General Election 2025

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GE2025: Meaningful opposition needed for PAP to govern Singapore better, says Chee Soon Juan​

SDP chief Chee Soon Juan signing autographs for attendees after the party's lunchtime rally at UOB Plaza on April 29.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Shabana Begum and Lee Li Ying
Apr 29, 2025

SINGAPORE - Voters should see through the “propaganda” that the PAP is an exceptional party which does not need an elected opposition to hold them accountable, SDP chief Chee Soon Juan said on April 29.

In his lunchtime rally speech, the opposition politician listed a litany of missteps by the PAP government in the last few years to urge voters to send the Singapore Democratic Party’s candidates to Parliament.

Dr Chee also led the SDP’s call for Singaporeans to reject the PAP’s “fearmongering” that more opposition in the House would weaken the Government’s ability to field a strong team.

Speaking at UOB Plaza a day after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s Fullerton rally on the same stage, Dr Chee cited the PAP government’s “scandals and screw-ups” to argue that Singapore would be stronger with more opposition MPs.

Among the cases he cited were Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s handling of former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan Jin’s affair, the Ridout Road rentals by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, the “bungled” SimplyGo roll-out by the Land Transport Authority, and the six-day East-West Line MRT breakdown in September 2024.

Dr Chee also highlighted the $3 billion money laundering case, and remarked that it was why “Singapore is now called the world’s laundromat”.

“Believe me, there are other screw-ups which I can list out, but you have to go back to the office,” he told the downtown crowd during the sweltering afternoon rally.

These incidents showed that the PAP is not the exceptional party it says it is, said Dr Chee, who is standing in the new Sembawang West SMC.

“And if you’re not exceptional, then be humble, don’t demand exceptional salaries,” he said in a 20-minute address. “Most of all, acknowledge and accept the fact that the PAP needs meaningful opposition in Parliament to govern Singapore better.”

Dr Chee said times have changed, and Singaporeans want a more democratic system where the Government censors less and listens more.

He added that it did not look like PM Wong was off to a promising start, and cited how the prime minister had called for elections just one month after new electoral boundaries were announced.

This sent the message that PM Wong was “cut from the very same, old PAP cloth”.

“When the (PAP) started off, yes you could say that our first generation of ministers, they were capable and competent,” he said. But the quality of its present ministers, the younger set of leaders, leaves very much to be desired.”

SDP chairman Paul Tambyah, who also spoke at the rally, said he was puzzled when current PAP leaders said more opposition in Parliament would be bad for Singapore.

He recounted how he learnt survival skills by competing against the world’s best medical practitioners during his post-graduate training in the US.

“I firmly believe that healthy competition can only make someone better,” said Professor Tambyah, as he urged young people to “give the PAP a chance to improve” by voting for opposition candidates on May 3.

SDP’s candidate for Sembawang GRC, Dr James Gomez, said it was “nonsense” that the PAP would not be able to govern effectively if there were more opposition MPs.

At a rally on April 27, SM Lee had urged Singaporeans not to vote against the PAP in the hope of getting two or three more opposition MPs into Parliament, as this could lead to a loss of key ministers and put the Government “in some trouble”.

Dr Gomez said such logic was unbelievable, and came from the PAP’s desperation. “Losing ministers will be a problem for the PAP, not for Singaporeans.”

He added: “If (PM) Wong says that his team can only function when given unchecked power, then the problem is not with us Singaporeans, but with the PAP - a PAP that fears scrutiny.”

Dr James Gomez said it was “nonsense” that the PAP would not be able to govern effectively if there were more opposition MPs.ST PHOTO: KEVIN KIM
An effective government is one that has accountability, transparency, and debate, with MPs that challenge bad policies, added Dr Gomez, who is SDP’s deputy policy head.

“With SDP MPs in Parliament, there will be no more sleeping on the job,” he said. “If anyone sleeps in Parliament, you can rest assured that the SDP MPs will give them a tight slap of questions that will wake them up.”

SDP’s youngest candidate, Arrifin Sha, 27, called on the crowd to reject “the PAP’s fear tactics”, and to picture Dr Chee winning in Sembawang West SMC, Prof Tambyah in Bukit Panjang SMC, and the WP prevailing in Punggol GRC and Jalan Kayu SMC

“Keep that feeling in your hearts, hear that noise, because on May 3, it will be 10 times louder than this,” he said.

Speaking to reporters after the rally, Dr Chee said the PAP can “stomach losses here and there” and still form a Cabinet.

“The whole premise of PAP’s election message so far is just on fear…Oh you adopt SDP’s proposal, there’ll be retrenchments. You vote for the opposition, you won’t have good ministers,” he said.

“It’s just this kind of fearmongering, it is so stark (compared to) what we’re telling Singaporeans: Go vote with hope.”

 

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GE2025: 7 election rallies to be held on April 30​

The rallies on April 30 are scheduled to run from 7pm to 10pm.ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

Vihanya Rakshika
Apr 29, 2025


SINGAPORE - Seven election rallies are set to take place on April 30, with just three days before close to 2.75 million Singaporean voters head to the polls on May 3.

The rallies on April 30 are scheduled to run from 7pm to 10pm.

Details of the April 30 rallies are as follows:

In earlier advisories, police said rally attendees are strongly encouraged to take public transport as large crowds are expected at the venues.

Motorists travelling near the rally sites should anticipate traffic diversions and potential lane closures. They are also encouraged to tune in to radio stations for real-time traffic updates.

Carparks in the area may be reserved for season parking holders only. Vehicles that are illegally parked or are causing major obstruction risk being towed away.

Security checks will be carried out in and around the rally venues, and members of the public are advised to avoid bringing large bags or any dangerous items.

Attendees are also warned not to bring items that are disallowed at rallies, such as laser pointers, canned drinks, night sticks, fireworks and firecrackers.

Other banned items include parts of firearms, live and blank bullets, spear guns, air pistols and handcuffs.

 

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GE2025: Minimum wage will lift salaries, drive employers to redesign jobs, says PSP’s Lawrence Pek​

Progress Singapore Party’s Lawrence Pek at Teck Whye on April 19.ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Osmond Chia
Apr 29, 2025


SINGAPORE - Businesses should be expected to bear the additional costs of a proposed universal minimum wage, which Singapore must consider to draw more local workers back to the workforce amid rising costs of living and automation, said the Progress Singapore Party’s Lawrence Pek.

The opposition party had earlier proposed a $2,250 minimum monthly wage for all Singaporean workers, and is now calling for the Government to study its feasibility.

“The ball is in the Government’s court to properly study it,” Mr Pek told The Straits Times in an interview at Chua Chu Kang on April 29.

Mr Pek, 55, is a new face in the PSP’s four-member slate contesting Chua Chu Kang GRC.

He was rebutting remarks made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at PAP’s Fullerton rally on April 28. At the rally, PM Wong took aim at PSP’s call for an across-the-board minimum wage of $2,250, stating that such a policy would only accelerate inflation as companies pass down the costs of higher wages to consumers, and deter local hiring.

Mr Jeffrey Siow, a PAP candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC, had earlier also cast doubt on the policy’s feasibility, saying that Mr Pek’s pro-business and pro-minimum wage positions are contradictory.

Singapore currently adopts the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), an initiative that aims to sustainably raise lower-wage workers’ incomes by linking wage increases to skills upgrading, productivity improvements and career progression.

But Mr Pek said the PWM is outdated and that a universal minimum wage can be feasibly implemented here.

He said it is up to businesses to re-organise the “shape, size and scope” of their firms to cope with and adapt to the cost of paying higher wages.

“The minimum wage, when imposed by any government, will force business owners to do what we call job redesign,” said Mr Pek.

For instance, companies can expand the roles and responsibilities of employees to justify a higher wage.

“If I choose to have an organisation in Singapore, it is incumbent upon me to redesign jobs based on existing labour and trade laws… such that my company can be profitable,” he said.

Mr Pek, the former secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, which advocates for manufacturing firms here, said that much of his views on the policy were shaped when he started a business in China and had to pay a minimum wage there.

As a business owner, he said he redesigned jobs by merging roles such as finance and human resources, and consolidating overlapping functions in supply chain management and logistics to justify the higher wage.

Asked if fewer people would be employed due to roles being merged, Mr Pek clarified that the PSP’s minimum wage proposal is not to create jobs, but to lift the salaries of lower wage workers in Singapore to protect them.

He added that the proposal for a minimum wage is not a political tool, but an economic one, as it protects the local workforce from rising cost pressures and difficult employers.

This was also in response to Mr Siow’s previous remarks that PSP’s minimum wage policy is more of a political tool than a practical solution.

Mr Pek shared a personal anecdote about a friend in his 60s who had been job hunting for over a year, but eventually turned down an offer that paid just $1,400 a month.

“He rejected the job for a very simple reason: How can I live with $1,400?”

While acknowledging that some businesses under cost pressures might opt to pass those costs to consumers should a minimum wage policy be implemented, Mr Pek pointed out that those who resort to raising prices will ultimately lose out.

Organisations will price their goods and services according to demand and supply instead of deciding based on costs, he said, rebutting PM Wong’s comments that companies will raise prices to recuperate their higher wage bills.

“It is wrong to do that. That is an academic understanding of how businesses work,” said Mr Pek.

He said the Government should play a role to support companies as they raise wages, adding that the PSP is ready to work with them on the implementation.

Mr Pek, who co-authored an article on the minimum wage policy with economist and former WP MP Leon Perera, said their research began in response to PM Wong’s 2024 interview before taking office as Prime Minister, where he expressed openness to reviewing policies.

He noted that the Government has instead rejected “the very premise of a universal minimum wage”. He said this comes even as thought leaders like former Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Ravi Menon and former National Wages Council chairman Lim Chong Yah had suggested implementing such a policy, or to review it.

A minimum wage is unlikely to make a dent in income inequality but can lift the wages of those in the lower income brackets, Mr Menon said then, adding that the policy could complement the PWM.

Mr Pek added that advanced countries like China and Australia have also adopted a minimum wage.

“How do we take this forward? We want to engage the Government in the study of these policies,” he said.

Mr Pek later visited residents at Keat Hong with fellow PSP candidates Wendy Low and S. Nallakaruppan. They commented on other remarks PM Wong made at the Fullerton Rally, including that more opposition will weaken the PAP and cause it to lose candidates who are serving as ministers.

Mr Nallakaruppan, 60, a stockbroker, said: “If that’s the case, then I worry for the Government, because they don’t have the relevant bench strength.”

Ms Low, 48, said that the role of Manpower Minister, for instance, has seen changes every few years. The current minister, PAP’s Dr Tan See Leng, is also contesting Chua Chu Kang GRC.

The lawyer said: “I think there will be other colleagues of his who can step up to take over that portfolio.

Coalition governments have also been successful elsewhere in the world, she said, citing PM Wong’s comments made in 2024 that opposition parties could potentially win enough seats to form a coalition and run the government this election.

Ms Low said: “That might be a healthier process of making sure that we are getting the best representations to form the Cabinet in Singapore.”

 

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GE2025: PAP Punggol team will set up new town council if elected, says DPM Gan​

DPM Gan Kim Yong speaking to residents during a walkabout at One Punggol Hawker Centre on April 29.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Ng Keng Gene
Apr 29, 2025

SINGAPORE – If elected, PAP’s Punggol GRC team will form a new town council that will be chaired by Minister of State Sun Xueling, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.

Speaking to reporters at One Punggol on April 29, DPM Gan said a new town council is needed as the existing Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council has been dissolved, with the two towns split into different constituencies for the 2025 General Election.

Besides DPM Gan who helms the PAP’s four-member slate, the other team members are incumbent Pasir-Ris Punggol MPs Yeo Wan Ling, Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and Ms Sun, the incumbent MP for Punggol West. The single seat has become part of the new Punggol GRC.

DPM Gan said residents have been open with him and given their feedback during his walkabouts in the town since Nomination Day on April 23.

“It’s not all positive. They don’t say ‘oh good job, please carry on’. Some of them are quite honest, quite open and say that they’ve got problems here,” he said.

“I know that wherever I go, wherever I came from, there will always be issues because the world is not perfect,” he added.

DPM Gan was moved to helm the PAP’s Punggol team in a surprise Nomination Day switch. He had been the anchor minister for Chua Chu Kang GRC.

“You know my style in handling a crisis... we want to be transparent and open,” said DPM Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry.

He had co-chaired the multi-ministry taskforce tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, and now heads another taskforce looking into the impact of American tariffs on Singapore.

DPM Gan gave examples of issues that Punggol residents have raised, including connectivity issues on their mobile phones when they were making calls in basement carparks.

He said he will oversee the Northshore area if his team is elected.

Problems that residents have raised to him will be “addressed seriously and robustly”, he added.

“I cannot promise I will solve all the problems, but I promise that I will do my level best to improve the situation in Northshore, the environment, as well as to continue to increase connectivity,” he said.

During the 14th Parliament’s term, Northshore came under Dr Janil’s Punggol Coast ward, while Ms Yeo oversaw the Punggol Shore area, which covers estates in the south-eastern end of the town.

Northshore residents have also flagged workmanship issues with their recently-completed Housing Board flats and interactions with wildlife, among problems, DPM Gan said.

“I promised them that I will sit down and work with the relevant agency to see how we can reduce the population of monkeys to make sure that at least our residents in the Northshore will feel safe,” he said.

He added that Punggol residents have also requested for more covered linkways.

Addressing the town’s younger voters, he noted that there is a wide age gap between the PAP team’s candidates – Ms Sun, the youngest, is 45, while DPM Gan, the oldest, is 66 – and said they have in total about five decades of experience in running town councils.

“Experience counts, but at the same time, we are quite open, we are quite flexible, and we are really keen to engage and listen to our younger generation,” he said.

 

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GE2025: Banners, banter and ballots – a tale of four constituencies​

Thrust into one of the fiercest political spotlights of this election, voters are only too aware of the weight their decision carries. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Wong Kim Hoh
Apr 29, 2025

SINGAPORE – The people of East Coast GRC are used to choice.

Daily, they have their pick of the “big three” hawker centres in Bedok – at blocks 16, 58 and 216 – and soignee Joo Chiat cafes, newly drawn into the GRC. Nightly, cocktails at modish bar Santai or supper in the noirish light of Simpang Bedok.

So, too, politically. Since 2006, the eastern idyll has flirted with the opposition in a near quarter-century game of “will they, won’t they”, always returning a credible result, but no prize, for the WP.

Leaning against a BMW coupe in Siglap, a resident considers his options: White or blue, “it’s a win-win for us”.

The project manager in his 40s, who gives his name as Mr Lim, is undecided on his vote. His dilemma is personal. A Joo Chiat resident, he is part of the 40,675 electors hived off from the old Marine Parade GRC, familiar with the rival leaders of the PAP and WP teams.

“For Edwin Tong, he’s done a lot. The cleanliness of the roads, the infrastructure, the new Siglap Community Club,” says Mr Lim. “But I also like Yee Jenn Jong. He’s humble, present. I always see him.”

Mr Tong, the Culture, Community and Youth Minister, has for a decade been MP overseeing the comfortable suburb, while the WP man has run in Joo Chiat since 2011, when it was a single seat, losing by a hair of 388 votes that year. And he “never left” the turf, says Mr Lim.

It is ground the two brand name parties seem to think sweet. The WP withdrew from the recast Marine Parade GRC once the ward was split from it. The PAP is likely hoping it will tip East Coast a touch whiter after its bruising narrow win in 2020.

Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong (second from right) with (from left) PAP’s East Coast GRC candidate Hazlina Abdul Halim and retired PAP MP Cheryl Chan greeting residents during a walkabout at 85 Fengshan Centre on April 25.ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
The tree-lined streets, or lorongs, of Telok Kurau, give little away. Here on a Saturday in mid-April, pampered pooches – some in strollers – have compelled their owners into a community pet walk. The “guest of honour” is Mr Tong, whom a spiffy-looking resident calls “Edwin” as he goes in for a handshake. The minister is in jeans and breezy short sleeves, an attire that puts him right at home with his friendly constituents.

Then, four attendees interviewed confess indecision.

Voters in the silk-stockinged enclave say Mr Yee, who came out of retirement to run, is a strong contender, but lifelong Simei resident Ms Sea, 27, says WP has fielded its second string.

Go farther east, it seems, and the talk gets louder, positions firmer.

At the smoking corner of a Bedok coffee shop, two men, both around 60, have flipped their colours. One, a retired sales and marketing man, will vote PAP, sensing a drift into two-party politics.

“I have never voted for them, but I’m very worried they will lose the two-thirds,” he says, referring to the parliamentary supermajority that gives a ruling government the ability to amend the Constitution. “The world is in a very challenging time and I realised the opposition is being very populist.” Besides, he says, Mr Tong brought in Coldplay.

The other, forced into entrepreneurship after losing his job, will go blue for the first time. “When Lee Kuan Yew was in power, I would vote PAP any time,” he says.

In usually mealy-mouthed Singapore, East Coast residents seem to need no prodding to talk politics.

At a pub in Simpang Bedok – where the waitress still calls you “sayang” – an 80-year-old retired businessman lets forth in Hokkien on the ills of the group representation constituency system.

One week from Polling Day, at the Block 58 marketplace, the WP team is on an early morning walkabout. In under five minutes, four people approach Mr Yee to pump his hand and wish him luck. He dips his head to listen to them, revealing a sparse combover.

His younger associate, Mr Jasper Kuan, talks policy with two attentive middle-aged women. They bow and thank each other after – “for listening”, “for trying”.

WP East Coast GRC candidates (in blue, from left) Nathaniel Koh, Jasper Kuan, Paris V.Parameswari, Yee Jenn Jong and Sufyan Mikhail Putra Mohd Kamil greeting residents at 16 Bedok South Market & Food Centre on April 29.ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Still, there are quieter declarations. At the wet market, a cosmetics store displays a small PAP flag.

End to end, the temperament of each neighbourhood differs, first subtly, then starkly. In Simei, residents keep to themselves and the coffee shops have no need for banners, ubiquitous in Bedok, exhorting diners to keep it down.

But as any “Eastie” worth his salt, like Simei native and musician Mr Lim, will tell you: “I’m a bit irritated that it’s the PAP slogan, but east side is really best side.”

‘No contest is like eating rice without fish’​

While East Coast voters thrive on the thrill of contest and the luxury of political choice, just a short distance away in Marine Parade, the mood could not be more different.

On a Saturday morning in the middle of April, residents file into Marine Terrace Market, trailed by the brassy chords of a busker’s harmonica. Above the ambient chatter, hawkers dish out bowls of lontong and plates of chee cheong fun.

The morning’s tranquillity is punctuated by the giddy roar of the nearby town carnival. Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, who many assumed before Nomination Day would lead the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC team at the 2025 polls, ascends the stage to launch a new five-year masterplan for the town.

Dr Tan is no stranger here. In recent weeks, he seems to have redoubled efforts in the neighbourhood, going door to door to meet constituents every other day.

The message is clear: He is gearing up for a showdown. For weeks now, there have been signs. Hawkers in Marine Terrace report an uptick in politician sightings. In MacPherson, the WP’s new face, Mr Harpreet Singh, was spotted walking the ground in March.

The sleepy district has stood staunchly behind the PAP’s Ms Tin Pei Ling since 2015, with 71.74 per cent of voters casting their ballots for her in the 2020 General Election. Still, a sense of restlessness hums in the air. In an ageing estate buffeted by rising prices, residents are hungry for change.

Down south, resident Christopher Lim, 34, is looking forward to a fight.

“Of course, as voters, we love a little bit of excitement, especially if it’s in our backyard,” he says.

Then April 23 arrives. The PAP team turns up at the nomination centre at Kong Hwa School, but Dr Tan is missing from their ranks. And the WP is a no-show.

PAP’s Marine Parade-Braddell Heights team, consisting of (from left) Mr Goh Pei Ming, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng and Ms Diana Pang, took the GRC in a walkover. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Retiree Jane Goh, 63, is on a ferry back from Batam when she hears about the walkover. To her, it feels like a slap. “It’s the last-minute nature of the switch that shocks us.”

Mr Lim feels Dr Tan should have stuck around longer to build a stronger rapport with residents.

“I think it’s important to understand that our trust in the PAP MPs is derived from a longstanding political legacy that is rooted in consistent performance,” he says.

Some residents confront the WP’s East Coast team during their walkabouts in the neighbouring ward. Others vent their frustrations online, with one comment reading: “Don’t nd to bother come back here. I will not vote for u.” (sic)

“It’s no good,” mutters 70-year-old retiree Ray Chang, shaking his head. “No contest is like eating rice without fish.”

Food delivery man Noor Hidayat, 49, says he will be spending the weekend of May 3 in Kuala Lumpur and Melaka. “Don’t need to vote, that means can go on holiday already lah!”

By the end of Nomination Day, the rest of Singapore is draped in the relevant paraphernalia. In Still Road, a banner of the WP’s East Coast team has unfurled. But on the other side of the border, the lamp posts remain bare.

‘What has the other side offered?’​

As Marine Parade’s political drama fades into anti-climax, the pulse of the election beats on in the heartland of the west.

Just before 8am on a Saturday morning, a small crowd is gathered at Teban Gardens Food Centre, waiting to celebrate the birthday of an 85-year-old man.

Sandwiched between Pandan Reservoir and the Ayer Rajah Expressway in Singapore’s west coast, the estate feels a little off the beaten track – the nearest MRT station is a good 20-minute bus ride away in Jurong East.

Over at AJ Cooked Food Stall in the food centre, Mr Choa Sian Choon, 58, watches the morning’s unusual bustle with quiet curiosity.

“I’ve been working here six months, but I’ve never seen them before,” says the cook, nodding at the group of about 20 people clad in bright red PSP polo shirts.

“The other ones, I see them around once a week. They’re familiar faces,” he says, referring to the PAP volunteers who make regular rounds.

When the stall’s owner mentions that a birthday celebration is about to kick off, Mr Choa perks up.

Teban Gardens is in the heart of Ayer Rajah, a constituency that Dr Tan Cheng Bock, now celebrating his 85th birthday, represented in Parliament for 26 years until 2006, when it was absorbed into West Coast GRC. During the last general election, he led a team which contested West Coast and lost narrowly to the incumbent PAP team in the election’s tightest race.

Five years later, he is back. But with constituency lines redrawn to rope in Jurong Spring and Taman Jurong, a new question hangs in the air: Will the 158,836 voters of the new West Coast-Jurong West GRC still remember the good doctor?

This Saturday morning, some clearly do.

Teban Gardens resident Alfred Hong (right) greeting Dr Tan Cheng Bock, former MP and PSP’s candidate for West Coast-Jurong West GRC, during the latter’s walkabout on April 26. ST PHOTO: ELIZABETH LAW
One resident, Mr Alfred Hong, has brought two pictures from the previous campaign for Dr Tan to sign. The 59-year-old has been living in the area for over two decades, and loves how quiet Teban Gardens is.

But what some call serenity, others see as isolation.

For a 46-year-old administrative assistant who prefers to be known only as Siti, construction works and a lack of easy access have made daily life harder, especially when taking her wheelchair-bound mother out. Getting to shopping malls in Clementi or Jurong can be inconvenient without a car, she says.

“Maybe it’ll be better when the Jurong Region Line opens, but that’s so long away.”

She remembers Dr Tan as her MP when she was growing up.

“It’s nice that he’s coming back here again after losing, unlike some others who keep jumping around. But I worry for him because he’s already so old,” she says.

Just a 15-minute drive from Teban Gardens is Boon Lay Place Market, home to the legendary Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak, where snaking queues of hungry students and blue-collar workers line up daily for their spicy fix.

Nestled near the bustling Jurong industrial estate, Boon Lay is a blend of old and new – ageing HDB blocks sitting comfortably alongside newer housing projects that have sprung up in recent years.

Long-time residents remember when the older three-room flats got a major spruce-up nearly two decades ago, with utility rooms added to the back of their kitchens, giving these homes a second lease of life.

For people like 68-year-old Sally Ng, Boon Lay has everything she needs right at her doorstep.

“Just downstairs, I have a wet market, a supermarket for everything I need,” she says in Mandarin. “If I want to meet my friends, the residents’ network is just below. Everyone knows everyone here.”

She’s confident that her incumbent MP, who leads the PAP team in West Coast GRC – National Development Minister Desmond Lee – will cruise to victory on Polling Day.

National Development Minister Desmond Lee (second from right) interacting with residents at the Food from the Heart Community Shop at Block 176 Boon Lay Drive on April 25. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
To her, the sheer turnout at every Meet-the-People Session says it all – residents trust him to get things done.

“The PAP takes such good care of us here, we’re very content,” she says matter-of-factly. “What has the other side offered, really – other than a lot of talk?”

‘You give voters a headache’​

But while Madam Ng takes comfort in the familiar rhythms of the neighbourhood and the steady hand of her incumbent MP, a very different political energy is gathering momentum across the island in Punggol.

Ask around, and you will find more voters swaying than casuarina trees in a monsoon storm in this GRC. Just a week ago, the air here was subdued, with both the PAP and WP keeping their strategies close to their chest.

But on April 26, as a sweltering Saturday morning gives way to a sudden downpour, the mood shifts dramatically. The surprise entry of Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and the WP’s Mr Harpreet Singh are the talk of the town, sparking animated conversations in markets and coffee shops.

For one educator who declined to give her name, the decision at the ballot is anything but straightforward. Having moved from Choa Chu Kang – where DPM Gan was once her MP – to Punggol four years ago, the 32-year-old now finds herself torn between “a party with a proven track record and a party that offers hope”.

“I’m a Star Wars fan, so I always feel like you need hope to keep you going,” she says.

PAP’s Punggol GRC candidate Sun Xueling (left) and DPM Gan Kim Yong (second from right) mingling with residents at Punggol Waterway Point during a walkabout on April 23. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Polling Day may be around the corner but the mother of two – grimacing as she draws her children closer – admits her vote is “still up in the air”.

Later, on their way to the library, her five-year-old daughter spots WP’s Ms Alia Mattar at One Punggol Hawker Centre, recognising her from the banners in the neighbourhood. She tells her mother she wants a photo with Ms Alia.

For Punggol voter Jeffrey Tan, 71, the sudden entry of DPM Gan in the race feels like deja vu. He had spent 25 years in Aljunied GRC and still remembers the emotional roller coaster of 2011, when the Workers’ Party clinched victory and Foreign Minister George Yeo lost his seat.

“When George Yeo lost, I cried. It was a waste because he’s a fantastic guy. This could be a repeated tragedy,” he says.

But don’t mistake his sentimentality for certainty. The surprise entries of senior counsel Harpreet Singh and DPM Gan have left him weighing his options anew.

With a wry grin, Mr Tan sums up the mood of many in Punggol: “You give the voters a headache, you know?”

This morning, he spends a long time chatting with Mr Singh and fellow WP candidate Jackson Au, praising WP for doing a “good job with recruitment”. Yet he also acknowledges that incumbent PAP MP Sun Xueling remains popular, and newcomer Yeo Wan Ling, despite being a first-term MP, has left an impression with her “bubbly” energy.

Mr Tan predicts a razor-thin race in Punggol GRC, with a recount dragging past midnight, possibly making it the last result to be called.

When asked about the odds, a 32-year-old media professional – who declines to give his name – shrugs and says: “Flip a coin.”

Another unspoken question lingers: Could there be a spillover effect from WP’s surprise victory in Sengkang in 2020?

In fact, several young residents from the adjacent Sengkang GRC have come to the One Punggol community hub, eager for a personal moment with the WP team on a walkabout.

WP’s Punggol GRC team, consisting of Ms Siti Alia Abdul Rahim Mattar (left), Mr Jackson Au (second left), Mr Harpreet Singh Nehal (second right) and Ms Alexis Dang (right) taking a picture with a resident near Punggol bus interchange on April 24.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Among them is a 24-year-old first-time voter queuing for a bowl of the famous Botak Cantonese Porridge while clutching a copy of Journey In Blue (2020) by WP’s East Coast GRC candidate Yee Jenn Jong which he hopes to get signed.

Will the WP’s “eastern strategy” push its momentum all the way up to the north-eastern tip, reaching even Coney Island? Or will the PAP’s campaign in Punggol get a decisive lift from DPM Gan, Singapore’s “Task Force Man”, at a time of growing global tariff wars?

On the ground, residents say the same thing again and again: Municipal issues matter, but so do national ones.

Thrust into one of the fiercest political spotlights of this election, they are only too aware of the weight their decision carries. More than ever, their vote feels sacred. And they are taking it seriously.

 

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GE2025: GST hike necessary to address rising costs but Govt will take care of you, says Shanmugam​

Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam pointed out that the top 20 per cent of earners and foreigners pay most of the GST.ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Anjali Raguraman
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE - The goods and services tax (GST) hike was a necessary move to address rising healthcare expenses and an ageing population, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam on April 29.

Speaking at a PAP rally for Nee Soon GRC at Yishun Stadium, Mr Shanmugam pointed out that, by 2030, those aged 65 and older would make up a third of the population.

He said: “Healthcare costs are going up. Who is going to pay for them? How are we going to pay for them?”

The GST hike – which was raised from 7 per cent to 9 per cent over two years, in 2023 and 2024 – has been a hot-button issue in this general election.

Opposition parties have been critical of the move, and have sought accountability for the timing and need for its implementation. The WP, PSP and Singapore Democratic Party have called for a reduction of the GST to 7 per cent or less to alleviate cost-of-living pressures.

Mr Shanmugam challenged such rhetoric and suggestions that the Government could tap more of the investment returns from Singapore’s reserves, instead of raising taxes.

“When people tell you you can spend without having to pay for something, in a few years, your future, your children’s future and the country’s future will go down,” he said.

He pointed out that the top 20 per cent of earners and foreigners pay most of the GST.

“We take that money and we distribute that to all those people who are less well off,” he said.

Mr Shanmugam added that the GST hike, by design, has been cushioned by the Government’s handouts.

“The majority of Singaporean households will get more money from the Government than they will pay in GST for five years,” he said.

“And if you are lower-income, what the Government is giving you will more than pay for 10 years of GST.”

He cited the GST Voucher scheme, which helps to permanently defray GST expenses for lower- to middle-income Singaporeans.

Acknowledging that many people are concerned about the rising cost of living, he said: “Never fear... economy, jobs, living expenses – as long as you are prepared to work, the Government will take care of you.”

In a wide-ranging address, Mr Shanmugam – who was flanked by the PAP team contesting Nee Soon GRC as well as former MP Lee Bee Wah, who used to helm the Nee Soon South ward – struck a sombre note when he spoke about the global economic climate.

He spoke of the uncertainty brought about by the US move to impose tariffs and the unpredictability of US actions.

“Maybe after three months, the position will become clearer, but you and I cannot say what’s going to happen,” he said, adding that while Singapore cannot control the actions of other countries, it can prepare itself.

Mr Shanmugam said: “We are not a country that waits for trouble. We prepare beforehand.”

Despite such uncertainties, he noted how discussions between Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, and US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick have been positive.

The discussions include negotiating concessions for critical exports such as pharmaceuticals, as well as facilitating access to high-end artificial intelligence chips from the American market for companies here.

“I can say, without going into detail, that the discussions have been good because there is trust – but there’s a long road (ahead). Both DPM Gan and Secretary Lutnick agreed that we should try to find a solution,” said Mr Shanmugam.

“If we can find a solution, it saves jobs. It saves businesses. So we can all hope DPM Gan remains in government after May 3,” he added, referring to DPM Gan’s role as anchor minister of a four-member PAP team facing off against the WP in the newly formed Punggol GRC.

Acknowledging concerns over the cost of living, Mr Shanmugam said the best way to help Singaporeans is to ensure that they get good jobs, such as by generating investments in the Republic and creating employment for Singaporeans.

“We’ve already put in a lot of benefits for families because we knew some things might happen, and if they happen, we better prepare for our people... as the Prime Minister said, we will do more, if necessary.”

Besides Mr Shanmugam, the PAP team contesting Nee Soon GRC comprises four new faces: former civil servant Goh Hanyan, 39; former Nominated Member of Parliament Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 40; cleaning services and pest control company director Jackson Lam, 40; and long-time Nee Soon volunteer Lee Hui Ying, 36.

It faces a Red Dot United (RDU) team comprising party secretary-general Ravi Philemon, 56; RDU chair David Foo, 60; private school teacher Syed Alwi Ahmad, 57; tech start-up business director Pang Heng Chuan, 56; and information technology consultant Sharon Lin, 40.

 

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GE2025: First-time PAP candidates in Nee Soon GRC have roots in area and wider community, says Shanmugam​

(From left) Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam leads the PAP slate for Nee Soon GRC that includes Mr Jackson Lam, Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Ms Goh Hanyan and Ms Lee Hui Ying.ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Tay Hong Yi and Deepanraj Ganesan
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – Two new faces on the PAP’s Nee Soon GRC slate have ties to the constituency, and all four have a track record of community service, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and party veteran Lee Bee Wah.

They urged voters to support Ms Goh Hanyan, Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Mr Jackson Lam and Ms Lee Hui Ying at an April 29 rally at Yishun Stadium.

The rally took place four days after Mr Ravi Philemon, secretary-general of the opposition Red Dot United, questioned the decision to field four newcomers alongside Mr Shanmugam, and raised doubts about their readiness to succeed him in time to come.

Mr Philemon is leading the RDU’s bid to win the five-member group representation constituency in a straight contest.

The PAP had won Nee Soon GRC with 61.9 per cent of the vote against the PSP in 2020.

During the rally, Ms Lee Bee Wah – a Nee Soon GRC MP from 2011 to 2020 – said in Mandarin that all five on the opposition slate were new faces to Nee Soon residents.

“How much can they know about our residents? Who doesn’t know how to criticise the Government? Talk is cheap.”

Ms Lee, who was known for her colourful and vocal advocacy for her constituents in Parliament, said she had mentored the younger Ms Lee for 15 years, a fact that roused the crowd into a swell of cheers, applause and blaring air horns.

“Someone asked me, what is Hui Ying like? I told them, Hui Ying has a bit of Lee Bee Wah in her – a straight talker, sincere and hard-working.”

Ms Lee Bee Wah, 64, also pledged to continue guiding Ms Lee Hui Ying should the younger Ms Lee, 36, be elected.

She said the younger Ms Lee has helped her with Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) and house visits, and served in the constituency’s youth executive committee, among other things.

She also said Mr Lam, 40, is a familiar face in Nee Soon – one who grew up in the constituency – calling him “the Yishun boy”.

“I have worked with him many times and I know he is a man of action,” she said.

Former Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah was known for her colourful and vocal advocacy for her constituents in Parliament.ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Mr Shanmugam also spoke up in support of all four candidates, noting that Ms Goh and Dr Syed Harun are new to Nee Soon but bring with them long years of service to the community.

Ms Goh, 39, was formerly a director in the Smart Nation Strategy Office and the national artificial intelligence group for policy and strategy at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.

Before that, she had a stint in the strategy group of the Prime Minister’s Office, after spending around a decade at the Economic Development Board.

Dr Syed Harun, 40, is a psychiatrist by training who has, among other volunteer work, been a board member of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore for seven years.

Mr Shanmugam indicated that appointments to political office are on the cards for both Ms Goh and Dr Syed Harun.

“If this team gets elected, and if the Prime Minister has space, and he thinks like I do, which sometimes is the case, then you will have three office-holders in Nee Soon,” he said.

In their speeches, the four first-time candidates set out their plans for Nee Soon residents if elected.

Mr Lam, who heads a pest management and cleaning firm, said he would seek the roll-out of more active ageing programmes, better accessibility and strong community care for the elderly.

He also spoke of providing second chances to young people facing challenging circumstances, and promised to draw on his experience of owning a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) to speak up for local businesses.

“I fully understand the difficulties and challenges SMEs are facing, especially in such global uncertainty. A strong, stable PAP government gives me the confidence to excel.”

Ms Lee Hui Ying said she hopes that Nee Soon would be a home where seniors can live well and stay active, families can grow stronger with good support, and youth chase their dreams without fear.

This would involve increasing availability of good eldercare services, sport facilities and childcare facilities, she said.

She also said that becoming a candidate in the GRC meant that her journey has come full circle, after having spent nearly two decades volunteering in the area.

For his part, Dr Syed Harun said the PAP team hopes to build not just physical infrastructure, but also “paths of life that offer shelter, protection and hope”.

This includes community initiatives for those struggling with rising costs, as well as supporting education for children and enhancing care for seniors.

He also spoke about the need to strengthen harmony across races and religions, even as communities seek to preserve their cultural values, heritage and identity.

“That is Yishun’s true strength. We are all diverse, but we are united, and it is what we must preserve in Singapore and never ever let anyone else suggest or tell us otherwise.”

Ms Goh spoke of three values – kindness, hope and strength – that she said would help Singapore navigate future challenges.

Being a society built on kindness involves supporting families and caregivers, Ms Goh said. She outlined policies already in place, including increasing caregiving grants and adopting flexible working arrangements.

Hope for the future means creating jobs for all Singaporeans – ones that students and young people are excited to fill, and ones that tap the wisdom and experience of older workers, she added.

On strength, Ms Goh said a vote for the PAP is a choice to keep Singapore strong, build the kind of future that children here deserve and make Singapore a place to dream.

All five candidates – the four new faces and Mr Shanmugam – repeatedly referenced the slogan for their campaign: “Residents First”.

Addressing the audience at the rally, Mr Shanmugam, who is 66, asked: “How many of you would have seen a video of something that happened at my MPS a few weeks ago?”

He added, to raucous cheers: “What did I say in the video? I look after my residents first.

“It is part of my DNA, it’s part of Lee Bee Wah’s DNA, it’s part of the DNA of these candidates here.”

 

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GE2025: ‘We are not beggars’, says PPP’s Goh Meng Seng on GST support schemes​

PPP secretary-general Goh Meng Seng speaking at the party's rally at Yio Chu Kang Stadium on April 29.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

Kimberly Kwek
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – Singapore is not a nation of beggars, said People’s Power Party (PPP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng on April 29 in reference to support schemes the PAP government has in place to help Singaporeans cope with the GST hike.

At his party’s rally at Yio Chu Kang Stadium, Mr Goh, 55, said: “I’m telling you, the vision of PAP is this, it’s not only going to be a nation of fear, it’s going to be a nation of beggars. Why? Because GST vouchers are going to be the norm, every year you can expect money from the Government.

“Of course Singaporeans like it, but it is not the value we should have as a nation. We have built this nation with hard-working people that don’t expect a free lunch.”

Over the years, the Government has rolled out several programmes such as the permanent GST Voucher (GSTV) scheme, introduced in 2012 to help lower-income Singaporeans.

Enhanced at Budget 2022, the GSTV scheme now offers continued support for lower- to middle-income households and most retiree households, beyond the transitional period covered by the Assurance Package.

The GST rate increase – from 7 per cent to 9 per cent, phased in over 2023 and 2024 – has been a major point of contention in the general election, with several opposition parties proposing a return to 7 per cent or under to provide relief from living expenses.

Addressing this at the PAP’s lunchtime rally at UOB Plaza’s promenade on April 28, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that great care was taken in implementing the goods and services tax increase so that Singaporeans who are less well off pay less than the 9 per cent rate.

Mr Goh, who is leading a five-member team in a four-cornered fight in Tampines GRC, added: “It’s difficult to tell the truth because if I say I’m against the GST vouchers, people will boo me, right?

“But I’m telling everyone this is not right, this is not fiscal discipline. You do not overtax people and return money to other people and expect them to be calling you God, appreciating you for giving them money.”

The PPP team running in Tampines GRC will come up against incumbent PAP, the WP and the National Solidarity Party.

All 10 of the PPP’s candidates spoke at the rally, which was delayed for nearly an hour due to inclement weather.

The party is also fielding a five-member team of new faces in Ang Mo Kio GRC, where they will face the PAP team, fronted by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and the Singapore United Party.

Throughout the evening, PPP’s speakers raised a range of issues, highlighting concerns over MRT breakdowns, the cost of living and the national vaccine programme.

Party treasurer William Lim demanded answers to issues such as the SimplyGo roll-out by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which was eventually reversed after public outcry, and the six-day East-West Line MRT breakdown in September 2024.

PPP party treasurer William Lim demanded answers to issues such as the SimplyGo roll-out by the Land Transport Authority.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Pointing to Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, Mr Lim said: “We want to demand the LTA give all Singaporeans an answer. What has happened? Is there anything SMRT breached in the maintenance schedule?”

The party will hold its fourth and final rally on May 1 at the field next to the Tampines Concourse bus interchange.

 

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GE2025: Pritam Singh says WP does not engage in negative politics​

WP chief Pritam Singh speaking during the party's rally at the Bedok Stadium, on April 29.ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Wong Pei Ting, Joyce Lim and David Sun
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – WP chief Pritam Singh has rejected Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s statement that the opposition party engages in “negative politics”, saying it was the PAP that had done so for years.

Speaking at a rally on April 29, he listed as examples the PAP’s initial treatment of residents in opposition wards, and the lack of access for opposition MPs to People’s Association resources.

Noting that Hougang and Potong Pasir voters were told in the past that their wards would be last in line for estate upgrades if they voted for the opposition, he said this had left a bad taste in his mouth during his youth.

“My peers and I didn’t feel like this was a Singapore we can be proud of. We didn’t feel such affinity to a country ruled by people with such small hearts,” he said at the rally in Bedok Stadium, located in East Coast GRC.

For the fifth time, WP is going head-to-head with the PAP in the constituency. It lost narrowly to the ruling party in 2020, with 46.61 per cent of the vote.

At the rally on the seventh day of hustings, the Leader of the Opposition laid out what he considers examples of negative politics by the PAP.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the People’s Association had given grassroots advisers – including unelected ones – information on which residents were recovering from the infection, so that they could deliver care packs. But WP MPs did not get such access, he noted.

Elected opposition MPs were also kept away when new citizens were welcomed to the community at citizenship ceremonies, while losing PAP candidates presided over them, Mr Singh said.

“With immigration and integration being such a big part of our social landscape in Singapore, I am taken aback by how the PAP does not walk the talk when it speaks of a united Singapore to deal with the challenges of tomorrow,” he said.

Calling on PM Wong to change this policy, Mr Singh said: “In the long run, Singapore will lose with such a mentality from PAP political leaders. Even if the PAP cannot, Singapore can do much better than that.”

The Prime Minister earlier rebuked WP for its negative tone and attacks on Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and his team. “Let’s reject this kind of negative politics. You should be better than this,” said PM Wong.

During his 20-minute speech, Mr Singh asked the PAP if it would allow elected WP MPs to use community clubs for food donation or distribution drives for low-income households.

“Please say yes or no before Polling Day. Let me know, so I can go and debate with PM Lawrence Wong in Parliament what is the real meaning of negative politics,” said Mr Singh.

“But if you say ‘no, cannot – you cannot come into the CCs, let things be the way they are’, it is okay. The spirit of Hougang lives in our people, and the Workers’ Party will find a way to help those people in need.”

Mr Singh said WP MPs have not been given access to use community clubs since 1981.

He also invited PAP’s East Coast GRC candidates to clarify which programmes they would halt, should they lose the electoral contest.

“Be upfront with our people, so voters can decide if the PAP really cares about East Coast or if there is no ‘together’ in their East Coast Plan,” he said.

Mr Singh argued that the PAP changed strategy over the years by allowing opposition-held estates to get public housing upgrades at the same time as, or in some cases earlier than, PAP-run estates, because the ruling party realised that its “bullying sticks and disrespectful carrots” did not work.

He said this changed because the policy lost votes for the PAP, and that the ruling party “only listens when it loses vote share and parliamentary seats to the Workers’ Party”.

“Why do you think Lee Hsien Loong and Lawrence Wong are going to Tampines, going to Punggol?” he asked.

On April 29, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong joined the party’s Tampines GRC team on a walkabout in the town, while PM Wong did the same with the PAP’s team in Punggol GRC.

The WP is contesting these constituencies.

Added Mr Singh: “No political pressure in Parliament against the PAP, no results on the ground, no fairness, no justice on the ground.”

Mr Singh also said: “A previous prime minister said that he would have to spend his time fixing the opposition if it gains five, 10 or 20 seats. And he said this when the opposition only had two seats in Parliament.

“This is the PAP DNA. I wonder what Prime Minister Lawrence Wong would say about this – is this negative politics?”

Mr Singh, meanwhile, said that if WP wins East Coast GRC, it will not label its banners with words like “WP-run town council” – what the PAP has done with its town council banners in the last few years.

“Communities and towns are about the people who live in them,” he said, adding that the green ratings of WP town councils speak for themselves.

Town councils here are rated green, amber or red based on their estate cleanliness, estate maintenance, lift performance, management of service and conservancy charge arrears, and corporate governance. Green is the highest score.

Ultimately, Mr Singh appealed to East Coast GRC residents to vote with this in mind: “Our little red dot will shine bright when our hearts are large.”

New way forward for East Coast​

Several speakers at the rally also spoke about how East Coast voters have been let down by the PAP.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong, who helms the WP’s East Coast GRC team, and incumbent Hougang MP Dennis Tan pointed to how constituencies had disappeared whenever the PAP did not do well.

Describing the boundary changes in East Coast as repeated instances of gerrymandering, Mr Tan urged voters to put a stop to them by voting in the WP.

Echoing the sentiment, Mr Sufyan Mikhail Putra, an East Coast GRC candidate, said: “Maybe this is our final chance to turn East Coast blue.”

Meanwhile, his teammate Nathaniel Koh reminded voters of the “promise” made in the 2020 General Election when Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat was moved from Tampines GRC to helm East Coast GRC.

“Five years ago, you were promised a future prime minister. Some of you might have voted for them because of that promise. But what happened? It became an empty promise,” said Mr Koh, asking voters to “choose another way forward”.

The WP East Coast GRC candidates also took aim at their PAP opponents, led by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong.

Noting that Mr Tong had called for policy suggestions to go beyond rhetoric and sound bites at a rally, Mr Yee said: “Mr Edwin Tong must have a very practical and sensible plan to bring Singapore to the World Cup finals in 2034.”

He was referring to the goal for the Lions to play in the 2034 World Cup, which has drawn comparisons with the original aim to do so by 2010.

“After all, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin... said that we are so lucky to have (Mr Tong) because he is like the Lionel Messi of Singapore,” he added.

Mr Sitoh, the incumbent MP for Potong Pasir who is retiring from politics, had said at a rally that Mr Tong was as important to Singapore as the Argentinian footballer is to his national team.

Mr Sufyan, meanwhile, noted that PAP East Coast GRC candidate Hazlina Abdul Halim had apologised at an April 26 rally about life having become tougher for some young people.

Citing this, he said: “Do you want your MP to apologise to you because your lives are tougher or do you want your MP to find solutions to make your lives better?”

Ms Paris V. Parameswari, also on WP’s East Coast slate, spoke about how the Government had “lost touch”, citing the mishandling of private data when NRIC data was leaked on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority website, among other things.

She also called for Thaipusam to be reinstated as a public holiday, noting that the festival has become a “spiritually significant affair for many Hindus in Singapore”.

Promising to do her best if elected, she said: “I can be caring and passionate, like Mother Teresa. But if the need arises to be a voice in Parliament, to ask questions fearlessly, I can be like Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady.”

 

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GE2025: WP’s Andre Low apologises for ‘inappropriate’ language, remarks in leaked Telegram messages​

The WP's Jalan Kayu candidate Andre Low said the leaked messages were from a private chat among his business school classmates.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Wong Pei Ting
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – Mr Andre Low, the opposition WP’s Jalan Kayu candidate, has apologised for his use of vulgarities and “completely inappropriate” remarks in a series of text messages that were leaked on social media.

In a Facebook post in the early hours of April 30, Mr Low said the leaked Telegram messages were from a private chat among his business school classmates.

Many date to the Covid-19 period when “we ranted to each other while cooped up at home”, said Mr Low, 33.

Noting that he has always been opinionated and holds strong convictions about Singapore and how it “can do so much better”, he said: “These same convictions are also what pushed me to step up to contest as a Workers’ Party candidate.”

More than 30 screenshots of text messages purportedly from Mr Low were posted to Reddit.

One of them about the noise from fighter jets flying over Sengkang read: “I can’t believe some champion military a**hole thought that noise pollution for four months is a brilliant way to celebrate NDP.”

NDP refers to the National Day Parade.

Several messages appeared to be about his work at a Meet-The-People Session.

The messages recounted how he could not get through to a resident unless he turned off his caller ID blocking service.

“They proceeded to call me every day on my personal number. IMO, these people can f*** off,” a message read.

Mr Low said he is not proud of the way he expressed his views and is “deeply sorry” for the language he used, adding that this was done in a different stage of his life.

“But regardless of the setting, there is no excuse for using such language or making disparaging comments about anyone – especially those who have placed their trust in me,” he added.

He continued: “I am now married, and soon to be a father. I have spent five years working with the Workers’ Party – first serving the residents of Rivervale and later helping to spread the word about the good work of the party.

“These experiences have opened my eyes to the lived realities of Singaporeans and Singapore firms, and I have matured over the process.”

He added that since he had spoken about transparency, accountability and the power of apologies at a WP rally on April 29, he needed to hold himself to the same standard.

Mr Low will go up against labour chief Ng Chee Meng from the PAP at the May 3 General Election.

He also apologised to Jalan Kayu voters, and said he takes full responsibility for his past actions.

“I understand that as a public figure, my words carry weight and can cause real harm,” he wrote.

“This has been a humbling experience, but I hope that I can earn your trust, and to demonstrate my sincerity in wanting to serve you.”

 

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GE2025: PAP’s Foo Cexiang once dreamt of opening a football cafe; he now wants to bring people together as MP​

PAP newcomer Foo Cexiang meeting residents during house visits as he campaigns in Bukit Merah on April 29.ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Cherie Lok
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – If Edwin Tong is Lionel Messi, then Foo Cexiang aspires to be Roberto Baggio, not for dazzling footwork or goal-scoring flair, but for the legendary Italian footballer’s grit and resilience.

Breaking into a sheepish grin, the PAP newcomer says he has been unable to dribble since he tore his ligament during national service.

“If my friends see me kicking a ball, they’ll know I wayang (‘acting out’ in Singapore slang) lah. I can’t!” adds the vice-president of port ecosystem development at PSA Singapore.

The year is 1994 and Singapore is in the grip of World Cup fever. A certain ponytailed No. 10 catches his eye, and just like that, the future politician, then a mere boy of nine, gets swept along in the current of exhilaration.

He watches, transfixed, as Baggio fires Italy through the tournament one nail-biting game at a time. Eagerly, he asks his father to rouse him for the final, but wakes up only in time for penalties and the horror of watching his new-found hero sky his spot kick over the crossbar.

“Ironically, that miss made me love him even more,” recalls the now 40-year-old. “This whole idea that he came within touching distance of the trophy, was unable to win, but was still so well loved by everyone. I think when people see the heart you put in, they will love you for it.”

It is this belief that drives him to pour his all into every project, whether it is overseeing electric vehicle policy, as he did as a director at the Ministry of Transport before stepping down in April, or campaigning for a seat in Parliament.

These days, Mr Foo spends most of his time in Tanjong Pagar GRC, ploughing through block after block without so much as a toilet break. Armed with only his fraying voice and stack of name cards, he strides along HDB corridors bellowing: “Hello everyone, this is Foo Cexiang from the PAP. I’m doing house visits. I’ll be happy to see you if you’re home!”

PAP Tanjong Pagar GRC candidate Foo Cexiang joining residents in a cheer on his house visits.ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Even now, more than midway through the hustings and just three days to Polling Day, his boundless energy has yet to ebb. He greets everyone he passes with an open smile and exuberant “Hi!”, before launching into easy conversation in English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese or Hainanese.

“For me, the natural way to connect with people is by showing them my warmth. And it’s a real warmth, it comes from deep within me, and I think they can feel it quite quickly.”

Not one to dwell on negativity, he blithely shrugs off the mean comments pelting the unflattering photo that accompanied news of his resignation, and is not daunted by sceptics, either.

“Sometimes, I meet residents who have strong emotions or challenges, and may not behave so positively towards me. But when they explain what they have been going through, it actually also energises me because I want to see how I can best gain their trust and help them.”


While first impressions are important, his track record, he believes, will count for more in the long run, should he get elected on May 3. If that happens, he plans to improve accessibility in the estate and curate more programmes to bring together residents of all ages in this eclectic, multi-generational neighbourhood.

For him, Tanjong Pagar’s diversity is its strength.

“The older generation has a lot of appreciation for this area, while the younger generation has a lot of aspirations. So they rub off one another, and that is why I’m very excited to be here.”

As father to three young girls aged three to eight, Mr Foo also understands the challenges parents face in keeping children occupied without resorting to technological crutches. His solution? To ramp up child-friendly infrastructure like playgrounds, as well as to organise more community events where parents can leave their children under the supervision of a trusted neighbour, and catch a bit of a breather.

Above all, he vows to be an MP who listens.

“Some of the residents ask me, ‘Will you speak up for us in Parliament?’ And my 100 per cent commitment is that I will certainly listen to you and understand where you’re coming from, digest it properly, and if I agree that it is in the best interest of the residents, I will speak up.

“But that is different from saying that I will raise everything you tell me, because the individual’s perspective may not be the same as (that of) the significant group of residents.”

Likewise, he asks for grace – in particular, the chance to explain to residents why certain policies get green-lit. The former civil servant is well aware that not all schemes prove universally popular, and will try his best to break down why resources are allocated in this way.


While he cannot guarantee accord, he promises to go “all in” in every interaction. No regrets, no airs – that has been his approach to life since losing his mother at age 21.

She was diagnosed with cancer in March 2006 and died, aged 51, in August that year. To make the most of her remaining time, mother and son crammed a lifetime’s worth of conversations into six months.

“We watched old videos, we talked about the past and some of the future – things like, do I hope to get married? How many children? A lot of these conversations that, if she had been around, we would probably have had in the years to come. And it was a very reassuring process,” says the eldest of three children. His father is retired.

How would she feel about his latest endeavour? Proud, he hopes.

“But I’m also very sure that she will tell me that I need to work very hard. That’s my mum. She would always say, ‘You have done this, but the next thing is going to be harder, so you need to keep on working.’”

Mr Foo Cexiang’s ability to speak different Chinese dialect has endeared him to Tanjong Pagar’s and Tiong Bahru’s older residents. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Because he is running on the strength of his convictions, he does not feel the need to play up party tricks or stand out in the fresh crop of newcomers making waves this election.

As he points out: “This is the first English interview I’m doing and I’m already coming to the end of my campaign. For me, it’s really about what I want to fight for.”

Over his campaign hangs the long shadow of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding prime minister and the first MP of Tanjong Pagar. He also has to fill the shoes of Ms Indranee Rajah, who has moved from Tanjong Pagar GRC to run in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, and whose name is brought up by more than a few residents during his walkabout.

But Mr Foo feels no pressure. On the contrary, the chance to carry on their legacy galvanises him.

“I’m convinced that the PAP is still the party to take the country forward in terms of the values that we have espoused over the years,” he says.

“In today’s era of great political contest and complexity, I believe it will require deeper and more direct engagement with Singaporeans. That is why I’ve chosen to step forward.”

But he did hesitate before taking the leap of faith, held back by the prospect of ceding yet more precious time at home. Already, the demands of this election are taking a toll on his family.

“My daughter received her first Edusave award the other day, on Saturday, but I couldn’t attend (the ceremony). So there will be moments when you wish you were there.”

Mr Foo Cexiang high-fiving a resident in Bukit Merah. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
How then will this aspiring parliamentarian, who wants to champion the welfare of children, ensure his own offspring do not end up with the short end of the stick?

By taking them along on the job, so he hopes. Should he triumph at the polls and realise his vision of putting together more family-friendly activities in the ward, his wife and children could join as volunteers or attendees – “and then the children will get to see what Papa is doing”.

His foray into politics has extracted one more sacrifice: His dream of running a football cafe will have to be postponed for now.

“Politics is a whole different calling. That was just an idea I thought would be nice.”

Still, one thing remains consistent: his goal to bring people from all walks of life together to find common ground over good conversation.