The People's Action Party (PAP) is a big presence in Singapore, and almost everyone has an opinion about it and what it does.

However, for those who join its ranks, there may be some surprises after officially becoming a member.

During the Thursday (June 25) press conferences, when the PAP introduced more batches of candidates to the voters, we asked some of them a simple question: "What is one thing about the PAP that surprised you after you joined the party?"

Here are their answers:

1. Alvin Tan Sheng Hui

Tan is the Head of Public Policy and Economics at LinkedIn. At 39 years of age, he is one of the younger PAP candidates introduced so far.

Tan responded:

"Well, I've been in the PAP for many, many years. I don't think I have been particularly surprised. I served under Dr Lily Neo. And I learned a lot from her, particularly her resilience, and the care for the seniors regardless. I'll use the Chinese term feng yu bu gai [not to be hindered by wind or rain].

And that's one thing that has stuck with me, and learning from her, looking at her example and seeing how dedicated she is to her community. So that perhaps had surprised me but it's now no longer a surprise and it, in fact, is expected of all PAP candidates."

2. Yeo Wan Ling

Yeo, 44, is the Chief Executive Officer at Caregiver Asia Private Limited, a company that specialises in home healthcare services. Previously, she was part of the Economic Development Board.

Yeo responded:

"One of the things that really really surprised me was actually the women's wing.

It's very, very supportive of all women joining politics. And, you know, it was not just even talking about it, or like you know just sharing. I actually found a lot of my comrades who actually really went out on a limb to help me."

She cited an example of fellow PAP members who helped her with finding suitable white clothing to wear, from introducing her to their tailor, or buying items of clothing to send to her. She added:

"So I think right it's this whole sense of camaraderie, this this whole sense of wanting to do things together, that I think really took me by surprise."

3. Poh Li San

Poh, who will be 45 this year, is a former helicopter pilot and the Vice-President of Terminal 5 Planning, Changi East Development, Changi Airport Group.

Saying that she joined the PAP for "not very long", about two years ago, Poh responded:

"What surprised me was how tightly-knit and how organised the PAP is."

She said that given her military background, she was familiar with mobilising a lot of people and running large-scale events and operations.

She said that the PAP is "pretty much similar", and that is something she found "amazing" as for the many volunteers helping the party, there is a "strong belief" among them.

Poh continued:

"You call them, and they are here in the nighttime, in the weekends. They are so willing to give their time and they are able to work so well together, even though they are all volunteers.

The level of activism and volunteerism is really what amazed me after I joined PAP, especially during the last couple of months as we prepare for the election. It's amazing."

4. Raymond Lye Hoong Yip

Lye, 55, is the Managing Partner of Union Law LLP. He previously served as a Magistrate and Deputy Registrar of the State Courts, before joining private practice.

He responded:

"What surprised me was that actually the party is very receptive to views from all angles."

Lye said that initially, he thought that "like most Singaporeans", they may get the impression that the PAP doesn't really listen to the ground and that once they made up their minds, they would still carry through with what they have decided regardless of the feedback they received.

However, he said that after he joined the PAP, and after sitting through the "tea sessions", he found out that the party is "quite receptive" to different views, and that they want "as many diverse views as possible".

He added that members represent different segments of society, and that they can be brought into the party.

5. Ng Ling Ling

Ng Ling Ling, 48, is a former public servant. After being in banking for six years, Ng made a career switch to join the public services. As the former Managing Director of Community Chest, she helped raise millions in donations for social service agencies.

On the question about what surprised her the most after joining the party, Ng said that the leaders are a lot more personable.

"Many people see them in a very official position but they guide us just like peers with a lot of respect and care...This is something that I wouldn’t take for granted for and something I didn't [expect]."

6. Derrick Goh

Goh, 51, is the Managing Director and Head of Group Audit at DBS Bank, and boasts 27 years of experience in finance and banking, holding management roles at both American Express and DBS Bank.

He said:

"I think the point here for me is that having been volunteering for some years right now, I'm of course familiar with government policies and how they are effected and how they are translated to helping our Singaporeans basically.

I'm not surprised in terms of the way the policies are being developed because one good thing about this government and the good thing about our PAP government is that they are very pragmatic. Pragmatic in the sense that policies are workable, that are effective, that make lives better for people.

But one thing though in that area, I'm positively surprised by the ways that they are in fact effecting policies."

He then raised the example of the work SG Digital Office has done in encouraging Singaporeans to go digital, such as the incentives offered to stallholders and hawkers to take up digital technologies to effect payments in a way that is "a lot more simpler".

He added that the government believes it can do more of such work, which is bringing more citizens onboard the task towards digitalisation.

Top image adapted via PAP