Is this Harvard Business School grad taking over Woodlands ward?

Could Sembawang MP Amrin Amin be handing over the baton to a newcomer?

Some residents seem to think so.

Amrin, who helms Woodlands ward in the group representation constituency (GRC), fuelled speculation about his potential successor when he officially introduced Mariam Jaafar, 43, to his constituents in a Facebook post on Tuesday (March 31).

In the post, he mentioned that he had been introducing Mariam to residents and was confident that she would "hit the ground running" and "do her best to serve residents".

Amrin also included several pictures of Mariam walking the ground alongside him and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, who helms the Gambas ward in Sembawang GRC.

She was also seen attending a Meet-the-People session with Amrin last week, Berita Mediacorp reported.

With recent reports that Amrin could be deployed elsewhere, some residents took his post as a sign, leaving a bevy of positive comments welcoming Mariam and lamenting Amrin's (yet unconfirmed) departure.

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"I am confident she can do very well as an MP," one resident said.

"Amrin Amin is one of the best MPs in Singapore. Please don't go," another commented.

When asked if she was a potential People's Action Party (PAP) candidate in the upcoming general election, Mariam told the Straits Times that it would be "an honour" to be fielded.

While Mariam may be a newbie on the political scene, it isn't her first time working closely with local ministers.

Mariam, a partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group in Singapore, has served on the Committee for the Future Economy chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat since 2015.

The committee, made up of industry experts and ministers, aims to tackle the challenge of economic growth amid a challenging global environment.

Its members include Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, as well as Ong.

Mariam is also on Govtech's board of directors.

And her education is equally impressive — the Stanford and Raffles Institution alumna also holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

While it remains to be seen if Mariam will indeed be fielded, the competition is heating up in Sembawang GRC.

The National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Progress Singapore Party (PSP) have both announced their intention to contest the GRC, raising the possibility of a three-way fight.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com