Ex-IMH director, Harvard grad look set to be part of WP slate

They are touted as among 'star catches' who will contest at upcoming election

- Wong Pei Ting Correspondent and Tham Yuen-C Senior Political Correspondent

A former senior leader of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and the founder of a start-up are among the new faces tipped for the WP slate, as the opposition party prepares to field what could be its largest ever pool of first-time candidates at the upcoming election.

Dr Ong Lue Ping, 47, who was IMH's director of allied health from 2022 to 2024, and Mr Michael Thng, 37, a master's graduate from Harvard Kennedy School, have been touted as two of several "star catches" who will don the party blues.

Based on observations at walkabouts and party sources, The Straits Times estimates that the WP is likely to field at least 17 new faces this time around, many of them professionals, including lawyers and management consultants.

This would surpass the record 16 newcomers in 2011 and 2015, and almost double the nine fielded in 2020. It comes on the back of the opposition party's medium-term goal to win one-third of the seats in Parliament.

The WP is expected to field at least 30 candidates in eight constituencies. They are Aljunied, Sengkang, Punggol, East Coast, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights and Tampines GRCs, and the single seats of Hougang and Tampines Changkat.

For now, ST has spotted 13 new faces, with an average age of 43. This is higher than that of the crop of new faces in the past two elections. WP newcomers averaged 39.3 years in age in 2015 and 37.4 in 2020.

Dr Ong was first spotted on the ground in the new Punggol GRC in February, alongside three-time WP candidate and former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong. He was then wearing a light-blue polo tee with no party logo, indicating that he had not yet joined the party.

In the surest sign of his candidacy, he showed up at the WP's Geylang Road headquarters on March 29 for a photo-taking session for the party's election candidates.