GE2025: PAP’s Ng Chee Meng makes political comeback with 51.47% win in Jalan Kayu SMC
The closely watched seat was carved out of PAP stronghold Ang Mo Kio GRC
[SINGAPORE] Labour chief and former minister Ng Chee Meng will return to Parliament after the gap of one government term, following a narrow win in Jalan Kayu SMC with 51.47 per cent of votes against Andre Low of the Workers’ Party (WP).
This marks a political comeback for Ng after GE2020. His PAP team for Sengkang GRC had then lost to the WP, which secured its second GRC with 52.12 per cent of the votes.
Addressing PAP supporters on Sunday (May 4), Ng vowed to serve “with humility and heart” and thanked fellow members of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) for their support. He also credited former PAP representatives Gan Thiam Poh and Ng Ling Ling with “building a wonderful foundation” in Jalan Kayu.
Ng, 56, became a minister soon after entering politics in GE2015 as part of the PAP’s team for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. A former defence chief, he was appointed minister for education (schools) and second transport minister from 2016 to 2018. Over the next two years, he served as minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Income-Allianz flashpoint
Jalan Kayu SMC drew attention after the aborted S$2.2 billion sale of NTUC’s Income Insurance to German insurer Allianz emerged as a flashpoint.
Ng faced fresh questions over his role in the deal, which the government later blocked over concerns about a capital extraction plan. On Apr 27, saying that the deal was done in “good faith”, the labour chief apologised and vowed to “do better”.
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Days later, WP’s Low faced scrutiny over leaked Telegram messages in which he used vulgarities and complained about a variety of issues. He apologised for the remarks, calling them “completely inappropriate”.
The 34-year-old candidate is a staff product manager at a fintech company and a former disputes lawyer. He joined the WP in 2020 and served as secretarial assistant to the party’s Sengkang MP Louis Chua.
Speaking to WP supporters on Saturday, Low said that the election campaign was never just about winning a seat in Parliament but also about “starting necessary conversations about accountability, affordability and the Singapore we want to build together”.
Jalan Kayu, which has 29,628 voters, was carved out from PAP stronghold 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.
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