PAP introduces two new faces for its Jurong GRC slate

Lawyer and cancer specialist are new to GRC team; David Ong to defend Bukit Batok single seat

Lee U-Wen
Published Thu, Aug 20, 2015 · 09:50 PM
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Singapore

ONE is a lawyer by training and has been an active volunteer with various Muslim organisations since her teens.

The other is a boyish-looking consultant and medical oncologist at the Parkway Cancer Centre, who is fluent in English, Mandarin and Malay.

Both Rahayu Mahzam and Tan Wu Meng, successful professionals in their respective fields, hope to get to wear a new hat - as Members of Parliament for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) - after the general election.

The pair were confirmed on Thursday as the new faces on the People's Action Party's five-person slate in Jurong for the coming polls. They join Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee and backbencher Ang Wei Neng.

This PAP team is likely to face a contest from the new Singaporeans First party, which has expressed interest in fielding a team of candidates there.

Madam Rahayu, 35, specialises in civil litigation and family law and is a partner at Heng Leong & Srinivasan law firm; she used to be a deputy registrar of the Syariah Court.

"Grassroots work is a natural extension of my years of volunteer work. I meet a lot of families who face financial difficulties," she said "I'm very passionate about helping them. They need holistic support to help them get back on their feet."

Having worked with youth over the years, she wants to help ensure that young people, especially those from low- and middle-income families, are given the opportunity to achieve their aspirations and realise their potential.

Forty-year-old Dr Tan began his medical career at the Singapore General Hospital, specialising in medical oncology at the National Cancer Centre, where he worked until early 2015.

"One of the things I've learnt as a doctor is that life is short and unpredictable. People can fall ill (and) very often, it happens at times when people are vulnerable. I realised that helping a patient is not about giving medication, drugs, but about giving hope," he said.

"What I hope to bring is the perspective of a doctor who has the heart to serve, who is very concerned about helping make people's lives better. I'm here to help, here to learn and here to serve."

Separately, the PAP announced that David Ong would defend the Bukit Batok ward, which the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee carved out from Jurong GRC into a single seat last month.

The 54-year-old managing director of a publishing firm and first-term MP is expected to go head-to-head with a candidate from the Singapore Democratic Party in the coming hustings.

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