View source for Cheng San Group Representation Constituency

{{Short description|Electoral division in Singapore}}
{{distinguish|Cheng San Single Member Constituency}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox constituency
| name = Cheng San
| type = Group Representation
| parl_name = [[Parliament of Singapore]]
| image = 
| image_size = 
| caption = 
| region = 
| electorate = 
| year = {{start date and age|1988}}
| abolished = {{start date and age|2001}}
| members = Constituency Abolished
| seats = 5
| party = 
| local_council_label = Town Council
| local_council = 
| next = [[Aljunied Group Representation Constituency|Aljunied GRC]] <br> [[Ang Mo Kio GRC]] <br> [[Punggol East SMC]] <br> [[Sengkang West SMC]] <br> [[Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC]]
| previous = [[Cheng San Single Member Constituency]] <br> [[Chong Boon Single Member Constituency]] <br> [[Jalan Kayu Constituency]]
}}
'''Cheng San Group Representation Constituency''' ([[Simplified Chinese]]: 静山集选区;[[Traditional Chinese character|Traditional Chinese]]: 靜山集選區) was a defunct [[Group Representation Constituency]] (GRC) in the [[North-East Region, Singapore|North-eastern]] region in [[Singapore]]. The GRC consisted of the eastern part of [[Ang Mo Kio]], [[Jalan Kayu]], Seletar Hills, part of [[Serangoon]] North, a large part of [[Hougang]], [[Buangkok]], and the whole of [[Sengkang New Town]] and [[Punggol New Town]]. 

The last Members of Parliament (MPs) for the GRC were [[Lee Yock Suan]], [[Heng Chiang Meng]], [[Michael Lim Chun Leng]], [[Zainul Abidin Bin Mohamed Rasheed]] and [[Yeo Guat Kwang]] from the [[People's Action Party]] (PAP).

==History==

The GRC was established in 1988, following the establishment of GRC and [[Single Member Consituency]] (SMC),<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 June 1988 |title=13 GRCs for next general election |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19880615-1.2.2 |access-date=13 March 2025 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=1 |via=[[NewspaperSG]]}}</ref> by merging the [[Cheng San Constituency|Cheng San]], [[Chong Boon Constituency|Chong Boon]] and [[Jalan Kayu Constituency|Jalan Kayu Constituencies]]. 

In the [[1991 Singaporean general election|1991 general election]], the constituency was enlarged to include the former [[Punggol Single Member Constituency|Punggol]] ward. For the [[1997 Singapore general election|general election in 1997]], parts of the Chong Boon division of the GRC, bounded by Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, [[Central Expressway, Singapore|Central Expressway]] and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, were transferred to [[Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency|Ang Mo Kio GRC]]. The GRC was an opposition favourite in the 1991 election, and was hotly contested in the 1997 general election between [[People's Action Party]] and [[Workers' Party of Singapore|Workers' Party]]. The Punggol district were split into 3 wards which are Punggol Central, Punggol East and Punggol South as a result of the growing population of Hougang to suppress the population of Sengkang and Punggol since 1999 and it necessitated the redrawing boundaries. After a hotly contested election in 1997, the GRC was split and subsumed into three GRCs in [[2001 Singapore general election|2001 general election]]. The GRCs which absorbed Cheng San GRC were [[Ang Mo Kio GRC]], [[Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC]] and [[Aljunied GRC]] due to [[Redistricting|redrawing]] of electoral districts by the [[Elections Department]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/today20011025-2.2.60.24.1?ST=1&AT=search&k=Cheng%20San%20GRC&QT=cheng,san,grc&oref=article|title=The Closest Fights|work=The Straits Times|access-date=15 August 2017}}</ref>

Due to the unclear separation of power between the [[Prime Minister's Office (Singapore)|Prime Minister's Office]] and the [[Elections Department]], the [[Opposition (parliamentary)|Opposition]] has often criticised the absorption of Cheng San GRC as [[Gerrymandering#Singapore|gerrymandering]] on the part of the ruling party.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

=== 1997 general election ===
Cheng San GRC became the hotspot constituency during the 1997 General Elections. The PAP team led by the Minister for Education [[Lee Yock Suan]], faced a contest by a Workers' Party (WP) team led by its Secretary-General [[Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam]] and [[Tang Liang Hong]], a senior [[lawyer]].

[[Prime Minister of Singapore]] [[Goh Chok Tong]], PAP's Secretary-General, and his two deputies from the PAP actively campaigned for the PAP's candidates in the Cheng San GRC. Goh described himself as "a special candidate" of the [[constituency]] and declared that his [[credibility]] and [[reputation]] as Prime Minister were at stake in the contest. The PAP campaign took on a two-pronged focus. Firstly, the PAP accused Tang of being anti-Christian and a [[China|Chinese]] chauvinist, labelling him a "dangerous man". Secondly, the Prime Minister told Cheng San voters that if they returned PAP candidates to power in the election, they would get a host of benefits. These included access to better transport facilities such as the MRT and LRT, new housing projects, such as Punggol 21, and opportunities to upgrade their HDB apartments and public housing estates. The PAP emphasised that constituencies that failed to return PAP candidates to power would not receive priority in government upgrading programmes and might end up becoming slums.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

The WP's rallies in Cheng San GRC attracted huge crowds. On the eve of Polling Day, 50,000 people attended the WP rally at [[Yio Chu Kang Stadium]]. However, the news coverage of this astounding turnout was disproportionately understated, causing much online criticism of ''[[The Straits Times]]'' in reporting objectively.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

On Polling Day, several PAP ministers, including [[Goh Chok Tong]], [[Tony Tan]] and [[Lee Hsien Loong]] were within the precinct of polling stations in Cheng San GRC, although they were not themselves candidates in the constituency. The WP believed that this violated the ''Parliamentary Elections Act,''  as unauthorised personnel are prohibited from polling stations by election law to prevent undue influence and harassment on voters and staff''. ''The Workers' Party's candidates filed police reports,<ref>{{Cite news|title=WP lodges police complaint against ministers' presence|date=7 January 1997|work=The Straits Times}}</ref> citing the violation of two sections of the Parliamentary Elections Act:
* Section 82(1)(d): "No person shall wait outside any polling station on polling day, except for the purpose of gaining entry to the polling station to cast his vote".
* Section 82(1)(e): "No person shall loiter in any street or public place within a radius of 200 metres of any polling station on polling day."
Their complaints were not prosecuted by the police, on the advice of the [[Attorney-General]] (AG) [[Chan Sek Keong]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Waiting, loitering in poll station not an offence: A-G|date=31 July 1997|work=The Straits Times}}</ref> Chan, in his letter to the [[Ministry of Law (Singapore)|Minister of Law]], interpreted the statute as being irrelevant to people within the polling station, and that remaining within the polling station itself, as opposed to being within a perimeter of 200 meters from the external walls of the polling station, was not an offence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.singapore-window.org/ag0721.htm|title=Unauthorised persons inside polling stations: Attorney General's letter|date=21 July 1997|website=www.singapore-window.org|access-date=15 August 2017}}</ref> He added that "the possibility of a person inside a polling station influencing or intimidating voters in the presence of the presiding officer and his officials, the polling agents etc was considered so remote that it was discounted by the Act."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/resource/NonPDF/1997/19970730/19970730-HA-0671417.htm|title=written opinion - Presence of Unauthorised Persons Inside Polling Stations, Appendix (Cols. 1417 - 1424)|website=sprs.parl.gov.sg|access-date=15 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815174755/http://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/resource/NonPDF/1997/19970730/19970730-HA-0671417.htm|archive-date=15 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The WP then questioned if the AG was suggesting that it was acceptable for people to enter and loiter on the grounds of the polling station instead of outside the station.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.singapore-window.org/0715st.htm|title=WP asks Public Prosecutor to explain stand on PAP men at polling station|date=15 July 1997|work=The Straits Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005190032/http://www.singapore-window.org/0715st.htm|archive-date=5 October 2012}} [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Issue/straitstimes19970715-1.aspx Alt URL]</ref> Later, WP renewed its call for a multi-party Election Commission to ensure fair play in the conduct of Parliamentary elections.

WP lost in Cheng San GRC, obtaining 44,132 votes, which was 45.2% of the valid votes in the constituency of approximately 98,000 voters. Cheng San GRC ceased to exist in the next election and thus was redrawn into several neighbouring constituencies.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Why Cheng San is no more|last=Wee|first=Desmond|date=18 October 2001|work=The Straits Times}}</ref>

==Members of Parliament==
{| class="wikitable" align="center" style="text-align:center"
! Election  || Division  || Members of Parliament || colspan="2" |Party
|-
| colspan="5" bgcolor="black" |<span style="color:white;">'''Formation'''</span>
|-
|[[1988 Singaporean general election|1988]] || 
* [[Cheng San]]
*[[Chong Boon]]
*[[Jalan Kayu]]
|| 
* [[Lee Yock Suan]]
* [[Sitaram Chandra Das]]
* [[Heng Chiang Meng]]
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="{{party color|People's Action Party}}" | || rowspan="3" | [[People's Action Party|PAP]]
|-
|[[1991 Singaporean general election|1991]] ||
* [[Cheng San]]
*[[Chong Boon]]
*[[Jalan Kayu]]
*[[Punggol]]
|| 
* [[Lee Yock Suan]]
* [[Sitaram Chandra Das]]
* [[Heng Chiang Meng]]
*[[Michael Lim Chun Leng]]
|-
|[[1997 Singaporean general election|1997]] ||
* [[Cheng San]]
*[[Jalan Kayu]]
*[[Punggol Central]]
*[[Punggol East]]
*[[Punggol South]] 
||
* [[Lee Yock Suan]]
* [[Heng Chiang Meng]]
*[[Michael Lim Chun Leng]]
*[[Zainul Abidin Bin Mohamed Rasheed]]
*[[Yeo Guat Kwang]]
|-
| colspan="5" bgcolor="black" |<span style="color:white;">'''Abolished (2001)'''</span>
|}

== Electoral results ==
{{small|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 1980s ===
{{Election box begin no change| title=[[1988 Singaporean general election|General Election 1988]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=ELD {{!}} 1988 Parliamentary General Election Results |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1988.html#C |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=[[Elections Department Singapore]]}}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link|party=People's Action Party|candidate=[[Chandra Das S]]<br />[[Heng Chiang Meng]]<br />[[Lee Yock Suan]]}}
{{Election box registered electors no change|
 | reg. electors=56,352}}
{{Election box new seat win|
 |winner = People's Action Party
 |swing = }}
{{Election box end}}

===Elections in 1990s===
{{Election box begin | title=[[1991 Singaporean general election|General Election 1991]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=ELD {{!}} 1991 Parliamentary General Election Results |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1991.html#C |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=[[Elections Department Singapore]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Singapore Parliamentary General Election 1991 > Cheng San GRC |url=https://sg-elections.com/general-election/1991/cheng-san-grc.html |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=sg-elections.com}}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link | party=People's Action Party | candidate=[[Chandra Das S]]<br />[[Heng Chiang Meng]]<br />[[Lee Yock Suan]]<br />[[Michael Lim]] | votes=54,963 | percentage= 64.05 | change=N/A}}
{{Election box candidate with party link | party=National Solidarity Party (Singapore) | candidate=Pok Lee Chuen<br />Chng Chin Siah<br />Gertrude Magdeline De Gracias<br />Chng Wee Hong | votes=30,849 | percentage=35.95 | change=N/A}}
{{Election box majority | votes=24,114  | percentage=28.10 | change=N/A}}
{{Election box total valid | votes=85,812  | percentage=96.77 | change=N/A}}
{{Election box rejected | votes=2,864  | percentage=3.23 | change=N/A}}
{{Election box turnout | votes=88,676 | percentage=95.37 | change=N/A}}
{{Election box registered electors | reg. electors=  92,979 | change={{increase}}65.0}}
{{Election box hold with party link | winner = People's Action Party | swing = N/A}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=[[1997 Singaporean general election|General Election 1997]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=ELD {{!}} 1997 Parliamentary General Election Results |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1997.html#C |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=[[Elections Department Singapore]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Singapore Parliamentary General Election 1997 > Cheng San GRC |url=https://sg-elections.com/general-election/1997/cheng-san-grc.html |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=sg-elections.com}}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=People's Action Party | candidate=[[Lee Yock Suan]]<br />[[Yeo Guat Kwang]]<br />[[Zainul Abidin (politician)|Zainul Abidin bin Mohamed Rasheed]]<br />[[Heng Chiang Meng]]<br />[[Michael Lim]] | votes=53,553 | percentage=54.82 | change={{decrease}}9.23}}
{{Election box candidate with party link | party=Workers' Party of Singapore | candidate=[[Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam]]<br />[[Tang Liang Hong]]<br />Tan Bin Seng<br />Huang Seow Kwang <br />Abdul Rahim bin Osman | votes=44,132 | percentage=45.18 | change=N/A}}
{{Election box majority | votes=9,421  | percentage=9.64 | change={{decrease}}18.46}}
{{Election box total valid | votes=97,685  | percentage=98.18 | change={{increase}}1.41}}
{{Election box rejected | votes=1,812  | percentage=1.82| change={{decrease}}1.41}}
{{Election box turnout | votes=99,497 | percentage=96.30 | change=N/A}}
{{Election box registered electors | reg. electors=103,323 | change={{increase}}0.93}}
{{Election box hold with party link | winner = People's Action Party | swing = {{decrease}}9.23}}
{{Election box end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==
*[[Cheng San SMC]]
*[[Eunos Group Representation Constituency]]

{{Constituencies of Singapore}}

[[Category:Singaporean electoral divisions]]
[[Category:Ang Mo Kio]]
[[Category:Hougang]]
[[Category:Punggol]]
[[Category:Sengkang]]
[[Category:1988 establishments in Singapore]]
[[Category:2001 disestablishments in Singapore]]
[[Category:Constituencies established in 1988]]
[[Category:Constituencies disestablished in 2001]]