GE2025: WP unveils first batch of potential candidates, including a former MFA diplomat

SINGAPORE: The Workers' Party (WP) on Thursday (Apr 17) announced four new faces as potential candidates.

At a press conference where the party also unveiled their manifesto,  WP secretary-general Pritam Singh and party chair Sylvia Lim introduced Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, Mr Kenneth Tiong, as well as Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan and Ms Siti Alia Abdul Rahim Mattar.

Ms Lim confirmed that Mr Tiong is set to stand in Aljunied GRC while Mr Abdul Muhaimin will run in Sengkang GRC. 

ABDUL MUHAIMIN ABDUL MALIK

A senior property manager at Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, where he has worked since 2015, Mr Abdul Muhaimin had been spotted at multiple events in Sengkang GRC throughout 2023 and 2024, engaging with residents and Members of Parliament (MPs).

A mechanical engineering graduate from the Nanyang Technological University, he has been involved with the WP since 2019 and has knowledge about the ground in Sengkang, said Ms Lim.

"He was doing house visits from the early days and then of course when we had the vacancy in Compassvale, he stepped up his activities there and he's been working very closely with Sengkang GRC MPs," she added, referring to the vacancy left by Ms Raeesah Khan who resigned after lying in Parliament.

“I am also a son, a husband and a soon to be father," said Mr Abdul Muhaimin, 36.

"I know what it feels like to worry about your kids’ future, housing loans, daily expenses, and whether you have enough during your retirement. These are the real struggles that Sengkang residents have shared when I was on the ground."

KENNETH TIONG

Mr Tiong, a tech entrepreneur, is a director at Sensemake.ai, a platform that analyses online sentiment.

The Brown University graduate began volunteering with WP two years ago, contributing to the policy team and helping out in East Coast, Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, and Serangoon, said the party.

He became a WP member in October 2023, and subsequently served as a Legislative Assistant to Mr Singh, before taking on the role of Serangoon coordinator in January this year.

"Since earlier this year, Kenneth has been quite pivotal in our Serangoon division of Aljunied GRC, where he is helping us to coordinate the Meet-the-People sessions, constituency outreach, welfare activities and so on," said Ms Lim.

Mr Tiong in introducing himself said: "Like many of my generation, I see the global technological revolution but worry the future isn't being built here in Singapore. Many feel a pull, the dilemma of needing go elsewhere to align their careers and their lives with this revolution."

"I'm stepping up because I share the dream of making Singapore a place where we build that future through real homegrown innovation. And building that future requires both cutting-edge ideas and a workforce that feels secure and valued enough to embrace change."

SITI ALIA ABDUL RAHIM MATTAR

Ms Siti Alia is a lawyer at a multi-national corporation. She has been an advocate and solicitor for almost two decades.

The mother of three also worked in the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as a legal counsel from 2008 to 2016.

The 43-year-old joined the party as a volunteer almost one year ago, said Mr Singh. 

She has been participating in weekly house visits, distributing WP pamphlets and engaging residents on concerns and feedback, said the party.

"I joined the Workers' Party because I feel that Singaporeans need more representation in parliament," she told reporters.

"The Workers' Party has shown itself to be a credible party that works hard to introduce policies that benefit Singaporeans from all walks of life."

She added that one of her biggest concerns is how her children will afford the cost of living in Singapore.

"At the same time, the older generation also needs more assistance, and this comes from my own personal experience of looking after my father. We need to look into how we can help them to handle the finances that arise from chronic diseases," she added.

EILEEN CHONG PEI SHAN

Ms Chong currently works in the social impact sector, where she leads the early childhood development, education, and youth mental health and wellbeing portfolios at Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC). She joined APC in June last year.

The 33-year-old worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2024, with three years at the Singapore Embassy in Beijing. Ms Chong is a former government scholar.

She joined the party as a volunteer in the second half of last year, said Mr Singh. Since then, she has gone on house visits in Bedok Reservoir and Kovan, and currently serves as a volunteer caseworker at Meet-the-People Sessions in Aljunied GRC alongside Mr Giam.

Ms Chong said that she chose the WP because its "long-standing values of being rational, responsible and respectful" resonated with her.

"I decided to step up because I believe that unity does not equal uniformity," she added.

"We need rational and constructive alternative voices that can contribute different perspectives in Parliament to build a stronger Singapore."

PARTY DID NOT CONFIRM HOW MANY CANDIDATES IT IS FIELDING AND WHERE

Responding to a question on why Ms Siti Alia and Ms Chong were selected given that they had joined the WP only recently, Mr Singh said: "This happens quite regularly in the Workers' Party, people start as volunteers. We observe them, we understand their interests, we understand their desire, how they want to contribute in public service, and then we make our own assessments.

"And of course, we want good people in parliament."

Referring to his 2020 New Year's message, he said that the party needs "people who are better than us" and everyone in the party is invested in looking for people who will carry the party forward in the future.

When asked by the media how many candidates it was fielding and where, Mr Singh would not confirm these details. 

At the last General Election, the WP fielded a total of 21 candidates, down from 28 during GE2015.

The party contested GE2020 in Hougang and Punggol West SMCs and Sengkang, Aljunied, East Coast and Marine Parade GRCs – all constituencies located in the east or northeast of Singapore.

The WP held on to and increased its margin of support in Hougang SMC and Aljunied GRC, as well as gained four new seats in Parliament with its win in Sengkang GRC.

WP could contest in the newly created Punggol GRC as well as constituencies in longtime stomping ground Tampines, as part of a continued eastern and northeastern push, party insiders and analysts told CNA previously.

WP launched its campaign slogan on Tuesday (Apr 15), in a roughly one-and-a-half-minute-long video, where several WP Members of Parliament (MPs), including Mr Singh and Ms Lim, briefly spoke about topics such as the rising cost of living and the housing market.

It also launched its slogan, "Working for Singapore".

Singaporeans will head to the polls on May 3 after President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved parliament on Tuesday. Nomination Day is on Apr 23.