It was announced on 19 March by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and subsequently confirmed by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong that he is appointed by the Prime Minister to help win back the two opposition wards of Hougang and Potong Pasir in the next General Election.

SM Goh to help PAP candidates win back Hougang, Potong Pasir seats

SM Goh's hoofbeats on opposition turf

Mr. Goh says his role will be to advise, coach and help the PAP candidates in Hougang and Potong Pasir refine their fighting strategies in the elections.

In his speech to the media, Mr. Goh says: "I am not too concerned over the candidates. I am concerned over the interest of the residents. So I want to find out from Eric Low and Sitoh Yih Pin, and of course through the visits down to Hougang and Potong Pasir, what are the needs of the residents, what problems do they have, what are their hopes, what facilities do they need, what amenities can we give them? "Then having size up their interests above all else, I shall work out some strategies with Sitoh Yih Pin and Eric Low to see how we can win back the two wards."

Ever since then, it has been hailed a smart tactical move by the Prime Minister by political observers. However, one has to question the intentions and underlying motivations of PM Lee. The author will now examine the likely reasons behind the Prime Minister’s tactical move.

Firstly, opposition’s rule in Hougang and Potong Pasir is entrenched.

Hougang has been under the stewardship of Workers’ Party secretary-general Low Thia Khiang ever since 1991 and Chiam See Tong has been an MP of Potong Pasir since 1984; a staggering 22 years.

The PAP requires a heavyweight to wrest the wards of Hougang and Potong Pasir away from the opposition. Thus, the task ahead is huge.

Seetoh Yih Pin: All out for Potong Pasir

However, after a relatively good showing by the PAP in Hougang and especially in Potong Pasir, where the PAP candidate, Sitoh Yih Pin lost by a mere 751 votes to the incumbent in 2001, the current PAP leadership helmed by PM Lee, believed that the “chikus” are now right for the picking.




Plans for Hougang SMC

Thus, by sending SM Goh into the fray, the PAP feels that they have someone with the reputation and calibre and the quality to re-claim the 2 opposition wards.




This issue could be looked at in another perspective.
PM Lee is frustrated at the continued stranglehold of Hougang and Potong Pasir by the opposition.

In the aftermath of the 2001 election, the then Deputy Prime Minister, spoke of the opposition as being lucky in their win in Hougang and Potong Pasir. He stated that Eric Low and Sitoh Yih Pin had given Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong respectively a real run of the money.

Thus, this time round, the move by the PM Lee to appoint to spearhead the challenge to re-claim the opposition wards is a final throw of the dice by the Prime Minister. This move can also be interpreted as throwing the ball into the opposition’s court and seeing how the opposition would react to such a move by the Prime Minister.

Chiam See Tong dismisses PAP's plan to recapture opposition wards



Workers' Party chief confident of retaining his seat


The Prime Minister intend to use the influence of SM Goh to divert the Workers’ Party attention away from Aljunied GRC.

2006: WP Vs PAP ? Will it be like Cheng San in 1997?

It is widely known that The Workers' Party is interested in contesting Aljunied GRC in the coming election. Political insiders likened the impending battle in Aljunied to the battle in Cheng San GRC in 1997, Eunos in 1991 and Braddell-Heights in 1984.

Impending battle @ Cheng San after Nomination Day in 1997

The opposition posed a credible and big threat to PAP’s rule in Aljunied and things could very well against the ruling party come polling day. Furthermore, The Workers' Party have been working the ground ever since the last elections and some believed that they stand a good chance in Aljunied in the coming elections.

Thus, SM Goh(whose own Marine Parade GRC is not likely to be contested) plays the role of diverting the resources and focus of The Workers' Party from Aljunied GRC to protecting and retaining the single member seat of Hougang which the Prime Minister believed is dear and precious to The Workers' Party and will be defended at all costs. Under such circumstances, The Workers' Party will inevitably change their game-plan and give Hougang much more attention than before.

However, it must be noted that Hougang has always been a keenly-contested ward in recent elections. And the opposition have coped well in the face of challenging on many fronts in the past. Thus, the introduction of SM Goh will not add undue pressure onto The Workers' Party into changing its tactics in favour of Hougang.

However, the author believed that the underlying reason behind this tactical move by PM Lee is to deflect the possible loss of Hougang and Potong Pasir to the Senior Minister.

As this is PM Lee first election since being appointed Prime Minister, the results are especially crucial to him and the party. Do note that this is the first time that he is seeking a mandate from the people for him to carry the country forward. And any winning margin of less than 70% could mean a less than acceptable result for the PAP.

Thus, if the PAP were to lose again in Hougang and Potong Pasir in this election, in turn affecting the overall winning margin, the normal accusatory finger will be pointed at SM Goh and not PM Lee.

The purpose of the SM is clear. The SM is to advise, coach and refine the fighting strategies of the PAP’s candidates. A gigantic responsibility indeed and greater the blame no doubt.

Moreover, PM Lee has stated clearly he wants a clean sweep of all the seats contested.
"We want to win. This is not masak-masak"

Thus, in the case of not being able to achieve this election target of his, SM Goh will thus be seen as the primary reason behind the PM’s loss.

As shown in the above discussion, it is clearly evident that there’s no doubt the tactical soundness of PM Lee move to appoint the Senior Minister to spearhead the ruling party’s charge into the opposition’s territories. However, doubts do lingered as to the real intention of the Prime Minister. As is shown, the author believed the underlying motivation is to create a subtle screen to deflect a possible loss again to the opposition, thus protecting the credibility and integrity of the Prime Minister’s new government. Do note the dynamics and unique circumstances behind the coming elections, calling for such a tactical move by the Prime Minister.