Koh said 'no' to PM at first

Soon after Punggol East MP Michael Palmer quit politics last month, Dr Koh Poh Koon received a call to go to the Istana to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

He knew what was on the agenda: Would he stand as the People's Action Party's candidate in the single-seat constituency?

Dr Koh, who had been invited to a PAP tea session in the middle of last year, quickly consulted friends and family.

Many told him not to take the plunge into politics.