SINGAPORE: Understanding the “terrain” of East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and how the East Coast Plan serves residents is the first order of business said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong on Sunday (Mar 23). 

“We want to minimise disruption for residents. Even though we’re coming into a new area, we would like to try to find a way to integrate in a manner that is as seamless as possible.”

The Second Minister for Law said he has also taken steps to meet some of the volunteers from the other divisions of East Coast GRC, such as the Siglap and Chai Chee wards. 

Mr Tong, who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade Group GRC representing the Joo Chiat division since 2015, said: “Painful as it is to leave Marine Parade GRC, I hope that if I'm given an opportunity I will be able to serve residents in Joo Chiat, but under the East Coast GRC banner.”

Mr Tong was speaking at a doorstop together with Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Sunday morning, following a walkabout with residents at hawker centre at Block 16 of Bedok South Road. 

Following the redrawing of electoral boundaries, Mr Tong’s ward of Joo Chiat and part of the Kembangan-Chai Chee ward were shifted from Marine Parade GRC to East Coast GRC. 

Mr Heng said that there was “a lot of synergy” and “common elements” between East Coast GRC and the Joo Chiat ward. He noted that community events like beach cleanings have often involved East Coast and Joo Chiat since they stretch across both areas. 

“In fact, there are many areas where this integration will be quite seamless,” he said. 

Mr Tong added: “At the end of the day, what is important for an incoming division into a GRC that is already established is for me to win the confidence and trust of the residents here and also to be able to understand their needs in a way which allows me to serve them better.”

Back in the 2020 election, East Coast was a fiercely contested GRC led by Mr Heng from the People’s Action Party (PAP) and Ms Nicole Seah of the Workers’ Party (WP).

The PAP garnered 53.41 per cent of the votes, marking one of its narrowest victories in the General Election. 

The PAP’s 2020 outcome in East Coast was a decline from the 60.73 per cent achieved in 2015, while the WP saw its best performance in the GRC since 2006.

“OUT OF CONTEXT”

Mr Tong also answered a question about a 30-second video clip of him at a recent walkabout at a Marine Terrace coffee shop.

The video, which was first shared on Facebook and then Reddit, showed Mr Tong approaching residents to greet them. In the middle of the clip, an elderly man appears to make a rude gesture when Mr Tong speaks to other residents at his table. 

The video was taken and posted by Facebook user Kent Lau on Saturday morning, who wrote in his caption that while he found Mr Tong’s entourage “a bit overwhelming”, he noted that the “mood” with the elderly man was “entirely cordial”. 

“It’s disappointing that some people have taken my video out of context and twisted the truth.”

The user posted a follow-up on Saturday evening and said he regretted the confusion the video had caused. 

A volunteer for Mr Tong also took to Facebook to clarify what happened. In a post on Saturday night, Mr Delane Lim wrote that the video had been “taken out of context” to depict that the residents did not welcome Mr Tong. 

When asked by CNA how he felt about the video and comments, Mr Tong said the reception he had during the Marine Parade walkabout was “warm” and he chatted with a number of residents. 

“Unfortunately, the video was then taken by some sites and used out of context, in a way which cast it in a negative light, I think, to push an agenda quite clearly for a political objective.”