West Coast Group Representation Constituency

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West Coast
Former group representation constituency
for the Parliament of Singapore
RegionWest and Central Regions, Singapore
Electorate146,251
Former constituency
Created1997; 28 years ago (1997)
Abolished2025; 0 years ago (2025)
Seats5
MemberConstituency abolished
Town CouncilWest Coast
Created from
Replaced by

The West Coast Group Representation Constituency was a five-member group representation constituency (GRC) in western and central Singapore. It covered the areas of Jurong, Dover, Pasir Panjang, West Coast and Telok Blangah, as well as Jurong Island, an offshore island of Singapore.[1] At abolition, it had five divisions: Ayer Rajah–Gek Poh, Boon Lay, Nanyang, Telok Blangah and West Coast, managed by West Coast Town Council.[2]

History

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Creation and WP contest (1997)

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Prior to the 1997 general election, West Coast GRC was created from the GRCs of Brickworks, which was abolished at the same election, and Tanjong Pagar; it was assigned four Members of Parliament (MPs).[3] The governing People's Action Party (PAP) defeated the Workers' Party (WP) with 70.14% of the vote.[4]

Walkovers (2001 and 2006)

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In the 2001 general election, Boon Lay Single Member Constituency (SMC) was abolished and absorbed into West Coast GRC, which gained one MP to become a five-member GRC.[5] The PAP team won unopposed.[6]

In the 2006 general election, the GRC absorbed Ayer Rajah SMC; Tan Cheng Bock, incumbent PAP MP for the SMC and future opposition politician, made his initial retirement from politics at the same election.[7] The PAP team won unopposed for the second consecutive election.[8]

RP contests (2011 and 2015)

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In the 2011 general election, Pioneer SMC was carved out of West Coast GRC;[9] the PAP defeated the Reform Party (RP) with 66.57% of the vote.[10] At the same election, Lawrence Wong, future Prime Minister and MP for Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC, made his political debut as a PAP candidate for West Coast GRC; he was assigned to the Boon Lay division.[11][12]

In the 2015 general election, West Coast GRC lost its Clementi division to Jurong GRC, becoming a four-member GRC in the process;[13][14] the PAP defeated the RP with 78.57% of the vote.[7]

PSP contest/PAP detrenchment (2020)

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Founding of PSP (2019)

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Main article: Progress Singapore Party

In 2019, Tan co-founded the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) with 11 others, some of whom, including himself, were former PAP members. Together with Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged younger brother of then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the 12 said that the PAP had "lost its way" and deviated from its founding principles. The party was officially registered on 28 March 2019 after being approved by the Registry of Societies.[15][16][17]

General election

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In the 2020 general election, West Coast GRC was re-expanded to become a five-member GRC, gaining the Nanyang division of Chua Chu Kang GRC and the Jurong West section of Hong Kah North SMC.[1]

During the election, Desmond Lee was redeployed to the GRC; Tan, meanwhile, personally led the PSP's "A-team", as it was called by The Straits Times, with the move being framed as a return to his defunct Ayer Rajah SMC.[1][18] In its worst performance in the history of West Coast GRC, the PAP defeated the PSP with 51.68% of the vote.[7][18]

After the election, two non-constituency MP (NCMP) seats were offered to the PSP team for West Coast GRC by virtue of their electoral performance. Hazel Poa and Leong Mun Wai were appointed.[18]

Resignation of S. Iswaran (2024)

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In January 2024, S. Iswaran resigned from the PAP, the ministership for transport and his seat as MP for West Coast GRC after he was charged in the State Courts of Singapore with 27 charges relating to bribery and corruption.[19][20]

Abolition (2025)

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Prior to the 2025 general election, West Coast GRC was abolished, with the majority of its area being merged into the new West Coast–Jurong West GRC, alongside the entire residential area of the Taman Jurong division and the majority of the Jurong Spring division of Jurong GRC. In Telok Blangah, estates in Telok Blangah and Dover were carved out and given to Tanjong Pagar GRC, while those in HarbourFront and on the offshore island of Sentosa were given to Radin Mas SMC alongside the Southern Islands, and the rest of it were moved to West Coast. West Coast GRC became 6-member GRC with 1 spare division in place.[21][22][23]

Members of Parliament

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Year Division Members of Parliament Party
Formation
1997
  • Clementi
  • Pasir Panjang
  • Telok Blangah
  • West Coast
 PAP
2001
  • Boon Lay
  • Clementi
  • Pioneer
  • Telok Blangah
  • West Coast
2006
  • Ayer Rajah-West Coast
  • Boon Lay
  • Clementi
  • Pioneer
  • Telok Blangah
2011
  • Ayer Rajah
  • Boon Lay
  • Clementi
  • Telok Blangah
  • West Coast
2015
  • Ayer Rajah
  • Boon Lay
  • Telok Blangah
  • West Coast
2020
  • Ayer Rajah-Gek Poh
  • Boon Lay
  • Nanyang
  • Telok Blangah
  • West Coast
Constituency abolished (2025)

Electoral results

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Note : Elections Department Singapore do not include rejected votes for calculation of candidate's vote share. Hence, the total of all candidates' vote share will be 100%.

Elections in 1990s

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General Election 1997[24][25]
Party Candidate Votes %
PAP Bernard Chen
S. Iswaran
Lim Hng Kiang
Wan Soon Bee 		48,275 70.14
WP Mike Chan
D'Cruz Anthony
John Gan Eng Guan
Ng Teck Siong 		20,550 29.86
Majority 27,725 40.28
Total valid votes 68,825 97.50
Rejected ballots 1,762 2.50
Turnout 70,587 95.36
Registered electors 74,022
PAP win (new seat)

Elections in 2000s

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General Election 2001[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Ho Geok Choo
Arthur Fong
Cedric Foo
Lim Hng Kiang
S. Iswaran 		Unopposed
Registered electors 110,779 Increase49.66
PAP hold
General Election 2006[27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP S. Iswaran
Ho Geok Choo
Arthur Fong
Cedric Foo
Lim Hng Kiang 		Unopposed
Registered electors 137,739 Increase24.34
PAP hold

Elections in 2010s

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General Election 2011[28][29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Arthur Fong
Foo Mee Har
Lim Hng Kiang
S. Iswaran
Lawrence Wong 		72,563 66.57 N/A
RP Kenneth Jeyaretnam
Andy Zhu
Frankie Low
Kumar Appavoo
Haren Hu 		36,443 33.43 N/A
Majority 36,120 33.14 N/A
Total valid votes 109,006 97.48 N/A
Rejected ballots 2,821 2.52 N/A
Turnout 111,827 92.38 N/A
Registered electors 121,045 Decrease12.12
PAP hold Swing N/A
General Election 2015[30][31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Foo Mee Har
Patrick Tay
Lim Hng Kiang
S. Iswaran 		71,214 78.57 Increase11.91
RP Kenneth Jeyaretnam
Andy Zhu
Darren Soh
Noraini Yunus 		19,426 21.43 Decrease11.91
Majority 51,788 57.14 Increase24.00
Total valid votes 90,640 97.40 Decrease0.08
Rejected ballots 2,416 2.60 Increase0.08
Turnout 93,056 93.71 Increase1.33
Registered electors 99,300 Decrease17.96
PAP hold Swing Increase11.91

Elections in 2020s

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General Election 2020[32][33]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAP Foo Mee Har
Desmond Lee
Ang Wei Neng
Rachel Ong
S. Iswaran 		71,658 51.68 Decrease26.89
PSP Tan Cheng Bock
Leong Mun Wai
Hazel Poa
Nadarajah Loganathan
Jeffrey Khoo 		66,996 48.32 N/A
Majority 4,662 3.36 Decrease53.74
Total valid votes 138,654 98.83 Increase1.43
Rejected ballots 1,646 1.17 Decrease1.43
Turnout 140,300 96.04 Increase2.33
Registered electors 146,089 Increase47.11
PAP hold Swing Decrease26.89

References

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  1. ^ a b c "GE2020 Hot Spots: West Coast GRC – not all quiet on the western front as ex-PAP man returns to stomping ground". Today. Archived from the original on 2 October 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  2. ^ "West Coast Town Council: Our Members of Parliament". West Coast Town Council. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  3. ^ "On the ground... in West Coast GRC". The Straits Times. 24 December 2010 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  4. ^ "ELD | 1997 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  5. ^ Henson, Bertha (20 October 2001). "Bigger GRCs in the next election". The Straits Times – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  6. ^ "ELD | 2001 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "GE2020 official results: PAP retains West Coast GRC with 51.69% of votes against Tan Cheng Bock's PSP". The Straits Times. 11 July 2020. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  8. ^ "ELD | 2006 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Singapore GE2020: Three-cornered fight for Pioneer's single seat between PAP, PSP and independent". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2025. PAP's Mr Tay was previously the MP for the Boon Lay ward in West Coast GRC since 2015. Before he moved over, Pioneer SMC was helmed by Mr Cedric Foo for four terms, even after the single-seat constituency was carved out of West Coast GRC in 2011.
  10. ^ "ELD | 2011 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  11. ^ "What we know about Singapore's fourth Prime Minister Lawrence Wong". CNA. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Crowd at West Coast GRC event attended by DPM Wong remembers his time as MP there". The Straits Times. 12 August 2023. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  13. ^ "GE2015: PAP reveals candidates for Jurong GRC, Bukit Batok SMC". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Battleground Singapore: Who's standing where". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  15. ^ Mokhtar, Faris (18 January 2019). "Former presidential hopeful Tan Cheng Bock applies to form new party in political comeback". Today. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  16. ^ Rajah, Obbana (25 June 2020). "Lee Hsien Yang joins PSP because "the PAP has lost its way"". The Independent News. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  17. ^ Yun Ting, Choo (31 March 2019). "Tan Cheng Bock's Progress Singapore Party formally registered; party symbol to follow". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  18. ^ a b c "Election spotlight: PSP set to field A-team against PAP in new West Coast-Jurong West GRC". The Straits Times. 7 April 2025. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  19. ^ Taufiq Zalizan. "Iswaran handed 27 charges for corruption, receiving gratification as a public servant and obstructing justice". Today. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  20. ^ Iau, Jean; Zachariah, Natasha Ann (18 January 2024). "Iswaran resigns as Transport Minister, from the PAP amid charges including corruption". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 April 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  21. ^ "West Coast GRC renamed West Coast-Jurong West GRC, will absorb parts of Jurong". The Straits Times. 11 March 2025. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  22. ^ Ang, Hwee Min (11 March 2025). "GE2025: Major boundary changes to West Coast, East Coast and Marine Parade GRCs". CNA. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  23. ^ Koh, Fabian (11 March 2025). "GE2025: Extensive changes to electoral boundaries due to population shifts; only 5 GRCs, 4 SMCs left intact". CNA. Archived from the original on 2 August 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  24. ^ "1997 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  25. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary General Election 1997 > West Coast GRC". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  26. ^ "ELD | 2001 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  27. ^ "ELD | 2006 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  28. ^ "ELD | 2011 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  29. ^ "STATEMENT OF THE POLL AFTER COUNTING THE BALLOTS" (PDF). Elections Department Singapore. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  30. ^ "ELD | 2015 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  31. ^ "STATEMENT OF THE POLL AFTER COUNTING THE BALLOTS" (PDF). Elections Department Singapore. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  32. ^ "ELD | 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  33. ^ "Statement of Poll for the Electoral Division of West Coast" (PDF). Elections Department Singapore. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.