Latest news with #KennethFoo
Straits Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: PAP retains Tampines GRC in 4-way fight, wins Tampines Changkat SMC
SINGAPORE – The ruling PAP has defeated three other parties to retain Tampines GRC, receiving 52.02 per cent of the vote in the constituency touted as among the most hotly contested in this election. Coming in second was WP , with 47.37 per cent of the vote. The People's Power Party (PPP) garnered 0.43 per cent of the vote and the National Solidarity Party's (NSP) got 0.18 per cent. Both fell below the minimum threshold of 12.5 per cent of votes cast and will lose their election deposits of $13,500 per candidate . At the 2020 election, the PAP won 66.41 per cent of the vote in a straight fight with NSP, which received 33.59 per cent. Meanwhile, the PAP's Mr Desmond Choo has won the new Tampines Changkat single seat against WP's Mr Kenneth Foo. In Tampines GRC, the winning PAP team, led by Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli, 62, includes two other incumbents: Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, 53, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng, 54. The other two members of the team are new entrants to politics – former army chief David Neo, 47, and Dr Charlene Chen, 43, an assistant professor. Held by the PAP since its formation in 1988, when the group representation constituency system was introduced, Tampines GRC has traditionally seen a straight fight between the PAP and an opposition party, with the exception of a walkover in 1997. In the last three elections, the ruling party went head-to-head with NSP. In 2025, WP and PPP threw their hats into the ring for the first time. WP vice-chair Faisal Manap, 49, headed the party's team in Tampines GRC. The other members are Mr Jimmy Tan, 53, co-founder of an industrial equipment supply firm; Dr Ong Lue Ping, 48, a senior principal clinical psychologist; former diplomat Eileen Chong, 32; and Mr Michael Thng, 37, a technology start-up co-founder. PPP's team, helmed by the party's secretary-general Goh Meng Seng, 55, includes party chairman Derrick Sim, 44; landscaping executive Vere Nathan, 26; green technology firm founder Peter Soh, 65; and entrepreneur Arbaah Haroun, 50. NSP fielded its president Reno Fong, 56; vice-president Mohd Ridzwan Mohammad, 63; assistant secretary-general Eugene Yeo, 49; financial planner Zee Phay, 32; and Mr Thamilselvan Karuppaya, 57, who is self-employed. On the campaign trail, continuity was a key message for the PAP team, with its members citing the party's record in managing the town. In a rally speech on May 1, Mr Masagos cited examples such as Tampines being Singapore's first cycling town, being the test site of Wolbachia mosquitoes to reduce dengue cases, and having the country's first district cooling network. Going forward, residents will have more active ageing centres, on top of the existing nine, as well as a new Tampines North integrated hub with a community club, a hawker centre, an MRT station and a bus interchange, said the PAP team. WP has been walking the ground in Tampines since at least 2016. Its team had said it has the experience to manage residents' needs and town council matters, and would ensure ongoing projects continue, if it was elected. In a speech on Nomination Day on April 23, Mr Faisal – who moved out of Aljunied GRC to contest in Tampines – said voters had been waiting for the party to contest the constituency for years. Mr Faisal had said he did not see the contest as a battle between himself and Mr Masagos, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs. Rather, he described it as a competition between teams. The contest between the two veteran politicians was pushed online by foreigners, including those from Parti Islam SeMalaysia . This prompted the Singapore authorities to direct social media company Meta to block access to their posts and government leaders to denounce the mixing of race and religion with politics. NSP and PPP, meanwhile, fired salvos at WP in their campaigns, criticising it for contesting in an area where it has no established roots and leaving Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC uncontested, resulting in a walkover for the PAP there. Candidates from NSP's Tampines team had suggested expanding the Senior Employment Credit scheme to include retrenched middle-aged workers with children and parents to support, among other proposals. PPP had raised issues such as Singapore's population policies, with suggestions including having the population capped at 6.5 million people. Speaking to reporters outside a counting centre at St Hilda's Secondary School at about 8pm, PPP's Mr Goh said that while some people have been supportive of PPP's campaign, that might not have be en enough to push the party through this time. He added that his party had tried to send mailers to Tampines residents through national postal service SingPost, but many said they had not received them. 'We'll get to the bottom of this,' he said. NSP secretary-general Spencer Ng told reporters after the sample count was released that the party felt it had done its best, with the loss of its candidates' election deposits being 'a small sacrifice... to serve the nation and to serve Singaporeans'. He added that the result did not reflect the effort NSP had put in, and the party will continue to contest Sembawang and Tampines GRCs in future elections. In neighbouring Tampines Changkat, the PAP's Mr Choo secured the single seat with 56.17 per cent of the vote. Mr Foo from WP garnered 43.83 per cent of the vote. The PAP and WP had campaigned on the premise that Tampines GRC and Tampines Changkat SMC would come under one umbrella, with both teams fielding candidates in the two constituencies. At Bedok Stadium, where PAP supporters were gathered, Mr Choo acknowledged Mr Foo's efforts, saying that he had contributed to the democratic process. Of the results, he said that while it showed a clear mandate for the ruling party, it also demonstrated that residents wanted alternative voices to represent them. The 47-year-old added that as the elected MP for Tampines Changkat, he will work to bring his residents' concerns to Parliament and 'hopefully we can implement better plans'. Additional reporting by Shabana Begum Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
AsiaOne
03-05-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
PAP's Desmond Choo wins Tampines Changkat SMC with 56.17% of votes over WP's Kenneth Foo, Singapore News
Results for Tampines Changkat SMC in GE2025 Desmond Choo (PAP) 56.17% Kenneth Foo (WP) 43.83% The People's Action Party (PAP) has won the newly carved out Tampines Changkat SMC against the Workers' Party (WP). PAP's Desmond Choo, 47, received 12,441 votes while WP's Kenneth Foo, 48, received 9,707 votes. Choo is assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress and director of its policy division. He spent a decade overseeing the Tampines Changkat ward as part of the PAP's Tampines GRC team since 2015, when he was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC. He entered politics in 2010 and made his political debut during the 2011 General Election in Hougang SMC, where he lost to WP's Yaw Shin Leong, who received 64.8 per cent of the vote. The following year, he was a candidate during the Hougang SMC by-election, where he lost to WP's Png Eng Huat, who secured 62.08 per cent of the vote. Foo, who is the deputy director of a charitable organisation, has been a member of the WP since 2006 and has held various roles including Deputy Organising Secretary, Secretary of the Hougang Constituency Committee (HGCC), Treasurer of the Aljunied Constituency Committee (AJCC), and Legislative Assistant. Tampines Changkat SMC has 23,847 electors. Tampines Changkat SMC is among the newly formed SMCs introduced ahead of the 2025 general election, and was contested for the first time. For our GE2025 microsite, visit here. editor@
Independent Singapore
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
Many Singaporeans agree with WP's Kenneth Foo, who called out Mayors' ‘part-time' jobs as redundant
SINGAPORE: Workers Party candidate Kenneth Foo tackled the issue of Mayors in Singapore in a speech he made at the party's East Coast rally on Tuesday (April 29). In its 2025 Manifesto, the WP has called for the Office of the Mayor to be abolished. The party argued that the assignment of Mayors aligns with existing political divisions and many of the roles handled by the Community Development Councils (CDCs) under Mayors have already gone back to other organisations, such as the Social Service Office. The WP added that Mayors' reduced roles do not justify their high yearly salaries. 'The Mayor's office was introduced in 1997, with updated roles in 2013. Given Singapore's small size, this role is redundant and incurs a significant annual expense of $660,000. Notably, it is also a part-time role. Enhanced accountability for taxpayers' funds is required,' commented Mr Foo. In 2021, WP chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh said that there is scope for a serious review of the need to have full-time mayors, who are People's Action Party MPs appointed to run the CDCs. He added, 'Many Singaporeans are of the view that the salaries of mayors are outrageous, principally because they are not perceived to be commensurate with a mayor's roles and functions.' According to the White Paper on Salaries for a Capable and Committed Government, published in 2012, Mayors are paid an annual salary of $660,000. As MPs, they receive an annual allowance of $192,500, not including bonuses. The high price paid for mayors' salaries and allowances has been a contentious issue for some time now, as there are Singaporeans who believe that the country simply isn't big or populous enough to need mayors and that their duties are covered by other officials or agencies. There are currently five district mayors: Low Yen Ling (South West), Denise Phua (Central), Fahmi Aliman (South East), Alex Yam (North West), and Desmond Choo (North East). CDCs, established in 1997, coordinate grassroots bodies and manage community programmes, with the aim of bringing the community closer. There are five CDCs – Central Singapore, North East, North West, South East, South West – corresponding with the five districts in Singapore. At Tampines Changkat SMC, Mr Foo is up against Mr Choo, who has represented Tampines Changkat in Parliament since 2015, when it was still part of Tampines GRC. The newly created SMC was redrawn for this year's GE. Commenters on Mr Foo's speech appeared to agree with him, adding that the money paid for Mayors' salaries could have gone to better purposes. 'Voters in Tampines Changkat, please help us save some mayor's salaries,' one YouTube user wrote. 'Thanks for bringing up the Mayor issue. Seriously, it should be scrapped. Waste of taxpayers' money $660,000… the same money can be used towards helping our citizens who need more,' a Facebook user commented. One wrote that they were 'Very disappointed with the mayor for doing nothing and paid 660k using taxpayer money ,' which ' could have been used to do better things for the country.' ' YES, totally agreed. Waste of taxpayers' money. These monies would be better used to employ those who have been retrenched, the elderly, or those past retirement age,' another wrote. /TISG Read also: WP's 2025 manifesto calls for abolishing mayors, exempting essential goods from GST and reverting GRCs to SMCs
Straits Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
GE2025: WP Tampines team says it has experience handling residents' needs, town council if elected
The WP's Tampines Changkat candidate Kenneth Foo (third from left) and Tampines GRC candidates (from left) Michael Thng, Jimmy Tan, Faisal Manap, Eileen Chong and Ong Lue Ping. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR GE2025: WP Tampines team says it has experience handling residents' needs, town council if elected Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE - The opposition WP team in Tampines will work to ensure that ongoing projects in the town will carry on, should it be voted into Parliament, the party's vice-chair Faisal Manap said on April 30. The party's Tampines candidates also sought to assure voters on the penultimate day of the election campaign that they will draw on their experiences to take care of residents' needs and town council matters. Mr Faisal, who moved out of Aljunied GRC to lead WP's Tampines GRC team, said he will draw on his 14 years of experience as an MP, and his team will work hard with government agencies to ensure that ongoing projects will continue. He was speaking to the media outside the Tampines 1 shopping centre in Tampines Central , flanked by the party's candidates contesting Tampines GRC and Tampines Changkat SMC. Community activities will also remain, said Mr Faisal, who oversaw the Kaki Bukit ward of Aljunied GRC , and he hopes to take a more communal approach to planning them . Mr Kenneth Foo, WP's candidate in Tampines Changkat, said the team will also consider the progress of the town's projects, and if some are falling behind, it will work to resolve the problems that arise. 'We will also continue talking to residents, and understand their situation and wishes, and see which areas we can continue to advance,' he added in Mandarin. Mr Faisal added that each of his team members has unique strengths. For example, Tampines GRC candidate and technology start-up co-founder Michael Thng was a former consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, is a seasoned negotiator, and can use his skills to ensure that residents in Tampines are well taken care of, said Mr Faisal. At the interview on April 30, Mr Faisal was also asked for his thoughts on Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong's walkabout in Tampines with the PAP team on April 29, as well as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's visit to the town on April 30. Mr Faisal said the team was 'humbled' by their presence. 'It shows that our presence does bring some form of competition. That is what we want,' he said. Mr Faisal borrowed an analogy from former WP chief Low Thia Khiang. In 2011, Mr Low said WP's role in Parliament was akin to being the co-driver of a bus driven by the ruling PAP and slapping the driver if he goes off-course, falls asleep or drives dangerously. Mr Faisal said that was the purpose WP was contesting in Tampines . 'We want to give competition to the incumbent, so that they will do better and perform better.' WP Tampines GRC candidate and former diplomat Eileen Chong added that the team believes competition will bring improvements. 'We welcome Senior Minister Lee and Prime Minister Wong coming to Tampines (to support their party's candidates). We also had our secretary-general Pritam Singh and former secretary-general Low Thia Khiang come to show us support,' she said in Mandarin. With the campaign entering its last stretch, Dr Ong Lue Ping , a Tampines GRC candidate for WP, said that although the team was tired, they felt very encouraged by Tampines residents. The senior principal clinical psychologist at the Institute of Mental Health added: 'Because of their warmth and their enthusiasm for us, I think that gives us additional energy, and we really look forward to serving them if we do have the opportunity.' Mr Faisal was later asked to respond to comments made by Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli, who leads the PAP's Tampines GRC team, the day before. Mr Masagos, the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, had said several residents whom he met during house visits were worried about the mixing of race and religion with politics. In response, Mr Faisal said he had pledged in front of attendees at WP's rally on April 26 that he will serve everyone 'fairly and equally, regardless of race, language and religion'. His comments came after the authorities directed social media giant Meta to block access to posts by foreigners attempting to interfere in the May 3 General Election. Government leaders have denounced the posts, which called on voters to select candidates along racial and religious lines. Mr Faisal was also asked about the four-corner ed contest in Tampines GRC. Apart from WP and the PAP, the National Solidarity Party and People's Power Party are also gunning for the constituency. He said the party's focus is on what it can do for Tampines. 'Every party has the right to come in and contest... the focus right now is on what we can do for the community and for the voters.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
