Sembawang West SMC: Poh Li San vs Dr Chee Soon Juan

In a fresh electoral contest born out of boundary changes, PAP’s Poh Li San will face off against SDP secretary-general Dr Chee Soon Juan in Sembawang West SMC during Singapore’s General Election on May 3.

The single-seat constituency is newly created, carved out of the larger Sembawang GRC during the latest review by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee. It now stands alone with 24,153 registered voters.

Ms Poh, 49, is no stranger to the ground. She represented the Sembawang West division as part of the PAP team that contested and won Sembawang GRC with 67.29% of the vote in the 2020 General Election. A former commercial pilot and current Vice President at Changi Airport Group, she has built her grassroots presence in the ward over the past five years.

In her nomination speech, Poh said: “We have done a lot of good work in the last five years, and let's do more for Sembawang West for our chapter two.” She pledged to continue championing community upgrades and support schemes for families, seniors, and youths.

Her challenger is Dr Chee Soon Juan, 61, a veteran opposition figure and head of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). This marks his third straight election contest in an SMC, having previously contested Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and, most recently, Bukit Batok SMC in 2020, where he secured 45.2% of the vote against PAP’s Murali Pillai.

Chee has long campaigned on themes of social justice, cost-of-living relief, and democratic reform. He took to the nomination centre stage with his familiar call for a more compassionate and inclusive Singapore.

“We want Singaporeans to live in hope, not fear, to get ahead, not just get by, to thrive, not just survive,” Chee declared to his supporters. His message was one of empowerment and change — in line with SDP’s national platform calling for stronger social safety nets and alternative voices in Parliament.

Though the National Solidarity Party (NSP) had initially indicated interest in Sembawang West, the party later confirmed it would step aside, allowing for a direct PAP-SDP faceoff.

The coming contest reflects deeper political narratives. For the PAP, the race is a chance to solidify a newly carved SMC with a familiar incumbent. For the SDP, it's an opportunity for its chief to finally break through in a constituency where the ruling party’s advantage might be less entrenched.

This election will be a test of both Poh’s ground efforts over the past term and Chee’s continuing appeal to voters seeking alternative voices in Parliament. With a more manageable voter size and focused ground campaigning, Sembawang West could produce one of the more intriguing results on election night.

Singaporeans will cast their votes on May 3, with results expected that night.

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