Latest news with #JalanKayu
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Two new town councils established in Jalan Kayu and Punggol
SINGAPORE: Two new town councils have been established in Jalan Kayu and Punggol following the conclusion of the 2025 General Election. This brings the total number of town councils to 19, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said in a press release on Friday (May 30). Twelve town councils have been reconstituted due to changes in electoral boundaries, which resulted in some areas being transferred between towns, MND added. Five remain unchanged. Under the Town Councils Act, elected MPs are to form a town for their own constituency or by grouping up to three constituencies together to form a town. Each town is to be managed by its own town council. The new Jalan Kayu Town Council will comprise the Single Member Constituency won by labour chief Ng Chee Meng. He will chair the council. Punggol Town Council also comprises only the Group Representation Constituency, which was won by a People's Action Party (PAP) team led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong. Four town councils have been renamed. Jurong-Clementi Town Council is now known as Jurong-Clementi-Bukit Batok Town Council. Marine Parade Town Council has been renamed Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council. Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council will now be Pasir Ris-Changi Town Council, while West Coast Town Council is now West Coast-Jurong West Town Council. The remaining eight reconstituted town councils are Aljunied-Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Chua Chu Kang, East Coast, Holland-Bukit Panjang, Jalan Besar, Tampines and Tanjong Pagar Town Councils, and their names are unchanged. Bishan-Toa Payoh, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Nee Soon, Sembawang and Sengkang Town Councils will continue with their names and town boundaries unchanged. Town councils have up to 90 days to complete the handover and takeover of the management of the areas to be transferred. This means the two new town councils and the 12 reconstituted town councils will take over the management of the transferred areas from Aug 1. Town councils can also mutually agree to complete the handover and takeover before Aug 1. They will have to inform residents of this date. "MND encourages all town councils to work together to ensure a smooth transition, so that the needs of residents can continue to be served," said the ministry.
CNA
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Labour chief Ng Chee Meng left out of new Cabinet in ‘temporary arrangement', says PM Wong
SINGAPORE: Labour chief Ng Chee Meng has been left out of Singapore's new Cabinet in a 'temporary arrangement', said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday (May 21). Speaking at a press conference announcing his leadership team for the next term of government, Mr Wong noted that the National Trade Union Congress' (NTUC) secretary-general has traditionally held a position in Cabinet. 'I value this link, and I know that NTUC does too,' he added. But Mr Wong said he would respect Mr Ng's request to not be offered such a position, in order to focus on his work in NTUC and Jalan Kayu SMC, which he successfully contested in the May 3 polls. 'But to be clear, this is a temporary arrangement, and I look forward to having the labour chief being part of the Cabinet before too long,' Mr Wong added. Meanwhile, the government will continue to work closely with the labour movement and ensure that the views of NTUC and union leaders - as well as the interests of Singapore workers - are 'fully taken into account' in its deliberations and decisions, said the Prime Minister. When asked to elaborate about wanting the labour chief in his Cabinet 'before too long', Mr Wong said he 'really can't tell' how long this would take. 'But I'm in close touch with him, and at some point when he's ready, when we think that things have improved or stabilised, whether it's him or whether it's someone else, I can't say,' he added. 'But certainly, my wish is for an NTUC secretary-general to be in the team.' In the closest contest of the recent General Election, Mr Ng won the Jalan Kayu single seat for the People's Action Party (PAP) with 51.47 per cent of the vote, beating Workers' Party (WP) candidate Andre Low. 'Over the next five years, I will focus on my duties as the MP in Jalan Kayu and my role as secretary-general of NTUC. The needs of my residents and all Singaporean workers are my priorities,' the 56-year-old said in a statement at the time. This came along with an apology for his behaviour at a Ministry of Education (MOE) dialogue that took place in 2017, before he became NTUC chief. Mr Ng was Minister for Education (Schools) between 2016 and 2018. This year marked Mr Ng's third election outing but his first time running in an SMC. He was part of the PAP team that lost to the WP in Sengkang GRC in 2020; prior to that he was elected in the now-defunct Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in 2015.
CNA
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
WP's Andre Low and Eileen Chong to take up Non-Constituency MP seats
The Workers' Party's Andre Low and Eileen Chong will be taking up the two Non-Constituency Member of Parliament seats in Singapore's 15th Parliament. Mr Low and Ms Chong were both newcomers in the recent General Election and earned the "best losses". Mr Low contested in Jalan Kayu SMC, where he clinched about 48.5% of the votes. Ms Chong was part of the five-person WP team fielded in Tampines GRC that won about 47.4% of the votes.
South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Singapore election: Workers' Party's Andre Low and Eileen Chong chosen as NCMPs
The Workers' Party (WP), Singapore 's main opposition party, has announced that its members Andre Low and Eileen Chong will take up the two Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP) seats given to the 'best losers' in an election. In a statement on Monday after the announcement by the city state's election authorities, the WP said it remained 'steadfast in our mission of working for Singapore'. 'All WP Members of Parliament will carry forward the Workers' Party's long-standing mission to represent the interests of all Singaporeans, hold the government to account, and advance reasoned, principled debate in Parliament,' it added. Chong, who was from the five-member WP team that contested the multi-seat ward of Tampines, will be taking the position instead of teammate and party veteran Faisal Manap, formerly an MP for Aljunied since 2011. The team lost to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) in a rare four-cornered fight, clinching 47.37 per cent of the vote. It was the second-closest margin at the May 3 election. Low, who contested in the single-seat Jalan Kayu constituency, lost narrowly to the PAP's Ng Chee Meng, a labour chief and a former cabinet minister. The WP member received the highest percentage of votes among unelected opposition candidates, garnering 48.53 per cent of the vote.
CNA
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Non-Constituency MP positions filled by Workers' Party's Andre Low and Eileen Chong
SINGAPORE: Mr Andre Low and Ms Eileen Chong from the Workers' Party (WP) will take up the two Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seats in Singapore's 15th parliament. Mr Low contested in Jalan Kayu SMC while Ms Chong was part of the WP's five-member team in Tampines GRC. These were constituencies that saw the highest vote percentages among losers at the polls. In a media release on Monday (May 19), the Elections Department said that the Returning Officer wrote to the group of candidates from WP who contested in Tampines GRC on May 9, 2025 and asked the group to determine amongst themselves the candidate to be declared elected as NCMP. The group informed the Returning Officer on Sunday of their decision to nominate Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan as the candidate to be declared elected as NCMP. NCMP seats are typically offered to the best-performing losing opposition candidates if the number of elected opposition candidates falls short of a stipulated number. Changes to the NCMP scheme in 2016 increased the minimum number of opposition MPs in parliament from nine to 12. The change also gives NCMPs the same voting rights as elected MPs. With the WP successfully defending its 10 parliamentary seats – namely the five-member Aljunied GRC, four-member Sengkang GRC and single-seat constituency Hougang – two seats became available for NCMPs. One of which went to Mr Low, the 34-year-old WP newcomer who lost to labour chief Ng Chee Meng, 56, with 48.53 per cent of the vote. The WP's team in Tampines garnered 47.37 per cent, losing in a four-cornered fight to the PAP. The team was led by WP vice-chair Faisal Manap, 49, and comprised four newcomers – Mr Jimmy Tan, 53, Dr Ong Lue Ping, 48, Ms Eileen Chong, 33, and Mr Michael Thng, 37.
