GE2025: Former SAF chief of staff Goh Pei Ming, ex-Transport Ministry director Foo Cexiang seen in Punggol

SINGAPORE – Former SAF chief of staff – joint staff Goh Pei Ming and former Ministry of Transport director Foo Cexiang were on April 6 seen walking the ground in the new Punggol GRC, fuelling expectations that they are likely to run in the upcoming general election.

Both men were seen with Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MPs – Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, senior ministers of state Janil Puthucheary and Desmond Tan, Mr Sharael Taha and Ms Yeo Wan Ling – at an event organised by DBS Bank.

Also present at the event was Minister of State Sun Xueling, the MP for Punggol West SMC.

Mr Goh was in the afternoon also spotted at an East Coast GRC event together with some incumbent East Coast MPs, namely Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jessica Tan and Ms Cheryl Chan.

On the sidelines of the morning event, where an initiative was launched to help neighbourhood merchants with digital marketing, Mr Goh said: “I’ve been following Dr Janil around, understanding the grassroots work that’s being done here, going for some of the block visits and block parties, and understanding the community here in Punggol. It’s really vibrant. I like it here very much.”

Mr Goh added that he has also joined Ms Sun at a community event, and will be joining Ms Yeo as she meets residents in her area in Punggol Shore in the coming week. As for Mr Foo, he said that he was at the event as a volunteer for the Punggol grassroots organisation, which he joined on April 2.

“We’ve met quite a number of residents and it has been great interacting with them. Overall, I think we’ve had quite a positive response, and we’ve had good conversations with them on what they love about Punggol,” said Mr Foo.

Their presence at the April 6 event comes after Mr Foo, 40, and Mr Goh, 42, were seen in an April 4 Facebook photo with Dr Janil and other grassroots volunteers in Punggol. Mr Goh was also seen with Ms Sun in a Facebook photo posted on April 5 with other volunteers at an event at Punggol West Community Square. 

However, when asked if they will be fielded in Punggol GRC in the upcoming election, both Mr Goh and Mr Foo said they could not comment.

Speaking to the media, Dr Janil said he, Ms Sun and Ms Yeo – the three MPs currently overseeing Punggol GRC – are working together and making plans under the assumption that the three of them will continue as a team.

“You would have seen a number of new faces on the ground and, indeed, there are several. We haven’t had confirmation who the fourth person going to be joining our team is,” said Dr Janil.

He added: “Our new candidates are getting the experience that they need, making sure they have the opportunity to connect with the people, learn about how campaigning is done, but much more importantly, allow people to get a sense of who they are, how they respond, what they care about.”

Under changes to electoral boundaries published on March 11,

the freshly minted Punggol GRC was created

by splitting the existing Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, carving out estates in Punggol and merging those with Punggol West SMC.

Mr Goh’s last day with the Singapore Armed Forces

was on March 31. There, he also served as SAF inspector-general and chief sustainability officer.

At the Caregiving Kampong @ East Coast festival in the afternoon, Mr Goh said he has been involved in grassroots work in the area since 2007, when as a fresh graduate, he was invited to volunteer by former East Coast GRC MP Lee Yi Shyan.

The festival, held at community hub Heartbeat@Bedok, aimed to provide greater support to caregivers of family members with special needs or disabilities.

Mr Goh said it is “especially meaningful” to serve and give back where he grew up. He has served as vice-chair of the Kampong Chai Chee Citizens’ Consultative Committee since 2019, and as chairman of the Kampong Chai Chee Community Club management committee since 2021.

“I’ll be willing to serve, wherever I am asked to serve,” he said, on whether he will continue to serve in East Coast or move to Punggol, declining to comment further on his future plans.

Mr Foo left the Transport Ministry

in April. He had overseen private and future mobility at the ministry, including electric vehicle policy, and had been in the service for more than a decade. 

Punggol GRC is expected to be hotly contested in the coming election by the PAP and the WP.

In a

recent report by The Straits Times

, Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan noted that incumbent MPs such as Dr Janil, Ms Sun and Ms Yeo can be expected to continue on the PAP ticket for Punggol, though that leaves open the question of who will fill the remaining seat in the four-member group representation constituency.

Another new face spotted at the event was Ms Valerie Lee, who joined the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MPs as they spoke to residents.

Ms Lee, Sembcorp’s head of corporate affairs for Singapore and South-east Asia, had previously been seen at a Pasir Ris event, and in West Coast GRC and East Coast GRC. She said she is a community volunteer in Pasir Ris and has been enjoying interacting with residents.

When asked if she will be fielded as a candidate in the upcoming general election, she said: “Anything can happen from now, all the way to Nomination Day. But we’ll do our best wherever we go.”