Animal rights activist Louis Ng enters politics, joins PAP

Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin (left), who is also an MP for Marine Parade GRC (Kembangan- Chai Chee), at a house visit with Mr Louis Ng (second from left). -- PHOTO: TAN CHUAN-JIN'S FACEBOOK PAGE
Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin (left), who is also an MP for Marine Parade GRC (Kembangan- Chai Chee), at a house visit with Mr Louis Ng (second from left). -- PHOTO: TAN CHUAN-JIN'S FACEBOOK PAGE

SINGAPORE - Animal rights activist Louis Ng has joined the People's Action Party (PAP) and will help Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin at the Kembangan-Chai Chee ward, in the Marine Parade GRC.

Mr Ng, the 35-year-old founder and chief executive of wildlife rescue group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), announced his entry into politics in a Facebook post on Monday evening.

He becomes the latest likely face on the PAP slate for the next general election, joining other potential candidates such as corporate lawyer Amrin Amin, 35, Hai Leck Holdings deputy chief executive Cheng Li Hui, 38, and Keppel Corp director of group strategy and development Ong Ye Kung, 44, who was also formerly a PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC.

Explaining his decision to join the PAP, Mr Ng said his work as an advocate for animal welfare has shown him that "things can change when we work from within".

"While we may not see eye to eye on all issues, I have explored working with various MPs, political officeholders and government agencies in order to further the cause," he added in his Facebook post.

Mr Ng said he officially joined the party in June, which was also when he started serving in the Kembangan-Chai Chee ward.

His move comes after years of being a grassroots volunteer in the Chong Pang ward in Nee Soon GRC. The ward is helmed by Law and Foreign Minister K Shanmugam.

There, he helped out at Meet-the-People Sessions, sat on the Community Centre Management Committee, and was also the animal welfare and environment secretary in the ward's Youth Executive Committee.

In his new ward, Mr Ng said he will initiate projects under Mr Tan. He will also help at Meet-the-People Sessions and be a member of the Citizens' Consultative Committee.

"We have many projects in the pipeline and will be rolling them out in the next few months and years," he said, adding that he will focus on more than just animal rights issues.

"Although I started out focusing on animal welfare, and will continue to do so... I'm keen on also working on projects focusing on bringing back the kampong spirit and helping to break the poverty cycle in the less fortunate families."

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