GE2025: PAP unveils Chua Chu Kang GRC team, including new faces Jeffrey Siow and Choo Pei Ling

SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Monday (Apr 14) introduced its slate of candidates for Chua Chu Kang GRC, including new faces Jeffrey Siow and Choo Pei Ling. 

The team will be led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is joined by incumbent MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.

Mr Siow, 47, is a former senior civil servant, while Dr Choo, 38, is an assistant professor from the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) health and social sciences cluster. 

Introducing both at the PAP branch office at Block 10 Teck Whye Avenue, Mr Gan said that each brought with them extensive experience from different backgrounds that would strengthen the team's ability to serve constituents. 

He noted that Mr Siow’s experience, connections and familiarity with government agencies would be valuable in facilitating future projects the team intended to roll out.

As for Dr Choo, Mr Gan described her as having a "heart for the people" and highlighted her many years of community service, especially in outreach and engaging vulnerable groups.

Current MP Don Wee, who entered politics as a first-time candidate in the 2020 General Election, will not be standing this year, Mr Gan confirmed during the candidate announcement.

Senior Minister of State Amy Khor, the current MP for Hong Kah North SMC, will also step down.

Senior Minister of State Low Yen Ling, who previously served in Chua Chu Kang GRC, will contest the newly formed Bukit Gombak SMC, which was carved out during the recent electoral boundaries review. She previously represented the Bukit Gombak ward under the GRC.

Chua Chu Kang GRC, which has 93,368 voters, will see boundary changes in GE2025. It now includes parts of Hong Kah North – including Tengah estates – and areas from Holland-Bukit Timah. 

These changes follow recommendations by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, which cited housing developments in areas like Tengah and Bukit Batok West.

The opposition Progress Singapore Party indicated at the unveiling of its election manifesto its intention to contest Chua Chu Kang GRC, setting up a repeat of the 2020 fight - which the PAP won, taking 58.64 per cent of the vote.

JEFFREY SIOW

Mr Siow started out as a policy officer working on manpower, education and transport policies. 

He was also the first managing director and chief operating officer of Enterprise Singapore, where he led initiatives to transform local enterprises and trade associations, and helped small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) navigate the post-COVID recovery.

From 2017 to 2021, Mr Siow served as principal private secretary to then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He was the second permanent secretary at the Ministries of Manpower and Trade and Industry before he retired from public service on Apr 2, after 24 years.

“Working in the public service holds special meaning for me. I did not come from a well-off family. My parents, like many in their generation, did not have much formal education,” he said at the press conference on Monday. 

“I’m not sharing my life story to ask for sympathy. I’m doing so because this is my story. It is truly who I am, and explains why I spent my career in the public service, and why I am now joining politics," Mr Siow said, adding that working in public service had been his way of giving back to the country. 

Mr Siow said he hoped to help residents make the best of government policies and programmes. 

"To me, this is still public service, but it is more direct and personal. In the public service, my north star was always to build a better Singapore and to improve the lives of Singaporeans. If elected, I will bring the same capability, passion and commitment to the residents of Chua Chu Kang and create positive change for them," he said.

Asked about the support he could offer SMEs, Mr Siow said the government would do its best to identify key issues and was currently consulting businesses with the aim of addressing their concerns.

CHOO PEI LING

Dr Choo is a neuroscientist and physiotherapist who also became an educator to train the next generation of healthcare professionals. An assistant professor at the SIT, Dr Choo is also principal investigator for multiple grant-funded research projects in the area of health.

Dr Choo has been active in the Marine Parade ward under Manpower Minister Tan See Leng since March last year. She was a grassroots adviser for the GRC and has been a community volunteer for more than 20 years. 

“From a young age, I have found meaning in helping people, especially people who cannot help themselves,” she said.

"I have seen people with brain injuries lying motionless. I have seen elderly struggling to get around. I have seen people losing their loved ones very slowly to dementia. All these experiences moved me deeply."

The desire to help people regain their movement, their independence and their quality of life spurred her to train as a neurophysiotherapist, she said.

Asked about her move from Marine Parade to Chua Chu Kang, Dr Choo said that what mattered was not the location, but one’s intention and purpose.

"It's about serving our community to the best of our ability. For myself, I believe that when you serve with your heart, all stars will align ... and when you serve with the heart for the community, you will be able to help plug gaps that are much needed," she said.

Noting a "unique mix of established estates and young families" in Chua Chu Kang, Dr Choo said she saw the opportunity to create meaningful projects with residents.

"It is not just about us as individuals, but really about the community. In Chua Chu Kang, I hope to become a community builder. I hope to listen on to residents, walk alongside them and bring people together and build a united, caring home, a home that we love," she said. 

She added that as a young mother, she understood the struggles and pressures of juggling work and caregiving. 

"Many middle-aged residents share with me that they feel very stretched. I want to be their voice. I want to be a helping hand. I want to help support families and caregivers."

CONSTITUENCY ISSUES

Asked about the deployment of candidates to specific divisions, Mr Gan said the priority was to secure residents’ mandate while working cohesively as a team.

On Tengah town, which has faced some issues as a new estate, Mr Gan said that the focus was to reach out to residents to understand their concerns and interests. 

"Some of them may have aspirations to do something, to have some activities, some programmes, and we will listen to them and see how we can meet their interests.

"At the same time, there will always be some teething problems, and we are quite serious about engaging them, understanding where the problems are, and see how we can smoothen the process, make sure that they have a pleasant experience," he said, adding that this was not specific to Tengah. 

"Our strategy has always been consistent that we want to engage the residents, understand their concerns, their interests, and see how we can roll out programmes and and activities and facilities that will meet their needs."

Mr Gan cited activities in Chua Chu Kang Park to "liven" up the venue and to bring residents together, and the five-year plan introduced earlier this month.