GE2025: NSP to bow out from SMCs in Sembawang and Tampines, but will contest both GRCs

SINGAPORE: The National Solidarity Party (NSP) will bow out from Sembawang West and Tampines Changkat SMCs, and only contest Sembawang and Tampines GRCs, party chief Spencer Ng announced on Sunday (Apr 20). 

Speaking to journalists outside Kampung Admiralty, the party’s secretary-general confirmed that NSP will also not field candidates in Jalan Besar, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRCs for the upcoming General Election.

He said NSP is stepping aside to give way to fellow opposition parties to contest in those constituencies, "in line with our long-standing commitment to responsible engagement and meaningful opposition cooperation". 

Mr Ng added: "This is not an easy decision but a necessary one. We do this not because we are weak, but because we are strong enough to put country before self, unity before ego and progress before position. This decision is not about giving up. It’s about showing up differently."

NSP has "consistently demonstrated what it means to walk the talk", and has been transparent about where it will contest, said its chief, adding that the party has respected the "gentlemen’s rules of engagement" in every election it has participated in under current leadership. 

"Even when not every opposition party has chosen to do the same, we have stayed true to our principles," said Mr Ng. 

With its current plan, NSP will need to field 10 candidates. 

The party will only reveal its full lineup on Nomination Day, said its secretary-general. 

In response to a question about why NSP will not give way to SDP in Sembawang GRC, Mr Ng said his party has already "invested a lot of time, effort and resources" in the area, and has a long-term vision for the constituency.

Mr Ng confirmed that he will helm the NSP team in the ward, and previously introduced swimming coach and private-hire driver Raiyian Chia as a new face who will be part of the slate.

The PAP has not revealed its full 2025 slate for the constituency.  

Over in Tampines GRC, a multi-cornered fight is also shaping up. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli is leading PAP's team there. The Workers' Party has introduced Mr Jimmy Tan as a potential candidate for its slate in the GRC. Additionally, the People's Power Party earlier indicated their interest in contesting the five-member constituency.

NSP's president Reno Fong and vice-president Mohd Ridzwan Mohammad will contest Tampines GRC, joined by three new faces, the former had said in March. Both were part of NSP's slate for the same constituency in 2020.

When asked about the party’s preparations for three-corner fights, Mr Ng said: “Let us not be disillusioned that the PAP can be easily dislodged.”

During NSP's walkabout at Kampung Admiralty, members interacted with the public and gave out durians.  

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who led PAP's 2020 team for Sembawang GRC, was at a nearby event and stopped by to shake hands with and speak to Mr Ng.

In Sembawang GRC, the NSP team is expected to face a three-corner fight with the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).

SDP has announced its potential candidates for the five-member ward. Party chief Chee Soon Juan intends to contest the new single seat in Sembawang West.

NSP had previously questioned SDP’s intention to contest Sembawang GRC. On Apr 12, Red Dot United pulled out of informal opposition alliance The Coalition, citing concerns about NSP’s decision to face off with SDP in the three-cornered fight.

NEW FACES

On Sunday, Mr Ng also introduced financial consultant Zee Phay and Republic Polytechnic lecturer Verina Ong as two new faces who will be potential candidates at the upcoming election.

NSP will also announce its full manifesto in one to two days, with the slogan “Your Future, Our Priority, A Bright Future For Singapore”, he added. 

The manifesto will feature policy proposals on housing, support for young parents and Singapore’s declining fertility rate. 

ZEE PHAY

Mr Phay started volunteering with NSP in 2011. Mr Ng was his teacher when he was a student in North Vista Secondary School, and was a “very cool” teacher, he shared. 

As a financial consultant, Mr Phay meets Singaporeans of all walks of life. “And from there, I can really see who are the people who fall through the cracks. That is the reason why after so long being a volunteer in NSP, I decided to step up and step into politics,” he told journalists on Sunday. 

Stepping into the limelight was “not an easy decision” because potential candidates are often under a lot of scrutiny, he added.

Standing for election with an opposition party "does not mean that you're going against the ruling party", said Mr Phay, who turns 33 on Polling Day on May 3.

"It's about helping the ruling party – focusing, diverting their attention to where they have missed out," he added. 

"We would like to stand beside the ruling party to help them understand what fellow Singaporeans are facing."

Mr Phay is a young father, and it took him and his wife three to four months to secure a slot in infantcare for their son, he shared, adding that he wants to champion policies supporting the early childhood sector. 

"The kind of anxiety that we have is something that you cannot understand unless you’re going through that," he said. "Is my wife going to quit her job if we can’t find an infantcare slot? Am I going to quit my job?"

Through his job, he has also realised that many Singaporeans do not have a basic understanding of their finances, said Mr Phay.

“I would like to propose that we can have elective modules for financial literacy in upper secondary. That’s how we can help Singaporeans to get out of the situation that they’re in, get out of the low-income range and move onto the middle-income,” he added. 

VERINA ONG

Ms Ong has been a lecturer for the last 10 years. Before that, she worked in the retail industry and in corporate training. 

The 46-year-old has been volunteering with NSP since 2022. 

“I’m stepping into politics not because I have all the answers, but because I don’t,” she told journalists on Sunday. 

“I’m here because I’ve spent years listening to students with their challenges, parents and their struggles, and to the quiet voices that often get talked over. I’ve realised that we need someone to stand up and speak up for some things not quite right.” 

Ms Ong added she hopes to champion education policies, listing creative learning spaces, better support for educators on the ground and more attention for mental wellbeing as some of the areas she is concerned about. 

When asked why she chose to join NSP, she said the party "doesn’t pretend to be the loudest or the biggest party". 

"Most importantly, I think we work like a family because they back up people who genuinely want to serve, and that’s exactly the kind of political family I want to be part of."