The People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR) plans to field 14 candidates across five single-member constituencies (SMCs) and two group representation constituencies (GRCs) in the upcoming general election, said its secretary-general Lim Tean on April 18.
PAR will contest Potong Pasir, Mountbatten, Radin Mas, Queenstown and Yio Chu Kang SMCs, as well as Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar GRCs. The alliance will not run in Marymount, Kebun Baru, or Jalan Kayu to avoid overlapping with other opposition parties.
Potong Pasir SMC, long held by opposition veteran Chiam See Tong until 2011, is shaping up to be a three-way contest involving PAR, the PAP, and the Singapore People’s Party. “We will 100 per cent contest Potong Pasir,” said Mr Lim, highlighting it as one of the party’s strongest areas.
Speaking at a walkabout in Pek Kio, Mr Lim introduced two new candidates: Ms Vigneswari Ramachandran, 43, an early childhood educator expected to run in Jalan Besar GRC, and Mr Mahaboob Batcha, 57, an oil and gas company director set to contest Queenstown SMC. Both are longtime residents in their respective constituencies.
They join four earlier-announced candidates: Mr Lim, party treasurer Mohamad Hamim, CEC member Chiu Shin Kong, and lecturer Michael Fang, who will stand in Yio Chu Kang.
PAR is a coalition of Peoples Voice, the Reform Party, and the Democratic Progressive Party. A fourth partner, People’s Power Party, exited the alliance in February due to strategic disagreements.
Mr Lim said the PAR manifesto, to be released before Nomination Day (April 23), will span 15 pages and focus on five key issues: cost of living, public housing affordability, job insecurity, immigration, and institutional reform.
In 2020, the PAP won both Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar GRCs with over 60% of the vote. This year, GE2025 is set to be a full contest across all 93 seats, with polling day on May 3.
