GE2025: Former S’pore Manufacturing Federation sec-gen among PSP’s Chua Chu Kang GRC slate (2025)

SINGAPORE – The opposition PSP on April 19 unveiled its line-up of candidates for Chua Chu Kang GRC, which includes the former secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, Mr Lawrence Pek.

The four-member PSP team also includes three candidates with political experience.

Technology lawyer Wendy Low, 48, and PSP second vice-chairman and business consultant A’bas Kasmani, 71, contested Tanjong Pagar GRC in the 2020 General Election.

Investment specialist S. Nallakaruppan, 60, who was a PSP candidate in Nee Soon GRC in GE2020, rounds out the party’s slate for Chua Chu Kang GRC.

Mr Pek, 55, is a political new face who, as former leader of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, stands out among the PSP’s newcomers as having one of the most notable backgrounds. He was the secretary-general of the federation between 2020 and 2023. The federation champions the growth and global competitiveness of Singapore’s manufacturing sector.

The PSP also said it will be fielding its former central executive committee member Harish Pillay in Bukit Gombak SMC. Mr Pillay, 65, contested Tanjong Pagar GRC in GE2020. He is a tech veteran whose past roles include growing software company Red Hat in Singapore from a one-man set-up to having more than 450 staff over two decades.

Introducing the team during a walkabout at Teck Whye Square, party chairman Tan Cheng Bock, 84, said: “We are bringing in talent, and when they get into Parliament, their views will definitely resonate among many Singaporeans.”

He added that the candidates were chosen not just for their achievements but also for their ability to take the heat of political debate, as well as their sincerity in connecting with residents.

When Singapore goes to the polls on May 3, the PSP team will face off against the incumbent PAP MPs for Chua Chu Kang GRC.

The PAP had on April 14 unveiled its candidates for the constituency.

Led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, the PAP team includes incumbent MP and lawyer Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, who represented the Keat Hong ward in the GRC, and two first-time candidates: veteran former civil servant Jeffrey Siow and neuroscientist Choo Pei Ling.

Under the changes to electoral boundaries announced on March 11, Chua Chu Kang GRC will take in the new Tengah estate, which had previously been part of Hong Kah North SMC.

The Bukit Gombak ward has also been carved out of the GRC, becoming a single-member constituency that incumbent PAP MP Low Yen Ling will contest.

This is the second time that PSP is contesting Chua Chu Kang GRC.

DPM Gan’s PAP team in 2020 won Chua Chu Kang GRC with a vote share of 58.64 per cent, roughly an 18 percentage point drop from the 2015 election.

In 2020, the PSP team comprised Mr Francis Yuen, Mr Choo Shaun Ming, Mr Abdul Rahman Mohamad and Mr Tan Meng Wah.

Chua Chu Kang GRC proved to be where the PSP had one of its best showings that year after West Coast GRC, where it obtained a vote share of 48.32 per cent, and Marymount SMC, with 44.96 per cent.

Asked why the line-up for the constituency had changed, Dr Tan said the expertise needed for campaigning is transferable and the PSP has been consistently on the ground in the area.

Ms Wendy Low added: “With the latest (changes in electoral boundaries), we also see that with population growth and with policy changes, there could be significant boundary shifts.

“And so it does make sense for us to strategically consolidate... by focusing on one core area and walking the ground thoroughly in those residential areas, it gives us a lot more options when we want to consider our next GE battle.”

Ms Low also said that if elected, the PSP plans to champion greater inter-generational bonding within the constituency.This is important given that Tengah estate, which has a larger proportion of young families, has now been folded into Chua Chu Kang GRC for the upcoming polls, she added.

Plans to enable such bonding could include building a community space where senior care centres are located alongside childcare centres, with amenities catering to people across a range of ages, like booths with cheap rents to spur entrepreneurship among seniors or students.

Another idea she mooted was to have roving Meet-the-People Sessions in which volunteers and MPs would meet residents who are less mobile, wherever they are.

Mr Pek said one key cause the PSP will champion is a “sustainable minimum wage” to help workers keep pace with the rising cost of living and support those at risk of being displaced by automation.

Mr Nallakaruppan and Mr A’bas spoke on the need to ensure that Singapore’s strong education system translates into good job outcomes for young Singaporeans. They also said Singaporeans should be considered first as long as they meet the skill requirements of jobs here.

Meanwhile, Mr Pillay, who now advises on generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI governance at an edutech company, said he was among those who called for the software that underpins the TraceTogether system used for contact tracing in the Covid-19 pandemic to be made open to scrutiny to improve trust, a suggestion the Government ultimately took up.

Mr Pillay also proposed an open software platform that town councils can use for estate management, regardless of party affiliation. This will help ensure that taxpayers’ money is not wasted during a transition following an election, if such services and tools are withdrawn.

“When I get into Parliament and when we get our town council going, one of the things I really want to achieve – and this is what we have been working on within PSP all this while – is to ensure that the town council’s administrative products and services are available from day one,” he said.

Long-time Teck Whye resident Wong Woo Hin, 74, was among at least 20 people who eagerly gathered around the media scrum to catch a glimpse of Dr Tan and the PSP candidates.

The retired chemical technician said he respected Dr Tan for his experience as a long-time MP and now party leader, as well as his skill as a judge of character. He also said candidates such as Mr Pek show that the PSP is able to attract a depth and diversity of talent, which makes it a credible opposition party.

“We need more diverse voices, intelligent people from a wider range of backgrounds to help make Parliament more upfront, transparent and fair,” he added.

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