SINGAPORE: The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) on Friday (Jun 26) introduced six more potential candidates for the Jul 10 General Election.
The potential candidates include: Singapore Airlines pilot Terence Soon, former SAF platoon commander Kala Manickam, consulting engineer Abdul Rahman and Jeffrey Khoo, chief marketing officer of a multinational corporation.
They also include: Chartered financial consultant Lim Cher Hong and founder of investment firm Timbre Capital Leong Mun Wai. Mr Leong is also the PSP’s assistant secretary-general.
With this latest announcement, the PSP has now introduced 23 prospective candidates.
PSP secretary-general Tan Cheng Bock had previously stated the party’s intention to contest 24 seats in the General Election. Dr Tan confirmed on Friday that he will also run in the upcoming election.
READ: PSP announce line-ups to contest in 4 GRCs, 5 SMCs; Tan Cheng Bock set to lead team in West Coast GRC
Speaking at a virtual press conference, Dr Tan said that the potential candidates possess “courage and determination” to step forward and serve.
“They are mainly very ordinary Singaporeans. Some have gone to achieve greatness in their own fields, some are ordinary Singaporeans like you and I, but I think the important ingredient I see in them is that their courage and determination to come and serve,” said Dr Tan.
“They all share the values that I want, that I have been advocating in what the PSP stands for.”
READ: GE2020: PSP unveils five more prospective candidates, including former SAF colonel and lawyer
LEONG MUN WAI
Mr Leong, 60, is the founder of investment firm Timbre Capital, a firm that provides capital and advice to local start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He was appointed as PSP’s assistant secretary-general in January.
Mr Leong was also previously a managing director at OCBC securities and a director at Merrill Lynch Hong Kong.
PSP candidate for GE2020 Leong Mun Wai. (Photo: PSP)
Mr Leong’s experience as an economist will help the party “evolve an economic policy for Singapore”, said Dr Tan.
“I want to do something more for the country so that everybody gets the same opportunities as me,” said Mr Leong. “We all take politics every seriously. Politics decides how a society looks like, and society affects the lives of all the people.”
Compassion is “fast diminishing” in Singapore’s society, added Mr Leong.
“We believe in progress with compassion, we believe that prosperity without happiness is not progress”, he added. “PSP is committed to building a united, compassionate, and progressive society.
TERENCE SOON
Mr Soon, 29, is a pilot with Singapore Airlines (SIA). Prior to joining SIA, Mr Soon ran his own business in the private aviation sector.
A firm supporter of enterprise and helping youths to start their own ventures, Mr Soon started his own business in university.
Describing Mr Soon as a man with “a lot of courage”, Dr Tan said he represents young Singaporeans, and is determined to drive positive change and progress for the country.
Mr Soon said that he will campaign to ensure that Singaporeans of his generation will be able to secure jobs during the current economic downturn. Rising housing prices are also a concern, said Mr Soon, as are the costs of raising children.
“I hope that through the kind of work we do here in the PSP, we can inspire more young Singaporeans, and all Singaporeans in fact to be able to step up with courage and do what is right for the country,” said Mr Soon, who is the second-youngest candidate in PSP’s slate after undergraduate Choo Shaun Ming.
PSP candidate for GE2020 Terence Soon. (Photo: PSP)
READ: PSP keen on contesting West Coast, Tanjong Pagar, Chua Chu Kang GRCs and 5 SMCs: Tan Cheng Bock
KALA MANICKAM
Ms Manickam was previously a platoon commander of the women wing in the Singapore Armed Forces’ Officer Cadet School. She was part of the first batch of female officers integrated into the tri-service, serving side-by-side with men.
The 52-year-old later moved on to the private sector and has 30 years of experience in the areas of human resource management and learning development. Ms Manickam has been an adult educator for 15 years.
PSP candidate for GE2020 Kala Manickam. (Photo: PSP)
“She has this opportunity to interact with people from different walks of life, and bring out the best in them,” said Dr Tan. “That is good, that is a fine art.”
Speaking to the media, Ms Manickam said her line of work opened her eyes to the “pain of Singaporeans.”
“It threw me into a deep reflection – the way that people are not recognised for their unique talents and groomed to keep abreast of the fast-moving changes,” she said.
JEFFREY KHOO
Mr Khoo, 51, is the chief marketing officer for a multinational corporation in the insurance sector.
He is also the founder of the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) Mentorship Programme and serves as the NUSS honorary treasurer.
PSP candidate for GE2020 Jeffrey Khoo. (Photo: PSP)
Calling himself “just a normal guy”, Mr Khoo said that if elected, he intends to be the voice of the common man in Parliament.
“I hope to achieve two things, firstly to provide an alternative voice, checks and balances in Parliament. And secondly to serve the residents to the best of my team’s ability,” he added.
Mr Khoo spoke of how he has seen Singaporeans passed over for “well-paying and senior roles” during his corporate life, despite them being equally if not more suitable than foreign candidates.
“As a country with no natural resources, foreign investment is definitely key to our survival, but we need to strike a better balance, one that is compassion to Singaporeans,” he added.
READ: Progress Singapore Party unveils first batch of potential candidates for General Election
ABDUL RAHMAN
Mr Abdul Rahman, 67, began his career with the Singapore Fire Brigade in 1975 and was also involved in engineering maintenance and design.
Mr Abdul Rahman is currently a consulting engineer specialising in fire and life safety audit and design.
PSP candidate for GE2020 Abdul Rahman. (Photo: PSP)
Dr Tan said that Mr Abdul Rahman was one of few people who stepped forward to provide moral support when the PSP was just getting started.
“He was among the very few, the 12 of them, who came and stepped forward and gave me that moral support,” said Dr Tan. “That was so important at that time when everybody were so frightened of putting their names on the dotted line to get registered as a political party.”
Speaking to reporters, Mr Abdul Rahman said that there is a need to narrow the income gap in Singapore and ensure that citizens have the opportunity to improve their lives.
LIM CHER HONG
Mr Lim is a chartered financial consultant as well as an author.
Prior to joining the PSP, Mr Lim was a programme coordinator as well as coordinator for the Silver Generation Office.
As part of this role, he managed a team of volunteers who assisted seniors in applying for government schemes as well as referred them to the relevant government agencies.
PSP candidate for GE2020 Lim Cher Hong. (Photo: PSP)
A father of three young boys, Mr Lim said that there needs to be more support provided for parents with growing children.
“The current schemes are not adequate for parents if the government wants to improve total fertility (rate),” he added.
Mr Lim said that he was inspired to join the party after hearing a speech by Dr Tan.
“I always tell my friends that PSP is not an opposition party, we are a proposition party, we don’t just complain, we come up with better long-term solutions to serve people’s needs,” said Mr Lim.
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