SINGAPORE: The People's Action Party (PAP) will field labour unionist Desmond Choo in the newly created Tampines Changkat single-seat ward for the upcoming General Election.

Mr Choo, 46, is a former MP of Tampines GRC, overseeing the Tampines Changkat division since he was elected in 2015. He is also the Mayor of the North East District.

He also serves as the assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress and director of its policy division.

The announcement was made on Wednesday (Apr 16) at a press conference unveiling the PAP's candidates for both Tampines GRC and Tampines Changkat SMC.

"For more than a decade, I've had the honour of serving our Changkat residents, not just as a member of parliament, but as their advocate and friend,” said Mr Choo at the event, held at a multi-purpose hall in Tampines Street 62.

"Changkat to me has always been more than a constituency. It is our home, a place where we have built a caring, resilient community," he added. 

He assured residents that Tampines Changkat SMC will share "deep ties" with Tampines GRC, and will continue to collaborate and share resources. 

"I believe that my service to Tampines Changkat is about trust, and trust is earned door by door, day by day," he said, adding that he plans to push for better childcare leave for working families and fairer wages.

Tampines Changkat SMC is one of six new single-seat wards created in the latest Electoral Boundaries Review. The constituency has 23,802 registered voters and was carved out from Tampines GRC, which had seen significant population growth due to new housing developments and demographic shifts. 

Parts of Tampines West – previously under Aljunied GRC – were also absorbed into Tampines GRC, which now comprises 147,904 voters.

The PAP slate for Tampines GRC will be led by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli.

He will be joined in the five-member team by Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, Mr Baey Yam Keng and two political newcomers – former Chief of Army David Neo and Assistant Professor Charlene Chen.

While it is not yet known who Mr Choo will face in the contest, an opposition challenge is widely expected. All parliamentary seats have been contested since the 2015 General Election.

Mr Choo made his electoral debut in Hougang SMC in 2011 under the PAP banner, where he lost to the Workers' Party's Yaw Shin Leong with 35.2 per cent of the vote. He ran again in a 2012 by-election following Mr Yaw's expulsion from the WP, but was again defeated, this time securing 37.92 per cent of the vote.

"I think, over the years, there were ups and downs, but I've also learned how to serve my residents better," he told reporters.

"There were setbacks in the earlier years, but that has been a source of motivation (in) learning how to serve better, how to guide my people better and also how to be a better person than myself."

Singaporeans will head to the polls on May 3, following the dissolution of parliament by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Tuesday.