On Sunday ( Mar 16 ), senior minister Lee Hsien Loong and labour chief Ng Chee Meng were spotted at a community event in the new Jalan Kayu single-seat ward.
According to CNA, he was also present at a Meet-The-People Session last week that took place at the Fernvale branch of the ruling People’s Action Party ( PAP ).
The hard court next to the Thanggam LRT stop was the location of Sunday’s district event, which took place between Blocks 466A and 469C of the Fernvale Link.
When asked if he would be running for president of the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency ( GRC ) or the Jalan Kayu ward in the upcoming General Election, Mr. Ng said:” You’ll find out, I’m sure, in good time. We’ll see what happens and what the excellent minister decides.
He recently traveled to places like Bukit Batok, Ang Mo Kio, and Sengkang, and he claimed to only travel to his divisions once per quarter.
These trips may be a result of his interactions with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) or his connections to the former Members. For instance, he attended the event on Sunday at the proposal of Gan Thiam Poh, the ward’s sitting MP, Ang Mo Kio GRC MP.
Mr. Gan informed investigators that he had invited Mr. Ng to the event because the NTUC has been a vocal supporter of efforts to assist the underprivileged in his clinic.
Mr. Ng claimed that it” really happened by chance” that his activities constantly happened to be in this region.
He claimed to be aware of the circumstances.
” I was raised below. I trained at the rookie flying membership to travel. He continued, adding that his family grew up in Ang Mo Kio as also, so I’m familiar with the general region.
THE NEW JALAN KAYU SMC
It is noteworthy that Mr. Ng lives in the clinic. He claimed last month that he had “never stopped walking” the streets of Sengkang and that he was “prepared if asked” to work in the upcoming general election.
He is unlikely to appear in the PAP’s Sengkang stone for the upcoming elections, though the party has already announced three new tree seats in the GRC, with just Lam Pin Min from the ruling party’s unique team it.
With Sungei Punggol and Mr. Ng’s separation of the two divisions, the Fernvale neighborhood that Mr. Ng attended on Sunday is located close to Sengkang GRC.
The ward was formerly known as Sengkang West Single Member Constituency ( SMC), but it was later merged with Ang Mo Kio GRC in 2020. The place was split up into the five-member district in the most recent political boundaries evaluation.
Along Jalan Kayu Road, the Seletar Aerospace Park, a part of the Housing Board apartments in Fernvale, are included in the new Jalan Kayu SMC. In the hospital, there are 29, 565 electors.
After the new political map was released, Mr. Lee had previously stated that Jalan Kayu SMC would also fall under the control of the Ang Mo Kio Town Council following the upcoming general election, which must take place by November 23.
Traveling IN ITS OWN TERMS
According to researchers, Mr. Ng’s campaigning for the Jalan Kayu chair would demonstrate that he is attempting to re-elect on his own validity.
Instead of relying on a more mature politician’s reputation, independent social observer Felix Tan said it would” send the signal that he can create it or break it on his own words.”
However, he noted that being in an SMC “might not seem ( a ) shoo-in to political office.” Before the 2020 battle, Mr. Ng served as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Being in an SMC would at the very least allow him to assume all the responsibilities of being a group. He will undoubtedly have some leeway and flexibility to choose how he wants to place himself. Dr. Tan claimed that there is more command over the circumstances.
Observers speculated that Mr. Ng might be viewed as a possible alternative for Senior Minister Lee as the upcoming Ang Mo Kio GRC’s anchor secretary.
There is a “plausible risk factor” in being fielded in the newly created SMC, according to Dr. Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst with Solaris Strategies Singapore, “especially when you are not as familiar with the residents because you ( were ) not the designated MP for the area when it was under Ang Mo Kio GRC.”
In light of that, he suggested that Mr. Ng may work for Mr. Lee as an assistant before taking over the organization in upcoming elections. Instead of competing for the seat in Jalan Kayu, the GRC’s present member who is more well-known could.
According to Dr. Tan of Mr. Ng’s experience, “he is more than well-suited to get over Ang Mo Kio in the long run” given his defense history and social practice.
POLITICAL DEBUT
In Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC, Mr. Ng participated in a five-member PAP staff and made his political debut in the 2015 net.
He had resigned from his position as the Singapore Armed Forces ‘ Chief of Defence Force, making him the highest-ranking defense official to serve in Parliament.
In the previously established Sengkang GRC, Mr. Ng led a group that included former Sengkang GRC leaders Raymond Lye and Lam Pin Min and Amrin Amin. He was therefore concentrating on the northern Sengkang region of the electorate.
The four-member district had been created by combining Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC and Sengkang West SMC parts with the Punggol East single-seat hospital.
The Workers ‘ Party team, which included Louis Chua, Raeesah Khan, He Ting Ru, and Jamus Lim, won 52 % of the vote, but they lost.
Mr. Ng has since assumed his current position as NTUC secretary-general and was co-opted into the ruling party’s 38th main executive council in December of that year.