THOR - The HOugang Rematch

It’s like World Cup season just that it’s not about football. The election fever is back, but this time it’s happening at the hottest and most controversial SMC in Singapore: the resilient Hougang. The mighty hammer and irrepressible lightning bolt will meet again in another historic battle after GE2011 last year. WP-PAP showdown will be on 26 May 2012 for an ultimate providence of Hougang after Yaw Shin Leong was expelled from the WP in Feb this year.

After GE2011, the nationwide mood has plunged into deeper darkness. In the last 6 months, the PAP was faced with tumultuous series of misfortunes – influx of FT, high cost of living, ponding problems, and transport woes. The Prime Minister, his cabinet members and the PAP's glorified prestige have been repeatedly stricken. Many Singaporeans have lost hope and rising call for change continue to plague Singapore’s social media.

Despite these dark shadows, PAP Desmond Choo, who has been nominated as the hopeful candidate in Hougang appears rather positive as he is doomed to face an uphill battle against the confident WP Png Eng Huat. Last May, Desmond reaped 35.2 per cent of the votes from Hougang residents. On the contrary, Png scoring a respectable 45.2 per cent against the PAP at East Coast GRC which was the WP's third-best result in GE2011.

Hougang has been a WP's stronghold for so many years, thus it is challenging for PAP to wrest control from WP. Many speculated that the opposition will retain Hougang with a narrower margin because of the impact of extramarital affair allegations by Yaw, who is still tight-lipped about the whole saga. Not surprising, PM Lee has leaped on this opportunity to criticize the WP and Yaw for failing to give a full account of the allegations as well as his expulsion.

Despite their loyalty and kinship with WP, Hougang residents described the PAP rookie as hardworking and sincere young man. Now take your pick, a new kid on the block with an innocent face or a weather-beaten face with vast experience? The fate of Hougang depends on some 23,000 eligible and hopefully smart voters.