SINGAPORE: The first clear sign that polls could soon be held in Punggol East emerged on Tuesday, as covering Member of Parliament Teo Ser Luck attended to the Single Member Constituency's first Meet-the-People Session (MPS) in the new year flanked by an unfamiliar face.
Dr Koh Poh Koon, 40, a colorectal surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, was brought around and introduced to constituents by Mr Teo, portending the People's Action Party's (PAP) campaign machinery has been cranked up amid recent reports that party activists in the ward have started buying plywood for election posters.
While Dr Koh was side-by-side with Mr Teo for much of the MPS as the latter spoke with residents, Mr Teo otherwise gave little away on the possibility that Dr Koh could be the PAP's candidate should a by-election be called.
Mr Teo described Dr Koh as a "keen volunteer" and a friend who was there "observing and sitting down with other volunteers to understand the (residents') needs".
He added: "I think he knows that I'm handling two constituencies at the same time. I have a couple of friends tonight who have joined us, he's not the only one."
Dr Koh took a similar stance, telling TODAY he was "just (there) to help … because it is a busy" day. He declined to say whether he had been approached to stand as a candidate "because people will always speculate".
Dr Koh said that he had attended a "tea session" - a moniker given to PAP recruitment sessions.
When asked if he would consider contesting should he be asked, Dr Koh replied: "If anyone is approached, I think they will have to consider seriously because it doesn't just concern themselves, (they) will also have to consider the welfare of the residents."
Since 2002, Dr Koh has served as an Executive Committee Member at the Telok Blangah Dover Crescent Resident's Committee and as an Assistant Liaison Officer (Singapore Police Force) for Telok Blangah Dover Crescent Neighborhood Watch Zone. He is also a Member of the Community Emergency Response Team.
Responding to reporters' questions, Mr Teo reiterated that he had "not heard anything" about the date of a possible by-election.
Still, given Tuesday's development, political analysts believe that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong could be calling one soon to elect a replacement for former MP Michael Palmer.
Said former Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong: "It looks like (Dr Koh) is going to be the PAP candidate for Punggol East and that preparations for a by-election are kicking into high gear."
The National University of Singapore's Dr Tan Ern Ser agreed, hazarding May as the likely period for a by-election.
"It is after the White Paper on population issues, the Budget, Labour Day, and at a later phase of the National Conversation," he said.
The Punggol East ward, vacant since Mr Palmer's resignation last month over an extramarital affair, has attracted strong interest from Opposition parties, with at least three firmly indicating that they would field a candidate, if and when a by-election is called.
With a multi-cornered contest on the cards, analysts had mixed reactions to Dr Koh's possible candidacy.
Mr Siew said: "If this is presumably the new PAP candidate … then you are parachuting in an unknown; a completely new face into a by-election that will be quite hard-fought since so many opposition parties have registered their interest."
"One possible conclusion is that the PAP is having a hard time finding candidates. For example, one obvious question would be, 'Why is it not Ong Ye Kung?'"
Mr Ong was a first-time candidate on the PAP Aljunied GRC team which lost in the General Election in 2011. Touted to be of ministerial calibre, Mr Ong recently quit the National Trades Union Congress and joined the private sector.
Mr Siew added: "Another possible conclusion is that the PAP might have done some calculations and perhaps thought that with at least a three-way fight, an unknown PAP candidate can still have a good chance of winning."
But Dr Tan pointed out that "any candidate the PAP put up is likely to be new anyway, unless it sent Mr Desmond Choo (who lost in Hougang in GE 2011) to Punggol East as a candidate, which I see as unlikely."
Meanwhile, Mr Teo told reporters he welcomed the keen interest from opposition parties in Punggol East.
"I've always thought that the residents would have more choice if it's a multi-cornered fight … Like I've said before, it's always important that the interests of the residents must be placed first," he said.
About 80 residents attended the MPS yesterday. Mr Teo attributed the larger-than-normal turnout to the fact that the MPS was not held for two weeks due to the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Asked what qualities Punggol East residents would be looking for in a candidate, Mr Teo said he has to be someone who can "engage the ground effectively and also someone who can understand the needs of the very young to the very old, and also the middle-income group".
He added: "Most importantly, their heart must be in the right place and have a passion to serve."
- TODAY
