GE2025: Poh Li San to contest new Sembawang West SMC, against SDP’s Chee Soon Juan

SINGAPORE - Ms Poh Li San will contest the new Sembawang West SMC under the PAP banner, and is set to face Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan at the polls.

Ms Poh, 50, an incumbent MP for Sembawang GRC, looks after the Sembawang West ward. She announced her candidacy at a press conference at Beaulieu House on April 22, where the ruling party also confirmed

its five-member slate for Sembawang GRC.

Ms Poh, who addressed the media in Malay, Mandarin and English, said she expects a “tough one-on-one fight against the leader of the SDP”.

“The contest ahead may look daunting, but I’m not one who will shy away from difficult challenges,” she said. 

She believes residents will be fair-minded enough to “discern clearly between who has done real work and is committed to stay here and continue to work for them, versus someone who just shows up one month before the election”. 

Ms Poh, who is contesting for a second term, cited examples of issues she has championed on behalf of her constituents, including upgrading infrastructure and improving public health.

If elected, her plans include upgrading homes and common spaces; enhancing support for seniors, including opening two new active ageing centres; expanding outdoor programmes to engage youth meaningfully; and strengthening mental wellness in the community. 

“Residents in Sembawang West, they know me very well because I am hard-working... I’ve been on the ground a lot, (building) very strong rapport with our residents,” she said.

Ms Poh added that the global uncertainty, possible recession and rising unemployment will pose serious challenges for Singapore, and this would require a strong team and bold ideas.

“Now is the time for taking risks, because as a small country, this is the only way we can survive this looming crisis,” she said.

“This must be done by a team that has done it before and with the interests of Singaporeans at heart, not by reckless populists. The PAP government has taken a big risk to secure the peace and prosperity of Singapore, and each time, we have come out better and stronger.”

Ms Poh, who is senior vice-president at Changi Airport Group, has close ties to Sembawang as a former helicopter pilot operating out of Sembawang Air Base.

She is also president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association, and was previously the first woman to be appointed a full-time aide-de-camp to the late President S R Nathan.

In the 2020 General Election, Ms Poh was part of a five-member team, led by then Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, that garnered 67.29 per cent of the vote in Sembawang GRC against the National Solidarity Party (NSP).

The new Sembawang West SMC has about 24,000 voters who all live in Housing Board flats.

Dr Chee decided to contest in Sembawang West SMC

after Bukit Batok SMC, where he had been active, was redrawn into the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

While NSP initially expressed its intention to contest the Sembawang West single seat, it bowed out on April 20 to avoid a three-cornered fight.