“Many people tell me that the elections are coming soon! I replied: ‘I’ve heard it too’,” – PM Lee Hsien Loong, at National Day Rally 2015
You heard it from the man himself. The message of an upcoming election couldn’t be clearer. Indeed, this year is a special year, which many have dubbed as the Post-LKY era in Singapore politics.
With the recent number of politicians stepping down and had chosen not to contest in the upcoming elections, and some new (or old) faces in the game, who should you look out for this GE 2015? We suss out some names that piqued our interest thus far.
1) Kevryn Lim
One of the new young face from National Solidarity Party (NSP) had a rough start with social media – from esteem-attacks that arose from Twitter impersonations, being called a bimbo on the internet, to the victim of sexism in her attire for interview. It is also not easy for Kevryn, who has been heavily compared to Nicole Seah from the last election in 2011. Kevryn hits back at her critics; and honestly we cannot wait for her to show us her capabilities this GE 2015.
2) Tin Pei Ling
Tin Pei Ling is not exactly a new name, but she has left a deep impression since the last election, often being dubbed as the standard of today’s young politicians. We’re guessing becoming a mother and some years of experience in the political field has made Tin more mature. She has mentioned that she will advocate for some rights to single parents. Tin will also be contesting for the Macpherson SMC, a newly drawn constituency for GE 2015. With a possible three-cornered fight, this is a SMC to watch.
3) Roy Ngerng
Blogger-turned-politician, Roy Ngerng is no stranger to politicial strains, especially after his controversial blog post on PM Lee allegedly misappropriating the funds got him in a spiral of defamation suit. From raising more than his intended S$70,000 for the lawsuit, to the Hong Lim park episodes, we are pretty sure Roy Ngerng stands a chance with the opposition. He will be contesting with Reform Party in the Ang Mo Kio GRC, the stronghold of PM Lee. The People’s Action Party has held the GRC since its formation in 1991. How will the margin run this GE 2015? We want to find out.
4) Nadine Yap
Nadine Yap, of Chinese and German descent, graduated with a sociology degree from Harvard College, and completed her Master of Arts. Jointly-fielding the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC will be Nadine as a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, with the Singapore People’s Party (SPP). Nadine talked about education as her pressing issue that she looks to champion with Channel News Asia. Describing herself as “trained to think outside of the box,” her air of confidence and fresh perspective is one to look out for this GE 2015.
5) SingFirst
SingFirst was launched in 2014, and sees the committee members identified on March 2015. SingFirst had a rough start with its social media strategy – from poorly edited press release to some social media blunders. However, SingFirst seems promising with the political sensibility to avoid three-cornered fights in the upcoming GE 2015. Their social media strategy has been improving as well – turning the embarrassing spell-check red wriggly line to their design advantage. With little names dropped for their teams as of now, we are kind of excited with what SingFirst can offer, and judging from the posts on their official website, it seems like they have gotten some youthful help with its social media.
Writer: Leong Chee Sheng Images as linked to sources