Battlefield Sengkang: What prompted PM Wong's visit? Who will be WP's 4th candidate this GE?

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had a "wonderful Sunday morning" at Anchorvale Village on March 17, 2025, which happens to be located in Sengkang GRC.

The PAP Secretary-General's presence in the Workers' Party-held (WP) GRC was the first such constituency visit since the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), generally regarded as the first step before a general election is held.

While the PAP aims to recapture Sengkang, the WP has a spot in its Sengkang team — who will replace Raeesah Khan in its line-up?

Lawrence Wong appearance

In a Facebook post, PM Wong said he had a chance to chat with many young families and multi-generational households.

"We know that being a young parent is not easy, and we’re committed to making this journey as smooth and fulfilling as possible— whether through better childcare, family-friendly spaces, or more support to deal with day-to-day expenses."

In his recent Budget, PM Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, announced a slew of support measures for young parents.

These include Life SG credits for children to help defray household expenses, and lowering preschool fees.

Emphasis on concerns of young families

Sengkang has been noted for its high proportion of younger families.

Back in 2020, when Sengkang GRC was created and contested for the first time, the WP managed to win it, the second-ever GRC to be won by the opposition in Singapore's history.

At the time, political commenters like Eugene Tan, SMU associate professor, credited the WP Sengkang team for their emphasis on the concerns of young families for their victory.

During the recent Budget debate, Sengkang Member of Parliament (MP) Jamus Lim emphasised cost-of-living issues in his speech, saying that one-off vouchers are welcome but are "band-aids" that won't permanently resolve the problem, as compared to structural measures.

Shaping up for a fight

The WP's margin of victory in 2020 was a narrow one, with 52.13 per cent of the vote.

The boundaries of Sengkang GRC were not affected by the recent EBRC report, and will remain a 4-member GRC.

However, the PAP may not be sending the same team to stand in 2025 as they did in 2020.

Ng Chee Meng, former Education Minister and head of the NTUC, was spotted at a community event at Fernvale a day before, on March 16.

Ng, who stood in Sengkang in GE2020, was at the event together with members of PAP's Ang Mo Kio GRC team, including Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

When asked by the media if he was running in the coming election, Ng demurred, but emphasised he "grew up around here", fuelling speculation that he could be fielded in the newly-created Jalan Kayu SMC, which Fernvale falls under.

PAP's Sengkang team

In his Facebook post about the Anchorvale Village event, PM Wong tagged Lam Pin Min, another member of the 2020 team, as well as Theodora Lai and Elmie Nekmat.

Lai and Elmie, as well as Ling Weihong, were announced by the PAP in 2022 as the new chairs of the party's branches in Sengkang.

However, Ling was replaced by Marcus Loh in 2023, who was himself replaced by Bernadette Giam in 2025.

Giam was also spotted at the Anchorvale Village event by the Straits Times.

Assuming all will be fielded in the upcoming election, PAP's Sengkang team will likely be:

• Lam Pin Min
• Theodora Lai
• Elmie Nekmat
• Bernadette Giam

WP's Sengkang team

However, the WP has a vacancy to fill, ever since Raeesah Khan resigned from the party and Parliament in 2021 over a lie she told in a parliamentary speech.

Assuming that the WP fields the rest of the Sengkang team again, it will need its fourth candidate to be a member of a minority race, in order to abide by GRC rules for multiracial representation in Parliament.

Media reports since 2024 have floated up Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, a Senior Property Manager with Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC), which is run by the WP.

He's been on plenty of walkabouts with the WP Sengkang members.

Recently on March 8, WP chief Pritam Singh shared a Facebook post that mentioned "Team Sengkang".

In a picture with Singh and the Sengkang MPs was Abdul Muhaimin.

Therefore, we could see a WP Sengkang team comprising:

• Jamus Lim
• He Ting Ru
• Louis Chua
• Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik

An 8-member contest for the prize of Sengkang GRC.

Top image from Lawrence Wong and Pritam Singh's Facebook posts.