GE2025: Ong Ye Kung to lead PAP team in Sembawang GRC, Poh Li San to stand in Sembawang West SMC
[SINGAPORE] Health Minister Ong Ye Kung will lead the PAP’s five-member team for Sembawang GRC, which will include two new faces - Ng Shi Xuan, 35, and Gabriel Lam, 42.
At a press conference on April 22, Ong confirmed that his Sembawang GRC team will be rounded out with incumbent MPs Vikram Nair and Mariam Jaafar.
Meanwhile, Poh Li San will contest the new single seat of Sembawang West at the coming polls, against SDP chief Chee Soon Juan.
Ong said the Sembawang slate reveal will be the PAP’s final one ahead of Nomination Day on Wed (April 23), which leaves open who the ruling party will field in Tanjong Pagar GRC, and expected tough contests such as in East Coast and Punggol GRCs.
Four-term Sembawang MP Lim Wee Kiak was not at the briefing, and Ong had earlier paid tribute to the ophthalmologist at a community event on April 13.
Ong said on April 22 that he could not yet confirm Dr Lim’s retirement, given that Nomination Day deployments are “a complicated jigsaw (and) there’s always a need for backup and a contingency plan”.
Dr Lim’s successor in Sembawang’s Canberra ward is Ng Shi Xuan, who is the director of a battery company.
Previously a public servant, he had been a grassroots volunteer in MacPherson for a decade and was vice-chairman of the MacPherson Youth Network.
Ng said he is passionate about young people’s health and mental wellbeing, and hopes to speak up for local businesses if elected.
SEE ALSO
“I run a small business, selling batteries, and I know the struggles. Too much paperwork, too many rules… Our SMEs hire 70 per cent of our workforce. Cutting red tape and helping them grow is one way to take care of our Singaporeans,” he said.
If elected, he wants to push the Government to offer more testbeds for businesses to trial new ideas, and also for a faster national adoption of electric vehicles.
Lam, who is chief operating officer of moving company Shalom International Movers, said he wants to champion families and second chances.
He has been involved with Yellow Ribbon Singapore since 2011, and is also an ambassador of the Central Narcotics Bureau’s United Against Drugs Coalition.
“I understand fully the importance of second chances, and second chances apply not just to those who have been incarcerated, but also to those who have made decisions in life that led to hardship,” he said.
Poh, who is the incumbent MP in Sembawang West, said her residents know her well as she has been working hard on the ground, and has implemented a lot of changes in her ward.
She said she has also been voicing her residents’ concerns in Parliament, particularly on jobs and employment.
On going up against Chee in a straight fight, Poh said residents should consider what each political party brings to the leadership of Singapore, especially in this critical period where the future looks uncertain.
Poh said her record speaks for itself and she will put up a good fight, and that voters will make their decisions on May 3.
A three-way fight is expected in Sembawang GRC, which has over 133,000 voters, with the SDP and the National Solidarity Party (NSP) having declared their intentions to contest there.
In the 2020 General Election, the PAP won Sembawang GRC with 67.29 per cent of votes against the NSP. THE STRAITS TIMES
For more election coverage, visit our GE2025 microsite
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
