The secretary-general of People’s Power Party (PPP), Goh Meng Seng, whose party scored 28.3% of valid votes in wards contested at the 2020 GE said that they will be back for the next GE.
At a walkabout on Sunday (12 Jul), he thanked the residents of MacPherson and posted a message on Facebook saying, “We will be back!”
PPP only contested in Macpherson SMC with Goh himself going up against Tin Pei Ling of People’s Action Party (PAP).
Goh’s last GE?
During the campaigning, Goh in fact told the media that 2020 GE will be his last contest in a general election (‘Singapore GE2020: Last GE contest for PPP’s Goh Meng Seng‘, 28 Jun).
He said he had initially planned to stay in politics for 15 years or three election cycles. But this would be his fourth. He said, “When I first got involved in politics, I told my wife to give me 15 years. But now I might be crossing 20 years… My daughter, who wasn’t even born then, has now grown up… I don’t want to put my family through too much.”
“Every election, we lose money. I even sold my flat to finance the second one,” he added, referring to the 2011 General Election where he contested Tampines GRC on the National Solidarity Party ticket.
At the 2015 GE, he set up PPP to contest in Chua Chu Kang GRC, where his party only secured 23.1% of valid votes.
Goh Meng Seng a former “A team” candidate for WP
Goh first joined politics through WP in 2001. He became a WP CEC member later. In 2006 GE, he was part of WP’s “A team”, contesting together with Sylvia Lim in Aljunied GRC. The team garnered a respectable 43.9% of the votes at the time, finished as one of the top performers among the oppositions.
But soon after 2006 GE, Goh was embroiled in an Internet forum “brawl”, with mudslinging and name-calling aplenty.
A netizen subsequently sent a complaint letter to WP, complaining about Goh’s unruly conduct online. He commented that Goh was narrow-minded to have called a forum participant “scheming” and “lacking in integrity” after “losing an argument”. He also thought Goh had threatened to sue another forum participant for implying that Goh visited the www.sggirls.com forum.
Defending his actions, Goh told the media at the time, “What I said could have been harsh but you have to look at it in context. People who argue with me will find me argumentative. But since his agenda is questionable, I am not going to engage him in discussions any more.”
Following the online fracas, Goh resigned to take responsibility for tarnishing the reputation of WP. In fact, had he not involved in the online squabble and continued to stay on in WP, he would likely have been fielded again in the following 2011 GE in Aljunied and win the election to enter Parliament together with Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang.
Goh helps PAP increase its percentage vote
Even though Goh said 2020 GE would be his last, it’s not known if he meant the party or himself will be contesting again in the next GE when he said they will be back.
In any case, comparing the GE results of 2020 with those of 2015, the percentage vote of PAP dropped in almost all constituencies except for Mountbatten and MacPherson SMCs. Among the 2, PAP’s percent vote increased the most in MacPherson with 6.14%. PAP should be glad that Goh had contested.
(PAP percent vote dropped in most constituencies from last GE except MacPherson and Mountbatten)