SINGAPORE -Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Leader of the House Indranee Rajah will anchor the PAP team for the newly created Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, in a surprise move from her Tanjong Pagar GRC ward.
This fuels speculation that Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, who was expected to helm the team there, could be moved elsewhere, possibly to the hotly contested Punggol GRC.
The WP has been active there, with both parties keeping their electoral cards close to their chest. Neither has confirmed its Punggol GRC slate.
SM Teo, 70, has served in Pasir Ris for 28 years. Speaking at a press conference to announce the PAP’s Pasir Ris-Changi GRC slate on April 21, he stopped short of saying if he would retire and did not confirm if he would be on the slate for Punggol GRC.
“I will not be standing for re-election in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC,” he said.
“I will continue to support PM Lawrence Wong and his 4G team, and remain available to contribute to the team wherever and in whatever way PM Lawrence Wong feels I can best serve.”
Addressing the residents, he said: “As I step down as your MP in Pasir Ris, I do so with full confidence that we have a strong team to continue to serve you for many years, well into the future.”
When asked if he will be contesting Punggol GRC, SM Teo said: “Well, I ask you for a little bit of patience.”
“Wait two days and everything will be clear,” he added, referencing Nomination Day on April 23.
Ms Indranee, 62, who has been part of Tanjong Pagar GRC since her political debut in 2001, will lead a team comprising Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Desmond Tan, Mr Sharael Taha and party newcomer Valerie Lee Nai Yi in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.
While several opposition parties have staked their claims on the newly created GRC, the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) has been the most active there. SDA chairman Desmond Lim has confirmed that his party will be in the fray, without revealing its candidates.
Ms Indranee, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development, said at the press conference that she was asked by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to move to Pasir Ris-Changi GRC “very close to this date”. She had a choice, “because they do listen to what you say”, but agreed.
“Today’s introduction is both poignant and yet exciting at the same time. It is poignant because it means having to leave the residents of Tanjong Pagar GRC,” said Ms Indranee, who has been in Tanjong Pagar GRC for 24 years.
She said she was most passionate about building strong communities where people cared for one another. She also wants to tackle cost-of-living issues and push for a stronger focus on families, areas in which she has been involved at a national level in Parliament, such as the introduction of 10 weeks of shared parental leave.
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On improving the infrastructure in the community, she added: “The first thing that struck me when I did my reconnaissance of this area was the amount of construction going on. All this is evidence of development of the town.
“We will look at last-mile issues, how to plug the infrastructural gaps at the local level to make moving around easier for the residents.”
She said her team would “respect all competition in this election”.
Mr Tan, who has been an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC since 2020, said residents’ feedback shapes his action plans, whether on estate issues or national concerns such as the cost of living and job security.
The former brigadier-general in the Singapore Armed Forces pointed to the hardware upgrades the GRC has benefited from over the past five years, from a new polyclinic and bus interchange to the ongoing Cross Island MRT Line project.
“Our focus is to make sure that all these benefits will not be offset by the transitional inconveniences.”
His team has also improved social support for seniors and those in job transitions through food distribution efforts, free tuition avenues and career networking opportunities.
Thanking his mentor SM Teo, Mr Tan said: “He coached us on the importance of hard work and the importance of always putting the residents in the middle of everything.”
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Mr Sharael will seek his second term as MP in the upcoming election. The vice-president at Singapore Aero Engine Services said he has spoken about support for caregivers, pushed for fairer housing and access for young families, advocated better protection for gig and lower-wage workers, and supported anti-discriminatory workplace practices.
Outside of Singapore, he has called for the Republic to continue humanitarian efforts, including in Gaza, while staying focused on energy security and investments in renewable sources of energy such as hydrogen and nuclear.
He also ensured warm meals were provided to seniors and launched mentorship programmes for youth.
“I believe an MP must go beyond Parliament,” he said. “Pasir Ris-Changi is more than just a home. It is where we care, where we grow and where we build a future, full of hope and purpose.”
Ms Lee, marking her debut this election, is the mother of a two-year-old girl and Sembcorp’s head of corporate affairs for Singapore and South-east Asia.
The 39-year-old talked about the “silent heartbreak” of having two miscarriages.
She said: “These experiences broke me in ways that I didn’t expect. But it also made me more determined than ever to be a voice for those who often feel unheard in the journey of starting a family and subsequently maintaining one.”
The volunteer of eight years also said her generation is “stretched thin”. “People who want their children to grow up in a Singapore that is free, that is fair and full of opportunity. These are people that I want to represent,” she said.
In the last election, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC saw a three-way contest between the PAP, the SDA and Peoples Voice (PV). The PAP prevailed with 64.16 per cent of the vote. SDA managed 23.67 per cent, while PV lost its deposit.
Under the new electoral boundaries, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC has been split into two to form Pasir Ris-Changi GRC and Punggol GRC.
Pasir Ris-Changi GRC has 100,639 voters – 87,768 from Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and 12,871 from East Coast GRC.
SM Teo made his political debut in December 1992, when he was part of a team that contested and won a by-election in Marine Parade GRC.
He was re-elected six times as an MP for Pasir Ris GRC and, subsequently, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.
About 20 PAP MPs are likely to retire before the next Parliament is formed. The most high-profile departures so far include Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Mohamad Maliki Osman and Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor.
Asked about the impact of veteran political office-holders stepping down on Singapore’s future leadership, SM Teo said the PAP has always had a policy of self-renewal, noting that leadership became weak in countries without regular, systematic renewal.
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