Singapore’s Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is retiring from politics and not contesting this General Election, made an unexpected appearance in Workers’ Party stronghold Aljunied GRC on Friday morning (Apr 25). Mr Teo fronted a media interview with the Aljunied candidates representing the People’s Action Party (PAP), calling them a “young strong team”. The PAP slate comprises Serangoon branch chair Chan Hui Yuh, 48; unionist Jagathishwaran Rajo, 37; managing director of urban planning consultancy Daniel Liu, 40; company director Adrian Ang, 41; and dental surgeon Faisal Abdul Aziz, 37. Mr Teo emphasised that the five have diverse experiences and expertise. “They want to represent you in parliament. They want to propose constructive ideas, not just to oppose, and they are ready to do so,” he said. When asked if he was there to guide the PAP Aljunied team or he will be visiting other constituencies, he said: “They invited me over and I’m very happy to support them, because I know them, and they are good people and they will work hard for the residents.”
The PAP team at Aljunied has gone through a few changes since the last election in 2020 and now sports four new candidates. When asked for their thoughts on going up against the incumbent WP team, which includes WP chief Pritam Singh, Mr Jagathishwaran said that they came to Aljunied GRC “with open eyes”. “This is not a popularity contest. We put the people at the front of what we do and we are a party of action,” he said, adding that they have plans for policies and local programmes for residents. “This is a tough election. We know that we are fighting against the odds, which is why we are working the ground as a team and also at our respective grounds to win every vote,” he said.
For about an hour, Mr Teo and the team interacted with residents having breakfast at the Bedok 538 Market & Food Centre. Dental surgeon Dr Faisal had a bag of toothbrushes with his face and the PAP logo printed on them, which he distributed to residents. These collaterals had drawn the attention of netizens and WP’s Mr Singh, who, while criticising the timing of the recent GST hikes, said at a rally on Thursday night: “It can make such serious errors in judgment of timing and then give out teddy bears, ice cream and toothbrushes.”
On why he was giving out toothbrushes, Mr Faisal said that they were just a way to “break the ice” with residents. “I’m glad that there’s a lot of interest in my toothbrushes. But you know, politics is serious business. It is about people’s lives on a daily basis,” he said. “I decided to give something practical and useful. So a toothbrush is something which I resonate with as a dentist, and something we all need. But you know, let’s focus on the issues that matter … I hope we can focus on our campaign, on issues that matter.”
Reporters also asked Mr Teo about the unexpected twists that unfolded on Nomination Day. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong had moved from Chua Chu Kang GRC to anchor the Punggol GRC team and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng left Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC to fill the gap in Chua Chu Kang GRC. WP, which had contested Marine Parade GRC in the last two elections, did not field a team in the redrawn constituency this time round, leading to the first walkover in Singapore elections in 14 years. Mr Teo said: “I want to emphasise that we field candidates in every constituency in Singapore – good, credible candidates so that our voters have a choice. We don’t give up any constituency.” When asked about his retirement, Mr Teo, 70, said that he believes in self-renewal, and that it is the key to the stability of leadership in any country. “We give them, share with them our experience, but put them in the driving seat so that they can lead Singapore forward with new energy, with new ideas,” he said. “You can look around you. You don’t have to go very far. You can see the countries where leaders continue almost indefinitely, and that is problem.” Mr Teo is the most senior of 20 PAP politicians stepping down this election. He anchored the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, which is now split into Pasir Ris-Changi and Punggol GRCs. He has been an MP for seven terms, since 1992 and had held various posts including deputy prime minister, minister for home affairs, for defence, education and more.
