West Coast-Jurong West GRC: Tan Cheng Bock vs Desmond Lee

In one of the most closely watched rematches of Singapore’s 2025 General Election, the newly redrawn West Coast-Jurong West GRC will witness the return of a heavyweight battle between the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

National Development Minister Desmond Lee, 48, will lead the PAP team once again, joined by Shawn Huang, 42, a Senior Parliamentary Secretary, and three-term MP Ang Wei Neng, 58. Rounding out the team are newcomers Dr Hamid Razak, 39, an orthopaedic surgeon, and Cassandra Lee, 33, a lawyer.

The opposition PSP is fielding its top brass—Dr Tan Cheng Bock, 84, who led the 2020 campaign, along with party secretary-general Leong Mun Wai, 65, and vice-chair Hazel Poa, 54. First-timers Sumarleki Amjah, 53, and Sani Ismail, 49, complete their slate.

In GE2020, the PAP narrowly edged out the PSP with 51.68% of the vote, marking its slimmest win of the election. The newly formed GRC now includes around 41,000 voters from Jurong GRC, traditionally a PAP stronghold, while ceding HarbourFront and Sentosa to Radin Mas SMC, and Dover and Telok Blangah to Tanjong Pagar GRC—changes that could influence the result.

Also nominated at Nan Hua High School were candidates for three other constituencies: Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Pioneer SMC, and Jurong Central SMC.

At Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, the PAP slate is led by Minister Grace Fu, 60, who is joined by Murali Pillai, 57, and Rahayu Mahzam, 44—both Ministers of State. The team also includes two new faces: David Hoe, 37, director of philanthropy at The Majurity Trust, and Lee Hong Chuang, 54, a veteran PAP figure from Hougang.

Their opponent is a five-member team from Red Dot United (RDU), featuring experienced candidates Liyana Dhamirah, 38, and Osman Sulaiman, 50, both of whom have contested previous elections under different banners. Newcomers Benjamin Puah (artist, 48), Marcus Neo (marketing director, 33), and Harish Mohanadas (software engineer, 39) round out the RDU line-up.

In Pioneer SMC, incumbent PAP MP Patrick Tay, a labour leader, will defend his seat against Stephanie Tan, 37, a full-time homemaker representing PSP.

And in Jurong Central SMC, PAP’s Xie Yao Quan, 40, who previously served this area as part of Jurong GRC, faces Kala Manickam, 57, an educator and ex-SAF officer from RDU. Notably, RDU had initially announced piano teacher Emily Woo for this seat, but she has since been reassigned to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

Together, these contests represent a high-stakes clash between experienced ministers and rising opposition forces across western Singapore. With a mix of familiar faces and political newcomers, the results in these battlegrounds could shape the narrative of GE2025.

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