Ng Chee Meng appears in Bukit Batok after abandoning Sengkang GRC

SINGAPORE: Recent activities by Ng Chee Meng, a former Minister from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), have sparked speculation about his potential departure from Sengkang GRC to seek better electoral prospects in the upcoming General Election (GE).

Mr Ng, who is also the Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), recently posted a video on his personal Facebook page that showcased his interactions with residents in the Bukit Batok area, further fueling speculation about his political intentions.

His Facebook page consistently provides updates on his attendance at various union activities.

On April 21, he posted a video from a community event in Bukit Batok, where he appeared alongside Murali Pillai, the Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC).

Although the event was related to the Hari Raya celebrations by the NTUC FairPrice Cooperative, Mr Ng’s presence at a grassroots event in the constituency sparked speculation.

Political observers believe that the fourth-generation leadership would prefer to keep Ng Chee Meng within the PAP team, likely fielding him in constituencies with higher chances of victory.

In the 2020 biennial PAP conference, despite not making it to the top 12 members of PAP’s central executive committee – the highest decision-making body in PAP, Mr Ng was co-opted into the CEC. A similar arrangement was again made in 2022.

Ng had withdrawn from Sengkang GRC much earlier after new potential candidates were introduced to the PAP team there.

Observers speculate that he could be transferred to Jurong or Ang Mo Kio GRC, where the PAP’s vote share has historically been strong.

There’s a general belief that if Ng were to contest in the next general election, the nearby Jurong GRC might offer a suitable platform, given the vacant seat left by former senior PAP Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who vacated it to contest in the Presidential Election last September.

It is unlikely that Ng, a former minister, would contest in an SMC.

However, observers predict that Bukit Batok might be absorbed into another GRC in the Electoral Boundary Review Committee’s review, as has happened in the past when the risk of losing it is high.

WP won Sengkang GRC in GE2020

In GE2020, the PAP candidates led by Mr Ng included former Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin, and Raymond Lye.

The Workers’ Party team that won the Sengkang GRC consisted of He Ting Ru, Raeesah Khan, Jamus Lim, and Louis Chua. They secured 52.13% of the votes, while the PAP received 47.87%.

This defeat marked a significant moment in Singapore’s political landscape, being another GRC won by WP after GE2011.

On 26 October 2023, the PAP introduced Mr Marcus Loh as a new branch chair within the WP-led GRC, as Mr Ng, Mr Amrin, and Mr Lye left the constituency for other wards.

Joining Associate Professor Elmie Nekmat (Sengkang Central), Ms Theodora Lai Xi Yi (Sengkang North), and former Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min (Sengkang West), Mr Loh forms part of a team that aims to reclaim the GRC from the WP during the upcoming GE.

As speculation about the timing of the next GE grows, sources suggest it might be strategically held in September, potentially aligning with cash handouts from Budget 2024 and before major elections in the United States and the United Kingdom in November.

The anticipation grows as the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) officially announced on 15 April Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s decision to step down, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong slated to succeed him on 15 May 2024.