The chief of Progress Singapore Party (PSP), Dr Tan Cheng Bock, said on Monday that the location of his party’s new headquarters in Bukit Timah gives it a base to branch out to the rest of the island.

But he declined to be drawn into saying whether it indicates where the party intends to contest in the next general election.

“The location is always very important because it is your headquarters. You can move all over the island from this centre point. So I find that this is really the right place,” he said.

Dr Tan, who is PSP’s secretary-general, was speaking at the launch of the headquarters, which is on the 14th floor of Bukit Timah Shopping Centre and sited in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

Talk is rife that he will lead a team to contest West Coast GRC, which includes his former Ayer Rajah single-member constituency, where he was the MP for 26 years.

He had said “I’m coming home” earlier this month during the party’s walkabout in West Coast GRC.

At Monday’s launch, he said establishing the headquarters shows the party is in “for the long haul”.

“It signifies that we are a very serious player. We are not just coming here to fight one general election,” he said.

The next election has to be held by April next year.

Dr Tan also said it was important for party members to have a place they can call home, where they can go to at all times of the day.

The headquarters will hold party activities such as forums and meetings, which were previously held at Dr Tan’s home in Holland Grove Drive or at various hotels.

SERIOUS PLAYERS

It signifies that we are a very serious player. We are not just coming here to fight one general election.

DR TAN CHENG BOCK, the chief of Progress Singapore Party, on how establishing a headquarters shows that the party is in for the long haul.

Last December, the party organised a talk by veteran architect Tay Kheng Soon at Village Hotel Katong.

The party’s launch in August last year was held at Swissotel Merchant Court.

Dr Tan said as he mentors and grooms younger people to take the party forward, he is also working on familiarising Singaporeans with the party’s symbol and colours, so that “in the event of an election, we are recognisable”.

He is “worried” that some people still associate the party with him alone, pointing out that “a political party is an institution”.

A party needs “good people to come in and form it”, he said.

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