Potong Pasir
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Potong Pasir is a housing estate located between
Toa Payoh Toa Payoh (, ta, தோ பாயோ) is a planning area and matured residential town located in the northern part of the Central Region of Singapore. Toa Payoh planning area borders Bishan and Serangoon to the north, the Central Water Catc ...
and Sennett Estate in the Central Region of Singapore. For urban planning purposes, it is classified under the Toa Payoh area. Politically, Potong Pasir had been the longest-held opposition ward in one-party dominant Singapore. Its
Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
Member of Parliament
Chiam See Tong Chiam See Tong (; born 12 March 1935) is a Singaporean retired politician and lawyer who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Potong Pasir SMC between 1984 and 2011. He was one of the two opposition MPs in Parliament. Lawyer by profess ...
held the ward from 1984 to 2011. In 2011, the ward, led by Mrs. Lina Chiam, was lost to 3-time challenger Sitoh Yih Pin in what was the slimmest of margins of 114 votes, with 242 votes rejected. Mr. Chiam See Tong led a team of 5 to contest in the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC) during that
General Elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
. Potong Pasir is accessible by the MRT station on the
North East line The North East MRT line (NEL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. Operated by SBS Transit, it is the shortest MRT line at . The line runs from HarbourFront station in southern Singapore to Punggol station in the n ...
. The Potong Pasir Community Club in Potong Pasir hosts facilities such as a multi-purpose hall, activity rooms as well as a
KFC KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
outlet. The multi-purpose hall can be used as a badminton court and serves the residents of the state. There are private houses and condominiums located within the neighbourhood, in Sennett Estate.


History

From 1910 to 1937, it was dominated by sand-quarries, hence giving it its present name, which means 'cut sand' in
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
. These mining activities created four ponds linked to the
Kallang River The Kallang River (, ms, Sungei Kallang) is the longest river in Singapore, flowing for 10 kilometers. from the Lower Peirce Reservoir (originally named "Kallang River Reservoir") to the Kallang Basin. It originates in the planning ...
, although they were reduced to two due to massive flooding in 1968. The ponds provided a good source of food for the local village folk, until pollution set in later. In the mid 1950s, Potong Pasir was one of the most important vegetable growing areas in Singapore. The land here had been cultivated since the 1830s. The farmers there were almost all Cantonese and they used traditional methods with great success. Leafy vegetables were grown on farms located in lowland areas such as Potong Pasir,
Changi Changi () is a planning area located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah in the East Region of Singapore. Sharing borders with Pasir Ris and Tampines to the west, Changi Bay to the southeast, the South China Sea to the east and the Seran ...
, Ponggol, and
Sembawang Sembawang is a planning area and residential town located in the North Region of Singapore. Sembawang planning area is bordered by Simpang to the east, Mandai to the south, Yishun to the southeast, Woodlands to the west and the Straits of Jo ...
. Watercress was the most important type of vegetable grown in Potong Pasir. A small portion of farmland was used for planting coconut palms. Vegetable farming in Singapore was a family business. Farmers of Potong Pasir lived in attap houses, in zinc roof and semi-concrete houses. The general condition of the rural roads was poor. Most farmers in the area leased their land from the Government. During the early years, Potong Pasir was also a site of regular flooding. Villagers would take refuge in nearby St Andrew's School, which was on Woodsville Hill. Rapid change took place for the past five decades, with the building of a bridge across the ponds in the 1950s, a venue for education introduced in the form of a village community centre in 1952, piped water and electricity in the 1960s, and by the 1970s, most of the villagers had already started to move out as the land was acquired by the government for massive redevelopment. Hence, a public housing estate, Potong Pasir Estate, began to take shape in the 1980s, with construction commencing in 1982, and the first blocks completed two years later. The sloping roof of some blocks became the most recognisable icon of Potong Pasir. From then till now, the ward has managed to retain its idyllic feel even as the pace of urbanisation has caught up with other areas. Historically, a road called "Jalan Potong Pasir" used to cut through the area. This historic road has since ceased to exist, but it defined the lines of the Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency as it started the current Lorong 8 Toa Payoh at Braddell Road and ending at Potong Pasir Avenue 1 at
Upper Serangoon Road Hougang is a planning area and mature residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the most populous in the region, being home to 247,528 residents as of 2018. Hougang planning area is bordered by Sengkang to th ...
.


Political history

Potong Pasir is currently managed by Sitoh Yih Pin of the People's Action Party as of the recent 2020 General Elections. Before the 2011 General Elections, Singapore's then-longest serving opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and Secretary-General of the
Singapore People's Party The Singapore People's Party (abbreviation: SPP) is a political party in Singapore. History SPP was founded on 21 November 1994 by Sin Kek Tong, who led a pro- Chiam See Tong faction out of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). Over two years ...
(SPP) (previously
Singapore Democratic Party The Singapore Democratic Party (abbreviation: SDP) is a politcal party in Singapore. The party was founded on 6 August 1980 by Chiam See Tong. During the 1991 general election, Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen won Bukit Gombak SMC and Nee ...
(SDP) until 1994, and part of
Singapore Democratic Alliance The Singapore Democratic Alliance (abbreviation: SDA) is a political coalition between the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Singapore Justice Party (SJP) in Singapore. History Prior to the founding in 2001, then-opposition Member of Parli ...
(SDA) between 2001 and 2010),
Chiam See Tong Chiam See Tong (; born 12 March 1935) is a Singaporean retired politician and lawyer who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Potong Pasir SMC between 1984 and 2011. He was one of the two opposition MPs in Parliament. Lawyer by profess ...
, served this constituency from 1984 to 2011. Elections in Potong Pasir have always been intensely contested as the ruling
People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
attempted to win the constituency. The current People's Action Party candidate, Sitoh Yih Pin (who made his debut in
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
), has much support from the party, despite the last candidate, Andy Gan (who later went to serve
Marine Parade GRC The Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) located in the central, eastern and north-eastern areas of Singapore. The constituency consists of a section of Bedok, Chai Chee, Geylan ...
in 2001), who lost Potong Pasir from Chiam in the 1997 elections, even with the support the party gave him. In the 2006 elections, the People's Action Party promised extensive upgrading for Potong Pasir estate if Sitoh Yih Pin got elected as MP for the seat of Potong Pasir. Despite that, Chiam won for the sixth consecutive term, by a larger margin compared to 2001. In the 2011 elections, Lina Chiam, who took over the reins from incumbent Chiam See Tong (who contested and later defeated in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), lost to twice-unsuccessful challenger Sitoh Yih Pin of the People's Action Party by a mere 114 votes in a close 7973–7859 vote count. Chiam was however eligible for a seat in a
non-constituency Member of Parliament A Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) is a member of an opposition list of political parties in Singapore, political party in Singapore who, according to the Constitution of Singapore, Constitution and Parliamentary Elections Act, is ...
, by virtue she was the best performer among the losing candidates in this election; becoming the sole non- Workers' Party opposition member representing in the
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
following the election. In the 2015 General Elections, Sitoh Yih Pin successfully defended this ward to Lina Chiam, this time with 66.41% of the votes. Chiam was not given an NCMP and thus ending a 31-year streak where SPP represented an opposition ward since 1984. In the 2020 elections, Sitoh again re-elected for a third term defeating new candidate Jose Raymond in a 60.7%-39.3% vote.


Schools

Potong Pasir estate is home to St Andrew's Village, a mega cluster of schools part o
The Saints Family
It comprises St Andrew's Junior School, St Andrew's Junior College; together forming St. Andrew's School. The name of the school is usually abbreviated as SA or SAS. Its students and alumni ('Old Boys' and 'Old Girls') are referred to as Saints. In the 2000s, as part of the St Andrew's Village project, all three schools were planned to reunite in Potong Pasir. Renovation and expansion of the Junior School started in 2003, and the new buildings opened in December 2004. Construction of a new Secondary School started in 2003, opposite the Junior School along Francis Thomas Drive, and opened in December 2004. Construction of the Junior College started in June 2003 after the Secondary School vacated the site and shifted to its holding location. The Junior College opened in December 2005 and a ceremony was held to mark its return to Potong Pasir. The Village was officially opened on 26 August 2006, with the ceremony being held at the 1000-seater Cultural Centre in the Junior College.


External links


Jalan Besar Town Council
{{Authority control Serangoon Places in Singapore Housing estates in Singapore