Pasir Ris-Changi GRC SM Teo's shoes too big to fill, but Indranee says she will serve with the same passion

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah says she cannot fill Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean's big shoes in the newly created Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, but will serve with the same commitment if elected.

- Clement Yong Correspondent and Harith Mustaffa

At the PAP's rally for Pasir Ris-Changi GRC at Tampines Meridian Junior College on April 28, the new anchor minister for the constituency promised that she would build on what Mr Teo had accomplished in the area as a representative for 28 years.

She said: "Some have asked me, 'Can you fill his shoes?' Have you seen how tall, how big SM Teo is? No, I can't. But what I can do, what I will do, is I will serve with the same dedication and the same passion that he has for all of you."

In a rally speech that was notable for its relaxed atmosphere, Ms Indranee reflected on how SM Teo started her on her journey into politics, hosting her first PAP tea session in 2001.

She was late for that session, and left that meeting thinking she had made a bad impression. "But for some reason, he thought I had some potential, so he sent me up along the chain. I really didn't think on that fateful day when I had tea with him, that one day I would be taking over as the lead anchor for his constituency," she said.

Ms Indranee, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development, is leading a team comprising Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Desmond Tan, Mr Sharael Taha and new face Valerie Lee in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.

They are up against a team headed by Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) chairman Desmond Lim, which also includes SDA secretary-general Abu Mohamed, Mr Harminder Pal Singh and political newcomer Chia Yun Kai, who had initially announced that he had founded his own party — Most Valuable Party — to contest East Coast GRC.

The PAP candidates spoke of how they had worked with residents over the years to improve their lives, from enhancing connectivity in the area to making sure that those who had slipped through the cracks had ways to pick themselves back up.