SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) must account for why it had “removed” previous MPs for Nee Soon GRC, said Red Dot United’s (RDU) secretary-general Ravi Philemon on Thursday (May 1).
Among the incumbent, only Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam is contesting the GRC this election. He is the anchor minister for the PAP slate for Nee Soon, leading four new faces: Ms Goh Hanyan, Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Mr Jackson Lam and Ms Lee Hui Ying.
Of the five PAP MPs who served in Nee Soon GRC between 2020 and 2025, three – Mr Louis Ng, Ms Carrie Tan and Mr Derrick Goh – are not contesting this General Election.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim in April announced his move to the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, which the PAP clinched in a walkover on Nomination Day.
Mr Philemon said Mr Shanmugam “must account” to Nee Soon residents why the MPs were being “let go of”, and why Assoc Prof Faishal – a “well-liked MP in the area” – had been “parachuted into another constituency”.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of RDU’s outreach at Block 925 Yishun Central on the final day of hustings before candidates wind down on Cooling-off Day, Mr Philemon pointed out that “statistics” had shown Mr Ng to be the “most hardworking MP” in parliament.
The two-term Nee Soon MP had previously cited family reasons for his decision to retire from politics, saying the role made him miss “a lot of important milestones” in his daughters’ childhoods.
“Everybody should have the right to retire when they want to. Public service is not easy,” Mr Philemon said.
“I think Mr Shanmugam could have convinced him to stay on,” he added, referring to Mr Ng.
The RDU chief also questioned Mr Ng and several other outgoing MPs’ promises to continue offering their help and support to the incoming MPs.
He asked why they would stay on even after their resignation, and said: “It doesn’t add up.”
