GE Newbies Watch: PAP makes moves in opposition wards, PSP and WP fresh faces hit the ground
With the next election looming, the People’s Action Party has rolled out new faces in the opposition-held wards of Sengkang and Aljunied, while the Workers' Party and Progress Singapore Party have also unveiled potential contenders.
Some new faces spotted on the ground ahead of GE2025: (Top row) PAP's Adrian Ang, Bernadette Giam. (Bottom row, from left) PAP's Deryne Sim, PSP's Sani Ismail and WP's Jeraldine Phneah. (Photos: Facebook, LinkedIn)
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SINGAPORE: New faces from various political parties here have started walking the ground as the drums of this year’s General Election start beating louder.
The next contest has to be held by Nov 23, and the formation of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) last month by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was the first step in the country’s route to the ballot box.
In the coming weeks, CNA will highlight some potential new candidates who have been spotted engaging with constituents across the island.
Bernadette Giam (PAP)
The 38-year-old director of local food and beverage enterprise Creative Eateries was appointed branch chair of the ruling party’s Sengkang East division on Jan 23, a day after the EBRC was convened.
She took over from Mr Marcus Loh in a ward within the WP-controlled Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
Mrs Giam was seen greeting residents at Rivervale Plaza last Saturday (Feb 1), the second day of Chinese New Year, alongside her predecessor Mr Loh. She later visited Rivervale Shores, the newest Build-to-Order development in the Sengkang East ward, where she met residents and stall owners.
“Grateful to the residents who shared their candid thoughts on improving the estate – it's these conversations that help me better understand the real needs of our Sengkang East community,” she later said on social media.
In announcing her new role, PAP highlighted Mrs Giam’s extensive community service, including her work championing women's empowerment through initiatives supporting young working women.
She served on the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations' Women’s Register from 2016 to 2022 and has been a member of Nanyang Polytechnic's Business Management Advisory Committee since 2016.
Adrian Ang (PAP)
The 41-year-old director of facility and environmental management company Chye Thiam Maintenance is the vice-chairman of the PAP’s Bedok Reservoir-Punggol branch.
The ward, located within the opposition-held Aljunied GRC, is currently chaired by Mr Victor Lye, who has contested there in the last two elections.
Dr Ang’s new role was initially announced by Mr Lye in a Facebook post on Jan 24 but was later edited to remove the mention of his position. His social media activity, however, indicates he has been actively meeting residents, attending community events and participating in grassroots initiatives.
He was previously branch secretary of Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat’s Toa Payoh West-Thomson division in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
“I am deeply encouraged by the positive ground sentiments shared by the residents, who expressed their hopes for continued progress and prosperity in our community,” he posted on Facebook last Sunday, after a group walkabout with PAP’s Aljunied team.
Deryne Sim (PAP)
The intellectual property lawyer, who specialises in media and entertainment, was seen engaging with residents in Nee Soon GRC.
She attended a Chinese New Year event with Nee Soon MPs and was spotted in PAP's party colours during a walkabout at Chong Pang food centre with Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam.
Ms Sim has been a volunteer at PAP’s Chong Pang branch for over a year, assisting residents with legal advice at Meet-the-People Sessions. She has also helped out at the ward’s Edusave Awards ceremony and red packets distribution exercise for seniors recently, according to media reports.
The 40-year-old previously served as a committee member of Pink Dot SG, the local LGBTQ movement, and is the executive director of Same But Different, a legal support group for the community.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Sim graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2008.
Her working experience since then includes being legal counsel at Sony Pictures Entertainment and legal consultant at the Walt Disney Company.
Sani Ismail (PSP)
The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) new face was seen at the party’s walkabouts in Chua Chu Kang GRC.
He featured prominently on two posts on the PSP's Facebook pages for Chua Chu Kang and Hong Kah North Facebook pages on Jan 28 and Feb 2, days after the EBRC was convened. He was photographed engaging with residents and distributing Mandarin oranges.
He was also earlier spotted by CNA on Jan 12 at a PSP walkabout at Keat Hong Food Centre & Market.
His Instagram page describes him as an entrepreneur, and he is listed online as the managing director and in-house legal counsel for Deesolo, a firm specialising in strata title development management.
Jeraldine Phneah (WP)
Ms Phneah was spotted in WP's social media posts in December on walkabouts and outreach activities in both East Coast and Jalan Besar GRCs.
Her connection to the WP goes back to the 2015 General Election, when she started volunteering with the Jalan Besar team.
After that election, she joined the party's East Coast-Fengshan team and helped out with grassroots activities.
Since then, the WP member has been vocal about socio-economic issues on various social media platforms, including her blog, where she regularly details her views and experiences.
In a blog post earlier this month reflecting on Singapore's 60th anniversary, she said she joined WP as she believed political competition would improve governance in Singapore. "It was a good platform for me to contribute to building a credible and rational opposition and drives improvements for Singapore," she wrote.
According to her LinkedIn account, Ms Phneah is currently an account director at market intelligence platform AlphaSense, where she has been employed since 2023.
