‘More than one new face’ expected in Sembawang for GE2025: Ong Ye Kung

SINGAPORE – Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said he expects “more than one new face” to be part of the Sembawang slate for the coming general election.

Mr Ong, who is the anchor minister for Sembawang GRC, was asked by reporters if there would be a new face on his team. He was attending an event on March 23 to open a new outdoor obstacle course and water play area at the Bukit Canberra integrated sports and community hub. 

“I’m very eager to introduce them to residents and introduce them to the media,” he replied, adding that he is checking with party headquarters every week to see “whether they have confirmed candidates deployed to us”.

Sembawang GRC, which was created in 1988 and is made up of mostly Housing Board flats, is currently split into five divisions, namely Woodlands, Admiralty, Canberra, Sembawang Central and Sembawang West.

Sembawang West

, which is helmed by MP Poh Li San, will be carved out as a single-member constituency at the general election. It is unclear who the PAP will field in the new single seat at the polls.

Mr Ong had said in February that

he expects at least one new member to be added

to the People’s Action Party team in the group representation constituency, as part of the party’s renewal process in every election cycle.

The current MPs for Sembawang GRC are Mr Ong (Sembawang Central), Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Canberra), Mr Vikram Nair (Admiralty), Ms Mariam Jaafar (Woodlands) and Ms Poh.

Dr Lim was first elected in 2006, followed by Mr Nair in 2011 and Mr Ong in 2015. Both Ms Mariam and Ms Poh became MPs in 2020.

In the 2020 General Election, the PAP beat the National Solidarity Party (NSP) with 67.29 per cent of the vote. NSP has said it will run in Sembawang GRC in the coming general election.

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has since also thrown its hat into the ring, with

party chief Chee Soon Juan announcing on March 23

that he will contest Sembawang West SMC.

He had previously garnered 45.2 per cent of the vote in Bukit Batok SMC, which will be absorbed into the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

Dr Chee told reporters that the SDP also plans to send a team to contest Sembawang GRC.

He crossed paths with the incumbent MP, Ms Poh, during their respective walkabouts on the morning of March 23.

When asked for her reaction to Dr Chee’s plan to run in Sembawang West, Ms Poh told The Straits Times that she would comment at another time.

Later that evening, she posted on her Facebook page that she welcomed Dr Chee’s presence in Sembawang West SMC as it would give residents a choice.

She said: “I’ve spent the past five years knocking on doors, visiting shops, listening to concerns, working to improve the estate, and working towards the many exciting developments in our town.

“In an SMC, personal connections and consistent hard work matter, and I remain committed to serving residents.”