Barring last-minute changes, the People’s Action Party (PAP) will show its hand “well before” Nomination Day, PAP organising secretary Ng Eng Hen revealed today (July 30).

The PAP’s line-up of candidates across the 29 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) would be all but revealed prior to the day when candidates officially confirm their candidacy for the General Election (GE), he said.

… Associate professor Alan Chong from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies felt that by showing its hand early, PAP could put pressure on opposition parties to reveal their line-ups as well. “It always helps to unveil new candidates early because then residents can get to know them and size them up. It’s a show of confidence (by the PAP), and it signals to whichever opposition party that if it wants to contest, it had better consider carefully,” he said.