SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) on Sunday (Apr 20) unveiled its fourth batch of new potential candidates for Singapore’s General Election on May 3.
WP secretary-general Pritam Singh and chair Sylvia Lim introduced the new faces to the media at the opposition party’s Geylang headquarters in Geylang.
They are Mr Michael Thng, Mr Jackson Au Chee Meng and Ms Paris V Parameswari.
The WP introduced its first batch of prospective candidates and launched its 122-page manifesto on Thursday.
Since then, it has held press conferences daily and has to date introduced 14 new faces including senior counsel Harpreet Singh, former diplomat Eileen Chong Pei Shan and Institute of Mental Health senior psychologist Ong Lue Ping.
The WP, Singapore’s largest opposition party, had eight sitting lawmakers before parliament was dissolved on Tuesday.
It fielded a total of 21 candidates in the last General Election in 2020. That number could increase this year, though Mr Singh also said on Thursday that WP will contest in fewer than one-third of the 97 parliamentary seats up for grabs in GE2025.
MICHAEL THNG
Mr Thng is currently the chief operating officer and co-founder of technology startup Showdrop.
The 37-year-old was previously a principal at Boston Consulting Group from 2016 to 2022. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Mr Thng has contributed to the WP for more than 15 years, said the party. This began with helping out with house visits in East Coast, during the 2011 General Election.
More recently, he has primarily supported MP He Ting Ru in Sengkang GRC, assisting with various grassroots and policy efforts.
JACKSON AU CHEE MENG
Mr Au, 35, leads the regional communications and corporate affairs at the London Stock Exchange Group, a multinational financial services company.
According to the party website, Mr Au started his journey as a grassroots volunteer in the Serangoon division of Aljunied GRC, and was appointed as a legislative assistant to former WP MP Leon Perera.
Following Mr Perera’s resignation, Mr Au worked closely with volunteers across the ward as Serangoon coordinator.
Mr Au, who is married, is also a volunteer with WP’s media team and is one of the executive committee members of the party’s youth wing from 2023 to 2025.
He said during the press conference that he believes in greater transparency and press freedoms.
PARIS V PARAMESWARI
Ms Paris, 51, is a former US Navy security administrator who resigned from her job to participate in the upcoming General Election.
She was a uniformed personnel for six years with the Republic of Singapore Navy, serving as a naval material system specialist and logistics supervisor.
According to the party, Ms Paris has been a volunteer with the WP since May 2021 and been a member since September 2022.
She has participated in various house visits and participated in Hammer newsletter sales and other party-related events.
She is married and has a daughter.
Additional Reporting by Tang See Kit