Latest news with #GE2025
New Paper
11-07-2025
- Politics
- New Paper
PSP's new leadership signals fresh start after GE2025 loss, says Stephanie Tan
Recent changes to the Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) senior leadership represent "the first step" of its plans to come back from a disappointing performance at the 2025 General Election, said PSP's Ms Stephanie Tan. Besides nurturing new leaders, the PSP intends to update its image by putting more of its younger members in the public eye, and to find new ways to engage Singaporeans on important national issues, Ms Tan told Straits Times correspondent Natasha Ann Zachariah and host of ST's The Usual Place podcast during a live stream on July 10. On July 5, PSP announced that party founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock had stepped down from its central executive committee (CEC), alongside vice-chair and former Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) Hazel Poa. Party treasurer S. Nallakaruppan also relinquished his position. In their place, Ms Tan, 37, was co-opted as a new CEC member, together with Mr Sani Ismail and Mr Lawrence Pek. The three of them had been first-time PSP candidates in the May general election. Speaking on the podcast show, Ms Tan said PSP had been gathering feedback from Singaporeans in the two months since GE2025 to "know where we went wrong and how we can do better". PSP had fielded 13 candidates in six constituencies, but saw its vote share decline compared with its first electoral outing in 2020. It also failed to keep its parliamentary presence unlike in the previous term, when it had two NCMPs. "We might seem to have been a bit slow in coming up with a response right after the GE, but that's because we were hard hit, to be honest, and we took time (to) come up with a new plan to see how we can steer this ship forward," said Ms Tan, who ran in Pioneer against the PAP's Mr Patrick Tay. "In the next four to five years, we want to continue to make an impact even if we have no parliamentary presence." Ms Tan said one of the main things PSP is tackling is perceptions by some that it is an ageing political party, and added that the latest leadership shake-up has the support of party chief Leong Mun Wai and the CEC. "The party does have a pool of young talent," she said, citing the two elected CEC members who are younger than her: deputy organising secretary Soh Zheng Long, 36, and youth wing head Samuel Lim, 30. "It is just that, for the past few years, they have been working mostly behind the scenes." Going forward, the party will give more opportunities to its younger members to raise their public profile, although this has to be balanced with each individual's comfort level at being openly associated with an alternative party. PSP also intends to hold outreach events targeted at specific demographics, alongside the usual walkabouts and house visits. This could include visits to nursing homes to understand issues faced by elderly residents, their family members and the staff, which could be due to "certain gaps in the policies that we have", said Ms Tan. The party is also thinking of starting a podcast, and wants to up its game on social media to keep putting out its views on key issues, she added. On Dr Tan's move to step down as PSP's chairman, Ms Tan said this is to give party leaders "a clean slate to work from, away from his shadow". Dr Tan, 85, has been designated party adviser. Having set its foundations and core values, he trusts that the other party leaders can take PSP forward in the long political journey to come, said Ms Tan. "He said that he will not interfere on his own initiative. He will help when help is asked for," she said. A homemaker and former lawyer, Ms Tan said she sees her role on the CEC as a progression from leading her own campaign during the election, to making decisions at the party level. While the party is no longer in Parliament, she hopes that Singaporeans can take a long-term perspective on the PSP's journey. She noted that other opposition parties like the Workers' Party and Singapore Democratic Party have been around for decades, and their experience showed that it takes a lot of time and consistent effort to build a political party and gain the trust of voters. "Our commitment to Singaporeans is still that we want to continue to build ourselves to be a credible, rational alternative political party, to give Singaporeans a choice at the ballot box," she said.
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
PSP's CEC renewal shows its commitment to being a reasonable alternative choice, says Stephanie Tan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE - Recent changes to the Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) senior leadership represents 'the first step' of its plans to come back from a disappointing performance at GE2025, said PSP's Ms Stephanie Tan. Besides nurturing new leaders, the PSP intends to update its image by putting more of its younger members in the public eye, and to find new ways to engage Singaporeans on important national issues, Ms Tan told The Straits Times on July 10. On July 5, PSP announced that party founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock had stepped down from its central executive committee (CEC) , alongside vice-chair and former Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) Hazel Poa. Party treasurer S. Nallakaruppan also relinquished his position. In their place, Ms Tan, 37, was co-opted as a new CEC member, together with Mr Sani Ismail and Mr Lawrence Pek. The three of them had been first-time PSP candidates at the May general election. Speaking on ST's The Usual Place Podcast show, Ms Tan said PSP had been gathering feedback from Singaporeans in the two months since GE2025 to 'know where we went wrong and how we can do better'. PSP had fielded 13 candidates in six constituencies, but saw its vote share decline compared to its first electoral outing in 2020. It also failed to keep its parliamentary presence compared to the previous term, when it had two NCMPs. 'We might seem to have been a bit slow in coming up with a response right after the GE, but that's because we were hard hit, to be honest, and we took time (to) come up with a new plan to see how we can steer this ship forward,' said Ms Tan, who ran in Pioneer against the PAP's Patrick Tay. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Ms Tan said one of the main things PSP is tackling is perceptions by some that it is an ageing political party, and that the latest leadership shake-up has the support of party chief Leong Mun Wai and the CEC. 'The party does have a pool of young talent,' she said, citing the two elected CEC members who are younger than her: deputy organising secretary Soh Zheng Long, 36, and youth wing head Samuel Lim, 29. 'It is just that, for the past few years, they have been working mostly behind the scenes.' Going forward, the party will give more opportunities to its younger members to raise their public profile, although this has to be balanced with each individual's comfort level at being openly associated with an alternative party. PSP also intends to hold outreach events targeted at specific demographics, alongside the usual walkabouts and house visits. This could include visits to nursing homes to understand issues faced by elderly residents, their family members and the staff, which could be due to 'certain gaps in the policies that we have', said Ms Tan. The party is also thinking of starting a podcast, and wants to up its game on social media to keep putting out its views on key issues, she added. On Dr Tan's move to step down as PSP's chairman, Ms Tan said this is to give party leaders 'a clean slate to work from, away from his shadow'. Dr Tan, 85, has been designated party adviser. Having set its foundations and core values, he trusts that the other party leaders can take PSP forward in the long political journey to come, said Ms Tan. 'He said that he will not interfere on his own initiative. He will help when help is asked for,' she said. A homemaker and former lawyer, Ms Tan said she sees her role on the CEC as a progression from leading her own campaign during the election, to making decisions at the party level. While the party is no longer in Parliament, she hopes that Singaporeans can take a long-term perspective on the PSP's journey. She noted that other opposition parties like the Workers' Party and Singapore Democratic Party have been around for decades, and their experience showed that it takes a lot of time and consistent effort to build a political party and gain the trust of voters. 'Our commitment to Singaporeans is still that we want to continue to build ourselves to be a credible, rational, alternative political party, to give Singaporeans a choice at the ballot box,' she said.
Online Citizen
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Online Citizen
PAP urged to clarify what specific harm Pritam Singh's Malaysian podcast interview caused Singapore
Associate Professor Ian Chong from the National University of Singapore's political science department has questioned the People's Action Party (PAP)'s criticism of Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh's appearance on a Malaysian podcast. In a Facebook post dated 5 July 2025, Chong expressed confusion over what exactly the PAP found objectionable in Singh's interview with Keluar Sekejap. The podcast was hosted by former Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, a former United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) leader. Chong noted that the PAP, through its affiliated publication Petir, appeared upset about the Workers' Party (WP) chief's discussion on Singapore politics with foreign hosts but had yet to clarify the nature of the alleged harm. 'It is unclear to me what exactly they are upset about or how Singapore's interests have been harmed,' wrote Chong. 'Petir and the PAP have not spelt out the damage to Singapore… I hope they can be specific—even if their point is that Singapore is so brittle the Leader of the Opposition doing a podcast will break it.' PAP attacks Singh for Malaysian podcast interview, says 'politics should stop at water's edge' In an 30 June article, Petir criticised Singh for giving his first in-depth interview on GE2025 to Malaysian podcasters. The article described the move as 'strange' and questioned why Singh had rejected invitations from local podcasts, choosing instead to discuss Singapore's domestic politics on a foreign platform. Petir implied that this choice undermined the long-standing principle that national political discourse should be kept within Singapore's borders. It also highlighted previous controversies, including an alleged meeting between WP members led by Faisal Manap and Malaysian-based Singaporean Islamic preacher Noor Deros. Petir claimed the WP had never fully disclosed what transpired in that meeting and questioned why Deros subsequently endorsed WP candidates during the 2025 general election. On 3 July 2025, the PAP followed up with an official statement titled 'Politics should stop at the water's edge'. It questioned Singh's judgment and stressed that Singapore's domestic political matters should be debated by Singaporeans, within Singapore. Citing the historical sensitivities between Singapore and Malaysia—including the racial unrest of the 1960s—it warned against allowing foreign platforms to influence Singapore's political narrative. The statement also underscored the need to protect national interests and sovereignty. WP hits back at PAP over podcast criticisms, accuses it of 'opposing for the sake of opposing' In response, the WP rejected the PAP's criticisms, accusing the ruling party of 'opposing for the sake of opposing.' It highlighted that Singh, as Leader of the Opposition, is not bound by diplomatic protocols and that there are no laws barring him from speaking to foreign media. The WP further accused the PAP of double standards, pointing out that its own ministers frequently engage with international media without similar pushback—and often with favourable outcomes. Notably, the WP revealed that a PAP member had privately praised Singh's performance on the podcast. Photos also surfaced showing PAP members posing with Khairy, one of the podcast hosts during a visit to Singapore. Addressing the controversy over Noor Deros, the WP reaffirmed that it had thoroughly addressed this issue during the general election and had issued a public statement clarifying that no promises were made to Deros. Furthermore, Deros himself had clarified on 26 April 2025 that his comments had been misinterpreted and that no agreements were made. Despite this, Petir continued its offensive on 5 July, accusing the WP of deflecting from valid concerns over its ties with Noor Deros and unsolicited endorsements from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), warning that these issues go to the heart of safeguarding Singapore's political sovereignty. While noting that PAP ministers do speak to foreign media, Petir claimed they cover broader topics, unlike Singh's interview, which focused mainly on domestic politics. Petir argued that the questions it posed, alongside the PAP media statement, were 'not trivial matters' and reflected fundamental concerns about maintaining boundaries between domestic politics and foreign influence. Questions arise over PAP's selective concerns about foreign influence Chong challenged the PAP's portrayal of foreign interference, particularly with regard to Noor Deros. He pointed out that Deros is a Singaporean citizen working in Malaysia and should not be classified as a foreign entity. 'Unless Singaporeans based outside Singapore are now considered foreign, it is unclear how Deros's actions are foreign interference,' Chong said. He further argued that the WP had not sought endorsements from PAS members and had taken steps to distance itself from them. Chong also highlighted what he saw as an inconsistency in the PAP's stance, noting that PAP leaders have frequently appeared on foreign platforms to discuss local issues. 'If the point is about Pritam giving an interview to talk about domestic Singapore politics, that is something PAP leaders do as well.' He added that such interviews with regional media could improve cross-border understanding and spark more substantial discourse than typical domestic outlets. 'Learning more about neighbours can only be a good thing,' he wrote. Don't conflate PAP's stance with national interest, says Chong Chong warned against conflating the PAP's views with Singapore's national interests. 'There is a difference between national interest and what particular political parties like or dislike,' he wrote. 'Singapore should not aspire to be a state where the interests of a political party and the nation are fused.' He urged the ruling party to stick to substantive policy debates and avoid portraying opposition engagement as inherently harmful. 'Debates are normal. Including in politics,' he concluded. Lawyer Yeoh calls PAP's reaction 'silly' and 'unnecessarily polarising' Legal practitioner Yeoh Lian Chuan also took to Petir's Facebook page to voice concerns over the PAP's handling of the matter. Describing the party's response as 'silly' and 'unnecessarily polarising', Yeoh called for greater clarity and consistency. He criticised what he viewed as a double standard, asking why the PAP had not applied the same scrutiny to foreigners like Polish blogger Michael Petraeus, also known as Critical Spectator, who has been seen as an ardent PAP supporter and critic of local dissenters. 'This makes the PAP's protestations on this issue reek of hypocrisy, with respect,' Yeoh stated. Yeoh acknowledged that WP had met Noor Deros and others but argued that no policy concessions were exchanged. He urged the PAP to produce concrete evidence if they suspected any wrongdoing. Yeoh also reaffirmed the importance of keeping race and religion separate from politics, echoing WP's stated stance. 'On the question of the debate in Parliament between Minister Shanmugam and Mr Faisal (then-WP MP Faisal Manap), I agree with Mr Faisal that while an MP should not use religion for political benefit, it is impossible to completely separate one's values (including religious values) from whom one is. ' While he disagreed with Deros' past call for Muslims to vote based solely on religion, he noted that WP had clearly rejected that position. Contrasting advocacy and government response Yeoh also pointed to WP's progressive positions on key social issues. He noted that most WP MPs supported the repeal of Section 377A, and criticised the PAP for delaying that legislative change. Additionally, he supported the decision to lift the tudung ban for nurses, crediting Faisal Manap's long-term advocacy on the issue. He contrasted this with what he described as the PAP's previous weak justifications for maintaining the ban. Concluding his commentary, Yeoh opined that WP had adequately explained its engagements and positions. He challenged the PAP to specify what more it expects from the opposition in terms of disclosure or distancing. 'The PAP would probably like the WP to say that they disassociate themselves from all views of Mr Noor Deros – but imho with respect that is over-simplistic. ' 'The PAP should make clear exactly what they want to WP to do which it hasn't already done.'
Straits Times
05-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Tan Cheng Bock and Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox PSP founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock (left) and vice-chair Hazel Poa have stepped down from its leadership body. SINGAPORE - Progress Singapore Party (PSP) founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock and one of its former Non-Constituency MPs (NCMP) and vice-chair Hazel Poa have stepped down from its leadership body. Party treasurer S. Nallakaruppan has also stepped down from the Central Executive Committee (CEC), the party announced in a press release on July 5. Dr Tan will be replaced as chairman by Abas Kasmani, who was previously second vice-chair. Mr Anthony Neo will replace Mr Nallakaruppan as treasurer. Dr Tan, Ms Poa and Mr Nallakaruppan - who were unsuccessful candidates at the May general election - will remain members of the party, the PSP said. The CEC also co-opted three new members, all of whom also stood under the party banner in GE2025: Mr Sani Ismail, Mr Lawrence Pek and Ms Stephanie Tan. Mr Sani, a lawyer, was on the team contesting West Coast-Jurong West GRC, while Mr Pek, a former secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, contested Chua Chu Kang GRC. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore From temples to towers: Old memories collide with new money in Geylang Singapore Clans of Geylang: The fight for survival and revival World Hamas says it responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal in 'a positive spirit' Asia Surviving 40 deg C summer in Chongqing, one of China's hottest cities Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore 20 retired MPs spoke up on many issues in Parliament, helped successors prepare for new role: PM Wong Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Asia JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital Ms Tan, a former lawyer and housewife, ran in Pioneer - a single-seat ward. All three lost their races to candidates from the ruling People's Action Party. The trio have not taken on any specific positions on the CEC, which is the party's highest decision-making body. The changes follow Dr Tan's announcement after the May 3 election that he would retire from electoral politics. Dr Tan, a former presidential candidate and PAP MP, founded the party in 2019 and is largely seen as its face. He, alongside Ms Poa and secretary-general Leong Mun Wai, as well as Mr Sani and Mr Sumarleki Amjah ran as the party's A-team in West Coast-Jurong West GRC, where they lost to a team led by Education Minister Desmond Lee. The GRC, which was redrawn from the old West Coast GRC, contains Dr Tan's old ward Ayer Rajah SMC and produced the closest fight at the 2020 general election. This result sent Ms Poa and Mr Leong into Parliament as NCMPs. At GE2025, the party's overall performance dropped significantly compared with its debut in the 2020 election. This is the second set of leadership changes the party has made this year. In March 2025, a CEC election put in place the team which led the party into the general election. Mr Leong was re-elected as party chief, taking over the role from Ms Poa. Ms Poa had assumed leadership after Mr Leong stepped down in February 2024, to take responsibility for a correction direction he received under Singapore's fake news law for a social media post.
CNA
04-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Man charged with damaging PAP campaign posters in Hougang on Polling Day
SINGAPORE: A 57-year-old man was charged in court on Friday (Jul 4) with breaking flag poles and damaging People's Action Party (PAP) campaign posters on GE2025 Polling Day. Seng Guan Heng was handed five charges: Mischief, intentional harassment, causing annoyance while drunk and two counts of criminal force. According to charge sheets, the Singaporean broke the flag poles of two PAP flags and damaged five posters worth about S$205 (US$161) at an open carpark at Block 328, Hougang Avenue 5 at about 11.20pm on May 3. He then allegedly cursed at a group of PAP volunteers, using Hokkien vulgarities and pointed his middle finger at them. Seng is also accused of pushing two men on their chests, and shouting while drunk at the carpark. He appeared alone in court on Friday and said he would plead guilty. He told a Mandarin interpreter that he has to travel regularly for work, giving dates for travel to Vietnam and Indonesia. "Mr Seng, once you are charged in court, you cannot travel freely, and each time you travel you have to make an application to the court for permission, and that requires an increase in bail amount ... it is not a matter of you informing (the court)," said the judge. The case was adjourned to August for a further mention. In response to queries from CNA, PAP's candidate for Hougang SMC Marshall Lim said the matter is now before the courts, and "we should let the legal process take its course". "Politics can and should involve passionate debate and advocacy, but there is no place for violence in our discourse. Let us always remember that regardless of our political views, we are all fellow Singaporeans," said the lawyer. "Our differences should inspire meaningful dialogue and a search for common ground, reflecting our commitment to unity in diversity." He had obtained 37.85 per cent of the vote share in Hougang against Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong from the Workers' Party. If convicted of mischief, Seng can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both. If convicted of intentional harassment, he could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$5,000, or both. If found guilty of using criminal force, he can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$1,500, or both.
