Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) Choo Shaun Ming, at 23 years old, is the youngest candidate in the 2020 General Election.

Currently a National University Singapore (NUS) law undergraduate, Choo, who is part of PSP's Chua Chu Kang GRC team, has garnered much media attention for his tender age.

Ensuring a bright future for young Singaporeans

During the GE2020 Constituency Broadcast on July 4, Choo once again touched on the topic of the importance of youths to the future of Singapore.

Choo said that as a young Singaporean, he hoped to help make Singapore attractive for young graduates, "a place where our young people want to plant their roots in".

Choo referenced a 1996 quote by Lee Kuan Yew:

"There’s a glorious rainbow that beckons those with the spirit of adventure. To the young and to the not so old, I say, look at that horizon, follow that rainbow, go ride it."

However, in this day and age, young people do not see this rainbow, Choo said, and instead feel hopeless about their future.

"We feel a sense of hopelessness regarding our future and tend to look abroad for better work life balance, and job prospects."

Choo emphasised the need to retain Singapore's youth and talent by creating new job opportunities that "people will be excited about" and feel fulfilled in.

"Not just a job, but a lifelong career built on a collection of meaningful and enriching life experiences," he said.

Choo proposed that this can be achieved through "robust policy debate, engaging industry experts", as well as using deep AI and analytics to match talents better with available job opportunities.

Only with this, and by working together, would the "rainbow" return to Singapore once again.

Not uncommon for young people in other countries to join politics

In an interview with Today, Choo shared more about his decision to enter politics at such a young age as well.

When asked why he decided to enter politics, he said that young people should have a stake in the country and be assured that they voices can be heard.

He previously explained, after his introduction as a candidate, that he was stepping up to contest these elections because the government's policies were already affecting people at his age and life-stage.

Some might believe that Choo is too young to be a politician, but he shared that although this might be something new in Singapore, it is not uncommon for young people to step up in politics in other countries and hold government positions.

Secret celebrity crush is Greta Thunberg

In the Today interview, when asked to describe in three words the kind of politician he wished to be, Choo listed genuine, sincere and competent as the traits he would like to possess.

He also revealed that his secret celebrity crush is 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Despite her young age, "you see the impact she's had on the national stage at the United Nations," Choo said.

Thunberg is most known for being the one to spark the collective international school strikes advocating for greater government action on climate change policies and reducing carbon emissions.

You can watch the full Today interview here.