[SINGAPORE] 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.
Ng announced his departure along with two fellow MPs from the same constituency, Carrie Tan and Derrick Goh, on Apr 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 KShanmugam unveiled in a press briefing on Apr 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 Ng, who was visibly emotional. At one point 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 have missed a lot of important milestones in their childhood.”
He has one daughter aged 11, and a pair of twins aged eight.
Shanmugam said that he and PM Lawrence Wong had “spent many hours” persuading Ng to stay, but ultimately understood his reasons for stepping down.
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Ng, who founded animal welfare group Animal Concerns Rescue & 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.
Ng, 46, is a two-term MP, while Tan, 43, and Goh, 57, have served one term each.
They were part of the PAP team that stood in Nee Soon GRC at the 2020 General Election, alongside Shanmugam and Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, who is standing for re-election in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
The team retained Nee Soon GRC with 61.9 per cent of the vote, against the Progress Singapore Party.
Ng was elected to Parliament in 2015 and has represented the Nee Soon East ward within the group representation constituency since then. The lifelong social advocate was the most active Member of Parliament in each of the last two terms.
In his recent term, Ng filed or clarified 728 parliamentary questions, up from 327 in the previous term.
He was also the most active debater, clocking 195 speeches or clarifications on Parliament’s items of business.
He first hinted at a departure from politics in a social media post on Apr 13, where he posted a “report card” on his 10 years in Parliament. He shared that he had raised 1,055 parliamentary questions, 15 adjournment motions, two private member’s motions, two private member’s bills and one parliamentary petition in addition to helping to “shape 269 pieces of legislation through my bill speeches”.
He added that he was pleased to have spoken up about numerous topics, including on issues surrounding single unwed parents, animal welfare, migrant workers, parental leave, climate change and the LGBTQ+ community.
Tan, the founder of charity Daughters Of Tomorrow, has represented the Nee Soon South ward since being elected into Parliament. She is also a transformation coach at Lightbearers Collective.
She said it was not an easy decision to step down from the constituency, but added that it is the right move to make way for someone younger and more energetic.
“I will be pursuing some of my own learning and development in the wellness space, and I will continue to be a change-maker and bring what I learnt back into the community to advocate for Singaporeans’ well-being,” she added.
Shanmugam described Tan as someone who is very enthusiastic about making things happen. He also noted that she had once earned praise from former US president Barack Obama as a change-maker and a young person with great potential.
On Goh’s departure, Shanmugam noted that his promotion to the post of DBS Bank’s group chief operating officer in February involves extensive travel that might compromise his work on the ground.
“We had long chats and Derrick felt that while… he would have been happy to carry on, and we wanted him to carry on, in the interest of residents, maybe someone else should come in and take over while he supports from the background,” he said.
He added that Goh has made a difference to the lives of Nee Soon Link residents and across Nee Soon as Town Council Chairman.
Goh, who has been overseeing the Nee Soon Link ward, said: “I will be stepping aside, but not stepping away. As I settle down in my work, residents will continue to see me around.”
“On this note, I want to thank all residents. I will definitely and deeply miss my residents, my volunteers, and I thank them for the support that they have given me. It’s been an honour and privilege to serve them all. I will cherish all these moments from the bottom of my heart.”
Several other politicians have also announced that they will not be seeking re-election at GE2025.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, the former anchor minister for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said on Apr 18 that he would retire from politics after over two decades in Cabinet. Two-term MP Chong Kee Hiong will also not stand in the upcoming polls.
Others include Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor, who was the MP for Hong Kah North SMC, first-term MP Don Wee, who represents the Brickland ward in Chua Chu Kang GRC and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman, who announced his retirement from politics on Apr 21. THE STRAITS TIMES
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