PUBLISHED ONApril 16, 2025 6:10 AMByBhavya RawatMinister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo will remain at the helm of the People's Action Party's (PAP) slate set to contest Jalan Besar GRC during the upcoming General Election.
She is joined by Dr Wan Rizal and Denise Phua as well as newcomer Shawn Loh, who will replace Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, as he steps down from the GRC.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday (April 16) at Whampoa Park, Teo introduced the team and thanked Heng for his contributions.
Describing Heng as the "elder brother" she never had, Teo said: "He is a complete gentleman, fully honourable. You can try but you will never find a nasty bone in him. He has come to be very well-loved by the residents here, and we going to miss him terribly."
She also highlighted Loh's experience in both the public and private sectors.
"I believe that he will be an excellent fit with the team here, and he comes with many years of experience, not just in the public sector; I think it is also his private sector experience that I value in particular," she said.
The 38-year-old was formerly director of security and resilience programmes at the Ministry of Finance and is now deputy group managing director at Commonwealth Capital Group, a Singapore-based investment company focused on the food and beverage industry.
Heng, who has been MP for the constituency's Whampoa division since 2001, was also present at the event.
He thanked residents for their support throughout the years and said that he hopes the work he has done in Whampoa will continue after his departure.
"I would certainly hope for somebody who can take on this work after me, who would have the heart, the capability, the drive to continue to want to serve our people," he said.
"And I want to say that in Shawn, I think we have found the person."
When asked if Heng would contest the election in other constituencies, Teo said: "Everything is still open, and it means that up to Nomination Day, you can never say for certain who's running," she said.
"So the way the PAP works is that in whichever constituency that there is a need, we will look at the potential candidates that can best serve the residents there. If at the appropriate time the Prime Minister believes that Chee How is the best person to serve in any particular constituency, who knows what will happen? Certainly, we'll see."
During the press conference, Teo also addressed growing fears regarding the recent US tariffs and ongoing geopolitical conflict in the world.
"The changes are profound… but it does impact the way we think about prioritising programmes for the residents in the area," she said, adding that the team has a good track record and a five-year master plan for the constituency.
Jalan Besar is a mature estate with a constant need for rejuvenation, and it takes effort to understand what really it is that the residents want, she explained.
"It also takes a set of capabilities to be able to implement, not just conceptualising what might be desirable from the residents' standpoint, but to actually have the capabilities to implement these upgrading projects."
At the last General Election in 2020, the PAP Jalan Besar team secured 65.37 per cent of the vote, defeating Lim Tean's Peoples Voice Party.
Singaporeans will head to the polls on May 3 for the country's 14th General Election, which was called after parliament was dissolved by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Tuesday.
Nomination Day is on April 23.
For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.
