GE2025: SM Lee to lead PAP slate in Ang Mo Kio GRC; Aljunied's Victor Lye joins line-up

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong will again lead the People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting Ang Mo Kio GRC this General Election.
SM Lee, 73, has been a part of Ang Mo Kio since its formation in 1991, and will be his first electoral contest since stepping down as Prime Minister last May.
Former PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC Victor Lye, 63, and new face Jasmin Lau, 41, a former senior civil servant, will join SM Lee.
Incumbents Darryl David, 54, and Nadia Ahmad Samdin, 35, complete the five-member Ang Mo Kio GRC slate.
"We've done our best to improve our estates and to serve the residents over the years, and we ask for your continued support in this election," said SM Lee said at a press conference at the party's Teck Ghee branch office on Saturday (April 19).
Former MP Ng Ling Ling, who made her electoral debut in 2020 and represented the Jalan Kayu ward, will not be part of the team.
Gan Thiam Poh, who entered politics in 2011 and oversaw the Fernvale division, has also been left out.
Both Gan and Ng will be retiring from politics, according to SM Lee.
"I'm very grateful to Ng Ling Ling and Thiam Poh for their many contributions over the past years," he said.
"They put their heart and soul into serving residents. "They helped to build a better Ang Mo Kio. On behalf of the residents and the party, I thank them all from the bottom of my heart and we wish them all the best for the future."
Ang Mo Kio is the largest GRC, with 161,235 electors even after a new Jalan Kayu SMC was carved out of it.
Lye was the branch chairman at Bedok Reservoir-Punggol division in Aljunied GRC for 13 years, before he was succeeded by his vice-chairman Dr Adrian Ang in February this year.
He was also part of the losing PAP teams that contested in the 2015 and 2020 General Election against the Workers' Party for Aljunied GRC.
Lye said that he has been a community volunteer for 26 years, and has worked the ground "relentlessly, even when times are difficult".
He recalled his experiences contesting in opposition-held Aljunied GRC in the past two elections, saying that his team "persevere and never wavered from their core mission" — to give voters a choice.
"I understand, having served in an opposition ward, the voters dilemma. They want a PAP government, but in a way, lured by the opposition's call to be a check on the PAP.
"You may have one vote. But please, if you do not use it well, the outcome can be quite damaging for our future."
Lye was asked by a reporter that given his history with Aljunied GRC, would he have wanted to be fielded as a candidate there again?
"I obey the party... But I will continue in Aljunied. My residents know that. They miss me and I miss them.
"But I tell them the party has called me. I believe I can contribute, and I shall, but they will always be in my heart."
Lau, a former Ministry of Health deputy secretary, is one of the high-ranking civil servants who resigned over the past month to contest the General Election under the PAP banner.
She oversaw manpower, financing and regulatory measures in the healthcare system.
SM Lee said that Lau has been a public servant for close to two decades, and will "bring fresh ideas to improve residents lives, mobilise people and make things happen".
Lau said that she grew up playing netball in primary school, and transitioned into basketball during her thirties.
"I brought with me was strong foundations in ball handling, vision and I understood teamwork," the mother of two added. "So for me now, moving from public service into politics feels a little bit like (that).
"For 19 years or so, I worked on healthcare, manpower and finance policies. I've had the privilege to engage many diverse stakeholders from around the world, look at the big picture and then put these together to make sound policy decisions.
"These experiences are now the strong foundations that I bring into the new court of politics, and I believe that as I hold my skills, I will be able to serve Singaporeans effectively."
Lau said that being part of SM Lee's team, and working with other senior MPs as a political newcomer is an "honour".
"The expectations are high, and I do feel that I really need to up my game, not so much to make them feel happy or convince them I can do the job, but that's the standard that they have set."
On the "best advice" SM Lee had given so far, Lau said that it is not to take herself too seriously.
"The arrows will come, the laughter will come, the jokes will come. At some point, I'll make boo boos.
"And I think really it's about loosening up your shoulders, because people want to view that you're a real human being."
In the 2020 General Election, the PAP won easily against Reform Party (RP) led by leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam, taking 71.91 per cent of the vote share.
It is poised for a three-cornered fight in the upcoming polls, with two opposition parties staking their claims on the constituency.
On Thursday (April 17), the Singapore United Party unveiled its slate of potential candidates for Ang Mo Kio GRC, while the People's Power Party's team will be led by party treasurer William Lim, a 47-year-old who works as a limousine service provider.
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