Once hailed as Singapore’s next Prime Minister, Heng Swee Keat was noticeably absent from the refreshed People’s Action Party (PAP) slate for East Coast GRC announced on 15 April, raising questions about the fate of his much-touted “East Coast Plan.”
Heng had moved from Tampines GRC to East Coast GRC in a surprise shift just days before the 2020 General Election, anchoring a closely contested team that leaned heavily on his national stature.
During the campaign, he famously introduced the “East Coast Plan”—a vision to uplift the constituency—though details at the time were scant.
It wasn’t until nearly five years later, in January 2025, that Heng finally unveiled a key component of the plan: the development of PlayHubs and PlayLinks for East Coast residents.
Yet, with construction only slated to begin in late 2025, voters will not see the fruits of that promise before they return to the polls.
This slow rollout is likely to prompt further scrutiny of Heng’s legacy in East Coast GRC, particularly as his 2021 decision to step aside from the PAP’s succession plan already sparked a national debate about his political durability.
Heng cited a lack of “sufficient runway” to lead Singapore, a phrase that has since followed him as both a personal admission and a political metaphor.
While Heng had stressed the need for “years of meticulous planning” during his January announcement, others may point to the snail-paced progress as a gap between rhetoric and delivery.
In his absence, the PAP unveiled a new slate and a revamped vision for East Coast GRC under the campaign slogan “Making the East Side the Best Side.” It remains unclear where Heng Swee Keat will be fielded in the upcoming election, if at all.
The promises are now housed under a newly launched website, oureastcoast.sg, which lays out plans organised around eight thematic pillars—from learning and caregiving to sustainability and community-building.
At a media briefing, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, now the apparent frontman for East Coast GRC, said the constituency had moved past the infrastructure phase and would focus on shaping residents’ lived experiences.
“We are going to take off from there and construct a plan moving forward, based on how our residents would like to use the facilities,” he said.
Straits Times’ report on the unveiling of new website
But the plan’s emphasis on experience over “how many footpaths or how many walkways,” as Tong put it, may come across as abstract for residents still waiting on earlier promises to materialise.
The 2020 website—eastcoastplan.sg—which was meant to crowdsource ideas from the ground, has since been taken offline without explanation, raising doubts about whether resident input ever played a real role in shaping policy.
With oureastcoast.sg now taking its place, one might reasonably wonder if this too will fade into digital oblivion once the ballots are cast and the election dust settles.
Meanwhile, the new East Coast team includes Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, Deputy Speaker Jessica Tan, and new faces Hazlina Abdul Halim and Goh Pei Ming.
Hazlina replaces Minister Maliki Osman, who announced his departure from electoral politics on 12 April.
A former media personality and CEO of Make-A-Wish Singapore, Hazlina represents a fresh face amid the familiar PAP brand.
The updated East Coast Plan outlines broad aspirations—youth development, support for caregivers, pet-friendly amenities, and sustainability initiatives such as EV chargers and green spaces.
But it remains to be seen whether these will resonate with voters who remember the fanfare of 2020 and are still waiting to see its results.
In politics, as in planning, the runway is only as long as the public’s patience.
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