Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency
Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency (Chinese: 波东巴西单选区; Malay: Kawasan Undi Perseorangan Potong Pasir; Tamil: பொத்தோங் பாசிர் தனித்தொகுதி) is a Single Member Constituency (SMC) in the central region of Singapore. Established in 1968, this constituency encompasses the neighbourhoods of Potong Pasir and Joo Seng, the Sennett and Tannery private estates, as well as the entire HDB estate of Bidadari since 2020. The People's Action Party (PAP)'s Sitoh Yih Pin has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Potong Pasir SMC since 2011. It was carved out of Aljunied in 1968.
Potong Pasir | |
---|---|
Single Member Constituency for the Parliament of Singapore | |
Region | Central Region, Singapore |
Electorate | 19,740 |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1968 |
Seats | 1 |
Party | People's Action Party |
Member(s) | Sitoh Yih Pin |
Town Council | Jalan Besar |
History
The constituency's most famous MP is Mr Chiam See Tong, who currently leads the Singapore People's Party. Back when he was with the Singapore Democratic Party, he defeated the People's Action Party's candidate, Mah Bow Tan (who would later become a Cabinet Minister and MP for Tampines GRC) in the 1984 general election, as well as other candidates such as Sitoh Yih Pin and Andy Gan Lai Chiang.
Between 2001 and 2011, this seat was one of only two opposition seats in the Parliament of Singapore (the other being Hougang SMC, held by the Workers' Party's Low Thia Khiang). Since Chiam entered Parliament in 1984, this made him the longest-serving opposition MP in Singapore's history as of 2011.
The seat used to be a hotly contested seat in the general elections. In the 2001 general election, Chiam won the seat by 751 votes to Sitoh, clinching 52.4% of the votes. Chiam subsequently improved his winning margin to 55.8% in the 2006 general election.
In 2011, Chiam, as well as Low, experimented with leading a team to contest a nearby GRC (in Chiam's case, the Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC). Unlike Low and his party (who won both the GRC they contested as well as his original seat), Chiam and his party were defeated by the PAP in both constituencies. Not only were Chiam and his team defeated in Bishan–Toa Payoh, they also lost Potong Pasir to the PAP's Sitoh, who defeated Chiam's successor (and wife), Lina Loh Woon Lee on a marginal percentage of 0.72%. After that election, Mrs Lina Chiam became a Non-constituency MP (NCMP), having been the best performing loser at the polls.
In 2015, Sitoh retained his seat, this time with 66.41% of the votes, again defeating Mrs Lina Chiam. With Chiam illegible for a seat as an NCMP since she was not one of the best performing losers at that year's polls, this concluded a 31-year long streak of the Chiam family's presence in Parliament.
Following the release of the EBRC report for the 2020 General Election, Blocks 210 to 224 of Lorong 8 Toa Payoh were consolidated into the 4-member Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC while this constituency in return, took the Joo Seng and Woodleigh neighbourhoods from the neighbouring Marine Parade GRC's Geylang Serai ward, to allow further development.
Since early 2018, the Singapore People's Party's Jose Raymond has been actively canvassing on the ground in Potong Pasir.
On 14 March 2020, the Singapore People's Party announced through a Facebook post that its Chairman Jose Raymond would be its candidate for Potong Pasir SMC for the General Elections which was called on 30 June 2020, with Polling Day on 10 July 2020.
Potong Pasir SMC and Jalan Besar GRC are under the same Town Council, Jalan Besar Town Council.
People's Action Party Sitoh Yih Pin defeated Singapore People's Party Jose Raymond with a vote count of 60.67% vs 39.33%, winning a third term as the incumbent MP for Potong Pasir.
Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament | Party | Dates | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sellappa Ramaswamy | PAP | 1968 – 1972 | PAP Candidate for Potong Pasir SMC. | |
Baptist Ivan Cuthbert | PAP | 1972 – 1979 | PAP Candidate for Potong Pasir SMC. | |
Howe Yoon Chong | PAP | 1979 – 1984 | PAP Candidate for Potong Pasir SMC. | |
Chiam See Tong | SDP | 1984 – 1996 | Leader of the SDP. | |
SPP | 1996 – 2001 | Left SDP and became Leader of the SPP. | ||
SDA | 2001 – 2 March 2011 | Left SPP and became Leader of the SDA. | ||
SPP | 2 March 2011 – 7 May 2011 | Left SDA and joins back and became Leader of the SPP. | ||
Sitoh Yih Pin | PAP | 7 May 2011 – present | Incumbent | |
Candidates and results
Elections in 2020s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAP | Sitoh Yih Pin | 11,264 | 60.67 | 5.74 | |
SPP | Jose Raymond | 7,302 | 39.33 | 5.74 | |
Majority | 3,962 | 21.34 | |||
Rejected ballots | 279 | 1.48 | |||
Turnout | 18,845 | 95.51 | 2.69 | ||
Registered electors | 19,731 | ||||
PAP hold | Swing | 5.74 |
Elections in 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAP | Sitoh Yih Pin | 10,581 | 66.41 | 16.05 | |
SPP | Loh Woon Lee Lina | 5,353 | 33.59 | 16.05 | |
Majority | 5,228 | 32.10 | 31.30 | ||
Rejected ballots | 224 | 1.39 | - | ||
Turnout | 16,158 | 92.82 | 0.18 | ||
Registered electors | 17,407 | ||||
PAP hold | Swing | 16.05 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAP | Sitoh Yih Pin | 7,992 | 50.4 | 6.2 | |
SPP | Loh Woon Lee Lina | 7,878 | 49.6 | 6.2 | |
Majority | 114 | 0.8 | 12.4 | ||
Turnout | 16,112 | 93.0 | 1.1 | ||
PAP gain from SDA | Swing | 6.2 | |||
Elections in 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SDA | Chiam See Tong | 8,245 | 55.8 | 3.4 | |
PAP | Sitoh Yih Pin | 6,527 | 44.2 | 3.4 | |
Majority | 1,718 | 11.6 | 6.8 | ||
Turnout | 14,958 | 94.1 | 4.8 | ||
SDA hold | Swing | 3.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SDA | Chiam See Tong | 8,107 | 52.4 | 2.8 | |
PAP | Sitoh Yih Pin | 7,356 | 47.6 | 2.8 | |
Majority | 751 | 4.8 | 5.6 | ||
Turnout | 15,463 | 98.9 | 3.8 | ||
SDA hold | Swing | 2.8 |
Elections in 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SPP | Chiam See Tong | 9,709 | 55.2 | 14.4 | |
PAP | Andy Gan Lai Chiang | 7,895 | 44.8 | 14.4 | |
Majority | 1,814 | 10.30 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 17,884 | 95.1 | 0 | ||
SPP gain from SDP | Swing | 14.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SDP | Chiam See Tong | 12,582 | 69.6 | 6.5 | |
PAP | Andy Gan Lai Chiang | 5,486 | 30.4 | 6.5 | |
Majority | 7,096 | 39.2 | 13.0 | ||
Turnout | 18,325 | 95.1 | 0.3 | ||
SDP hold | Swing | 6.5 |
Elections in 1980s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SDP | Chiam See Tong | 11,804 | 63.1 | 2.8 | |
PAP | Kenneth Chen Koon Lap | 6,893 | 36.9 | 2.8 | |
Majority | 4,911 | 26.2 | 5.6 | ||
Turnout | 18,697 | 95.4 | 0.1 | ||
SDP hold | Swing | 2.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SDP | Chiam See Tong | 10,128 | 60.3 | 19.3 | |
PAP | Mah Bow Tan | 6,674 | 39.7 | 19.3 | |
Majority | 3,454 | 20.6 | 38.6 | ||
Turnout | 17,078 | 95.3 | 1.1 | ||
SDP gain from PAP | Swing | 19.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAP | Howe Yoon Chong | 5,509 | 59.0 | 7.9 | |
SDP | Chiam See Tong | 3,821 | 41.0 | 7.9 | |
Majority | 1,688 | 18.0 | 31.6 | ||
Turnout | 9,486 | 94.2 | 0.6 | ||
PAP hold | Swing | 7.9 |
Elections in 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAP | Howe Yoon Chong | 9,056 | 66.9 | 7.9 | |
Independent | Chiam See Tong | 4,491 | 33.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 4,565 | 33.7 | 15.8 | ||
Turnout | 13,845 | 94.2 | 0.6 | ||
PAP hold | Swing | 7.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAP | Ivan Cuthbert Baptist | 9,667 | 74.8 | 8.6 | |
WP | Quek Doh Lam | 3,252 | 25.2 | 8.6 | |
Majority | 6,415 | 49.6 | 12.3 | ||
Turnout | 13,255 | 93.6 | 2.1 | ||
PAP hold | Swing | 8.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAP | Ivan Cuthbert Baptist | 7,772 | 66.2 | N/A | |
WP | Rajaratnam Murugason | 3,391 | 28.9 | N/A | |
United National Front | Harnek Singh | 573 | 4.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 4,381 | 37.3 | - | ||
Turnout | 11,990 | 91.5 | - | ||
PAP hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAP | Sellappa Ramaswamy | Walkover | |||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | |||||
PAP win (new seat) |