Buona Vista ward (in place of Lim) in 2011; the ward had been returned to Tanjong Pagar GRC from the downsized Holland–Bukit Timah GRC. He is currently the Minister for Trade & Industry as of today.

Koo Tsai Kee substituted Lee for his Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) when the latter became senior minister and subsequently minister mentor.^[2] After the 2011 election, Lee retired from the cabinet but remained as MP for Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru until his death in 2015; Indranee Rajah, who substituted Koo for the MPS at the time, became the ward's successor; her ward of Tanglin-Cairnhill was divided into Henderson-Dawson and Moulmein-Cairnhill wards and were helmed by Joan Pereira and Melvin Yong, respectively.

Tanjong Pagar GRC with Radin Mas SMC are under the same town council,Tanjong Pagar Town Council.

Members of Parliament

Candidates and results

Elections in 2020s

General Election 2020: Tanjong Pagar GRC

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	PAP	Chan Chun Sing Indranee Rajah Joan Pereira Eric Chua Swee Leong Alvin Tan Sheng Hui	78,079	63.13	14.58
	PSP	Wendy Low Harish Pillay Michael Chua Abas Kasmani Terence Soon	45,609	36.87	N/A
Majority			32,470	26.26
Rejected ballots			1,930	1.54
Turnout			125,618	93.30	2.44
Registered electors			134,642
	PAP hold		Swing	-14.58

Elections in 2010s

Elections in 2000s

Elections in 1990s

References

External links

• 2020 General Election's result
• 2015 General Election's result
• 2011 General Election's result
• 2006 General Election's result
• 2001 General Election's result
• 1997 General Election's result
• 1991 General Election's result
• 1988 General Election's result