Tanjong Pagar GRC

Etymology: Tanjong Pagar GRC is currently a five-member Group Representation Constituency in central Singapore consisting of five divisions, namely Buona Vista, Queenstown, Tanglin-Cairnhill, Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru and Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng.

Establishment: The GRC was first formed in 1991, but has undergone many changes to date. When first formed, the GRC absorbed all the areas of the Tanjong Pagar SMC, Tiong Bahru SMC, and Tiong Bahru GRC.(All these constituencies  are now defunct). In the most recent change in 2011, the area of Buona-Vista was absorbed from the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and the areas of Tiong Bahru was merged into the GRC.

MP: Tanjong Pagar GRC is famous for being led by the late former Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Under his leadership,the GRC was won by the PAP every single time with walkover victories since its establishment in 1991. Other than the achievements that Mr Lee is well-known for, one less-mentioned fact is that he continued to serve the Tanjong Pagar GRC as an elected member of parliament even after he left the cabinet in 2011. He served the GRC for nearly 60 years until he passed away in 2015. Also an interesting fact about Tanjong Pagar GRC is that given the large number of divisions splitting off from the GRC and forming a new one of their on, former MPs of the Tanjong Pagar GRC often move on to become an MP of new GRCs. A more well-known minister who did this is current minister  of transport Mr Lui Tuck Yew, who became a MP for the Moulmein-Kallang GRC when it was split off from tanjong pagar in 2011. Other MPS of the Tanjong Pagar GRC includes Lily Neo, Chan Chun Sing, Chia Shi-Lu and Indranee Rajar.

Political Aspect: The Tanjong Pagar town council manages the Tanjong Pagar GRC.

History: The presence of the Orang Laut or "Sea Nomads" who were fishermen on a visit to Tanjong Pagar in 1822. Originally called Slintar (Selintar), it was a mere fishing village when first identified. In the 1830s, Tanjong Pagar had been an extensive nutmeg plantation with other fruit plantations dotting the land. Its estates were named after various European plantation owners such as Duxton, Spottiswoode, Everton, Raeburn and Guthrie. The later's 12.555 ha (31 acre) nutmeg plantation was called "Guthrie's Village". In 1859, Captain William Cloughton built the first dry dock, "No. 1 Dock". With the advent of steamships in early 1860s and the consequent growth of shipping, wharves were built by the privately owned Tanjong Pagar Dock Company. Tanjong Pagar Road became one of the main thoroughfares for the transportation of goods between the docks and godowns along Singapore River. The development of the "New Harbour" was a major impetus to the economic growth of Tanjong Pagar. In 1905, the government bought over the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company and formed the Tanjong Pagar Dock Board. The operation was taken over by the Singapore Harbour Board in 1912 which gave a major face-lift to the harbour replacing the old wooden wharves with concrete ones and adding the best technology of the day to improve port operations. The Jinriksha Station (1903) and the Singapore Railway Station (1935) were located at Tanjong Pagar.

 

 

Moulmein-Kallang GRC

Etymology: Moulmein-Kallang Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency, and therefore an electoral district composed of several city suburbs surrounding the Central Area of Singapore.

Establishment:The GRC was formed in 2011 general election, absorbing most parts of the Jalan Besar GRC and the Moulmein ward of Tanjong Pagar GRC.

MP: Moulmein-Kallang GRC is led by Minister of Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim who is also Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs.

Political Aspect: The ward saw a contest in the 2011 general election between the incumbent People's Action Party and a rookie team from the Workers' Party of Singapore. The National Solidarity Party had expressed interest in contesting the constituency, but dropped out to avoid a three-cornered fight. The PAP emerged victor with 44,828 votes or 58.56% of the total ballot for the electoral division. Incidentally, this was the highest vote percentage for the PAP in a Workers' Party contested constituency.

History: The Kallang River which meanders through the area is famous for its water sports. The source of the river is the Lower Pierce Reservoir, and at more than 10 kilometres, it is the longest river in Singapore.