PUBLISHED ONJune 24, 2020 10:35 AMByIlyas Sholihyn
In the 2011 general election, Tin Pei Ling — now Member of Parliament for MacPherson SMC — was the youngest candidate at age 28 to be fielded by the People's Action Party (PAP). This year, the honour could go to Nadia Ahmad Samdin.
This morning (June 24), Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat introduced the 30-year-old lawyer as one of the party's new candidates alongside Edward Chia Bing Hui, Ivan Lim Shaw Chuan, and Desmond Tan Kok Ming.
Belying her youth is her lengthy experience in community service — the TSMP Law Corporation Associate Director has been volunteering for various causes since the age of 15, and she's been active in the Cheng San-Seletar ward in Ang Mo Kio GRC.
It was not stated where she will be contesting in in the upcoming general election, and with whom.
Interestingly enough, Nadia has also been on the other side of the panel as a current affairs producer with CNA.
Here’s a CNA video from 2016 featuring Nadia reflecting on the legacy of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/ChannelNewsAsia/videos/10153499767777934/[/embed]
It’s unclear exactly when she was with the news network, but according to a post by TSMP, her producing days had been a “brief stint” amid her career in corporate and commercial law.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/TSMPLaw/posts/1615696068586385[/embed]
Her CV is impressive — she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Singapore Management University, which conferred her with the Rising Star Award.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/smusol/posts/2137063889904950[/embed]
The big message that Nadia delivered in her introduction this morning is that she keeps multiple causes — such as charity, youths-at-risk, ex-offenders, and women empowerment — close to her heart.
She has served on a number of community organisations and boards, holding roles in the National Youth Council and the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, as well as being a Panel Advisor in Youth Court and the youngest district councillor in the South East Community Development Council.
Nadia also described her position as a mentor to underprivileged teens, offering advice and aid to those in need.
“Through these efforts, I’ve met various Singaporeans who inspire me. One such example would be a youth I mentor, I shall call her Ann. At the time when I met Ann and her siblings, both her parents were in prison,” she shared.
“There was one morning when I received a call — slightly earlier than the time now — and she asked me if I could send her to school because she had no more money left in her EZ-link card, and what she wanted was to go to school to take her test.”
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/pap.sg/videos/595485031097710[/embed]
Following that encounter, she initiated a programme where volunteers would meet underserved students every month to check on their well-being and help top-up their EZ-link cards so they could go to school.
As a recreational diver for eight years, Nadia also expressed her passion for ocean conservation and hopes to advocate for sustainability and the environment.
“We value sustainability, and not just sustainability in the traditional sense, but also sustainable economic growth, that is equitable, first and foremost, while preserving the environment and upholding the values of Singapore,” she stated.
ilyas@asiaone.com