GE2025: Veteran civil servant Jeffrey Siow, academic Choo Pei Ling to join PAP’s Chua Chu Kang GRC team
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(From left) Ms Low Yen Ling, Mr Jeffrey Siow, DPM Gan Kim Yong, Dr Choo Pei Ling and Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim at a press conference on April 14, 2025.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
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SINGAPORE - Former senior civil servant Jeffrey Siow and neuroscientist Choo Pei Ling will join the four-member PAP team contesting Chua Chu Kang GRC in the coming election.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will lead the team contesting the GRC, together with lawyer and incumbent MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, 44, and the two new faces.
Besides the four of them, Ms Low Yen Ling, who is Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and for Culture, Community and Youth, also confirmed that she will stand for election in Bukit Gombak,
At a press conference at the PAP Chua Chu Kang Branch on April 14, DPM Gan thanked Mr Don Wee and Dr Amy Khor, who will both not be contesting in the 2025 General Election.
Mr Wee, an accountant, has been in charge of the Brickland ward since 2020, while Dr Khor, who is Senior Minister of State for Transport, and Sustainability and the Environment, has been MP for Hong Kah North SMC since 2011.
Mr Siow and Dr Choo are among at least 30 new faces – the largest in recent history – who will join the PAP in GE2025, as part of an effort to rejuvenate the party’s ranks in the long run.
Introducing Mr Siow, DPM Gan said the senior civil servant will bring a wealth of experience to Chua Chu Kang GRC.
Mr Siow, who retired on April 2 after more than two decades in the civil service, is the most senior civil servant to have left for politics
The 46-year-old was most recently second permanent secretary at the Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Trade and Industry. Before that, he held roles such as managing director of statutory board Enterprise Singapore and principal private secretary to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
At the press conference, Mr Siow said he was a beneficiary of Singapore’s system, from the free milk programmes when he was a child, to the subsidised surgical procedures he underwent when he broke his arm – twice – playing football.
The son of a coffee shop worker and part-time bank teller-turned-housewife, Mr Siow said that getting a university education would have been difficult without a government scholarship.
On why he wanted to join politics, he said that making a difference is not just about making big government policies, but also to ensure that policies, at their last mile, are relevant to people of different backgrounds.
“To me, this is still public service, but it is more direct and personal,” he said. “In the public service, my North Star was always to build a better Singapore and to improve the lives of Singaporeans.
“If elected, I will bring the same capability, passion and commitment to the residents of Chua Chu Kang and create positive change for them.”
Dr Choo, who has been volunteering in the community for more than 20 years, said she has a passion for helping people, especially the vulnerable.
Having seen people impacted by brain injuries and others losing their loved ones to dementia, she said she was driven to train as a neurophysiotherapist to help people regain their independence and quality of life.
Dr Choo said she hopes to become a community builder in Chua Chu Kang, helping young parents, middle-aged residents and caregivers with their needs.
“Many middle-aged residents share with me that they feel very stretched,” she said. “I want to be their voice, I want to be a helping hand, I want to help support families and caregivers.”
Dr Choo was among the earliest crop of new faces to emerge ahead of this upcoming election, when she was publicly lauded by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong as the “present and future” of Marine Parade estate in April 2024.
In mid-2024, she was appointed as second adviser to grassroots organisations in Kembangan-Chai Chee, a ward under Marine Parade GRC that was previously held by former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, who vacated the seat after his resignation.
Dr Choo was first spotted in Chua Chu Kang GRC at a community event as early as March 30, 2025.
When asked on April 14, she did not confirm if she would step down from her position as second adviser in Kembangan-Chai Chee, in view of her candidacy at Chua Chu Kang GRC.
“At the heart of it all, it’s about serving the community to the best of your ability,” she said.
Ms Low said that while Bukit Gombak has been carved out in the latest electoral boundaries report to become a single seat, the ward “will always be part of the Chua Chu Kang support network”.
That is why Bukit Gombak was included in the launch of Chua Chu Kang’s five-year plan on April 5, she added. At that event, DPM Gan said Bukit Gombak will continue to be served by Chua Chu Kang Town Council.
Ms Low said the community in the area has journeyed together to put various plans into action, including the opening of Hume MRT station,
“It is this type of commitment and strong connection to one another, and to the community, that really makes (Bukit Gombak) extra special.”
This will be the first election in over two decades in which Bukit Gombak is a single seat.
Since 2011, Bukit Gombak has been a ward of Chua Chu Kang GRC. In the latest boundaries report
Recent developments in the area include Hillview Connect, a road link that runs under the Rail Corridor to take the load off Hillview Road, as well as the opening of Hume MRT station to much fanfare.
Ms Low said she has grown close to Bukit Gombak residents over her last 14 years looking after the ward, and that she will work hard to retain residents’ trust and confidence.
“We will always work together to aggregate our strengths, our resources, as well as our network for the best interest of our residents, and we will also come together to maximise the synergies across the five divisions,” she said.
Confirming his exit from politics, Mr Wee said in a video on Facebook that he will not be standing in the upcoming election. He thanked residents and volunteers who had helped in the Brickland neighbourhood for their support, and said the last five years as an MP were some of the most meaningful in his life.
