The People's Action Party (PAP) has appointed two new branch chairpersons in the Workers' Party-led Aljunied GRC, it announced in an Aug. 12 media release.

The new appointments — Jagathishwaran Rajo and Kenny Sim — would take over in the Eunos and Paya Lebar divisions respectively with immediate effect.

Their predecessors, Chua Eng Leong and Alex Yeo, would help to see through the transition, the party said.

"The Party would like to thank them for their service in Eunos and Paya Lebar divisions, and we look forward to their future contributions in other capacities."

In a Facebook post on Aug. 12, Chua shared about the personnel change, adding that he was "thankful and humbled" for the past 12 years of service in Eunos.

He added that Jagathishwaran was a "personal friend", who he was confident would do his best for the residents.

Yeo similarly posted about his stepping down, remarking that it has been a "privilege" to serve over the past eight years.

"Having experienced 3 electoral losses, the Team never lost our conviction to continue serving Paya Lebar residents on a daily basis, regardless of the result or challenges faced. A promise given is a promise kept," he wrote.

Yeo, who was fielded in the 2020 General Election, is a lawyer and former civil servant who is also a member of the PAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC), its top decision-making body.

Meanwhile, Chua is a bank executive who has served as the PAP's branch chairman at Eunos since April 2013.

Who are the new faces?

Jagathishwaran, who will take the helm of the Eunos division, has been a party activist at Zhenghua in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC since 2009.

He served as branch secretary there for eight years.

The party member is also executive secretary at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Staff Union; assistant director at the NTUC’s Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit; and principal industrial relations officer at the Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association (VICPA).

He is an advocate for seniors and vulnerable families, and a champion for mental well-being in the community.

Sim, who will move to the Paya Lebar division, has served as the vice-chair at Bukit Timah for over six years.

He is chairman of the Cheng Hong Welfare Services Society, where he introduced programmes to serve the underprivileged, such as Singapore's first free TCM clinic for children.

Sim also serves as the honorary secretary and chairman of the Local and International Affairs Committee at Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, and executive director and CEO of IT firm Serial Achieva Limited.

What does this mean?

Since last year, the PAP has been appointing new branch chairmen in the various divisions.

Both the ruling party and the WP have also been unveiling new faces in their walkabouts.

This is likely in the light of the upcoming General Elections, which must be called by November 2025.

Political analyst Eugene Tan said in a previous Straits Times report that such personnel changes are part of the usual process of priming for the General Election.

In WP wards, the PAP appointing a new person may indicate an attempt to find a candidate that voters have more affinity with.

A spokesperson from the PAP also said that the party constantly recruits talented and committed individuals for its branches.

"Of those who eventually take on branch leadership roles, some may become candidates in general elections. This is part and parcel of the party’s approach towards renewal," she said.

Top image from Alex Yeo/Facebook and Chua Eng Leong/Facebook