GE2020: PSP to contest PAP in Nee Soon GRC

THE Progress Singapore Party (PSP) will be fielding five candidates to contest Nee Soon GRC as previously announced, going up against the incumbent PAP team helmed by Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam.

The PSP candidates are adult educator Kala Manickam, 52; IT project manager Taufik Supan, 40; media consultant Bradley Bowyer, 53; customer service manager Damien Tay, 51; and party treasurer and investment specialist Sri Nallakaruppan, 56.

The incumbent PAP team comprises Mr Shanmugam, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Faishal Ibrahim, backbencher Louis Ng, as well as first-time candidates Derrick Goh and Carrie Tan.

Mr Goh, 51, is the managing director and head of group audit at DBS Bank. The 38-year-old Ms Tan is the founding executive director of Daughters of Tomorrow, a charity that supports underprivileged women.

Speaking to reporters after the Nomination Day proceedings, Mr Shanmugam said that he expects "the elections across Singapore to be tough", citing the Covid-19 pandemic as a key challenge.

When asked how he is gearing up against the PSP, he said: "It's not as if we are turning up here today for the first time of the last three weeks. I have been around for 32 years; this will be my eighth election. We understand what the people want."

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Ms Manickam of the PSP acknowledged that contesting Nee Soon GRC will be a "tough battle" but said that residents are open to considering an alternative.

"I would say confidently that now, when we are walking the ground, we feel the connection with the people in Nee Soon... We are going to go through the heart connection and we want to be grounded," she said.

Fellow PSP candidate Mr Nallakaruppan, who is from the stock-broking industry, cited the rising cost of living and safeguarding PMET jobs as key areas that his team will focus on.

The PAP beat the Workers' Party in Nee Soon at the 2015 polls, winning 66.83 per cent of the vote. The PAP team then had comprised Mr Shanmugam, Dr Faishal and Mr Ng, as well as Henry Kwek and Lee Bee Wah. This election, Mr Kwek is contesting Kebun Baru SMC. Ms Lee announced her retirement from politics on Monday.

The WP team defeated in 2015 had comprised Kenneth Foo, Cheryl Loh, Gurmit Singh, Luke Koh and Ron Tan.

For Nomination Day developments and more on Singapore GE2020, go to bt.sg/ge2020