The 15 MPs collectively served almost 250 years in Parliament, and include former Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and former Ministers Mah Bow Tan and Lui Tuck Yew (only 12 MPs in the photo though, with former Minister Raymond Lim, Inderjit Singh and Yeo Guat Kwang absent).

Public service announcement - when will the tea session be held?

Gan told the media that the PAP will be holding its first “tea session” by end-December.

Gan added that PAP is now "going through referrals and nominations from the grassroots, ground activists, MPs and different sources".

Can PAP MP-wannabes apply on their own? Probably not.

Can PAP MP-wannabes contact Minister Gan? Gan doesn't even have a Facebook page, so you probably have to be his real friend for him to add you.

What is a tea session?

It is different from being asked to lim kopi (i.e. get brought in by the police for interrogation).

According to a Straits Times article ("GE 2011; Getting the best talent for the team") in 2011, "each candidate has to attend a minimum of five tea and interview sessions".

The report noted that the selection process eliminates "as many as 10 prospective candidates for every successful one".

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told The Straits Times in 2011 that senior PAP members conducted nearly 200 tea sessions, to which more than 260 individuals were invited.

A tea session in December? This is a first test of one's commitment on whether which responsibility is more important: Serving his/ her country or going on a vacation with his/ her family.

Top photo from Gan Kim Yong Facebook.

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