Nee Soon GRC MPs Louis Ng, Carrie Tan and Derrick Goh to leave politics

They were part of PAP team that retained constituency in GE2020 with 61.9% of vote

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Incumbent Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng, who was elected in 2015 and is known to be one of the most vocal MPs in Parliament, announced that he will step away from politics to spend more time with his three daughters.

Mr Ng announced his departure along with two fellow MPs from the same constituency, Ms Carrie Tan and Mr Derrick Goh, on April 22 at a media interview at Block 846 Yishun Ring Road.

They spoke to the media after a walkabout with the five-member team running in Nee Soon GRC, which Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam unveiled in a press briefing on April 21.

"I'm stepping away not because I stopped loving this job, really far from it, but being an MP has never just been a job for me. It's been a calling, a deep privilege and, honestly, one of the greatest honours of my life," said Mr Ng, who was visibly emotional. At one point, Mr Shanmugam helped him dab his tears away.

"I share a lot about my daughters in my speeches in Parliament," he said. "But the truth is, I've missed a lot of important milestones in their childhood."

He has one daughter aged 11, and a pair of twins aged eight.

Mr Shanmugam said that he and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had "spent many hours" persuading Mr Ng to stay, but ultimately understood his reasons for stepping down.

Mr Ng, who founded animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) in 2001, will return to the non-profit sector.

"Armed with all my learnings and experience as an MP for the past decade... (I will) fight hard to build a more caring, compassionate and inclusive Singapore," he said.

In a tongue-in-cheek social media post on April 22, in which he confirmed his decision not to stand for election as an MP for a third term, Mr Ng likened himself to a housefly while reflecting on his time in Parliament.