East Coast GRC MP Cheryl Chan to retire from politics

PAP MP Cheryl Chan will be retiring from politics after two terms. She announced this in a Facebook post on the morning of April 21.

- Goh Yan Han

"This decision was difficult for me and was made after careful consideration. It had been challenging since my father was ill in 2022. After his passing a year ago, I decided to give time to my family," she wrote.

Ms Chan, who is one of the incumbents in the five-member East Coast GRC, did not specify who would be replacing her.

She is the seventh PAP MP to have announced retirement ahead of the polls on May 3.

The 48-year-old is currently group chief strategy and sustainability officer at ST Engineering.

She first entered the political scene in 2015 and was deployed to the newly formed single-member constituency of Fengshan.

The move was surprising then, as it is rare for the PAP to field a new face in an SMC where it is the incumbent.

Ms Chan won the seat with 57.5 per cent of the vote against the WP's Mr Dennis Tan, who in 2020 contested and won in Hougang SMC.

In 2020, Ms Chan's Fengshan SMC was merged with East Coast GRC. The PAP team, led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, won 53.39 per cent of the vote against the WP.