GE2025: ‘I’m the underdog’ – WP’s Jalan Kayu candidate Andre Low on facing labour chief Ng Chee Meng

SINGAPORE – WP candidate Andre Low, 33, sees himself as the underdog in going up against

labour chief Ng Chee Meng in Jalan Kayu SMC.

Speaking to reporters during a walkabout in Fernvale Hawker Centre and Market on April 27, he said he represents “a very different kind of candidate” from Mr Ng, who is 56 – not only are their ages more than 20 years apart, they come with different experiences.

“(Mr Ng) is a scholar and a general. He has reached the very top of the military career pathway, and I spent my entire career in the private sector doing very different roles,” said Mr Low, a former lawyer who is now a tech professional.

Adding that Mr Ng’s background is “slightly over-represented in Parliament”, he said: “I feel like it is time for Jalan Kayu residents to make a choice if they want a different kind of parliamentarian – someone fresh, someone energetic, someone with new ideas.”

Mr Ng, a former lieutenant-general, was elected as an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in 2015. He held portfolios like minister for education, and became NTUC secretary-general in 2018 – a post he continues to hold. He led the PAP team that

lost in Sengkang GRC in the 2020 General Election.

Mr Low said he “relishes the challenge” of going up against Mr Ng, who he said represents many things that he does not like about the way Singapore is governed.

“Mr Ng comes with a star-studded CV. He literally has three stars to his name. I do not have a single one to my name,” he said.

But he urged voters to “really choose between whether they want someone experienced in the old way of doing things, or someone who offers a fresh perspective”.

Mr Low said that if elected, he would fight to improve access to public housing for groups such as single mothers and singles under the age of 35. He also intends to speak up on cost of living and housing affordability.

Asked about the online posts circulating about the role Mr Ng had in the Income-Allianz deal, including one by former chief executive of NTUC Income Insurance Tan Suee Chieh, Mr Low said he did not want to delve into the issue, as it is “just representative of a broader issue with the way governance is done in Singapore today”. 

He said there remain many unanswered questions. “I think Singaporeans at large, not just Jalan Kayu residents, deserve some answers,” he added.

WP chief Pritam Singh, who also spoke to reporters, said he fielded Mr Low in Jalan Kayu as the newcomer brings something different to the table.

“We have enough scholar-generals in Parliament. Let’s have some fresh thoughts, fresh ideas,” he said.

Mr Singh was asked for his response to Education Minister Chan Chun Sing’s statement that voters should support the labour chief and labour MPs, so

they have a greater mandate and confidence

to speak for workers beyond NTUC.

Disagreeing, he replied: “Any NTUC secretary-general by virtue of the symbiotic relationship with PAP can easily, I believe, lobby for our workers with the Government.”

Mr Singh added that the labour movement is a “trampoline” for losing PAP candidates. “The way our system is organised will not prevent good people from serving the country. But opposition MPs don’t have these safety nets. That is the reality.

“So, when we offer a good slate of Singaporeans for elections, I request Singaporeans to think carefully and consider seriously for having more solid opposition voices in Parliament.”

Asked about Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s point that having more opposition MPs in Parliament will weaken the PAP team and jeopardise its leadership transition, Mr Singh said: “If the Prime Minister is saying that he needs more than two-thirds of Parliament to be full of PAP MPs, then I think we have a serious problem in terms of how robust PAP processes are, and how robust our political system is.”

“I believe that we have good people in various verticals in government,” he added. “Even if you have a Parliament with one-third of it comprising opposition MPs, you will have a government that is free to address the problems of the day and problems of tomorrow.”

Responding to a question about the length of time that WP took to respond to

Facebook posts by self-styled religious teacher Noor Deros,

Mr Singh said: “We didn’t take him seriously.”

Mr Noor had, in a series of posts, claimed he had spoken to all the Malay candidates from the WP. His posts are among a number of online messages by Singaporeans that have surfaced during the election period, which the authorities said contained racial and religious undertones.

“If somebody really comes along and says, ‘I have got the WP MPs on my side and I am going to run my ideas through them’, anybody can say that,” Mr Singh said.

“The question is, will Workers’ Party MPs do it? We will not. We will exercise our voice in Parliament on behalf of all Singaporeans in a multiracial context, in a secular context.”

Mr Singh was also asked to comment on the role of mayors and community development councils (CDCs), which other opposition parties had questioned the relevance of.

He said the CDC nomenclature is “due for a serious relook”, as the areas that the councils had looked after, including what social service offices currently cover, have gone to other agencies.

“You talk about CDC vouchers. I can call it MOF vouchers and that would still be legitimate... a legitimate transfer from the Government to Singaporeans,” he added.

Mr Singh was asked about what PAP’s Jalan Besar GRC candidate Denise Phua had said, that mayors help aggregate the needs at a district level, and “make things happen”. Ms Phua is Mayor of Central Singapore District.

“Mayor Denise Phua has made her views known, and I humbly suggest that Singaporeans have made their views known,” Mr Singh said.