SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong will lead the People’s Action Party (PAP) slate in Ang Mo Kio GRC for the upcoming election, joined by a party veteran and a newcomer.

Former PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC Victor Lye, 63, and former senior civil servant Jasmin Lau, 41, will join SM Lee, Ms Nadia Samdin and Mr Darryl David to form the five-member slate, the party announced on Saturday (Apr 19). 

Mr Lye was part of the PAP Aljunied teams that contested the 2015 and 2020 general elections, losing to the Workers' Party.

Ms Ng Ling Ling, who serves in Jalan Kayu under Ang Mo Kio GRC, and Mr Gan Thiam Poh, who helms Fernvale, will not be contesting in this election.

They will be "retiring as MPs", said SM Lee during a press conference at the PAP’s Teck Ghee branch office.

SM Lee said: “We've done our best to improve Ang Mo Kio and to serve the residents over the years, and we ask for your continued support in this election.”

He added that the ward has upgraded flats, refreshed the markets and hawker centres, opened new MRT stations and lines, expanded bus services and built a caring community. 

The party branches and town councils also launched many programmes and projects to help residents cope with the rising cost of living, and to take care of the vulnerable, the elderly, families and young children, he said. 

“We’ve made Ang Mo Kio a happy place and a good place to live.” 

In response to a question from CNA, Mr Lee said that the digital and online environment now poses the biggest challenge when it comes to fighting an election.

“In person, when I meet you, I shake hands and I say ‘Please vote for me’, I know it's a real person there. And I can ask him, ‘Are you from Ang Mo Kio?’. He says ‘yes’, I know. He says ‘no’, I say ‘Please support the party nevertheless wherever you are’,” said Mr Lee.

“But it's a real person. He can feel you. You can feel him. It's not a robot, a humanoid pretending to smile.

“However, when you post something online and people respond to it, you do not know whether it is a real person or a bot, or whether a piece of content is real or a deepfake,” said Mr Lee.

“That's a very different kind of environment. We need new rules. We need people to be more conscious of this problem,” he said.

Mr Lee said that it is actually very difficult to expect every ordinary voter to know whether something like a Telegram or WhatsApp message is real or not.

“If it shows me saying ‘Please buy crypto’, you can be sure it's not real, that's easy. But if it has me saying something not quite right, looks as if I boo boo-ed. How do you know whether I really boo boo-ed or not?” he said.

“That's a real problem, and 40 years ago, when I was contesting in Teck Ghee, I didn't have to think about that,” said Mr Lee, who entered politics in 1984.

Mr Lee said he is happy that his successor, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, is in charge of leading the PAP’s charge this time round.

“I'm very happy there's a PM in charge, that he has taken over a year ago, that he has settled in well, and has good standing, and he's consolidated his team, and Singaporeans have taken to him well,” said Mr Lee.

“I go into this election with some sense of satisfaction, journey not quite complete for me, but a major milestone has been successfully passed, and it's a milestone not just for me, but for Singapore.”

Mr Lee also acknowledged that Singaporeans now expect Cabinet ministers to be of a certain calibre, but noted that for them to be appointed, they first have to be voted into parliament.

“Singaporeans have got used to ministers being of a certain level, carrying a certain weight. When they speak, they make sense. When they have a view, it's worth listening to. If they have a caution, please take it seriously, we're not just playing games,” he said.

“But to get that quality of our ministers, you must have that quality of MPs and that strength in the team in order to have people from whom the PM can appoint suitable ministers.”

He said that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has brought in some candidates for this year’s contest “who have the potential to be more than backbenchers and will reinforce his team”.

“And we hope that in the long term, this will ensure that Singapore continues to have high-quality government,” said Mr Lee.

When asked for his thoughts on the Workers’ Party manifesto launched two days ago, Mr Lee said it was “interesting” that the opposition party had claimed the PAP government had adopted some of their policy ideas.

“Nobody has a monopoly on good ideas. The government doesn't have a monopoly on good ideas, neither does the opposition,” said Mr Lee, noting that there are ideas out there that the opposition agrees or disagrees with.

“Some of them, after we have done it, they claim credit for. And to be fair to them, along the way, they have pushed for it. Sometimes we decide to do it, sometimes we have independently made up our minds earlier and implemented,” said Mr Lee.

“I would say, taken as a whole, the PAP manifesto, programme and record is what Singaporeans can trust.”

Mr Lee also said that when deciding who to vote for come May 3, Singaporeans should look not just at a candidate, but what his or her party stands for.

"You are voting for the party which stands behind her or him, and what the party needs by way of support and mandate in order to be able to serve Singapore,” he said.

He added that the PAP is putting forward good men and women, but at the same time also a slate “whose purpose is to form the government, in order to provide the best possible leadership in Singapore”.

Ang Mo Kio GRC is set to remain the largest electoral division in the upcoming election, with 161,235 registered voters, despite the creation of the new Jalan Kayu SMC from its boundaries.

The newly formed Jalan Kayu SMC, home to 29,565 electors, will include areas from the current Jalan Kayu ward represented by Ms Ng, as well as parts of the Fernvale ward under Mr Gan Thiam Poh.

In the 2020 election, the PAP secured 71.91 per cent of votes in Ang Mo Kio GRC against the Reform Party.

This time, a three-way contest is on the cards, with both the Singapore United Party (SUP) and the People’s Power Party (PPP) stating that they will contest the GRC in this election.

JASMIN LAU 

Ms Lau was one of the most senior civil servants at the Ministry of Health (MOH), where she was responsible for key areas such as healthcare manpower, financing, and regulatory policies.

She began her public service career in 2006 and held several different postings over the years, including an earlier tenure at MOH from 2013 to 2019.

Beyond MOH, Ms Lau also served in key roles at the Economic Development Board, the Public Service Division, the Ministry of Manpower, and the Ministry of Finance.

She said that she engaged many diverse stakeholders from around the world, looked 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 hone my skills, I will be able to serve Singaporeans effectively,” she added. 

Ms Lau, who is a mother of two, said she hopes that the children of Singapore can grow up in a country “where our differences don't divide us, but are instead our source of strength”.

“It has to be a Singapore where teammates from different backgrounds have also come together and achieve something far greater," said Ms Lau.

"Yes, Singapore will go through many tough times, again and again and again, but I believe that the Singapore that we have will stand together stronger with mutual respect, mutual reliance and mutual gratitude in the days to come."

She added that she hopes to meet many more people, especially Ang Mo Kio residents, "to learn about your lives, your dreams and your challenges".

Asked why she chose to enter politics despite the loss of privacy and constant public scrutiny, Ms Lau said that the decision was not an easy one.

“For me, it’s also not just about me stepping forward … This is a huge family affair. When we decide to step forward, it’s not like starting a new job or career. It’s the whole family putting ourselves, our faces, and our histories out there for people to see, to judge,” she told reporters after the introduction. 

Ms Lau said that ultimately, it comes down to responsibility. “When you’re asked to step up and serve, you jolly well go out there and do it the best you can.”

VICTOR LYE

Mr Lye is a long-time grassroots leader and two-time PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC. 

The founder and chief executive of a financial technology firm by profession, he has served the Aljunied community for over two decades. 

He started his career in the Singapore Administrative Service at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, covering areas such as manpower planning, economic policy research and international trade. 

In the private sector, he held leadership positions in investments, insurance and healthcare. 

Mr Lye was the branch chairman at Bedok Reservoir–Punggol division in Aljunied GRC for 13 years but handed over the reins to his vice-chairman Dr Adrian Ang in February this year.

“I've walked the ground relentlessly, even when times were difficult. With my government and business experience, I believe I can bring to the table policy understanding, as well as the impact of policies on the daily lives of Singaporeans," he said.

He said that he has “served three terms, but not in parliament”, while leading the Aljunied team. 

Mr Lye added that he wants children to have a fair start in life, families to lead productive, happy, healthy lives, and seniors to live with purpose and dignity. 

“In the last weeks, I walked with you. I connected with you. I know the place well, I used to live in Ang Mo Kio, but we are not doing this just for Ang Mo Kio. We are doing this, as one PAP team for the whole of Singapore.”

He also said he felt the need to speak up not just for himself but for every PAP candidate who has served in opposition-held areas.

“We walk the ground, we do the work, and we respect the decisions of the party. 

“I can say this for each and every one of them, past and present – I have the utmost respect for their courage in taking the risk, fighting on no matter the odds, and serving our residents to the best of their ability,” he said.

Mr Lye was responding to a question directed at Mr Lee about some voters viewing the PAP’s decision to redeploy party veterans – such as former Hougang SMC candidate Lee Hong Chuang and Mr Lye himself – to “safer wards” as what some have called a “consolation prize.”

“We are not new. We stand on our own as individuals, first and foremost, but also as one team with the party. And we will serve wherever Singapore needs us,” said Mr Lye.