GE2025: SM Teo’s shoes too big to fill, but Indranee says she will serve with the same passion

Follow our live coverage here.

SINGAPORE – Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah says she cannot fill Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean’s big shoes in the newly created Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, but will serve with the same commitment if elected. 

At the PAP’s rally for Pasir Ris-Changi GRC at Tampines Meridian Junior College on April 28, the new anchor minister for the constituency promised that she would build on what Mr Teo had accomplished in the area as a representative for 28 years. 

She said: “Some have asked me, ‘Can you fill his shoes?’ Have you seen how tall, how big SM Teo is? No, I can’t. But what I can do, what I will do, is I will serve with the same dedication and the same passion that he has for all of you.”

In a rally speech that was notable for its relaxed atmosphere, Ms Indranee reflected on how SM Teo started her on her journey into politics, hosting her first PAP tea session in 2001. 

She was late for that session, and left that meeting thinking she had made a bad impression. “But for some reason, he thought I had some potential, so he sent me up along the chain. I really didn’t think on that fateful day when I had tea with him, that one day I would be taking over as the lead anchor for his constituency,” she said.

Ms Indranee, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development, is leading a team comprising Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Desmond Tan, Mr Sharael Taha and new face Valerie Lee in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC. 

They are up against a team headed by Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) chairman Desmond Lim, which also includes SDA secretary-general Abu Mohamed, Mr Harminder Pal Singh and political newcomer Chia Yun Kai, who had initially announced that he had founded his own party – Most Valuable Party – to contest East Coast GRC. 

The PAP candidates spoke of how they had worked with residents over the years to improve their lives, from enhancing connectivity in the area to making sure that those who had slipped through the cracks had ways to pick themselves back up. 

Mr Tan, giving his maiden rally speech, shared his personal experiences of working with residents, including inviting a “die-hard” opposition supporter to help his team out after a house visit where the man complained about the estate and life in Singapore. 

The resident is now a “key member of my team”, helping to deliver bread every Saturday to residents and writing appeal letters for his neighbours. “I share this story to show you how I work,” Mr Tan said. “I listen to residents. Because you live here, you know best. We don’t make decisions behind closed doors.” 

He also referenced infrastructural improvements in the estate that he has overseen in the past five years, pointing to the new Pasir Ris bus interchange that opened a day earlier. 

Mr Tan is the MP behind Project Success, which has helped connect 400 residents with job placements each year. “Residents have told me that ageism is real. They had rejection after rejection in their job application. I feel their pain.”

Mr Sharael highlighted the town’s municipal initiatives to support the vulnerable, such as a community care store which provides free groceries that has helped more than 300 lower-income families.

He spoke about meeting a 68-year-old woman caring for her bed-ridden husband and mother, which drove him to fight for stronger caregiver support. The Home Caregiving Grant has tripled from $200 in 2022 to $600 in 2025.

He said: “These are the real stories behind the policies that we fight for because we fight for the people, not for the headlines.”

Mr Sharael, who is seeking his second term as MP, has also focused his efforts on mentoring youth and providing them with mental health support.

He said his team has overseen the building of four new MRT stations along the Cross Island Line, the widening of Pasir Ris Drive 4, and the installation of electric vehicle chargers and solar panels to facilitate sustainability efforts.

Ms Lee spoke about support for the country’s “sandwich generation” who are required to juggle work and caring for their families and elderly parents.

The mother of a two-year-old girl said she understood the hardship of young families who are juggling managing their parents’ medical appointments and answering work e-mails, all while putting their children to sleep.

“There are many, many stories like this. And what I hear again and again is this, we’re trying our best. The Government does have good initiatives that have improved over time, but I think we need more support.”

Former Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MPs also lent their support at the rally. Though they did not speak, Mr Charles Chong, Mr Zainal Sapari and Mr Ahmad Magad were all on stage to greet Pasir Ris-Changi GRC constituents. 

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman – whose Siglap ward was moved into Pasir Ris-Changi GRC – addressed the recent issue of political posts linked to race and religion circulating online.

Dr Maliki, who announced his retirement from politics earlier in April, was Singapore’s representative at Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican City. He said he kept himself updated on the hustings while there. 

“One of the legacies of Pope Francis is his advocacy for interfaith understanding and dialogue. We know that we have built a harmonious society through conscious effort at deepening our interfaith harmony through dialogues, but this should be kept separate from politics,” he said.

He also said that the Malay/Muslim community has done well under the PAP government, particularly in the areas of education and social development.

The establishment of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies realises the community’s long-held aspirations of having its own Islamic university, with a vision of producing religious teachers and leaders “who understand what is at stake in our unique context and who have the right competencies and skills to guide the community”, he said. 

“While we are a multiracial society pillared on values of justice, equality and meritocracy, the Government recognises the unique circumstances of each community and is committed to support them accordingly.” 

SM Teo called for voters to give the new team their support, especially at a time of “great change and uncertainty”. 

“We don’t know what will happen the next week, the next 90 days. Tariffs on, tariffs off. We don’t know the answers because we don’t even know the questions that we have to answer,” he said. 

“How do we prepare for this? The best way to prepare is to have a strong and stable Government who can see you through these uncertain times.”