GE2025: PAP’s Jeffrey Siow sees politics as a ‘more direct, personal way’ of public service

SINGAPORE - For PAP candidate Jeffrey Siow, keeping Singapore as a place where there are opportunities for everyone is crucial.

It is a conviction shaped by personal experience. Raised in public housing, including growing up in a one-room rental flat in Henderson when he was young, Mr Siow rose through the ranks of the public service over 24 years.

He served as principal private secretary (PPS) to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from 2017 to 2021 and later became Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Manpower.

The Singapore system gave him the opportunity to transcend his circumstances, the 46-year-old said.

“If you happen to be born in another place, in another country – you can work as hard as you can, you can be as talented as you can, and you may not have the same opportunities,” he noted.

“It’s absolutely important that we keep Singapore this way – that anyone and everyone can have the opportunity to rise up in life, as long as you have the ability and you are prepared to apply yourself.”

That belief, and a sense of duty to keep such opportunities alive, was among the reasons he decided to take the plunge into politics.

Speaking to The Straits Times hours after he was unveiled as a PAP candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC on April 14, Mr Siow said he had been content in the civil service and had not seriously considered entering politics – until recently.

He retired on April 2 after more than two decades in public service, making him the most senior civil servant to step forward ahead of the coming election.

Over the course of his career, he held various leadership roles including managing director of Enterprise Singapore.

“It was just the right time. Having been in the public service for 24 years, and having done various jobs and reached leadership positions, I think it was just time for me to take a different tack,” said Mr Siow.

“I thought it was an opportunity to do and continue public service, just differently. It’s a more direct and personal way.”

Asked how his experience would translate to politics, Mr Siow said: “I have a certain set of experiences and skill sets that I can bring immediately to the table.

“I know how to get things done, a track record of being competent, being able to deliver on things.”

Before agreeing to step forward, he had long conversations with his family. His wife was concerned about the impact politics might have on their privacy, but has remained supportive throughout.

His son, 15, wondered what he should say to his friends, and asked what the move would mean for their family. Mr Siow said it led to a meaningful conversation.

His 13-year-old daughter, on the other hand, made a face when first told, he said with a smile.

Having made the decision, Mr Siow has spent the last few weeks immersing himself in Chua Chu Kang GRC, particularly the Brickland ward, where he has been talking to residents and learning from the incumbent team.

Besides Mr Siow, the PAP will field another new face – neuroscientist Choo Pei Ling – in Chua Chu Kang GRC alongside Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and incumbent MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.

Asked what interacting with residents has been like, Mr Siow said many of the issues they have raised are familiar, such as childcare, schools and transport connectivity.

“These are things that I myself dealt with not too long ago,” he said, adding that he understands their concerns.

On making the shift to politics, he noted that civil servants focus on designing policies.

“As a politician or as an MP, you will be responsible for a group of residents. You will understand the residents well... and you’ll be better able to advise them or help them make the best use of the government programmes and policies that are out there.

“And I feel that I’m in a position to do that, having spent a long time with the civil service.”

He recounted his time in the Ministry of Transport, when he and his colleagues were discussing with political office-holders whether to offer free train rides in the early morning to ease peak hour crowding.

It was a policy that was debated extensively, as the Government at the time was not used to “giving anything for free”, said Mr Siow.

“But we felt that, first of all, empirically, because we were trying to shift people off the peak hour, disproportionately, it made sense for us to offer things for free,” he said.

Later, he added: “The Civil Service felt very strongly about this, that this was the right move to do. In the end, the politicians were convinced and it was the right thing to do.”

Reflecting on his time as PPS to Senior Minister Lee when he was prime minister, Mr Siow said he had a front-row seat to decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Being able to work closely with the prime minister, you learn a lot every single day. And I’ve learnt a lot from him,” he said.

Among the biggest takeaways from SM Lee, Mr Siow added, was that “it’s always important to do the right thing, whatever it is, whatever it takes”.

The role of PPS has been held by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who worked with SM Lee, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, who both worked with the late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

Mr Siow is also among a small group of former permanent secretaries to have entered politics. They include DPM Heng and Mr Chee, who went on to join the Cabinet.

Asked if he would be prepared to step into a front-bench role if called upon, Mr Siow said his immediate priority is to serve the residents of Chua Chu Kang if elected.

“Whatever happens after that, that’s for the PM to decide. He knows what my background is, he knows what my capabilities are… I’m very happy to contribute (in) whatever way that he asks me to,” he said.

Outside of work, Mr Siow said he finds joy in simple routines with his family – chatting with his son after school, taking his daughter to football training, and unwinding with the whole family over Netflix and snacks on weekends.

A football enthusiast, he used to play regularly with friends and still joins weekend games when his schedule allows. He once threw himself into matches “very aggressively”, so much so that he broke his arm twice on the pitch. While he occasionally got into scuffles in his younger days, he now plays a different role.

“Now I find myself in that position. Being an older player and telling the younger chaps, ‘Hey, you know, just enjoy the game’.”

Mr Siow is also a fan of science fiction, particularly works that explore the future through the lens of today’s challenges. He counts The Three-Body Problem series by Chinese computer engineer Liu Cixin, and authors like Isaac Asimov and Ted Chiang, among his favourites.

As a candidate, he hopes to help shape Singapore’s future not just through policy, but by listening closely to those he serves, and translating feedback into action.

Asked about public perceptions that the PAP often draws its candidates from a narrow pool of senior civil servants, military officers and professionals, Mr Siow said the key objective is to have a good, balanced team with diverse perspectives and different backgrounds that can understand the ground.

“You will see in the coming days that the new team that has been put together has that diversity,” he said.