GE2025: Hong Kah North MP Amy Khor will retire from politics but hopes to continue serving community
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Dr Amy Khor has been the MP for Hong Kah North since its formation in 2011, winning the seat in three general elections in succession.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment, will not contest the 2025 General Election after 24 years of service.
She is looking to advocate issues including sustainability and active ageing in either the community or the private sector, drawing from her experience in the Government, she told The Straits Times in an interview on April 14.
“Since I’m hale and hearty, I can look at what my next chapter would be, what I can contribute in, and pursue some of my aspirations, things I’ve not been able to do in the last 24 years,” she said.
Speaking about the sustainability sector, Dr Khor said: “These are things I’ve been doing for quite a while, and I’m really keen to look at how else I can contribute in terms of promoting the industry (and) continue to raise industry standards.”
She added: “In terms of promoting active ageing, I intend to walk the talk as I retire. I’m 67 years old, or young, so I think it’s as timely as it can get to make way for party renewal (and) step down.”
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong announced Dr Khor’s move, in response to questions from the media at a press conference to unveil the PAP slate for Chua Chu Kang GRC Bukit Gombak SMC
Thanking Dr Khor for her many years of service, DPM Gan paid tribute to how she brought together the community in Hong Kah North as well as the wider area.
He noted that the Tengah estates that were part of Hong Kah North SMC have been folded into Chua Chu Kang GRC for the upcoming election. The remaining part of the SMC was merged with Jurong GRC and Bukit Batok and Yuhua SMCs to form a new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC
Dr Khor has been the MP for Hong Kah North since its formation in 2011, winning the seat in three general elections on the trot.
In 2020, she captured 60.99 per cent of the votes cast, or 16,347 votes, in a straight fight with Ms Gigene Wong of the Progress Singapore Party.
As Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), a portfolio she has held since 2015, Dr Khor championed measures to reduce waste – especially electronic, packaging and food waste – and promoted hawker culture, among other issues.
For instance, she was involved in the roll-out of a mandatory minimum charge of five cents for disposable carrier bags in 2023, an attempt to reduce the usage of disposables in Singapore.
She also spearheaded the push to require diners at hawker centres, foodcourts and coffee shops to clear their tables of dirty trays, crockery and litter in 2021.
It remains a point of pride in her career.
“Initially, there was quite a bit of pushback, but I think a lot of people are happy that we have done it,” she said.
Before that, she led the effort to create Singapore’s first Zero Waste Masterplan, released in 2019. It aimed to send one-third less waste to Semakau Landfill through various means by 2030, in a bid to help the landfill last longer than the projected 2035.
Prior to her current appointment, Dr Khor served in various roles, such as senior parliamentary secretary and senior minister of state at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources – the former name of the MSE.
Since 2020, she has served as Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Transport, focusing on improving the taxi and private-hire car industry.
She also pushed for more transport links to the nascent Tengah town, where connectivity was a bugbear of its earliest residents.
Previously, Dr Khor served as senior minister of state for health from 2013 to 2020 and senior minister of state for manpower from 2013 to 2015.
In her health portfolio, she recalled working on the Action Plan for Successful Ageing, launched in 2015.
She was also mayor of the South West District from 2004 to 2014.
Trained in real estate valuation, Dr Khor holds a doctorate in real estate from the University of Reading in Britain.
Before entering politics in the 2001 General Election, she worked as a valuer at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore as well as a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore.
She first contested under the ticket of Hong Kah GRC, which was later merged into Chua Chu Kang GRC in 2011, when Hong Kah North became an SMC.
Asked if she had any advice for fresh candidates, Dr Khor encouraged them to tap the wisdom of more experienced colleagues and serve with sincerity, which residents would be able to discern.
In a Facebook post on April 14, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the Hong Kah North area for the last 24 years over five terms of government.
“It has been a privilege and honour to be able to engage and work with (Hong Kah North) residents to understand their needs and concerns and help improve their lives and living environment. I am most thankful for their strong support all these years.”
She added: “As I close this very precious and memorable chapter of my life, I look forward to the next chapter where I will continue to look for opportunities to serve and contribute to the community to the best of my ability.”
