Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency

Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs along with the Central Area of Singapore. The Jalan Besar GRC is the electoral division representing the largest area of the downtown city centre of Singapore, followed by Tanjong Pagar GRC. There are four wards in the GRC: Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, Whampoa and lastly Kampong Glam managed by Jalan Besar Town Council. The current Members of Parliament are Denise Phua, Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah, Josephine Teo and Heng Chee How from the People's Action Party (PAP).

Jalan Besar
Group Representation constituency
for the Parliament of Singapore
RegionCentral Region, Singapore
Electorate107,936
Current constituency
Created1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Seats4
Party People's Action Party
Member(s)Denise Phua
Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah
Josephine Teo
Heng Chee How
Town CouncilJalan Besar
Created from
Dissolved2011
Dissolved to
Reformed2015
Reformed from

History edit

It is named after Jalan Besar, a street in Singapore that forms this GRC's centrepiece. The street itself is within the Kallang planning area, Kallang itself being part of this GRC. The GRC encompasses several heritage areas, including Little India, Desker Road, Kolam Ayer and Crawford in the North. Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng itself includes the Singapore River, Chinatown and Bukit Ho Swee.

During 1988 general election, the three-member PAP team led by Lee Boon Yang won the election with 62.68% of the votes against the WP with 37.32% of the votes.

Jalan Besar GRC has been contested by the opposition at every election, except 1991.

During 1997 general election, the four-member PAP team led by Lee Boon Yang won the election with 67.55% of the votes against the WP with 32.45% of the votes.

During 2001 general election, the five-member PAP team led by Lee Boon Yang won the election with 74.49% of the votes against the SDA led by Desmond Lim with 25.51% of the votes.

During 2006 general election, the five-member PAP team led by Lee Boon Yang won the election with 69.26% of the votes against the SDA with 30.74% of the votes.

Jalan Besar GRC was dissolved ahead of the 2011 elections and along with Moulmein from Tanjong Pagar GRC to form Moulmein–Kallang Group Representation Constituency while a majority of the Kreta Ayer–Kim Seng and Whampoa were redrawn into Tanjong Pagar GRC and as a SMC, respectively.

However, its GRC were again reformed one parliamentary term later in 2015 Singaporean general election, where changes made from a majority of the GRC were reversed, while the Jalan Besar division was dissolved into other wards.

In 2015 Singaporean general election, the four-member PAP team led by Lily Neo won the election with 67.75% of the votes while WP got 32.25% of the votes.

In 2020 general election, the four-member PAP team led by Josephine Teo won the election with 65.36% of the votes while the Peoples Voice led by Lim Tean obtained 34.64% of the votes.

Members of Parliament edit

Election Division Members of Parliament Party
1988
  • Geylang West
  • Jalan Besar
  • Kolam Ayer
PAP
1991
  • Geylang West
  • Jalan Besar
  • Kallang
  • Kolam Ayer
1997
  • Geylang West
  • Jalan Besar
  • Kolam Ayer
  • Whampoa
2001
  • Jalan Besar
  • Kampong Glam
  • Kolam Ayer
  • Kreta Ayer - Kim Seng
  • Whampoa
2006
Constituency abolished (2011–2015)
2015
  • Kampong Glam
  • Kolam Ayer
  • Kreta Ayer - Kim Seng
  • Whampoa
PAP
2020

^ Choo resigned before being charged and convicted in 1999 for cheating offences.[1] However, no by-election was called on the ground since it was a Group Representation Constituency, and the workload for the Whampoa ward was distributed among the rest of the team.

Electoral results edit

Elections in 1980s edit

General Election 1988: Jalan Besar GRC[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
PAP Peh Chin Hua
Lee Boon Yang
Sidek Bin Saniff
31,604 62.68
WP Marsh Edund Richard
Mohamed Bin Idris
Toh Keng Thong
18,814 37.32
Majority 12,790 25.37
Registered electors 54,941
Turnout 50,418 91.77
PAP win (new seat)

Elections in 1990s edit

General Election 1991: Jalan Besar GRC[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Peh Chin Hua
Lee Boon Yang
Choo Wee Khiang
Zulkifli Mohammed
Unopposed
Registered electors 82,615
PAP hold
General Election 1997: Jalan Besar GRC[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Peh Chin Hua
Lee Boon Yang
Yaacob Ibrahim
Choo Wee Khiang
44,840 67.55 N/A
SDP Gandhi Ambalam
Jufrie Mahmood
David Chew
Low Yong Nguan
21,537 32.45
Majority 23,303 35.10 N/A
Registered electors 71,922 N/A
Turnout 66,377 92.29 N/A
PAP hold

Elections in 2000s edit

[5]
General Election 2001: Jalan Besar GRC
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Lee Boon Yang
Loh Meng See
Yaacob Ibrahim
Lily Neo
Heng Chee How
68,309 74.49  6.94
SDA Desmond Lim
Sin Kek Tong
M Rahizan
Reno Fong
Ng Kee How
23,391 25.51 N/A
Majority 44,918 48.98  13.88
Registered electors 100,268  39.41
Turnout 91,700 91.45  0.84
PAP hold Swing  6.94
General Election 2006: Jalan Besar GRC[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Lee Boon Yang
Denise Phua
Yaacob Ibrahim
Lily Neo
Heng Chee How
58,913 69.26  5.23
SDA Cheo Chai Chen
Sebastian Teo
Reno Fong
Muhammad Ali Aman
Vincent Yeo
26,151 30.74  5.23
Majority 32,762 38.51  10.47
Registered electors 93,025  7.22
Turnout 85,064 91.50  0.05
PAP hold Swing  5.23

Elections in 2010s edit

General Election 2015: Jalan Besar GRC[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
PAP Denise Phua
Yaacob Ibrahim
Lily Neo
Heng Chee How
63,644 67.75
WP Frieda Chan
L Somasundaram
Redzwan Hafidz Abdul Razak
Adrian Sim
30,302 32.25
Majority 33,342 35.50
Registered electors 102,540
Rejected ballots 1,550 1.6
Turnout 95,496 93.1
PAP win (new seat)

Elections in 2020s edit

General Election 2020: Jalan Besar GRC[8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Denise Phua
Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah
Josephine Teo
Heng Chee How
64,631 65.36  2.37
PV Lim Tean
Leong Sze Hian
Nor Azlan Sulaiman
Michael Fang Amin
34,261 34.64 N/A
Majority 30,370 30.72  4.78
Registered electors 107,720  5.05
Rejected ballots 2,948 2.9  1.3
Turnout 101,840 94.5  1.4
PAP hold Swing  2.37

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Choo resigns as MP, then pleads guilty". The Straits Times. 3 June 1999.
  2. ^ "ELD | 1988 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  3. ^ "ELD | 1991 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  4. ^ "ELD | 1997 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  5. ^ "ELD | 2001 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  6. ^ "ELD | 2006 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  7. ^ "ELD | 2015 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  8. ^ "ELD | 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  9. ^ "Parliamentary Elections Act – Statement of the Poll after Counting the ballots for Electoral Division of Jalan Besar". Notification No. 1427 of 2020 (PDF). Republic of Singapore Government Gazette. Retrieved 16 July 2020.