New PAP candidate hopes to help working mothers juggle family and career

SINGAPORE — As a working mother with a two-year-old daughter herself, new People’s Action Party candidate Sun Xueling hopes to do more, if she is elected, for residents in Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency to support them in juggling their family needs and career aspirations.

“I can understand pressures that (young parents) face. I hope to have the opportunity to see if I can help make their lives easier, happier and better, whether through the provision of quality childcare or eldercare facilities to make sure that there is support for the family unit, or to see how we can ensure that we all enjoy sustainable and rewarding careers,” said Ms Sun, 36, who was unveiled at a press conference as one of the new candidates today (Aug 22) for the constituency.

On what more has to be done at the national level to better support working mothers, Ms Sun, an investment director at Temasek Holdings, reiterated the need for adequate childcare facilities to ensure that working mothers have a peace of mind knowing their children are well taken care of. “It gives working mothers that confidence to step out of the home and pursue their passions. When you are able to start pursuing your dreams, and put your energy into your work, I think you are able to go further in your career,” she said.

Apart from balancing work and family, Ms Sun has also found time to volunteer. Since her days as an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore in 2001, she has been involved in grassroots work in Bouna Vista. She credited her grandmother for encouraging her to help the needy, and she said she values the opportunity to listen to residents while helping to make their lives better.

Ms Sun joined the Economic Development Board in 2003. She moved to DBS as assistant vice-president, and subsequently, she was senior vice-president in Macquarie Capital Securities HK and director of Deutsche Bank HK. She joined Temasek last year.

Ms Sun had been earlier identified by the PAP as a potential candidate for the 2011 General Election but she was based overseas at that time.

Her husband hails from China and he became a Singapore citizen six years ago. “What attracted (my husband) to Singapore was the values that we had, the dynamism that we have here,” she said. “The fact that new citizens want to become Singaporeans shows that they love this place like we do, and they want to have a part to be in this together with us.”