GE2025: Deciphering the broader shifts behind PAP’s record slate of new faces

BALANCING QUANTITY AND QUALITY

While the large number of new faces the PAP has introduced for GE2025 suggests that some incumbent MPs are stepping down, it is also due to the increase in the number of parliamentary seats, political observers said. 

The number of seats being contested rose from 87 in GE2011 to 93 in GE2020 and 97 in this year’s election, after a redrawing of electoral boundaries. 

In GE2020, about 20 PAP MPs retired, including heavyweights such as Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, former Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say and former Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim.

Since then, several more parliamentary seats formerly taken up by PAP MPs have been vacated.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam left parliament to run for president in 2023. Former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui resigned over their affair, while former Transport Minister Mr S Iswaran stepped aside over a corruption scandal.

And on Friday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced that he was retiring from politics to make way for new blood. 

Taken together, these developments help explain the scale of the PAP’s recruitment for GE2025, although the move raises questions about how the party is balancing breadth and depth in its candidate selection.

To this, Assoc Prof Ho of LKYSPP said that a larger slate of candidates allows for greater diversity in backgrounds and work experience. It also expands the talent pool for identifying and grooming future cabinet ministers. 

“I don’t see a dilution in quality, given that many strong candidates have stepped forward to be fielded,” he added. 

Dr Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at IPS Social Lab at the Institute of Policy Studies, noted that a significant number of veteran MPs are still contesting this round, ensuring continuity and experience across GRC teams and potential town council leadership. 

She added that the ability to field such a large slate of new candidates also reflects the enduring strength of the PAP brand and its continued ability to attract qualified individuals.

“Even if there are individuals who are unable to serve beyond one term, several will likely prove themselves capable of shouldering heavier responsibilities, such as taking charge of a ministry,” Dr Teo said. 

Dr Mustafa said that as generations move forward, the crop of candidates will naturally evolve: they will differ in the way they speak and how they connect with people on the ground.

Newer generations of politicians would have to navigate both the ground and the digital space, he said, as connecting with the electorate today means not just meeting people where they live, but also understanding what is happening online, such as on social media, he said.

“So the way they think about issues is different from earlier generations. Now, that’s not to say that they have very different versions of (an event) but more about the way that they would face the issues, how they would convey the message,” he added.

Ultimately, for any political party going through a generational transition, it is important to have both older and newer generations working together, he said.

“That way, (the party) can better relate to and resonate with a larger segment of the population.”

ANOTHER BUMPER CROP BATCH? 

The PAP’s Class of 2025 will have big shoes to fill, with all eyes on who among them might emerge as part of Singapore’s fifth generation of leaders.

The 2001 and 2011 elections brought in “heavyweight” newcomers who quickly rose to key cabinet positions after being elected.

In fact, the 2001 batch of newcomers included a group that became known as the “super seven”: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Mr Tharman, Mr Khaw, Mr Raymond Lim, Dr Ng Eng Hen, Dr Balaji Sadasivan and Mr Cedric Foo.

• Dr Balakrishnan has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015, after overseeing portfolios such as Community Development, Youth and Sports, and the Environment and Water Resources
• Mr Tharman headed several key portfolios, including education and finance, and was Deputy Prime Minister before being elected President in 2023
• Mr Khaw earned the moniker “Mr Fix-it” for his leadership across challenging portfolios, such as health, national development and transport, before retiring in 2020
• Mr Lim, who retired from politics in 2015, served as Transport Minister from 2006 to 2011 and as minister in the Prime Minister’s Office prior to that
• Dr Ng has served as Minister for Defence from 2011, following earlier roles as Manpower Minister and Education Minister. He announced his retirement on Friday. 
• Dr Balaji was appointed Minister of State for Health, Transport and the Environment, later becoming Senior Minister of State for Health, Foreign Affairs, and Information, Communications and the Arts. He died from illness in 2010.
• Mr Foo, who retired in 2020, held positions as Minister of State for Defence and National Development

Their batch of new faces also included Madam Halimah Yacob, who eventually became President in 2017. 

GE2011, too, had its fair share of high-profile candidates who became office holders in their first term: Mr Heng Swee Keat, now deputy prime minister; Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, who helmed the Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Social and Family Development before becoming Speaker of Parliament; and Mr Chan Chun Sing, now Education Minister.

That cohort also included Mr Wong, who was appointed Minister of State for Education and Defence in his first term. He rose quickly through the ranks, becoming Minister for Culture, Community and Youth in 2014, Minister for Finance in 2021 and eventually succeeding Mr Lee Hsien Loong as Prime Minister in 2024.

So, how do PAP’s new faces for GE2025 measure up against their illustrious party colleagues of past election cycles?

While political observers told CNA TODAY that it is too early to assess the full potential of the 2025 batch, they noted that the new faces are not too different from those of recent general elections: they largely comprise professionals with conventional career paths, alongside a few entrepreneurs.

Among the new faces this year who stand out for their glittering CVs are former Chief of Army David Neo and former senior civil servant Jeffrey Siow, both 47. Their selection is seen as being in line with the party’s tradition of tapping individuals with strong public sector credentials.