GE2025: Jasmin Lau and Victor Lye spotted at Ang Mo Kio GRC along with SM Lee Hsien Loong
[SINGAPORE] Former senior civil servant Jasmin Lau and PAP veteran Victor Lye have been spotted at Ang Mo Kio GRC.
Both were seen alongside Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Hougang Village on Sunday (Apr 13). With them were Ang Mo Kio GRC MPs Darryl David and Nadia Samdin. Gan Thiam Poh and Ng Ling Ling, who are also currently MPs of the GRC, were not with them.
Speaking to the media, SM Lee stopped short of confirming the Ang Mo Kio GRC team, but, referring to both Lau and Lye, said that he would be delighted to have them on his team.
Lau, 42, was previously deputy secretary (policy) at the Ministry of Health. She oversaw manpower, financing and regulatory measures in the healthcare system.
She was one of eight new faces revealed by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Apr 12, who look set to run under the PAP banner in the coming general election.
Lau said: “This is my first walkabout... glad to be here with the Ang Mo Kio team, also glad to be standing on the shoulders of giants, and being able to learn from them.”
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She added that it has been “warm” meeting all residents in Ang Mo Kio.
“What I bring to the table is a listening ear, a sincere heart and my strong hands to serve the residents.”
She said she felt “very honoured” but also “a little bit stressed” learning from SM Lee, the team and generations of leaders who have served in the area and done so much for the people.
“So it is with some pressure to come here to learn, and if I do have the chance, and if PM so decides to send me here, I would be very honoured to take up this chance to work with everybody here.”
Lye, 63, was part of the PAP team for Aljunied GRC in GE2015 and GE2020, which lost to the Workers’ Party.
He was the chairman of the PAP Bedok Reservoir-Punggol Branch for 13 years, but stepped down in February to hand over the reins to his vice-chairman Dr Adrian Ang.
Lye had said on his social media post then that “while my chapter here draws to a close, I look forward to new opportunities to serve and contribute to our collective vision of a better Singapore for all”.
He said: “I just want to say that we have been working across Singapore as one team, wherever we are.”
He added that he is familiar with the area as many of his residents where he served in Aljunied GRC also frequent the place.
“Also, I used to live in Ang Mo Kio. I am also quite familiar with that part of Singapore,” he said, adding that he will do his best for Singapore wherever he is fielded.
“I have served Singapore and Singaporeans the best I can, no matter what the odds. Whether I’m fielded in Ang Mo Kio, or not at all, is not the most important thing,” he said.
“It is important to see where our hearts are to do our best for Singapore. Especially when you know the world is not getting any easier, especially when you know domestically there is going to be greater political diversity.”
SM Lee said that both bring different experiences: Lye, who is founder and chief executive of an AI-driven asset management fintech company, has considerable private experience and considerable ground experience in Aljunied, and before that, volunteering in different branches, he said.
Lau has experience working in different government departments and statutory boards, including with the Economic Development Board, and served on various boards of non-governmental organisations. SM Lee believes she can contribute to how residents’ lives can be improved, and can come up with ideas and solutions, mobilise people and make things happen.
“I think when you have a new person come in, we bring experience from where they were and also hope for how they will grow into their new job,” SM Lee said. “I am quite sure that these two will have that potential and will show that performance.”
The PAP team there garnered 71.9 per cent of valid votes in the 2020 General Election against a Reform Party (RP) team.
Ang Mo Kio is the largest group representation constituency, with 161,235 electors even after a new Jalan Kayu SMC is carved out of the GRC. The new single-member constituency takes in areas that are currently in Ng’s Jalan Kayu ward, and also parts of Gan’s Fernvale.
It is poised for a three-cornered fight in the upcoming polls with two opposition parties staking their claims on the ward.
People’s Power Party (PPP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng said the party will field a team in a challenge to SM Lee.
The PPP’s team for Ang Mo Kio GRC will be headed by party treasurer William Lim, a 47-year-old who works as a limousine service provider.
The Singapore United Party (SUP) also said it will contest Ang Mo Kio GRC at the upcoming general election. SUP secretary-general Andy Zhu and his team, who had contested Ang Mo Kio GRC at GE2020 under the RP banner, polled 28.09 per cent of the votes.
Both have so far failed to reach a deal on which party to pull out to avert the three-cornered fight. THE STRAITS TIMES
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