East Coast Group Representation Constituency

(Redirected from East Coast GRC)

The East Coast Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency in the eastern area of Singapore. The areas of the Group Representation Constituency consists of locations such as East Coast Park, Bedok, Changi, Simei, Siglap, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Chai Chee, Changi Airport.[1] The GRC also covers a large portion of Singapore's eastern territorial waters. The five divisions: Bedok, Siglap, Fengshan, Changi-Simei and Kampong Chai Chee managed by East Coast Town Council. The current MPs are from the People's Action Party (PAP) Heng Swee Keat, Jessica Tan, Cheryl Chan, Tan Kiat How and Maliki Osman.

East Coast
Group Representation constituency
for the Parliament of Singapore
RegionEast and North-East Regions, Singapore
Electorate121,772
Current constituency
Created1997; 27 years ago (1997)
Seats5
Party People's Action Party
Member(s)Heng Swee Keat
Jessica Tan
Cheryl Chan
Tan Kiat How
Maliki Osman
Town CouncilEast Coast
Created from

History edit

East Coast GRC was formed in 1997 as a six-member Group Representation Constituency. East Coast GRC was formed with a merger of Bedok Group Representation Constituency and Eunos Group Representation Constituency. It was downsized from six members to five members following the redrawing of divisions into the Marine Parade GRC in 2006.

Joo Chiat Single Member Constituency was formerly part of the GRC until 2001, and subsumed into Marine Parade GRC as of the 2015 elections. A large portion of the Kaki Bukit division and 60% of Kampong Chai Chee was transferred from East Coast GRC to Marine Parade GRC and saw the removal of Chew Heng Ching, Tan Soo Khoon and Lee Yock Suan due to the advanced age in 2006, followed by S Jayakumar and Abdullah Tarmugi in 2011.

The offshore island of Coney Island was transferred to Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC in 2015, while Fengshan SMC was carved out and East Coast GRC was left with four members. East Coast GRC was increased in size to five after Fengshan SMC has been absorbed back into East Coast GRC for the 2020 general election.

The People's Action Party (PAP) won in a walkover in the 1997 and 2001 general elections. It saw its first contest in the 2006 general election from the Workers' Party. This GRC is a perennial battleground between the two parties. In 2011 and 2015, the People's Action Party received numerous close fights with the Worker's Party and won both times, though the results allowed Worker's Party candidates to enter parliament as Non-Constituency MPs both times.

In October 2015, Lee Yi Shyan stepped down from his ministerial post after suffering from a mini stroke in May 2015. Prior to the 2020 general election, Lee Yi Shyan and Lim Swee Say retired from politics.

The resulting election saw the PAP retaining East Coast GRC, albeit with the second closest marginal result after West Coast GRC; Worker's Party candidates did not enter parliament as NCMPs this time as the offer was made to the Progress Singapore Party in West Coast GRC as the best performing losers.

Members of Parliament edit

Election Division Incumbent Party
1997
  • Bedok
  • Fengshan
  • Joo Chiat
  • Kaki Bukit
  • Kampong Chai Chee
  • Siglap
PAP
2001
  • Bedok
  • Changi-Simei
  • Fengshan
  • Kaki Bukit
  • Kampong Chai Chee
  • Siglap
2006
  • Bedok
  • Changi-Simei
  • Fengshan
  • Kampong Chai Chee
  • Siglap
2011
2015
  • Bedok
  • Changi-Simei
  • Kampong Chai Chee
  • Siglap
2020
  • Bedok
  • Changi-Simei
  • Fengshan
  • Kampong Chai Chee
  • Siglap

Electoral results edit

Elections in 1990s edit

General Election 1997: East Coast GRC
Party Candidate Votes %
PAP S Jayakumar
Chng Hee Kok
Chan Soo Sen
Chew Heng Ching
Tan Soo Khoon
Abdullah Tarmugi
Unopposed
Registered electors 142,201
PAP win (new seat)

Elections in 2000s edit

General Election 2001: East Coast GRC
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP S Jayakumar
Lee Yock Suan
Raymond Lim
Chew Heng Ching
Tan Soo Khoon
Abdullah Tarmugi
Unopposed
Registered electors 144,012
PAP hold
General Election 2006: East Coast GRC
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP S Jayakumar
Jessica Tan
Raymond Lim
Lee Yi Shyan
Abdullah Tarmugi
66,931 63.9 N/A
WP Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman
Brandon Siow
Chia Ti Lik
Eric Tan
Perry Tong
37,873 36.1 N/A
Turnout 107,028 91.7 N/A
PAP hold

Elections in 2010s edit

General Election 2011: East Coast GRC
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Lim Swee Say
Jessica Tan
Raymond Lim
Lee Yi Shyan
Maliki Osman
59,992 54.8  9.1
WP Png Eng Huat
Gerald Giam
Mohd Fazli Talip
Eric Tan
Glenda Han
49,429 45.2  9.1
Majority 10,563 9.6 N/A
Turnout 111,269 92.5 N/A
PAP hold Swing  9.1
General Election 2015: East Coast GRC
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Lim Swee Say
Jessica Tan
Lee Yi Shyan
Maliki Osman
54,981 60.73  5.9
WP Daniel Goh
Gerald Giam
Leon Perera
Mohamed Fairoz Bin Shariff
35,547 39.27  5.9
Majority 19,434 21.4  11.8
Rejected ballots 1,008 1.02
Turnout 99,118 -
PAP hold Swing  5.9

Elections in 2020s edit

General Election 2020: East Coast GRC
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Heng Swee Keat
Jessica Tan
Cheryl Chan
Tan Kiat How
Maliki Osman
61,144 53.39  7.34
WP Nicole Seah
Kenneth Foo
Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim
Terence Tan
Dylan Ng
53,375 46.61  7.34
Majority 7,769 6.78
Rejected ballots 1,393 1.20
Turnout 114,519 94.96  2.61
Registered electors 121,772
PAP hold Swing  7.34

References edit

  1. ^ Lai, Linette (1 February 2019). "Registers of electors to be updated, Pedra Branca included under East Coast electoral division". The Straits Times. Retrieved 14 November 2019.