Ng Chee Meng to contest Jalan Kayu; PAP incumbents to defend Kebun Baru, Yio Chu Kang seats

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng will contest the new Jalan Kayu single seat under the PAP banner when Singaporeans go to the polls on May 3.

- Gabrielle Chan and Sue-Ann Tan

Incumbent MP Henry Kwek will stay to contest the Kebun Baru single seat, as will Mr Yip Hon Weng in his Yio Chu Kang single seat.

The line-up was announced by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on April 19.

Speaking at the event, Mr Ng said his conversations with Jalan Kayu residents have given him a much better sense of what matters to the people in the constituency.

They are concerned about their children's future and aged parents, among other things, and also hope for a better life, he said.

"Residents in Jalan Kayu want someone who listens to them, and is prepared to take real action to help them build a better home."

Mr Ng added that in the course of his work with the National Trades Union Congress, he has helped workers in difficult times like during the Covid-19 pandemic. Other initiatives included helping delivery workers who are injured on the job and securing better pay for lower-wage workers.

"These efforts were not just about policy, but really about people, real lives, real challenges. Some have asked me, why return to politics after the last election? My answer is a simple one: because I never stopped caring."

SM Lee said that after Mr Ng was voted out in the last election, he continued to have "grit and the sense of responsibility" to continue serving in NTUC as secretary-general, and continued to receive the support of the labour movement.

He added that Mr Ng also led the movement to play a key role during the pandemic.