General Election 2025

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GE2025: PAP newcomer Lee Hui Ying says former MP Lee Bee Wah inspired her to join politics​

Ms Lee Hui Ying started volunteering at 19 and later became a mentee of PAP veteran Lee Bee Wah.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Deepanraj Ganesan
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – A knock on the door when PAP Nee Soon GRC candidate Lee Hui Ying was 19 kick-started a volunteering journey that might lead the 35-year-old to Parliament, if the May 3 polls are in her favour.

Outside her door was Ms Lee Bee Wah, on a house visit in the Nee Soon South ward, where she was the MP from 2011 until her retirement from politics in 2020.

“She was very warm and enthusiastic… she asked me ‘would you like to be a volunteer in the community?’,” recalled Ms Lee Hui Ying, who had just completed her A Levels at Nanyang Junior College at that time.

“My immediate answer to her was, why not? I think it was the right opportunity, and it was kind of timely. It was something I wanted to explore.”

Ms Lee Hui Ying, now 35, became a mentee of the PAP veteran, a point that Ms Lee Bee Wah made at an April 29 rally at Yishun Stadium.

Ms Lee Bee Wah, who was known for her colourful character and vocal advocacy for her constituents in Parliament, also said that “Hui Ying has a bit of Lee Bee Wah in her – (she is) a straight talker, sincere and hard-working”.

Does the younger Ms Lee agree? In an interview with The Straits Times on April 30, she said: “I’ve seen how she has really touched the hearts of residents. I see her as a role model in how she has tried to go beyond the extra mile to help each and every resident. I definitely want to follow in her footsteps.”

Ms Lee Hui Ying, who plays the piano and cello and was part of the Chinese Orchestra in JC, started her volunteering journey in Nee Soon South ward by being a letter writer at Meet-the-People sessions, before serving in various grassroots organisations.

At her mentor’s suggestion, she decided to join politics, and informed her father of her decision in late January.

She said: “I definitely wouldn’t have imagined myself joining politics when I was 19. I am very grateful that I got to meet (Ms Lee Bee Wah) at that time, unplanned... something that I never expected. That shaped me, grew me and developed me into who I am today.”

She was also inspired by Ms Lee Bee Wah’s character of not being afraid to speak up, and hopes to carry that spirit forward.

“She has always said ‘dare to speak up and dare to express it’. I would like to echo that view. It’s important and that’s precisely why I’m stepping up. I could have remained as a volunteer, but... I decided to step into politics because I (want) to represent the views of my residents in Parliament, present their issues in Parliament and find a solution to improve their lives,” said the younger Ms Lee, who has been volunteering for more than 15 years.

PAP’s Nee Soon GRC candidate Lee Hui Ying hugging former MP for the group representation constituency Lee Bee Wah (right) after the former’s rally speech at Yishun Stadium on April 29.ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
If elected, she wants to be a voice for seniors in Nee Soon GRC, champion a better support system for young families, and address concerns that youth have about job security.

Ms Lee Hui Ying, who is single and has an older and younger sister, spent 10 years in government communications, in ministries including the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Health (MOH). She is currently the Director of Communications at non-profit organisation Temasek Foundation.

While working at MOH during the Covid-19 pandemic, she and her colleagues had “sleepless nights”, often issuing press releases past midnight to update the media on the number of Covid-19 cases and cluster areas.

Through it all, she kept up her volunteer efforts as she believed in their impact.

What kept her going was “getting to know people, forging friendships, engaging in real activities where it actually impacts individual residents’ lives”.

Ms Lee Hui Ying is one of four political newcomers that are part of a refreshed PAP slate led by anchor Minister K. Shanmugam, 66. They are contesting Nee Soon GRC against a team from Red Dot United led by Mr Ravi Philemon, 56, at the upcoming polls.

Other members in the team are Mr Jackson Lam, 40, the head of a pest control and cleaning company; former nominated MP Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 40 and Ms Goh Hanyan, 39, a former director at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.

Despite Mr Philemon’s recent barb that the people of Nee Soon “do not know” who the four new faces are, Ms Lee said: “I’m new to politics, but certainly not new to Nee Soon. I am fortunate that I will be contesting in the place where I first started volunteering… so it is a full-circle moment.”

 

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GE2025: WP Tampines team says it has experience handling residents’ needs, town council if elected​

The WP's Tampines Changkat candidate Kenneth Foo (third from left) and Tampines GRC candidates (from left) Michael Thng, Jimmy Tan, Faisal Manap, Eileen Chong and Ong Lue Ping.ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Aqil Hamzah and David Sun
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE - The opposition WP team in Tampines will work to ensure that ongoing projects in the town will carry on, should it be voted into Parliament, the party’s vice-chair Faisal Manap said on April 30.

The party’s Tampines candidates also sought to assure voters on the penultimate day of the election campaign that they will draw on their experiences to take care of residents’ needs and town council matters.

Mr Faisal, who moved out of Aljunied GRC to lead WP’s Tampines GRC team, said he will draw on his 14 years of experience as an MP, and his team will work hard with government agencies to ensure that ongoing projects will continue.

He was speaking to the media outside the Tampines 1 shopping centre in Tampines Central, flanked by the party’s candidates contesting Tampines GRC and Tampines Changkat SMC.

Community activities will also remain, said Mr Faisal, who oversaw the Kaki Bukit ward of Aljunied GRC, and he hopes to take a more communal approach to planning them.

Mr Kenneth Foo, WP’s candidate in Tampines Changkat, said the team will also consider the progress of the town’s projects, and if some are falling behind, it will work to resolve the problems that arise.

“We will also continue talking to residents, and understand their situation and wishes, and see which areas we can continue to advance,” he added in Mandarin.

Mr Faisal added that each of his team members has unique strengths.

For example, Tampines GRC candidate and technology start-up co-founder Michael Thng was a former consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, is a seasoned negotiator, and can use his skills to ensure that residents in Tampines are well taken care of, said Mr Faisal.

At the interview on April 30, Mr Faisal was also asked for his thoughts on Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s walkabout in Tampines with the PAP team on April 29, as well as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s visit to the town on April 30.

Mr Faisal said the team was “humbled” by their presence.

“It shows that our presence does bring some form of competition. That is what we want,” he said.

Mr Faisal borrowed an analogy from former WP chief Low Thia Khiang. In 2011, Mr Low said WP’s role in Parliament was akin to being the co-driver of a bus driven by the ruling PAP and slapping the driver if he goes off-course, falls asleep or drives dangerously.

Mr Faisal said that was the purpose WP was contesting in Tampines.

“We want to give competition to the incumbent, so that they will do better and perform better.”

WP Tampines GRC candidate and former diplomat Eileen Chong added that the team believes competition will bring improvements.

“We welcome Senior Minister Lee and Prime Minister Wong coming to Tampines (to support their party’s candidates). We also had our secretary-general Pritam Singh and former secretary-general Low Thia Khiang come to show us support,” she said in Mandarin.

With the campaign entering its last stretch, Dr Ong Lue Ping, a Tampines GRC candidate for WP, said that although the team was tired, they felt very encouraged by Tampines residents.

The senior principal clinical psychologist at the Institute of Mental Health added: “Because of their warmth and their enthusiasm for us, I think that gives us additional energy, and we really look forward to serving them if we do have the opportunity.”

Mr Faisal was later asked to respond to comments made by Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli, who leads the PAP’s Tampines GRC team, the day before.

Mr Masagos, the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, had said several residents whom he met during house visits were worried about the mixing of race and religion with politics.

In response, Mr Faisal said he had pledged in front of attendees at WP’s rally on April 26 that he will serve everyone “fairly and equally, regardless of race, language and religion”.

His comments came after the authorities directed social media giant Meta to block access to posts by foreigners attempting to interfere in the May 3 General Election.

Government leaders have denounced the posts, which called on voters to select candidates along racial and religious lines.

Mr Faisal was also asked about the four-cornered contest in Tampines GRC. Apart from WP and the PAP, the National Solidarity Party and People’s Power Party are also gunning for the constituency.

He said the party’s focus is on what it can do for Tampines.

“Every party has the right to come in and contest... the focus right now is on what we can do for the community and for the voters.”

 

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GE2025: Demographic shifts, three-way race put Potong Pasir in the spotlight​

Potong Pasir SMC, which includes the Bidadari estate, is now younger, more populated and contested than before. PHOTO: ST FILE

Gabrielle Chan
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE - Once the smallest single-member constituency in Singapore, former opposition stronghold Potong Pasir has evolved in recent years – it is younger, more populated and at this general election, more contested.

Three candidates will battle for the single seat on May 3 – PAP’s Alex Yeo, Singapore People’s Party’s (SPP) Williamson Lee, and People’s Alliance for Reform’s (PAR) Lim Tean.

In the 2020 General Election, the ward had just 18,551 voters. Today, that number has surged to 30,971 – a 67 per cent jump – according to data released by the Elections Department. Of the 15 SMCs in this election, only one, Bukit Panjang (33,596), has more voters than Potong Pasir.

About 61.5 per cent of its residents are aged 45 and below, compared with about 54.3 per cent in 2020 – according to The Straits Times’ analysis using Department of Statistics data dated June 2024 – marking a demographic shift in a constituency once known for its greying population.

The transformation is largely driven by new Housing Board developments in the Bidadari estate, which has brought in young families.

Owing to the population spike, a portion of Potong Pasir was carved out and absorbed into the new five-member Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC for this election.

But even as the electoral map changes, Potong Pasir remains a politically symbolic battleground. Once the stronghold of veteran opposition leader Chiam See Tong – who held the seat for 27 years – it was wrested by the PAP’s Sitoh Yih Pin in 2011 by a razor-thin margin of just 114 votes.

Since then, the PAP has held the seat for two straight elections, each time facing off against the SPP. In the last election, Mr Sitoh secured 60.67 per cent of the vote.

Now, with thousands of new voters and changing demographics, candidates have much ground to cover.

Campaigning in Potong Pasir has centred around bread-and-butter issues, as candidates report hearing from residents about the rising cost of living, particularly in housing and healthcare, while walking the ground and knocking on doors.

From three-generation households to young couples with no children, PAP’s Mr Yeo said the ward’s demographics have shifted significantly.

The 46-year-old, who previously ran in Aljunied GRC in 2020, said: “The Potong Pasir in 2020 is very, very different from the Potong Pasir in 2025.

“If I were (in Bidadari), I would want to know who my representative is. So to do that, I have to be there. I have to walk the ground, I have to knock on every door. I have to introduce myself to every single person.”

This has been the core of Mr Yeo’s strategy. He prides himself on being contactable, even handing out his phone number to residents.

He added: “Nothing beats coming face to face and asking (residents) for their vote… and looking them in the eye and telling them, ‘Please, trust me. I have the plans for you. I promise you I will deliver.’”

The first step, he said, is earning trust and then, delivering on his promises.

His challenger Mr Lee is banking on the SPP’s legacy in the ward, as well as on fresh ideas.

While the 45-year-old, who was part of the party’s Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC team in the last election, wants to bring Mr Chiam’s kampung spirit back to Potong Pasir, he is also keen to be seen as a candidate in his own right.

Mr Lee has been walking the ground in Bidadari, speaking to residents and proposing community-driven changes – from family-friendly events to gatherings for dog owners. Older residents have also asked for estate upgrades like sheltered walkways, he added.

It will be an uphill task this election, he acknowledged, noting that his, and the party’s name, are not known among the newer and younger residents who are unaware of Mr Chiam’s work in the area.

He added: “I have to work hard, even harder, to prove to residents that I have the passion.”

For PAR’s Mr Lim, Potong Pasir is not unfamiliar territory. The 60-year-old lawyer said he has been doing “intensive work” on the ground over the past three years.

His campaign has included daily walkabouts and a steady stream of videos on social media. “I am very happy with the way the campaign has gone,” he said. “People know me, and it is evident.”

Mr Lim said a “vacuum” was left after the 2020 general election, when then-SPP chairman Jose Raymond retired from politics. The absence of an active opposition figure, he added, along with the area’s rapid growth, compelled him to contest the SMC.

Running as an opposition candidate brings its own set of challenges, Mr Lim said, particularly when it comes to resources.

He added: “In politics, resources are of utmost importance. But that is why I think it’s important to win an SMC like Potong Pasir, because it helps you expand your base and your party.”

 

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GE2025: Universal minimum wage will scare businesses amid economic uncertainty, says Tan See Leng​

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng (second from right), flanked by his fellow Chua Chu Kang GRC candidates (from left) Choo Pei Ling, Jeffrey Siow and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, speaking to the media during a walkabout on April 30.ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Osmond Chia
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE - Now is not the time to introduce a universal minimum wage policy as it will risk driving businesses away amid economic uncertainty in the light of the US tariffs, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng on April 30.

“Currently, what is most important is to make sure that we are able to ensure that... our workers continue to have gainful, meaningful employment opportunities,” Dr Tan said during a walkabout at Chua Chu Kang GRC, which he is contesting.

“We think there’s a storm that lies ahead, and whatever study that people propose, there is a timing for everything,” added the anchor minister for the PAP team.

Dr Tan was responding to calls for a universal minimum wage policy made by the opposition PSP on the campaign trail.

The PSP, which is running against Dr Tan’s PAP team in the group representation constituency, has suggested setting a minimum monthly wage of $2,250 to help Singaporean workers cope with rising living costs.

One of PSP’s candidates for Chua Chu Kang GRC, Mr Lawrence Pek, had criticised the Government’s current wage policies as outdated and urged a review of the feasibility of implementing a universal minimum wage. Mr Pek was the former secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF).

“Businesses are finding it very hard pressed, particularly with the uncertain economy, (to move) forward because of the tariff war,” said Dr Tan, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a walkabout at Lot One. “Now, if you impose anything, I think you’re going to really scare a lot of the businesses away.”

He said the Government has assembled the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, to look into the impacts that the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump would have on Singapore.

The priority now is to ensure businesses are supported and that workers continue to have meaningful employment opportunities, said Dr Tan, who is also the Second Minister for Trade and Industry.

Dr Tan said that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work in Singapore. Instead, the Government has a toolbox of wage policies work in tandem to support lower-income workers.

It includes the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), first introduced in 2014, which Dr Tan said is more robust than a minimum wage policy. The PWM is an initiative that aims to sustainably raise lower-wage workers’ incomes by linking wage increases to skills upgrading, productivity improvements and career progression.

Dr Tan said: “As a result, there’s a very proper wage ladder, a career ladder which (businesses) can find is a more sustainable model.”

He added: “Mr Pek, he was formerly in the SMF. I think he may have only understood, in part, but not much depth, as to what our PWM is all about.”

Dr Tan also highlighted the existing Workfare Income Supplement, which complements the PWM. The scheme is designed to encourage Singaporean workers to build their Central Provident Fund savings, earning them cash payments and additional fund contributions.

He said: “We have a whole suite of measures available that we will be able to draw on very quickly.”

The salaries of lower-wage workers here have also risen faster compared to those of the workforce as a whole, said Dr Tan, referring to figures highlighted in Parliament in March to show the results of Singapore’s progressive wage efforts.

PAP’s candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC Jeffrey Siow, who was formerly the permanent secretary at the trade and industry and manpower ministries, said the universal minimum wage risks raising business costs and could deter firms from hiring Singaporeans.

“I would suggest that it is worthwhile to ask companies themselves what they think of this proposal, perhaps ask the SMF,” said Mr Siow. Mr Siow had earlier referred to PSP’s policy proposal as more of a “political tool” than a practical solution.

With the hustings coming to its final day on May 1, Dr Tan said the PAP team, who are mostly new to the GRC, have focused on visiting markets, the MRT station and residents at their home to introduce themselves to voters.

His team includes incumbent Keat Hong MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and new faces Dr Choo Pei Ling and Mr Siow.

Dr Tan said the team will come up with a 100-day plan to see how concerns raised by residents can be addressed, such as connectivity issues in Tengah, which will be prioritised.

Mr Pek, who was also at Lot One doing a walkabout with the PSP team in the evening of April 30, said he hoped the ongoing debate between parties during the hustings would raise greater awareness of the minimum wage policy.

“I stress, the socioeconomic situation in Singapore has changed dramatically over the last five years and is very different from all the labor policies that we had 10 years ago,” he said, repeating his call for a feasibility review on the universal minimum wage policy.

He was speaking alongside PSP teammates Ms Wendy Low, Mr A’bas Kasmani and Mr S. Nallakaruppan.

The team also pledged to tackle the rising cost of living and shortage of job opportunities — key concerns frequently raised by residents.

Ms Low, a lawyer, said the team plans to set up a studio to support both job seekers and mental well-being, and will tap on their networks of companies and contacts to connect residents with employment opportunities.

 

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GE2025: Think of S’pore’s future, pick the right candidates, says PM Wong in last leg of hustings​

Goh Yan Han
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – Think about Singapore’s future in a changing world and choose the right candidates this election, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on April 30, the second-last day of the hustings.

He urged voters to consider three things, as the nation heads into the last stretch of campaigning.

“First, this election is about your future – for you, your families, your children, in a very changed world where we are facing serious and growing challenges,” said PM Wong, who was at a Tampines walkabout with PAP’s slates for Tampines GRC and Tampines Changkat SMC.

These challenges will have an impact on issues that matter deeply to Singaporeans, like cost-of-living, incomes, jobs and livelihoods; and or whether Singapore can even make a good living in this new world, he added.

His second point, reiterating his message from the past week of campaigning, was that the election is about choosing candidates who are honest, trustworthy and of good character who can serve in the constituencies and represent residents in Parliament.

Some of these candidates will form the leadership to govern Singapore and help to steer the country through the many storms it is facing and to take the nation to greater heights, said PM Wong.

“Thirdly, this election is about our ideals, what we want Singapore to be, the society that we envisage for ourselves, especially a harmonious, multiracial and multireligious society,” he said.

This was reminded to all in the middle of the campaign, he noted. On April 25, the authorities had moved to block three foreigners on social media for attempting to influence the election.

A day later, PM Wong called on the leaders of all political parties to clarify their stance on two fundamental principles: that identity politics has no place in Singapore, and that religion and politics should not mix.

“I’m glad everyone agrees that we should reject the mixing of race and religion into politics, and so I call on all Singaporeans to uphold these ideals of a multiracial and multireligious society and to uphold our harmony,” he said on April 30.

Such issues are always sensitive, and can get people riled up, said PM Wong.

But Singapore has come a long way in building a strong, multiracial and cohesive society as well as in forging a strong and enduring Singaporean identity, he said.

“I am confident that Singaporeans will understand what the issues are and what’s at stake, but in the end, Singaporeans will decide and we respect the wishes of Singaporeans in the election outcomes.”

The secretary-general of the PAP was making a visit to Tampines a day after he had visited Punggol and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong had visited Aljunied and Tampines.

When asked by reporters why they were making these visits, PM Wong said the party takes the election seriously.

“We make sure that we present the best possible case to residents, and we go where we are needed, particularly the senior leaders… Wherever we are needed, we will be there to support our teams,” he said.

“It shows that we take the national election seriously but we also take the local, the constituency seriously, and we want to provide the assurance to all residents, including the residents here in Tampines, that they will have a good, strong team with the full capabilities of the PAP behind them to serve them and to make sure we improve their lives.”

PM Wong also spoke on the transformation of Tampines over the decades, with national infrastructure upgrades as well as local initiatives.

“This is what previous PAP teams have done, and I’m confident that this PAP team will continue to do the same, and there is so much more potential to continue making Tampines better,” he said.

“We know there are concerns, we know there are needs. We know there are improvements that can be made. We are doing it at the national level, but I’m sure we can also do more at the local level,” he added.

PM Wong also noted that resources for upgrading programmes are allocated to all constituencies, whether it is PAP or opposition-held.

But local representatives in the constituency can make an additional difference, he said.

Government-allocated resources are the minimum, and depending on the quality of the team, they can go well beyond the minimum with projects taken on with residents, he added.

Speaking to the media after PM Wong, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said the team plans to make Tampines a model town together with the inputs of residents.

If elected, he will appoint incumbent MP Baey Yam Keng to chair the Tampines Town Council, said Mr Masagos, who is leading the PAP’s Tampines GRC slate that also includes Senior Minister for Manpower and Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon and new faces Charlene Chen and David Neo.

They are facing a multi-cornered fight with line-ups from the Workers’ Party, National Solidarity Party and People’s Power Party.

 

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GE2025: Elections boil down to trust, and PAP has earned people’s trust, says Ng Eng Hen​

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said every election can get complicated because political parties tend to tell people very different things.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Sue-Ann Tan
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE - Every general election boils down to a simple question of which political party the people can trust more, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

Speaking at a PAP rally in Bishan Stadium on April 30, Dr Ng added that every election can get complicated because political parties tend to tell people very different things.

He said: “Who do I trust more? It’s the same way you decide which bank to put your money in, which telco to subscribe to, which online platform to buy from. All these life decisions, big or small, is simply based on trust, isn’t it?

“The question is, how do you build trust? I tell you first that trust is not built on promises.”

Then, how is trust built, Dr Ng asked.

“It needs to be earned. Trust needs to be tried and tested through good times and especially, bad times,” he said.

“That’s the same way you choose your close friends, your relatives that you want to deal with, your life partner that you can depend on. You stay close to those you trust.”

If people choose correctly, the party they vote for will stand by them, help them in difficulties and celebrate their achievements. But if trust is misplaced, it can lead to despair and heartache, he added.

Dr Ng said the people of Bishan-Toa Payoh trusted him when he, a surgeon, was a nobody in politics, and rode “on the coattails” of senior colleagues like former deputy prime minister Wong Kan Seng and senior counsel Davinder Singh - both of whom were past Bishan-Toa Payoh MPs.

He said: “Because of their work and effort, you trusted me. But because you trusted and supported me, you gave me a chance to prove my worth.

“Bishan-Toa Payoh and Marymount have improved and, I hope, Singapore, too.”

The homes in the area are now among the most sought-after in Singapore despite it being a heartland area, he added, with a condominium designed by the same architect that designed the iconic Marina Bay Sands.

After entering politics in 2001 and holding a raft of portfolios, Dr Ng announced his retirement on April 18. The Bishan-Toa Payoh team is now helmed by Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.

Dr Ng, who was one of 10 speakers at the rally, said Mr Chee and the other MPs in his team are well-known to residents.

“Mr Chee neither needs an introduction nor my endorsement. He has proven in the last 10 years, and pushed many projects to improve Bishan-Toa Payoh and Marymount, and your lives,” he said.

The PAP is also a known party to Singapore’s voters, he added.

Dr Ng said the PAP has seen Singapore through its independence years, through separation from Malaysia. It built the Singapore Armed Forces into what it is today, faced the threat of terrorism, and came out of the Covid-19 pandemic with one of the lowest fatalities in the world.

He said: “We will not have got here if the PAP government did not win the trust of Singaporeans over the last 60 years. And the PAP government will and must continue to work hard and honestly, to continue to win your trust.”

He added that the new candidates - political newbies Elysa Chen and Cai Yinzhou - will have to prove themselves to the people, “just as I did 24 years ago”.

Dr Ng said: “I’m confident they will, but I ask you to give them a chance to do so. Give them five years to show that they care, and can be effective, to win your trust.

“If you vote for this new team under Mr Chee, Bishan-Toa Payoh and Marymount will be better five years later. If you vote for the PAP, Singapore will be better five years later.”

 

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‘My resolve from the start has not changed’, says SDA’s Desmond Lim​

SDA chief Desmond Lim arriving at the Yusof Ishak Secondary School nomination centre on April 23.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Harith Mustaffa
Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE - Singapore Democratic Alliance chief Desmond Lim said his resolve to serve residents with a “people first” mentality has not changed since his party began contesting in the General Elections close to two decades ago.

In his pre-recorded online rally on April 30, Mr Lim told voters that his love and sense of responsibility for the community has only grown stronger.

The SDA said it decided not to hold physical rallies and have only online ones so that voters would not be inconvenienced.

The party - which is up against a PAP team in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC in this year’s elections - has not prevailed since it began contesting the area in 2006.

“Time passes, but my resolve from the start has not changed,” Mr Lim said in his Mandarin speech.

“From 2006 until now I have been contesting in Pasir Ris-Punggol,” he added, referring to the constituency that has been split up to form two four-member GRCs, Pasir Ris-Changi and Punggol GRCs.

“I want to work together with you and fight hard to achieve our common dreams and aspirations… this is important to me.”.

Mr Lim, who returned to his post as the party’s chairman after announcing his decision to step down after GE2020, intends to continue the legacy of former opposition MP Chiam See Tong, having served for 14 years as Mr Chiam’s Town Council adviser at Potong Pasir SMC.

“Singapore is a home for all of us, common Singaporeans. Not just for the rich and… elites, and not just for those who stay in a big bungalow… drive a Bentley or a Ferrari.”

Mr Lim’s team, including returning candidates SDA secretary-general Abu Mohamed, 74, Mr Harminder Pal Singh, 53, the party’s communications lead, and new face Chia Yun Kai, 32, is up against a PAP team led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah.

SDA’s other candidates echoed Mr Lim’s sentiments, and promised to work towards addressing cost of living, housing and healthcare woes, as well as providing better job opportunities for Singaporeans amid competition from foreign talent.

Mr Abu spoke about how Singaporeans have been feeling the pinch for 15 years, and that young Singaporeans have said that it is not easy to get a job, despite having a university degree or polytechnic diploma.

“Many of them have applied for hundreds of jobs, but most of those applications received no response,” he said in Malay, noting that some have resorted to doing gig work.

Mr Chia said SDA will offer real solutions to ensure better wages and job security, where middle class families will no longer face “sleepless nights” worrying about their jobs or to put food on the table.

He said he had entered politics as he could not to stand back and see Singapore’s dreams of a better future slipping away.

“I may have been trained by the system but it is because of this I know the feeling. I experienced the pain, and I know Singaporeans deserve better,” he said.

Mr Singh told voters not to waste their vote, and said that voting for the opposition would help build a better and more balanced political system.

“A stronger opposition in Parliament... will force the PAP and the civil service to provide more thorough explanations of their policy... will prevent them form brushing aside valid questions and pushing through policies without proper scrutiny,” he said.