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
RegionCentral Region, Singapore
Electorate19,740
Current constituency
Created1968 (1968)
Seats1
Party People's Action Party
Member(s)Sitoh Yih Pin
Town CouncilJalan 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

General Election 2020: Potong Pasir
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

General Election 2015: Potong Pasir
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
General Election 2011: Potong Pasir
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

General Election 2006: Potong Pasir
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
General Election 2001: Potong Pasir
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

General Election 1997: Potong Pasir
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
General Election 1991: Potong Pasir
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

General Election 1988: Potong Pasir
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
General Election 1984: Potong Pasir
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
General Election 1980: Potong Pasir
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

By Election 1979: Potong Pasir
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
General Election 1976: Potong Pasir
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
General Election 1972: Potong Pasir
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

General Election 1968: Potong Pasir
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Sellappa Ramaswamy Walkover
Majority
Turnout
PAP win (new seat)

References

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