GE2025: PAP’s Ng Chee Meng to face WP’s Andre Low in Jalan Kayu SMC
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong will lead the PAP in a three-cornered fight with SUP and PPP
[SINGAPORE] As labour chief and former minister Ng Chee Meng looks to return to Parliament, he faces a showdown with Andre Low of the Workers’ Party in Jalan Kayu SMC.
Low, a 34-year-old product manager at a fintech company, joined the party in 2020. He served as secretarial assistant to the party’s Sengkang MP Louis Chua.
Ng, 56, became a minister soon after entering politics in GE2015 as part of the PAP’s team for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. But in GE2020, his PAP team for Sengkang GRC lost to the Workers’ Party, which secured its second GRC with 52.12 per cent of the vote.
Jalan Kayu SMC, which has 29,628 voters, was newly carved out from Ang Mo Kio GRC this election. It includes parts of the former Sengkang West SMC, which the WP contested in the 2011 and 2015 elections.
Speaking to reporters after the nomination, Low said many residents he spoke to said they felt like they were “part of the Sengkang family”. He added that the WP feels “a strong affinity to this place” – it previously contested in the area when it used to be part of the Sengkang West SMC.
“So I think we’re coming home in a way,” Low said.
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As a younger Singaporean, Low said he can resonate with young voters, especially as Jalan Kayu SMC is one of the youngest constituencies in Singapore.
The product manager said some issues he will campaign about include the rising cost of living, as well as housing affordability, especially for younger residents. He also hopes to speak to the younger residents about parental leave policies and caregiver policies, and campaign for better access to facilities and amenities in the area.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters on his way out from the nomination centre, PAP’s Ng said he is focused on concerns from residents over the rising cost of living, job security, and various municipal issues.
In response to questions about the contest against the WP, he said: “I’m looking forward to a fair and respecting contest.”
Three-cornered fight in Ang Mo Kio
Ang Mo Kio GRC will see a three-cornered fight as the PAP faces the Singapore United Party (SUP) and People’s Power Party (PPP).
The ruling party’s slate is anchored by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who stepped down as prime minister in May 2024. It comprises former civil servant Jasmin Lau, 41, former Aljunied GRC candidate Victor Lye, 63, and incumbent MPs Nadia Samdin, 35, and Darryl David, 54.
The PAP won Ang Mo Kio GRC in GE2020 with 71.91 per cent of the vote against the Reform Party (RP). The constituency is now Singapore’s largest, with 161,499 voters.
Two members of RP’s GE2020 slate are back for GE2025 – but under the banner of the SUP, which was formed by a splinter group from RP. They are SUP secretary-general Andy Zhu, 42, and Noraini Yunus, 57.
Rounding out SUP’s slate are chairman Ridhuan Chandran, 53; flight attendant and first-time candidate Nigel Ng, 39; and Vincent Ng, 52, who contested GE2020 as part of the National Solidarity Party’s slate for Tampines GRC.
The PPP’s team is led by party treasurer William Lim, a limousine service provider. It comprises retired civil servant Martinn Ho, 64; construction safety coordinator Thaddeus Thomas, 43; horticulturist Heng Zheng Dao, 24; and Samuel Lee, 33, a central executive committee member.
In Kebun Baru SMC, Henry Kwek of the PAP will defend his seat against Tony Tan of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).
Kwek won the SMC in GE2020 – when it was newly formed – with 62.92 per cent of votes, defeating Kumaran Pillai of the PSP.
In a thank-you speech to supporters at nomination centre Deyi Secondary, Kwek said that it has been a privilege for him to serve residents over the past decade, especially during Covid-19. He pledged to “build what’s next with courage and care”.
Tan, 55, is married to PSP vice-chairperson Hazel Poa and co-founded SmartLab Education, a private education provider. He contested Chua Chu Kang GRC in 2011 under the NSP and has volunteered with the PSP since its founding in 2019.
In his speech, Tan said that the PSP wants a Singapore where no one is left behind and called on PAP’s Kwek for a policy debate.
Over in Yio Chu Kang SMC, PAP incumbent Yip Hon Weng will be up against lecturer Michael Fang, 48, of the People’s Alliance for Reform – an alliance comprising RP, Peoples Voice (PV) and the Democratic Progressive Party.
Yip won the SMC in GE2020 with 60.82 per cent of the vote against Kayla Low of the PSP.
Yip said that he has stayed true to his purpose over the past five years, listening to residents concerns. He cited how Yio Chu Kang is Singapore’s first dementia-friendly neighbourhood.
In GE2020, Dr Fang was part of PV’s team for Jalan Besar GRC, which received 34.64 per cent of the vote.
“I’m here today to contest YCK not because I hate the PAP but because I love my country,” said Fang, saying that his focus is on preserving jobs for Singaporeans and affordable healthcare.
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