WP's Andre Low on PAP's Ng Chee Meng: He has 3 stars and I don't have any, but I offer a different proposition
WP's Andre Low speaking to voters at Fernvale Hawker Centre on April 27.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Ong Chin Wee
PUBLISHED ON
April 27, 2025 10:40 PMBy
Syarifah Nadhirah
Andre Low, the Workers' Party's (WP) new face, said he and his opponent Ng Chee Meng from the People's Action Party (PAP) — who are contesting for Jalan Kayu SMC — represent "two very different kinds of candidates".
Speaking to the media during a doorstop interview at Fernvale Hawker Centre on Sunday (April 27) with party secretary-general Pritam Singh and party chair Sylvia Lim, Low, 34, said he hopes residents from the constituency will "put their trust" in WP.
"We (him and Ng) are over 20 years apart in age
. He is a scholar and a general. He's reached the very top of the military career pathway, and I spent my entire career in the private sector through many different roles...
"I feel like it's time for Jalan Kayu residents to make a choice if they want a different kind of parliamentarian — someone fresh, someone energetic, someone with new ideas."
When asked about the challenges he is facing for the contest, Low told AsiaOne: "I don't think this is a challenge per se, but I still see myself as the underdog here. Mr Ng comes with a star-studded CV.
"He has three stars to his name and I don't have a single one to mine, but like I said before, I think I offer a different proposition."
In the 2020 General Election, Ng, 56, lost to the WP team for Sengkang GRC but remained as NTUC's secretary-general. He was also a one-time MP for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC from 2015 to 2020
.
WP's Andre Low during his walkabout at Sengkang on April 27.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Loo Hui Ping
Ng was formerly the chief of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) from 2009 before being appointed as the Chief of Defence Force in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 2013.
He left SAF in 2015 and made his debut in politics the same year.
Low urged voters to choose between someone "experienced in the old way of doing things" or someone who "offers a fresh perspective".
He remarked how he relishes the challenge, before adding: "He (Ng) represents a lot of things that I do not like about the way Singapore is governed today."
When asked to elaborate, he highlighted the "scholar general pathway which is oversaturated".
"(There is) also a lack of transparency and accountability. I'm not saying this about specifically Mr Ng, but the administration at large.
"Singapore is asking for more accountability, more open communication. We want to know why decisions are being made, not just after they have been made... So that is why I decided to step up," he said.
Low also emphasised that he doesn't want to be complacent.
"I believe every vote counts. So if my message has resonated with you, please do help share with your friends and family, and I hope that we can pull ourselves across the finish line in first place."
https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/w...-stars-pap-ng-chee-meng-jalan-kayu-smc-ge2025