GE2025: SM Teo Chee Hean steps aside as Indranee Rajah leads PAP slate at new Pasir Ris-Changi GRC (2025)

SINGAPORE:The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Monday (Apr 21) announced that Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean will not be contesting the new Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah helming the team instead.

Ms Indranee was a Member of Parliament in Tanjong Pagar GRC for 24 years. She is also Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for National Development.

The four-member team will be completed by Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Desmond Tan, former Pasir Ris-Punggol MP Sharael Taha, and new face Ms Valerie Lee.

"I will not be standing for re-election in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC. I will continue to support PM Lawrence Wong for GE, and remain available to contribute to his team wherever and in whatever way PM Lawrence Wong feels I can best serve," said Mr Teo, who anchored Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC after the previous election.

He also thanked residents, volunteers and partners in Pasir Ris for their support over the past 28 years.

“It has been my privilege and an honour to have served the residents of Pasir Ris and to have got to know so many of you, your children and also your grandchildren now.”

Mr Teo said he has “full confidence” that the current slate is a “strong team” that is ready to serve. “So, please give your support to the team,” he said.

As for Ms Indranee, she said that today’s introduction was “both poignant yet exciting at the same time”.

She added that she would miss the uncles and aunties (in Tanjong Pagar), but she assured the public that the party will field a solid team there, and being a candidate in Pasir-Ris Changi “brings a new opportunity to serve”.

Ms Indranee said she was asked by Mr Wong "fairly" recently to move to Pasir Ris-Changi after he said that Mr Teo would not be running in the constituency.

"Obviously, everything would have to be done with PM’s approval," she said.

"There’s always a choice in the PAP, because they do listen to what you say. But since PM asked and he’s indicated that SM would not be standing in Pasir Ris-Changi, then I said yes."

When asked who might replace her as anchor minister for the PAP's Tanjong Pagar team, Ms Indranee said the party's slate there could be revealed on Tuesday or Wednesday, which is Nomination Day.

For this year's election, the PAP felt it would be better to announce candidates constituency by constituency, she said.

"I think if you remember, during 2020 (at the previous election), we announced all new candidates at the same time. And when you announce too many at the same time, it's difficult for people to absorb all the new faces," she said.

"So, we felt that doing it constituency by constituency would be a better way to help people to get to know not just the new candidates, but teams for each GRC and SMC."

In response to a question on whether it would be fair on voters not knowing the full list of candidates for each constituency heading into Nomination Day, Ms Indranee said "somebody has to go first and somebody has to go towards the end".

"It's just a question of setting up, because no matter whichever way you do it, somebody still has to go at the beginning, and somebody has to go at the end," she added.

"So whatever it is, all voters will know by Nomination Day, and all voters will have the opportunity during the nine days to assess the candidates and to see who they think would be best to represent them and their constituencies."

At Pasir Ris-Changi, if elected, Ms Indranee said that she would like to focus on three areas – cost of living, families as well as infrastructure.

“I am already involved in addressing (cost of living issues) at the national level, because of my work in the Ministry of Finance. I would like to do more of this at the local level.”

The PAP team also released its manifesto for Pasir Ris-Changi, titled "Together, Forging a Brighter Tomorrow", where it pledged to redevelop towns and refresh public spaces.

The booklet listed upcoming projects including the upgrading of Sea Shell Park, widening of Pasir Ris Drive 3, and installation of a new lift at an overhead bridge across Loyang Avenue.

MR TEO ON TEAM RENEWAL

Mr Teo was also asked a question about how the PAP plans to ensure it has enough experienced leaders during the current climate of unstable geopolitics, with Mr Wong previously warning of the impact of the sweeping US tariffs.

Mr Wong has said that the PAP is fielding 32 new candidates in the upcoming election, the largest number in recent years. So far, two full ministers - Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen andMinister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman - have announced they are retiring.

"The PAP has always had this policy of self-renewal, and this is quite key because you can see in several countries, where they have not self-renewed on a regular basis, in a systematic basis, that the leadership becomes weak and you have a gap," Mr Teo said.

"And the PAP has never allowed that to happen. From the time of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, he was always looking for renewal. Mr Goh (Chok Tong) as well, and then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and now Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is also doing that."

While Mr Wong already has a team of experienced as well as newer ministers in his camp, he wants to make sure he strengthens the team and prepare it to take Singapore further forward in the next 10 to 15 years, Mr Teo said.

"So, this is quite critical, and I think for this coming general election, one of the important things is to help Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have the strongest possible team to help Singapore face this turbulent future, and that's the best for all of us," he added.

VALERIE LEE

Ms Lee, 39, head of corporate affairs for Singapore and Southeast Asia at Sembcorp Industries, was previously spotted on the ground in West Coast GRC and East Coast GRC.

She was previously the chairman of The Frontier Community Club Management Committee in Pioneer SMC, and was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2023.

Ms Lee was also formerly the director of Singtel’s energy business, and deputy director of SP Group’s commercial energy platform.

She is a mother of a two-year-old, and said during the press conference that she had two miscarriages previously.

“This experience really broke me in ways that I didn't expect, but it also made me more determined than ever to be a voice for those who often feel unheard in the journey of starting a family and subsequently maintaining one," she said.

“Through my years of volunteering, I've come to the conclusion that the best ideas don't come from the top, but from the ground up, from Singaporeans themselves. And I love bringing those ideas to life,” added Ms Lee.

When asked by the media on her areas of focus if she were to be elected to parliament, Ms Lee said she would be advocating for families in areas like childcare accessibility, mental health and support for the service generation, as well as supporting residents living in private property.

She said that her generation is stretched because as caregivers, they have to raise children, look after ageing parents, and manage households and careers, often all at once.

"People who want their children to grow up in a Singapore that's free, fair, and full of opportunity – these are the people whom I want to represent," she added.

With the formation of a new Punggol GRC following last month’s Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report, the remaining districts in the now-defunct Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC were merged with adjacent areas from East Coast GRC. Together with the Loyang and Flora estates, they formed Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.

The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) has said it will contest the GRC, with party chairman Desmond Lim saying it will focus its resources there. SDA has been contesting Pasir Ris-Punggol in every election since 2006 without success.

At the last election in 2020, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC hosted a three-way contest between the PAP, SDA and People's Voice (PV). The PAP won with 64.16 per cent of the vote, while PV lost its deposit.

The People’s Alliance for Reform coalition, which comprises three parties including PV, did not include Pasir Ris-Changi in the seven constituencies it said it would contest.

For this year’s election, Pasir Ris-Changi GRC will see 100,639 voters, with the East Coast wards - covering areas in Changi, Loyang as well as Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong - comprising 12,871 voters.