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[SINGAPORE] The People’s Action Party’s latest crop of candidates could be its youngest since the 2011 election, with more women in the mix.

In all, The Straits Times has identified around 30 new faces who could stand in the upcoming election. Among them are senior civil servants, C-suite executives and long-serving grassroots volunteers.

This is in line with the party’s practice of refreshing between a quarter and a third of its slate each term. As Singapore’s next Parliament will have 97 elected members, it is likely to field between 24 and 32 new faces.

The new slate is also likely to reflect the priorities of its secretary-general, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. In November 2024, PM Wong emphasised leadership renewal as a priority in his first speech as party leader.

He also said he plans to field more women in the upcoming general election.

ST’s analysis of the potential candidates showed several trends. 

First, the party could field more women than in previous years, in keeping with a steadily rising trend. 

Second, the split between the number of potential candidates from the private sector and the public sector has remained roughly consistent since 2006. 

Third, the potential slate for 2025 is slightly younger than those in previous years – with an average age of about 40.

Women in PAP politics

About 40 per cent of the potential candidates are female, which means 12 new women candidates could be fielded in 2025.

This is up from 37 per cent in GE2020 and under a quarter in 2015.

PM Wong had identified this as a priority in August 2024, saying he hoped to increase female representation in Parliament. “To me, having that diversity in the team is very useful,” he said.

Fresh faces seen on the ground with PAP Members of Parliament (MPs) include Hazlina Abdul Halim, the former chief executive of Make-A-Wish Singapore, lawyer Gho Sze Kee and business development director Diana Pang.

Two public servants who will leave the service in early April could join them – Health Ministry deputy secretary for policy Jasmin Lau and Smart Nation and artificial intelligence policy director Goh Hanyan.

The move to field more women comes on the back of government efforts to engage them over the past few years. For instance, it declared 2021 the year to celebrate Singapore women and launched national conversations on women’s issues. 

“Not only was this a reflection of the views of women and listening to them, but it was also a way to engage women and build political capital among them,” said Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) senior research fellow Gillian Koh.

Pointing to the current Cabinet make-up of three women and 16 men, IPS Social Lab research fellow Teo Kay Key said it would be a welcome sign if more women candidates are identified, especially those with potential to become ministers.

Independent political observer Felix Tan said of the likely women candidates: “These are very established individuals who have the experience and the skills to take up more significant roles if they are voted in.”

Public sector crucial, but more private sector high-fliers desired 

The potential slate for 2025 shows that the public sector remains an important source of recruitment for the ruling party, political observers said. 

But they said repeated messaging from PAP leaders also shows that the party hopes to attract more high-fliers from the private sector.

About half of the potential candidates are from the private sector – a ratio that is largely similar to previous batches. The figure was between 40 and 50 per cent in the past for elections since 2006, except for 2015, when it spiked to 62 per cent. 

On Mar 26, PM Wong spoke of the challenges in getting candidates from the private sector.

“For someone who is in the private sector, who is very successful, for example, in his 30s or 40s… potentially moving into a senior leadership position in a firm, MNC (multinational corporation) or large local company, the sacrifice is much greater,” he said.

“It is not just a recent phenomenon. That has always been the case. It has always been difficult.”

Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said: “The party recognises the importance of having greater diversity among its first-time candidates and softening its image as a party that draws its candidates primarily from the public sector and the military.”

But the challenge could lie in differing life goals of private-sector individuals, said Dr Felix Tan.

“Unlike public servants who safeguard Singapore’s interests at a national level, private-sector candidates might not necessarily be in line with that expectation,” he said. 

All candidates will have to “flip the switch” in their minds to recognise that they will have to win the trust of ordinary citizens, and to understand the authority conferred upon them through the ballot, said IPS’ Dr Koh.

“However, this switch is probably less of a distance to bridge (for a public servant) than for someone who is used to being a freewheeling entrepreneur, no matter how successful he or she might have been,” she added.

Just over a third of the potential 2025 rookies are from the public sector, with a majority from the civil service. A handful come from a military background.

Individuals who have chosen careers in the public service are a natural pool to draw from, said Dr Koh.

“They have to offer themselves for the appropriate reasons and motivation. This is not a question of good or bad,” she said.

“It is a question of fit and a grasp of the stringent, disciplined, gruelling and demanding task of being an MP. It isn’t just about sacrifices and the scrutiny of public life, but also the suitability.”

These public servants also hold the experience and skills to become political office-holders if elected, said Dr Felix Tan. With their seniority in the ministries, they also have the added advantage of being able to handle policymaking, he noted. 

Slightly younger slate, signs of a nascent 5G?

The slate of new faces identified so far for the upcoming election is 40.5 years old on average.

This is about two years younger than the average ages in the past two general elections, though slightly higher than 2011’s average of 39.1 years.

A significant number of 2011’s rookies were tipped to be the building blocks of the PAP’s fourth-generation leadership.

The group included current Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, both of whom became full ministers in their first term. PM Wong also joined politics that year, and rose to minister for culture, community and youth in that term. 

DPM Heng was 50 then, while Chan was 41. PM Wong was 38. 

Based on precedent, some of the potential candidates – Jeffrey Siow, the 46-year-old former second permanent secretary; Shawn Loh, 38, the former Finance Ministry director who oversaw the last two Budgets; and Lau, 41, who was deputy secretary at the Health Ministry – could be potential political office-holders. 

Given their ages, these individuals could also form a core part of leaders who will support PM Wong’s tenure as head of government, associate professor Eugene Tan added.

Dr Teo said their candidacy could signal that the PAP is focused on leadership renewal. 

The party appears to be looking at who is likely to have potential to join the government and have more years ahead of them to contribute, she said.

The party has perhaps begun identifying its fifth generation of leaders, giving them a longer runway to learn the ropes, test them on suitability as well as rotate around different ministries, she added.

While the changes in average age between elections were not necessarily significant, Dr Felix Tan said fielding younger candidates may suggest that many of them intend to be in politics for the long haul, with the bandwidth to continue through PM Wong’s term.

Overall, the slate’s relative youth could appeal to younger voters.

Prof Eugene Tan added that with the citizen population’s median age at 43.4 years, the average age of new candidates being younger than that could be read as a declaration of the PAP’s intent to reach out more to millennials and Gen Zs.

“(They) are increasingly an important vote bank that the PAP is desirous of engaging and winning over,” he added. THE STRAITS TIMES