General Election 2025

[LITTLEREDDOT]

News analysis​

GE2025: WP bets on Punggol, Tampines GRCs to make further inroads​

Kenneth Cheng and Wong Pei Ting

WP's Punggol GRC team, consisting of Mr Harpreet Singh (left), Ms Alexis Dang (third left), Ms Alia Mattar (third right) and Mr Jackson Au (right) with residents outside Punggol MRT station on April 23.ST PHOTO: NADINE CHUA
UPDATED Apr 24, 2025, 05:57 AM

SINGAPORE – As the hustings kick off for the general election, the opposition WP has sent some of its strongest new candidates to Punggol and Tampines GRCs.

After months of speculation on where it would field them for the polls, all was revealed on Nomination Day on April 23.

Senior counsel Harpreet Singh and three other new faces were confirmed on the WP ticket for Punggol GRC.

They will face off at the May 3 polls against a PAP team headed by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong in the new group representation constituency.

Elsewhere, WP vice-chairman Faisal Manap has left the party’s Aljunied GRC crown jewel to contest Tampines GRC with four others, pitting the team against the PAP and two other opposition parties in a four-cornered fight.

It is apparent that the party has steered more of its new heavyweight candidates into the two GRCs, which are expected to face stiff electoral battles.

Besides sending Mr Singh to Punggol, the party has fielded Institute of Mental Health senior principal clinical psychologist Ong Lue Ping, former diplomat Eileen Chong, and start-up co-founder Michael Thng, a graduate of Harvard University, in Tampines.


Associate Professor Eugene Tan, a political analyst and law don at the Singapore Management University, is of the view that the WP has assessed its prospects – outside of the areas in which it is the incumbent – to be the best in Punggol GRC.

“They are gunning to repeat their famous victory in Sengkang GRC, in Punggol GRC,” said Prof Tan.

In 2020, the WP prevailed over the PAP in the newly created Sengkang GRC, winning 52.12 per cent of the vote.

Conversely, the firepower that the PAP has deployed in Punggol – where it has three political office-holders, DPM Gan, Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and Minister of State Sun Xueling – indicates that the ruling party is “determined to avoid a Sengkang 2.0”, Prof Tan added.

The WP’s slate in Tampines and Punggol has led some to wonder if the opposition party has deprioritised East Coast GRC, which it narrowly lost in the 2020 polls, with 46.61 per cent of the vote.

In the eastern electoral hot spot, the party is fielding former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong; payment expert Jasper Kuan; former US Navy administrator Paris V. Parameswari; lawyer Sufyan Mikhail Putra; and second-time candidate Nathaniel Koh, an IT professional.

That said, political watchers do not consider the WP’s East Coast slate to be weak.

Dr Felix Tan, an independent political observer, said the teams the WP has put forward this time round are “all worthy candidates with strong credentials”.

He said those with higher profiles in East Coast GRC include Mr Yee and Mr Kuan, a former Mastercard director who is now the Asia-Pacific product lead for disputes solutions at Visa Worldwide.

In East Coast, Mr Yee could be making another attempt to “redeem himself”, especially as he had contested in Joo Chiat before, added Dr Tan, who is from the Nanyang Technological University’s School of Social Sciences.

In 2011, Mr Yee, an education entrepreneur, squared off against PAP veteran Charles Chong in the former Joo Chiat SMC. Mr Chong won 51.02 per cent of the vote, and Mr Yee was appointed a Non-Constituency MP as the “best loser” in that election.

With Mr Yee leading the team into the 2025 election, Mr Kuan can focus on drawing support from younger voters, said Dr Tan.

Tampines GRC: Master stroke or miscalculation?​

Taking some by surprise was the WP’s absence from Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, which it has contested in the past two elections since 2015.

This led to a walkover on April 23 for the PAP team in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC – the first at a general election since 2011.

Some sceptics have branded this a miscalculation that could undo the WP’s decade-long progress in Marine Parade.

Yet, between the two constituencies, the ground is more ripe for the picking in Tampines GRC, said analysts.

Associate Professor Bilveer Singh, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, said it was a “master stroke” for the WP to place bigger bets on Tampines.

“There is no miscalculation in Tampines. If the WP contests Marine Parade, it will be the biggest miscalculation.”

He noted that the absorption of MacPherson SMC into Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC altered the battlefield significantly and made it even harder to win there.

Dr Gillian Koh, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said the WP’s move was an “acknowledgement that the PAP hold there is strong and this is especially after it incorporated MacPherson SMC”.

The PAP’s Ms Tin Pei Ling won 71.74 per cent of the vote there in 2020.

Aljunied GRC and WP’s broader strategy​

In the lead-up to candidate nominations on April 23, there was also talk that WP chief Pritam Singh, chair Sylvia Lim or policy research head Gerald Giam could move out of Aljunied GRC to contest elsewhere.

That did not materialise. The trio has stayed put, seeking to defend the constituency with Mr Kenneth Tiong and Mr Fadli Fawzi.

Dr Koh said it was surprising that none of the most seasoned WP leaders moved to anchor constituencies that the party is seeking to make inroads into.

“It could be that they place a very high premium on the relationships they have on the ground, and that newcomers have to build up their own standing on the ground even if they might not be successful,” she added.

On the whole, the WP is fielding more candidates this election than in the last. Its 26 candidates are being deployed across five group representation constituencies and three single seats.

Besides Punggol, Tampines and East Coast GRCs, it is in the running for Aljunied GRC, which it has held since 2011, and Sengkang GRC. It is also contesting Hougang – a traditional WP stronghold – as well as the new Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat seats.

This means it will contest one more GRC and one more SMC in 2025 than it did in 2020. That year, it fielded 21 candidates across four GRCs and two single seats.

This, said SMU’s Prof Tan, indicates an incremental approach to its growth as Singapore’s leading opposition party, and that the party is not seeking to upend the one-party dominant system in a single election.

“For now, it is signalling to voters that they should support WP in the quest for a ‘balanced’ political system,” he said.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

GE2025: PAP’s Nee Soon GRC team launches manifesto titled ‘Nee Soon: Residents First’​

The five-member PAP team, led by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, launched its manifesto on April 24 at the party’s Chong Pang branch.ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN

Deepanraj Ganesan
Apr 24, 2025


SINGAPORE – More childcare and eldercare facilities, better access to key transport nodes including the North-South Corridor, and improved infrastructure such as sheltered walkways and barrier-free spaces are some of the new developments coming to Nee Soon if the five-member PAP team contesting the group representation constituency is elected.

The team, led by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, announced this on April 24 at a press briefing to launch its manifesto, “Nee Soon: Residents First”, at the party’s Chong Pang branch.

He added that the manifesto addresses concerns of residents such as cost of living, jobs, housing and healthcare.

Newcomer Jackson Lam, 40, the head of a pest control and cleaning company who served as branch secretary of Chong Pang from 2017 to 2023, said at the launch that residents have also approached him for help with municipal issues and short-term assistance.

The manifesto detailed upcoming works in the area such as 25 new covered linkways and upgrades to 20 playgrounds and 22 elderly and adult fitness corners. The team also highlighted enhancements that have been made over the past five years, including more than 1,800m of new linkways, 14 fitness corners and spaces, 26 new playgrounds, a 26.5km cycling path network and nine community gardens.

On the upcoming contest against Red Dot United (RDU), Mr Shanmugam said the election is ultimately about what each team can offer Nee Soon residents, who now have a choice.

He said: “The residents will have to say who they believe can do the best for them. Both at a national level, because we are part of a larger team in Parliament, and at the local level.”

One of RDU’s proposals was for the goods and services tax (GST) to revert to 7 per cent, which the party’s secretary-general Ravi Philemon said would put more money in people’s pockets.

In response, Mr Shanmugam noted that Singapore is facing issues on a national level, such as an ageing population and serious healthcare needs, which require necessary measures to be put in place.

He said that the GST is primarily paid by the top income earners and redistributed across the population, and he wished that the opposition would “make that clear too”.

“I think it’s important that we make that clear, rather than saying some things which are maybe only partially accurate,” he said.

In the upcoming general election, a refreshed PAP slate featuring Mr Shanmugam and four new faces will take on an RDU team led by Mr Philemon.

Besides Mr Lam, the other political newcomers in the PAP team are former Nominated MP Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 40; Ms Lee Hui Ying, 36, director of communications at Temasek Foundation; and Ms Goh Hanyan, 39, a former director at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.

The RDU team led by Mr Philemon includes party chairman David Foo, 60, and three first-timers – Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad, a 57-year-old private school teacher who is the party’s head of policy and its Malay bureau; Mr Pang Heng Chuan, 56, a tech start-up business director; and Ms Sharon Lin, 40, a senior consultant in the IT sector.

In the 2020 General Election, the PAP secured 61.9 per cent of the vote against the Progress Singapore Party in Nee Soon GRC.

On April 23, Nomination Day, after the candidates’ nominations were confirmed, Mr Shanmugam told the media that on top of the Budget 2025 vouchers announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to help with cost of living, additional resources are available to Nee Soon residents.

Mr Shanmugam said: “We have, at the local level, many assistance schemes as well, targeted at those who need help, both on the education side as well as on the cost-of-living side, and to deal with multiple issues.”

These include initiatives such as the Nee Soon Cares vouchers programme, which allows eligible residents to redeem a one-off $40 voucher that can be used at selected market and food stalls in the area.

On April 23, PAP’s Sembawang GRC team also launched its manifesto, titled “Sembawang, For Everyone”.

The five-member PAP team announced several new developments in Sembawang, such as a rail line to Johor Bahru, the North-South Corridor, new cycling trails and integrated development Woodlands North Coast.

The manifesto also detailed updates to the area over the past five years, including replacing or enhancing 765 lifts, upgrading 3,138 HDB flats and disbursing $2,527,683 through local assistance schemes.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

‘Nothing untoward’ about WP decision not to contest Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC: Pritam​

WP chief Pritam Singh (third from left) speaking to reporters after a walkabout in Sengkang on April 24. With him are WP chair Sylvia Lim (second from right) and the party's Sengkang GRC candidates (from left) Jamus Lim, Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, He Ting Ru and Louis Chua.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

Kok Yufeng
Apr 24, 2025


SINGAPORE - WP chief Pritam Singh has defended the party’s decision not to field a team to contest Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, saying there was “nothing untoward” about its election planning.

The WP has drawn flak from other opposition parties for pulling out of Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, which led to an unexpected walkover win for the PAP on Nomination Day.

Speaking to reporters on April 24 after a walkabout in Sengkang, he said: “We put forward the best slate of candidates we can for Singapore. We want a more balanced political system. And this is the same point I made yesterday to some Marine Parade residents whom I met.”

“I acknowledged and validated their disappointment that we were not standing there, but after I explained it to them, after I shared with them the reality of boundaries being redrawn, the reality of our own calculations as a party... I think they understood where I was coming from,” he added.

Former WP chief Low Thia Khiang, who turned up in Sengkang on April 24 to stump for the WP candidates along with former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat and WP chair Sylvia Lim, admitted that the WP’s failure to contest Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC disappointed voters but said there was “no other way”.

He told Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao that political parties face realistic resource constraints when campaigning, and it is impossible to contest in every constituency. He said: “You can’t go everywhere, so you must make choices. In this case, there is really no other way.”


Some of the opposition parties that raised a stink over the walkover in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC had argued that this could have been avoided if the WP had given them notice.

To this, Mr Singh said: “It is not as if some of these opposition parties... approach us and say, ‘Can I stand here, can I stand there’. So I think we respect them. We respect their agency. They make decisions in their enlightened self-interest. So do we.”

Asked to respond to criticism by the People’s Power Party (PPP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng that the WP was being irresponsible, Mr Singh replied: “Mr Goh should focus on the campaign in Tampines.”

The WP is set to face a four-cornered contest against the PAP, PPP and the National Solidarity Party in Tampines GRC, where it has fielded Institute of Mental Health senior principal clinical psychologist Ong Lue Ping, former diplomat Eileen Chong, startup co-founder Michael Thng and business owner Jimmy Tan.

Mr Singh said he believes multi-cornered fights will be the norm in Singapore’s political scene, “but that shouldn’t dissuade us from putting a value proposition forward to Singaporeans for a rational, responsible party in Parliament”.

He said the WP has been walking the ground in Tampines even before the 2020 general election and had wanted to field a team there then, but it did not have a good enough group of candidates who were ready to step forward.

“We’ve got a strong slate today, and it was only natural and logical that we would move into Tampines,” he added.

On Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s comments on April 23 explaining the rationale behind the last-minute changes to the ruling party’s line-up, Mr Singh reiterated the point that the WP is a “small party”.

He said: “We don’t think north, south, east, west... At the end of the day, the PAP has different considerations. I can understand that.”

Turning to Punggol GRC, the WP chief said he believes the party has put up a strong team to contest the newly-created four-member constituency, where a fresh-faced slate led by senior counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal will face off against a seasoned PAP team helmed by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.

Asked what he thought about the WP’s chances there in the light of DPM Gan’s surprise move to the north-east on Nomination Day, Mr Singh said he will leave it to Punggol voters to make their choice.

Mr Singh said he believes the WP’s slate in Punggol can represent the interests of residents faithfully and run a town council well.

“I think they can do well in Parliament too,” Mr Singh said of the four-member slate, which also comprises new faces Ms Alexis Dang, 39, senior director of publisher business development at an advertising tech firm; Ms Siti Alia Abdul Rahim Mattar, 43, legal counsel; and Mr Jackson Au, 35, senior manager of corporate affairs and marketing with the London Stock Exchange Group.

In what is expected to be a fierce contest, they will come up against DPM Gan, Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, 52, Minister of State Sun Xueling, 45, and first-term MP Yeo Wan Ling, 48.

On Sengkang GRC, where the WP has retained its incumbent MPs in what is a largely untouched slate, Mr Singh said the party had different considerations here.

Ms He Ting Ru, Mr Louis Chua and Associate Professor Jamus Lim will stay to defend the four-member GRC, joined by new face Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik.

Said Mr Singh: “This particular team has worked very well on the ground. They’ve been highly effective in Parliament... They’ve also been very aggressive in seeking funding for improvements around the town.”

He added: “One looks at the whole package. Ultimately, the key decision for us to make was (that) this is a team that is defending its ground for the first time. So we wanted a team which had a longer history with the voters in Sengkang.”

The PAP, which lost Sengkang GRC in 2020 by a margin of about 4 percentage points, is fielding a younger, refreshed team led by former senior minister of state for transport and health Lam Pin Min.

Asked how this would change the WP’s approach, Ms He said the WP team will continue to do its work.

“We continue putting our forward our vision for Singapore,” she added, citing the Sengkang Town Council’s five-year town masterplan, which was launched earlier in April, as an example.

Over their five-year term as first-time MPs, she said she, Mr Chua and Prof Lim have understood the “multidimensional role” that they play - first and foremost as parliamentarians, and as elected town councillors in charge of municipal issues.

“The glue that really holds everything together are the people of Sengkang,” she added.

She said the incumbent Sengkang GRC MPs are also happy to have Mr Muhaimin, who has experience working in a town council in a technical role, on their team.

The senior property manager at Aljunied-Hougang Town Council is expected to fill the empty seat in the Sengkang GRC slate vacated by former WP MP Raeesah Khan in 2021, after she resigned for lying in Parliament.

Responding to a question about this, Mr Muhaimin said: “I believe the residents of Sengkang will not dwell too much on the past. I hope that I can bring something to the team, and work for Singapore and work for Sengkang.”