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The Workers’ Party’s Jackson Au Isn’t Ranting On Reddit Anymore
www.ricemedia.co
A Workers’ Party media liaison who’d been silently listening in on our conversation leans over the table and offers a helpful explanation: “Parliament was just dissolved.”
For months, there’d been speculation that the General Election would be held around May. The release of new electoral boundaries in March only added credence to the rumours. Anyone with any role to play in GE2025 had already cleared their April and May schedules.
We were all just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now it finally has.
“Do you guys need to rush off?” I ask.
Jackson waves off my concerns, signalling there’s nothing to fret over.
But there’s a lull in the conversation as the reality of what’s to come seems to hit the 35-year-old in that moment.
He’s nervous. But his face stays resolute. I think I might even see a glint of excitement in his eyes.
The gravity of stepping up to the plate—not just as a political candidate, but one from Singapore’s biggest opposition party—isn’t lost on him.
“Is it sinking in? That you could be an MP?”
He shakes his head. “We don’t go into it thinking, ‘Oh, I could win’. You just have to take it one day at a time—for me anyway—and give it your best shot.”
“We’re going to start the fight. And we won’t make it easy for them. We’ll give Singaporeans a real, credible choice.”
Flanked by star WP candidates like Harpreet Singh (he’s a senior counsel) and Michael Thng (he’s got a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University), Jackson, a corporate affairs manager for the London Stock Exchange, comes across as an average Joe.
It’s one of the first things Jackson makes clear—he doesn’t consider himself a ‘star catch’. But he’s certainly not one to be underestimated.
It probably bears repeating that RICE doesn’t endorse any political party, and we strive to represent views across the political spectrum. But in the most non-partisan way possible, Jackson Au is a really nice guy—the sort who remembers something about nearly every reporter that shows up to WP’s press conferences.
Of course, simply being a nice guy isn’t enough to win an election. Jackson has a tall order—to prove himself as a worthy candidate and go up against a strong People’s Action Party (PAP) team anchored by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and well-liked incumbents like Sun Xueling.
But from his showing at the Workers’ Party’s first GE2025 rally at Sengkang last night, it’s clear that he’s not lacking in political charisma.
Once a relative unknown, Jackson has quickly become one to watch—largely due to his fiery appeal for voters to push back against what he and other opposition parties described as the PAP’s “message of fear”.
I imagine his jabs at the ruling party’s “chicken wing gestures” and how they’re “monitoring the situation” might have also endeared him to the Reddit crowd. Which makes sense for a self-proclaimed former keyboard warrior.
Indeed, it was a rousing speech—especially for someone who’s making his big debut. But perhaps what made it extra fascinating to watch was knowing that this wasn’t a guy who entered WP with huge ambitions in Parliament. And yet here he was, holding his own alongside seasoned orators like Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh.
His accidental foray into opposition politics is interesting considering he was influenced by his wife, who volunteered for years under PAP’s Joan Pereira—now defending her seat in Tanjong Pagar GRC.
He doesn’t exactly have the rags-to-Raffles success story that’s become commonplace in local politics. But he did have a fortunate, upper-middle-class upbringing in Ampang, Malaysia. The son of a homemaker mum and a businessman dad was born in Singapore before the family moved across the border for his dad’s computer parts business.
He returned to Singapore for good when it came time to serve the nation at 18. But other than his aversion to local yong tau foo (apparently it doesn’t compare to Ampang’s), he’s the very archetype of a true-blue Singaporean.
By that, I mean he’s passionate enough to complain on Reddit about how the country is being run.
He got in. Besides the media team, Jackson quickly became involved with everything from food distribution activities to grassroots events. In 2023, he was also appointed as Leon’s legislative assistant.
And now, he’s stepping up as a WP candidate.
He’s unscripted and deeply sincere as he makes his case: “More than anything, I want to show that ordinary people, average Joes, like myself, can contribute to make a difference, no matter how small it is.”
Of course, the fact that this is a case of WP-Husband-PAP-Wife doesn’t go unnoticed.
Rather than butting heads over politics, the pair are a good example of how you can have different perspectives, but still want the best for each other, says Jackson. In fact, his wife has been incredibly supportive of his entrance into politics, he says.
As the election race heats up, parties will naturally take shots at each other. But what Jackson represents seems to be a more measured, constructive opposition. While he does have his gripes with the ruling party (as he made abundantly clear in his rally speech), he’s steadfastly against an ‘us vs them’ mentality.
He tells me that he’s big on accountability and—perhaps because of his communications background—more transparency.
As it stands, the PAP is likely to reclaim a supermajority—meaning at least two-thirds of the seats—in the next Parliament.
You only need a simple majority to pass bills in Parliament. And with a supermajority, any party can push through amendments to Singapore’s constitution without much trouble.
It’s a familiar refrain from any opposition politician, especially the Workers’ Party, which has long built its brand on the promise of checks and balances in Parliament.
But bolder still is his demand for greater transparency. Jackson zeroes in on the figurative walls that spring up whenever opposition MPs try to extract specific answers from the ruling government.
“They need to be more transparent and forthcoming with information. In fact, it takes a lot of antics to even squeeze data out of the government at times.”
“And I just think of myself, so who is to be the judge of that? Is it yourself or other people?”
When I ask Jackson what gave him the conviction to step forward as a candidate, I half-expect a wholesome anecdote or the usual “fighting for change” mantra. But perhaps I should have known better.
He looks back on the moment when everything blew up spectacularly.
“2023 started off as such a nice year. I got a new job, and Leon asked me to be his legislative assistant. So I thought, ‘Oh, look at me. I’m so special’.”
Then everything changed. The news of Leon’s affair broke on a Monday. Two days later, he had resigned.
A number of volunteers left, and the Workers’ Party’s reputation took a hit. Jackson describes it as a dark time.
“It was at that time that I knew that I could not be one of these people who leave as well. You don’t leave when things are bad. So I told myself, ‘Okay, it’s going to be tough, but I will stay.’”
Following Leon’s resignation in July 2023, Jackson stepped up as Serangoon Coordinator, picking up the slack. Jackson says there were some weeks when he spent five days at Serangoon just making sure things continued running smoothly. The party never missed a single Meet-The-People session, and continued initiatives like food distributions.
It was a trial by fire of sorts. But he stuck by the party.
It’s this same sentiment that provides comfort as he takes his first steps into the political arena, he says.
We adjourn to a nearby cluster of HDB flats for photos. There’s a tiny bit of hesitation and unfamiliarity, but he tries his best, staring down the barrel of the camera.
“I have so many butterflies in my stomach,” he chuckles.
Even before officially being revealed as a candidate, he got a taste of it when The Straits Times ‘outed’ him. The result was a mysterious bump in his LinkedIn views, he laughs. But as anyone who steps into politics can attest, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. And it’s only the beginning.
Jackson glances at the flood of unread notifications on his phone—he needs to rush off to prepare.
But not before dropping one last line. The man knows the value of a quotable soundbite, even if it teeters on the edge of cliché.
“There’s a line which I quite like, which is ‘Show me a saint without a past, and I’ll show you a sinner without the future’. And it really sings to me.”
www.ricemedia.co
It’s about 50 minutes into my interview with Workers’ Party new face Jackson Au when his phone goes into a frenzy, rattling with notifications.A Workers’ Party media liaison who’d been silently listening in on our conversation leans over the table and offers a helpful explanation: “Parliament was just dissolved.”
For months, there’d been speculation that the General Election would be held around May. The release of new electoral boundaries in March only added credence to the rumours. Anyone with any role to play in GE2025 had already cleared their April and May schedules.
We were all just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now it finally has.
“Do you guys need to rush off?” I ask.
Jackson waves off my concerns, signalling there’s nothing to fret over.
But there’s a lull in the conversation as the reality of what’s to come seems to hit the 35-year-old in that moment.
We are, after all, gathered at an unassuming cafe in MacPherson to talk about his candidacy. And this announcement means that all the hypotheticals we’ve been talking about have suddenly become a lot more real.He’s nervous. But his face stays resolute. I think I might even see a glint of excitement in his eyes.
The gravity of stepping up to the plate—not just as a political candidate, but one from Singapore’s biggest opposition party—isn’t lost on him.
He shakes his head. “We don’t go into it thinking, ‘Oh, I could win’. You just have to take it one day at a time—for me anyway—and give it your best shot.”
“We’re going to start the fight. And we won’t make it easy for them. We’ll give Singaporeans a real, credible choice.”
Flanked by star WP candidates like Harpreet Singh (he’s a senior counsel) and Michael Thng (he’s got a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University), Jackson, a corporate affairs manager for the London Stock Exchange, comes across as an average Joe.
It’s one of the first things Jackson makes clear—he doesn’t consider himself a ‘star catch’. But he’s certainly not one to be underestimated.
Of Reddit Rants and Political Reckonings
Full disclosure: Jackson isn’t a complete stranger to me because we’ve crossed paths multiple times at Workers’ Party press conferences and grassroots events. Before he stepped up as part of WP’s GE2025 slate in Punggol GRC, he was a volunteer on the party’s media team.It probably bears repeating that RICE doesn’t endorse any political party, and we strive to represent views across the political spectrum. But in the most non-partisan way possible, Jackson Au is a really nice guy—the sort who remembers something about nearly every reporter that shows up to WP’s press conferences.
But from his showing at the Workers’ Party’s first GE2025 rally at Sengkang last night, it’s clear that he’s not lacking in political charisma.
Once a relative unknown, Jackson has quickly become one to watch—largely due to his fiery appeal for voters to push back against what he and other opposition parties described as the PAP’s “message of fear”.
One YouTube comment proclaimed him the “winner of the night”. Another Reddit commenter said he was “surprisingly solid”.I imagine his jabs at the ruling party’s “chicken wing gestures” and how they’re “monitoring the situation” might have also endeared him to the Reddit crowd. Which makes sense for a self-proclaimed former keyboard warrior.
Indeed, it was a rousing speech—especially for someone who’s making his big debut. But perhaps what made it extra fascinating to watch was knowing that this wasn’t a guy who entered WP with huge ambitions in Parliament. And yet here he was, holding his own alongside seasoned orators like Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh.
His accidental foray into opposition politics is interesting considering he was influenced by his wife, who volunteered for years under PAP’s Joan Pereira—now defending her seat in Tanjong Pagar GRC.
He doesn’t exactly have the rags-to-Raffles success story that’s become commonplace in local politics. But he did have a fortunate, upper-middle-class upbringing in Ampang, Malaysia. The son of a homemaker mum and a businessman dad was born in Singapore before the family moved across the border for his dad’s computer parts business.
He returned to Singapore for good when it came time to serve the nation at 18. But other than his aversion to local yong tau foo (apparently it doesn’t compare to Ampang’s), he’s the very archetype of a true-blue Singaporean.
At the time, his then-girlfriend’s volunteering efforts with the PAP prompted some self-reflection. Instead of typing away online whinging about the government’s faults, why not put his money where his mouth is?
By end-2021, he wrote to Leon Perera, then the head of WP’s media team, to offer his help. With his wealth of PR industry experience handling both internal and external communications, he thought he’d be useful.He got in. Besides the media team, Jackson quickly became involved with everything from food distribution activities to grassroots events. In 2023, he was also appointed as Leon’s legislative assistant.
And now, he’s stepping up as a WP candidate.
He’s unscripted and deeply sincere as he makes his case: “More than anything, I want to show that ordinary people, average Joes, like myself, can contribute to make a difference, no matter how small it is.”
“I don’t need to be Mr Harpreet Singh. I don’t need to go to Harvard. I feel like if you have the heart and you have the mind to do things, you can make a difference.”Of course, the fact that this is a case of WP-Husband-PAP-Wife doesn’t go unnoticed.
Rather than butting heads over politics, the pair are a good example of how you can have different perspectives, but still want the best for each other, says Jackson. In fact, his wife has been incredibly supportive of his entrance into politics, he says.
In fact, he waxes lyrical about Joan Pereira and how she takes great care of her volunteers. “I will never say anything bad about Joan,” he says emphatically.He isn’t here to oppose for the sake of opposing. Rather, he’s about offering alternative views, contributing meaningfully to discourse, and pushing things forward in the interests of Singaporeans.
“You want to advocate for causes in a very constructive way. And the way you do that is not by demonising people who disagree. You do it by telling them, ‘Okay, we have our differences, but what can we align on? Then you talk it through. That’s how I see it.”
The PR Factor
But what does Jackson really stand for?He tells me that he’s big on accountability and—perhaps because of his communications background—more transparency.
As it stands, the PAP is likely to reclaim a supermajority—meaning at least two-thirds of the seats—in the next Parliament.
You only need a simple majority to pass bills in Parliament. And with a supermajority, any party can push through amendments to Singapore’s constitution without much trouble.
“They call the shots. They decide whatever they want. They can change the constitution as and when they see fit. So, the role of opposition in this system is to function as a check against government overreach. It makes sure that the government is accountable and reliable.”It’s a familiar refrain from any opposition politician, especially the Workers’ Party, which has long built its brand on the promise of checks and balances in Parliament.
But bolder still is his demand for greater transparency. Jackson zeroes in on the figurative walls that spring up whenever opposition MPs try to extract specific answers from the ruling government.
Opposition MPs—not just those from WP—often face difficulties when they ask officeholders for information or statistics that they deem important for public transparency. Sometimes, they’re even grilled over the intent of their questions, or told their questions are just not meaningful.“And I just think of myself, so who is to be the judge of that? Is it yourself or other people?”
Pushing Past Fear and Uncertainty
For anyone who’s willing to put themselves forward into the spotlight of Singapore’s political arena, it requires quite a bit of conviction that they’re doing the right thing—for themselves, the family, and the people they want to serve.When I ask Jackson what gave him the conviction to step forward as a candidate, I half-expect a wholesome anecdote or the usual “fighting for change” mantra. But perhaps I should have known better.
For Jackson, his ‘defining moment’ wasn’t so much a specific instance; it was the fallout in the wake of the Leon Perera-Nicole Seah scandal.He looks back on the moment when everything blew up spectacularly.
Then everything changed. The news of Leon’s affair broke on a Monday. Two days later, he had resigned.
A number of volunteers left, and the Workers’ Party’s reputation took a hit. Jackson describes it as a dark time.
“It was at that time that I knew that I could not be one of these people who leave as well. You don’t leave when things are bad. So I told myself, ‘Okay, it’s going to be tough, but I will stay.’”
“Not to be too cliched or pretentious, but there is an idiom that I feel really fits my experience—it is always darkest before the dawn. Just before that ray of light comes, everything is pitch black. You really have no idea what is going to happen. But I think we are in a better place now.”Following Leon’s resignation in July 2023, Jackson stepped up as Serangoon Coordinator, picking up the slack. Jackson says there were some weeks when he spent five days at Serangoon just making sure things continued running smoothly. The party never missed a single Meet-The-People session, and continued initiatives like food distributions.
It was a trial by fire of sorts. But he stuck by the party.
“What keeps me going is that the party is more than myself, it’s more than one person. What I’ve realised is that we are all pushing in the same direction.”It’s this same sentiment that provides comfort as he takes his first steps into the political arena, he says.
Taking Centre Stage
As a communications professional, you’re behind the scenes. You’re always telling other people’s stories. But now, Jackson’s stepping into the spotlight. He’s the story now.
“I have so many butterflies in my stomach,” he chuckles.
Jackson’s well aware that all eyes are going to be on him, and any other new candidates the WP puts into the spotlight.Even before officially being revealed as a candidate, he got a taste of it when The Straits Times ‘outed’ him. The result was a mysterious bump in his LinkedIn views, he laughs. But as anyone who steps into politics can attest, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. And it’s only the beginning.
Jackson glances at the flood of unread notifications on his phone—he needs to rush off to prepare.
But not before dropping one last line. The man knows the value of a quotable soundbite, even if it teeters on the edge of cliché.
“There’s a line which I quite like, which is ‘Show me a saint without a past, and I’ll show you a sinner without the future’. And it really sings to me.”
