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Grassroots volunteer Cheryl Chan introduced as PAP’s Fengshan candidate
Ms Cheryl Chan, 39, will contest the revived single seat against a Workers’ Party candidate.
SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Thursday (Aug 27) announced that grassroots volunteer Cheryl Chan will be its candidate to contest the revived Fengshan Single Member Constituency (SMC) in the General Election (GE).
First-timer Ms Chan, 39, is a member of the PAP Women’s Wing and works as the head of secondary industries at chemicals firm Linde Gas.
She said during the press briefing that her mother taught her to be humble, before serving. "That the amount of emphasis on character that she put, and that has stayed with me."
"I hope more people will take efforts to look beyond themselves, speak up for the right causes and take the first step to reach out to those who need more support," said Ms Chan.
"With more people in the community having positive shared values and paying it forward, we can certainly achieve more together - united and as a caring nation."
She recounted one of her first experiences at a Meet-the-People session, when she met a mother of four, including one with disabilities. The family was struggling, and the mother wanted to stop education for her children. She then worked with various agencies to ensure the children continued their education.
"I met them two years ago, and the eldest son was just starting university. Seeing this was what truly brings me joy," she said.
Before being carved out of the East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) for this year’s polls on Sep 11, the Fengshan ward was overseen by Mr Raymond Lim, who earlier this month announced his retirement from politics.
On Mr Lim, Ms Chan said: "I could not ask for a better mentor." This sentiment was also echoed by Manpower Minister and East Coast GRC anchor Lim Swee Say, who said Mr Raymond Lim was a "young, bright, very articulate activist". After the latter entered Parliament, he proved to have a "strong mind of his own, but open-minded", Mr Lim added.
"Not only does he lead by example, he also puts in tremendous effort to mobilise his team. Now, Fengshan is a big and active home of grassroots leaders and activists," Minister Lim said.
Fengshan was also an SMC from 1984 to 1991. It has only ever seen one Member of Parliament in Dr Arthur Beng, who beat Workers' Party candidate Chng Chin Siah twice: First in 1984 with 65.1 per cent of the vote, then in 1988 with 57.9 per cent off the vote.
This year, it is likely that Ms Chan will face an as-yet-unnamed WP candidate in a fight for the Fengshan single seat, with the Opposition party naming the ward as one of the five SMCs it will contest.
