One year on: How three first-term MPs navigate packed schedules, public scrutiny and life on the ground

SINGAPORE: On May 3, 2025, Singaporeans returned to the polls and sent a fresh wave of faces to parliament. 

For the People's Action Party (PAP), it was the largest intake of new Members of Parliament in recent memory. For the Workers' Party (WP), it was another step in a succession plan years in the making.

A year on, the novelty has worn off, and the real work has set in. CNA speaks to three first-term MPs from both parties about what nobody quite warned them about: the time pressures, the public scrutiny and the nerve-steadying it takes to rise and speak in the House.

FAMILY-FIRST FOR FORMER BUDGET DIRECTOR

He may have overseen Singapore's national budget in 2024 and 2025, but budgeting his time has been the biggest challenge for Jalan Besar GRC MP Shawn Loh since taking office.

A first-term MP still familiarising himself with his ward, and group managing director of a local conglomerate employing over 1,000 people, Mr Loh said his most important role is being a father of four.

The PAP MP always prioritises time with his children, aged between five and 13. Every morning, he wakes them up at around 6am and sends them to school. In the evening, he makes it a point for the family to have dinner together, and tries to end evening engagements by 8.20pm to tuck them into bed.

“As a parent, I don't believe that quality time is good enough. I believe quantity time is necessary. So I prioritise frequent, regular interactions with my children, and that doesn't go away. You have to be faithful in the small things,” he told CNA during an interview at Bendemeer Market and Food Centre.

That means finding pockets of family time between morning and evening commitments, or sometimes taking the children along. He draws the line, however, at posting their pictures online.

"I don't choose how many children I have based on the life that I want to lead. I choose the life that I want to lead based on the number of children I have," said Mr Loh, who turns 40 this year.

Fatherhood has also informed his parliamentary work. Serving on government parliamentary committees for manpower, finance and trade and industry, he also raises issues in those domains, which he says are underrepresented in debate.

"A lot of our MPs come from a more community mobilisation, social sector background," he said. Issues such as income tax and International Monetary Fund contributions draw less interest than scams or personal mobility devices. 

"The number of MPs speaking often does not reflect the importance of the issue, and I want to be part of that moderating factor."

When asked about voting against his position on an issue, Mr Loh said the party "makes a distinction between a vote and a voice". 

MPs vote according to the party's position but are not required to speak with one voice, he said, citing his push for basic childcare subsidies and for returning budget surpluses above 2 per cent of GDP to Singaporeans as examples of veering from the government's stance.

Managing residents' feedback has been another challenge, particularly when conflicting parties hold opposing views. One example: residents in his Whampoa ward were divided over the location of incense burners, with some wanting them closer to housing blocks for convenience and others wanting them further away to avoid drifting smoke.

“The principle for this is that for those who choose to take part in an activity, they should bear the cost of the activity, including walking to the burner. But for those who don't choose to take part in the activity and are the third parties that just happen to receive the negative externalities, then we should try to help them out a bit more,” he said.

His fellow first-termers have helped, sharing lessons through informal catch-ups and chat groups. But Mr Loh is candid that there is still ground to cover.

“I'm still learning. I'm still meeting new people. Some people, despite my best efforts, say they've not seen me yet. So I continue,” he said. “It takes time and effort, and there's no shortcut to getting to know the community.”

OVERCOMING PUBLIC SPEAKING FEAR

When he was in university, Sengkang GRC MP Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik blanked out during a tutorial presentation. Public speaking has never been his forte, the self-declared introvert told CNA during an interview in his Compassvale ward.

“When I started as a candidate during Nomination Day, that's the first time I tried to speak without even looking at any material,” recalled the WP deputy organising secretary.

Since entering office, the 37-year-old has gradually overcome that fear, drawing on his background as a former senior property manager at Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) to raise housing issues, and on his experience as a new father, with his daughter now nine months old, to address concerns facing young parents.

While he is comfortable with municipal issues from his past role, the parliamentary aspect has required more getting used to. He grew more confident with support from party members and his wife, something which matters when facing the Cabinet across the aisle.

"We try to concentrate on what we have to deliver and not be too affected by their reaction," he said.

The more senior WP MPs guide him and his fellow newcomers in crafting speeches, bouncing off ideas on topics they intend to speak on. Mr Muhaimin counts himself fortunate to have the experience of his Sengkang GRC teammates Jamus Lim, Louis Chua and He Ting Ru, all in their second term, to draw on.

“They are setting a very high bar for me,” he said. “But I know my limits, and they said not to be pressured by it, so I just do what is comfortable for me.”

Crafting the speeches is one thing; delivering them is another. WP secretary-general Pritam Singh advised his cohort to practise in front of a mirror and review their facial expressions. Mr Muhaimin's wife has been an equally candid coach, listening to him rehearse and offering feedback. 

"The first few times, she said: 'Why so animated and trying to be so lively? Parliament is very serious'."

After stepping down from AHTC, he decided to concentrate on being a full-time MP, a decision that also afforded him flexibility to help care for his newborn daughter. He plans to relook his career circumstances around the middle of this term, when his daughter is a bit older.

Overall, life has changed significantly in that there is now very little separation between work and the personal, as he is constantly processing residents' feedback and thinking about community issues. 

Mr Muhaimin said he has for now managed to retain a relatively low profile, something he values. He estimates that around 30 per cent of people recognise him as the area's MP.

One adjustment has been learning not to be emotionally swept up by the cases he handles. His Meet-the-People Sessions on Wednesdays and house visits on Thursdays have exposed him to a range of issues – from financial hardship to family disputes and neighbour conflicts – that are harder to navigate than the property-related problems he dealt with previously.

“When I first started doing Meet-the-People Sessions, I didn't realise there are a lot of issues out there,” he said.

Unlike his former job, where he knew the steps and solutions for various property-related issues, human problems that involve emotions are harder to deal with. “All these tangible or intangible issues, sometimes I don't have answers to that.” 
In neighbour disputes especially, he must remain strictly objective as MP to both parties.

“When they feedback certain stuff, we take it firsthand, and then I can empathise with them. But after that, I have to step back and then try to find out, what is the view of the other neighbour,” he said. “I have to take a step back and not be emotionally affected by all this.”

TAKING IN THE PUBLIC SPOTLIGHT – AND SCRUTINY

With her roots in broadcast journalism and public affairs, East Coast GRC MP Hazlina Abdul Halim is no stranger to public-facing work. But the scrutiny that comes with the digital age is very real for those in her position, she told CNA at Bedok 85 Market.

Women MPs, minority MPs and younger MPs tend to attract more of it – the last group especially so, as their peers are heavy social media users, said the 41-year-old EtonHouse Community Fund CEO.

Such identities are "noticeable" ones to carry, said Ms Hazlina, bringing with them different and distinct expectations. When flexible work arrangements come up, for instance, the discourse typically frames women as caregivers. "But the reality is flexi work helps families, not just women," she said.

On the flip side, such lived experience brings an additional depth of understanding that can lend itself well to policymaking, said Ms Hazlina.

“As a young MP, you would understand that the youth want space, that they want to do their own thing and want a bit of room to experiment. Then as a woman, you would understand the sticky floors at home or the glass ceilings faced at work,” she said.

“And as a minority, you understand the cultural expectations of the family, for example, and family building and how it is important to care for extended families.”

Her response to online criticism is to take it in good spirit, viewing such platforms as touchpoints to gather sentiments and feedback rather than noise to be filtered out. 

It is a habit from her days as a broadcast presenter, when viewers would comment on everything from her delivery to her hair. "Okay, thank you, I will work on it tomorrow," was her mindset then – and it remains so now.

“The scrutiny has definitely increased, because the base has increased. There are more people now,” she said. “You go to bed at night and wake up remembering that you are the hope of 42,000 residents.” 

That weight is something she carries into her ground work. Despite 13 years of community service, Ms Hazlina said overseeing a specific geographical ward is different. It took about three months before she felt she was truly familiarising herself with residents through regular ground engagements, whether casual or at formal events.

Her language abilities have played a part. Ms Hazlina is trilingual, fluent in Malay, English and Mandarin, which she picked up as a child. "I find this thoughtful code switching helps people feel like, 'Yeah, she will understand me'. And I think that has been helpful," she said.

Looking after a physical ward also means thinking about infrastructure. A newly completed stretch of linkways and ramps connecting blocks near Bedok 85 Market recently opened in her Fengshan ward – the kind of tangible improvement, she said, that residents notice and appreciate.

She also draws residents into her parliamentary work by asking to share their stories when speaking in the House. "I feel the residents appreciate that. They feel seen and heard."