SINGAPORE: Shipping lawyer Gho Sze Kee, 46, will be fielded in Mountbatten SMC under the People’s Action Party (PAP) in the upcoming General Election, the party announced on Sunday (Apr 20).
Mr Lim Biow Chuan, a four-term MP who was formerly Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2020, will retire.
He first entered politics close to 20 years ago as part of the PAP’s slate for Marine Parade GRC in the 2006 General Election.
After Mountbatten was carved out of the GRC to form Mountbatten SMC in 2011, Mr Lim was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for the ward three more times in 2011, 2015 and 2020.
In 2020, he won 73.82 per cent of the vote against first-time candidate Sivakumaran Chellappa of the Peoples Voice party.
Secretary-general of the People’s Alliance for Reform Lim Tean said it would field 14 candidates in seven constituencies in the upcoming General Election, including in Mountbatten SMC.
For the coming polls, the ruling party will instead field Ms Gho, who is an associate director at AsiaLegal, a local law firm which specialises in maritime issues, such as shipping litigation and marine insurance.
Introducing Ms Gho, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, who will be helming the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC team, said that she “has her work cut out for her”, citing the upcoming Build-to-Order flat developments in Tanjong Rhu.
Ms Gho said: “For 13 years, I have been a community leader as well as a branch activist. So over the years, I’ve served with dedicated activists, advocating for you, helping with your problems and listening to your hopes and aspirations.”
She has been actively involved in community events alongside Mr Lim, including having accompanied Mr Lim on house visits in areas within the single-seat ward.
A longtime party activist, Ms Gho has appeared at numerous constituency events, including Edusave Award ceremonies and Chinese New Year celebrations.
In 2023, Ms Gho was awarded the Public Service Medal as vice-chairperson of Bukit Timah Citizens’ Consultative Committee.
Ms Gho made headlines in 2021 after delivering a speech at that year’s party convention.
She spoke about the importance of renewal with diversity at all levels in her capacity as the PAP’s Bukit Timah branch secretary.
On Thursday’s launch of the PAP’s manifesto, she was lauded by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for her “fighting spirit”.
“I have no doubt she will make a good MP,” said Mr Wong.
Under the redrawn electoral boundaries for the upcoming elections, a polling district in Mountbatten SMC will be absorbed by the adjacent Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
According to the report released by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) in March, Mountbatten SMC has 22,754 eligible voters.
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