Former senior civil servant Jeffrey Siow spotted with DPM Gan Kim Yong in Chua Chu Kang GRC

SINGAPORE – Former senior civil servant Jeffrey Siow was seen alongside Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and other incumbent MPs of Chua Chu Kang GRC at a community event on April 5 – a sign that Mr Siow could possibly be fielded as a PAP candidate in the constituency.

Mr Siow

left the civil service on April 2.

He was formerly second permanent secretary at the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

He had also served as principal private secretary to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from 2017 to 2021.

The 46-year-old told reporters on April 5 that he was attending the event – where MPs

launched a five-year plan for the estate

– as part of community work in the area, and at the invitation of DPM Gan.

Also present at the event were incumbent Chua Chu Kang GRC MPs Low Yen Ling, Don Wee and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, as well as Hong Kah North MP Amy Khor.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Siow said public service remained important to him despite his recent retirement as a civil servant.

“(The community work) is an opportunity for me to continue to do public service in a more direct and personal way,” he said.

Asked if he would be assuming any appointment in the constituency, Mr Siow said: “We are doing the work here in the constituency, whether or not we serve as a grassroots adviser.”

Also there with him was fellow PAP new face, Dr Choo Pei Ling, an assistant professor in the Singapore Institute of Technology’s health and social sciences cluster.

Dr Choo, 38, said she was also invited by DPM Gan. She was previously spotted helping out in Marine Parade GRC, where she is second grassroots adviser in the Kembangan-Chai Chee ward.

“So, we are a family, so it doesn’t really matter where we are, because the intention and our goal is the same,” she said.

Both Mr Siow and Dr Choo flanked DPM Gan as he fielded questions from the media.

DPM Gan told reporters that the two were there to learn how to serve the community better, but did not confirm that the duo would be fielded in the four-person Chua Chu Kang GRC team at the upcoming general election.

“(As for) future plans, there will be an appropriate time for us to reveal more details,” he said.

But he pointed out that the duo bring their rich experience in their professional lives and community work to Chua Chu Kang.

“They bring with them a wealth of experience that they can contribute to the building of Chua Chu Kang town, to implement our plan that we announced earlier.”

DPM Gan also confirmed that Bukit Gombak will continue to be served by Chua Chu Kang Town Council, notwithstanding the fact that the ward has been

carved out as a single-member constituency

for the upcoming election.

Ms Low, who is MP of the Bukit Gombak ward, said she is committed to continue serving residents of the area, with whom she has built a close rapport since 2011.

But whether she is fielded as a candidate in the area is ultimately up to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, she said.

The appearance of Mr Siow and Dr Choo comes amid instances of former senior civil servants appearing alongside PAP MPs in their social media posts.

They include former chief of army David Neo, who appeared in an April 5 Instagram post with Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng.

Former Singapore Armed Forces chief of staff – joint staff Goh Pei Ming and Mr Foo Cexiang, who was previously director of the Ministry of Transport’s private and future mobility division, were seen in an April 4 Facebook photo with Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary and other grassroots volunteers in Punggol.