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.”
