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Sembawang GRC
Etymology: Sembawang Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) located in the northern area of Singapore.
Establishment: Sembawang GRC was created in 1988, where PAP has been uncontested at every general election until the general election in 2006. It is the electoral division in Singapore with the largest number of voters. The Workers' Party initially wanted to contest the GRC in the 2006 general election but ceded it to the Singapore Democratic Party.
MP: The Group Representation Constituency was led by Tony Tan who is currently the 7th President of the Republic of Singapore until his retirement in 2006. Currently, Sembawang GRC is led by National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan. Khaw Boon Wan is a Malaysian-born Singaporean politician. Since 2011, he has been Minister for National Development and the Chairman of the governing People's Action Party. He was previously the Minister for Health from August 2004 to May 2011. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2001.
Political Aspect: Sembawang GRC is maintained by Sembawang Town Council.
History: The Sembawang area in the early twentieth century was the site of the Nee Soon Rubber estate. During the colonial times, Sembawang was home to a major British naval base, its construction of which began in 1928 and was completed in 1938. The base included dockyards, wharves and workshops, as well as supporting administrative, residential and commercial areas. The Naval Base has since been handed over to the Singapore government, which in 1968 converted it into a commercial dockyard (as Sembawang Shipyard, now part of Singapore Exchange-listed SembCorp Marine) that went on to become Sembawang Corporation, a major state-owned industrial conglomerate.
Nee Soon GRC
Etymology: Nee Soon GRC originally came from the previous single member constituency, Nee Soon Constituency. It should not be confused with the latter as the former was formed under the 2011 General Election. The new Constituency was thereby named Yishun as a large part of its boundary is entailed by it.
Establishment: The GRC is formed during 2011 election, which absorb former Nee Soon Central SMC, Nee Soon East SMC and 2 divisions from Sembawang GRC and a division from Ang Mo Kio GRC.
MP: Nee Soon GRC is currently led by Law Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs K. Shanmugam.
He started his career practising law after being admitted into Singapore Bar as an adovacate and solicitor in 1985.
Shanmugam had a successful practice and was consistently recognised in various international publications as one of the top litigation, arbitration and insolvency counsel in Asia. Adding on to that, in 1998, Shanmugam became one of the youngest lawyers to be appointed a Senior Counsel of the Supreme Court of Singapore at the age of 38. Shanmugam became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1988 when he was elected as a member for the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency. Following the 2011 general election, Shanmugam relinquished his portfolio as Minister for Home Affairs and was made the Minister for Foreign Affairs, while continuing to serve as Minister for Law.
Political Aspect: Nee Soon GRC consist of four defunct constituencies, which are, Nee Soon Central SMC, Nee Soon East SMC, 2 divisions from Sembawang GRC and a division from Ang Mo Kio GRC.Chairman of Sembawang Nee Soon town council Vikram Nair said: "The main benefit would be economies of scale, which can lead to cost savings. A large town council would have more bargaining power in relation to subcontractors and can spread out fixed overheads over a larger scale. Also, as mentioned above, disruption to residents would be minimised because SNTC is essentially serving the same areas it previously served.
Nee Soon GRC is largely comprised of the town area that is named after, Yishun.
History: Yishun is the Mandarin romanisation of Nee Soon, named after the "pineapple king" and rubber magnate, Lim Nee Soon. Nee Soon was one of the pioneers that opened up Sembawang. Nee Soon served on the Rural Board from 1913 to 1921 and was also appointed a Justice of Peace. In the field of education, he was one of the founders of Chinese High School and also a member of the Raffles College Committee. Nee Soon Road was officially named in 1950 by the Rural Board to facilitate postal services. Nee Soon was a leading member of the Teochew clan association poit ip huay kwan, and was a close friend of Dr Sun Yat Sen.
