PUBLISHED ONApril 21, 2025 3:56 AMBySean LerNee Soon GRC's anchor minister K. Shanmugam will be leading four new People's Action Party (PAP) candidates to contest the five-member Nee Soon GRC in the 2025 General Election.
The PAP announced at a press conference on Monday morning (April 21) that social activist Louis Ng, 46, DBS Bank's group chief operating officer Derrick Goh, 56, and life coach Carrie Tan, 43, will not be contesting in Nee Soon in the upcoming General Election.
Another member of the 2020 PAP team - Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim - will contest in the new Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
Their replacements are former MDDI director Goh Hanyan, 39, former Nominated Member of Parliament and clinical psychologist Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 40, former PAP branch chairman for Hougang Jackson Lam, 40, and Temasek Foundation director Lee Hui Ying, 36.
Of this team, Shanmugam said at the press conference that it is a "young youthful slate except for me, two potential office holders [Goh and Dr Harun] who can potentially help govern [the] country".
All four political newcomers have been seen at community events in Nee Soon over the past weeks.
Until her departure from the service on April 3, Goh served as a senior civil servant responsible for overseeing Singapore's Smart Nation and artificial intelligence (AI) policies.
Goh said at Monday's media event that if she's given the "privilege to take on extra responsibilities, I will be prepared to do so".
Dr Syed Harun, who resigned before the end of the Nominated Members of Parliament term in February this year, said it would be most appropriate that he resign as he intends to "explore opportunity for political service".
"I have learnt much in this journey and, truly, it has been a great honour and my deep privilege to have served in this capacity," he added in his Facebook post then.
Shanmugam had said last month that Lam will be an asset to the party, Government and Parliament if he runs in the upcoming election.
"He was my branch secretary, and he is very good on the ground. I would love to see him contest the elections," Shanmugam said of Lam during a constituency event in Nee Soon GRC.
Lee has been an active youth community volunteer in Nee Soon GRC for more than 15 years.
Shanmugam, 66, entered politics in 1988 and has been serving in the Chong Pang division of the constituency since.
The new PAP team in Nee Soon will contest against a Red Dot United (RDU) team led by its secretary-general Ravi Philemon, 56.
On Sunday night (April 20), the party announced that its slate of candidates will comprise party chairman chemist David Foo, 60, and three political newcomers.
They are company director Pang Heng Chuan, 56, teacher Syed Alwi Ahmad, 57, and IT consultant Sharon Lin, 40.
Nee Soon GRC is one of five GRCs and 4 SMCs which the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) recommended to "maintain status quo" in its report last month. The total number of constituencies stand at 33 - 18 GRCs and 15 SMCs.
The 2020 PAP team won Nee Soon GRC with 61.9 per cent of the votes against the Progress Singapore Party.
For our GE2025 microsite, visit here.
For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.
