SINGAPORE - Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong said he will continue with the work he has done in Joo Chiat ward even after it is moved into East Coast GRC.

He told The Straits Times in an exclusive interview on March 12: “As far as Joo Chiat is concerned, given that it is largely intact, it doesn’t change my plans at all.

“Everything that I promised to do, I agreed to do, and we have embarked on, we will continue doing so. There’s no change to the expectation of the Joo Chiat residents,” added the minister, who has been an MP for Marine Parade GRC since 2015.

The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report released on March 11 stated that East Coast GRC will absorb the entire Joo Chiat ward, and part of Kembangan-Chai Chee ward, from Marine Parade GRC.

As for the rest of East Coast GRC, the team will come together to prepare for the general election once Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has decided on the slate of candidates, said Mr Tong.

Mr Tong said that while he was “somewhat disappointed” and has mixed feelings about the Joo Chiat ward being moved out of Marine Parade GRC, he is relieved that Joo Chiat remains intact.

“I’ve served here (Joo Chiat) for 10 years… I felt a little disappointed that we are going to be leaving the GRC,” said Mr Tong.

For the past decade, he has been working not just with the other MPs in Marine Parade GRC, but volunteers, grassroots leaders and colleagues at the People’s Association (PA), said Mr Tong, who is Second Law Minister and deputy chairman of PA.

He highlighted several initiatives launched under the Marine Parade GRC banner, including the WeCare programmes to help residents in need, the Caregiver support network that looks after the needs of caregivers in the constituency, and a free shuttle bus service to connect residents with amenities such as MRT stations, polyclinics and hawker centres. 

“My disappointment comes from having to leave these programmes and start afresh somewhere,” said Mr Tong.

“We’ll try and find a way to replicate these (programmes), but of course, we also need to find a way to synergise with the rest of the divisions that are there (in East Coast GRC), and that’s something that we have to think about as we go down this jour...