GE2025: PAP’s Sengkang team says it is ‘working hard on the ground’ to win over residents

SINGAPORE – A new, younger slate of potential candidates from the PAP has been working the ground hard in Sengkang GRC from as early as 2022, when Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted, said former senior minister of state Lam Pin Min.

The ruling party knows it is always a challenge to try to win back a constituency, especially a group representation constituency, but the PAP team’s effort so far “speaks for itself”, Dr Lam, 55, said at a walkabout on March 30.

The ophthalmologist was flanked by the other PAP branch chairpersons for Sengkang – Ms Theodora Lai, 39, a principal at private equity firm Tembusu Partners; Associate Professor Elmie Nekmat, 43, who teaches communications and new media; and Mrs Bernadette Giam, 38, a director at local food and beverage enterprise Creative Eateries.

“Even as a new team, we are working very hard on the ground,” said Dr Lam.

Dr Lam, who has been active in Sengkang West since 2006, was the only PAP representative retained from the party’s previous slate that lost Sengkang GRC in 2020. The election was only the second time that the WP had won in a GRC, after it prevailed in Aljunied in 2011.

“We... started walking the ground the moment Covid-19 restrictions lifted, and in fact for Elmie, myself and Theodora, we have been walking the ground for the past three to four years,” he said.

The PAP team will be doing a lot more walkabouts in the days ahead, with the aim of visiting all parts of Sengkang, he added.

Dr Lam demurred on whether the PAP slate for the 2025 polls was firm, but noted that he, Ms Lai, Prof Elmie and Mrs Giam had been appointed Sengkang branch chairpersons. The team has a good gender mix, different strengths and “comes with a lot of passion”, he said when asked what they bring to Sengkang residents.

One reason why the PAP was said to have lost Sengkang GRC in 2020 was that it had fielded an all-male team, which included labour chief and former Cabinet minister Ng Chee Meng as a late addition.

They came up against a more youthful WP slate, who were all young parents, like much of Sengkang’s population.

Asked about the feedback his team has received from residents so far, Dr Lam said one aspect the PAP team has heard about is transport concerns.

“During our routine house visits, we do have much feedback from residents, some regarding eateries, connectivity in terms of LRT, LRT crowdedness,” he said, adding that this is some of the feedback that they “will definitely try to address” if elected as MPs.

On March 30, the four PAP branch chairpersons and a large group of PAP volunteers visited Rivervale Shores, a Build-to-Order project completed in 2023.

They also visited Sengkang Grand Mall and Buangkok Hawker Centre, where they spoke to residents and handed out toy bears sporting white shirts emblazoned with the words “PAP Sengkang”.

Speaking to reporters at Buangkok Hawker Centre, Ms Lai said such visits are a chance for her and her team to get to know residents better. “It also gives them a chance to reach out to us as well, if they feel they need help in some ways,” she added.

On how the PAP team’s background can help with the specific concerns of younger families in Sengkang, Prof Elmie, who researches digital media effects, said an issue he is particularly concerned about is digital safety and well-being.

“This affects the young ones, the children, as well as the seniors,” he said, adding that this is an area where more can be done.

Among those who received the toy bears on March 30 were Mr Jason Wong, 29, and his wife, who will be voting in Sengkang for the first time.

Mr Wong, an operations specialist who moved from Hougang in 2023, said: “A big walkabout like this wouldn’t help (to win my vote), but seeing them day to day will help us know that they are not doing this just for show.”

What has left a greater impression on the couple were the efforts of PAP’s former branch chairman in Sengkang East, Mr Ling Weihong, who was responsible for their Rivervale estate between March 2022 and November 2023.

Mr Wong and his wife said they were touched by Mr Ling’s near-weekly visits, as well as the lawyer’s responsiveness in addressing issues such as debris in stairways and carpark connectivity.

Mr Ling was replaced as Sengkang East branch chairman by Mr Marcus Loh, a director at digital transformation company Temus, who later stepped down in January 2025 citing family reasons, passing the baton to Mrs Giam.

Mr Wong said: “We are looking out for an MP who listens to our concerns... For the upcoming elections, we will be looking out for what plans the parties have on a national level.”