Workers' Party could field ex-IMH head of psychology & a Harvard grad this GE2025

A former director at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and a Harvard graduate are among the "star catches" that the Workers' Party (WP) could field in the upcoming general election, according to The Straits Times.

The two new faces are Ong Lue Ping, 47, who previously served as IMH's director of allied health from 2022 to 2024, and Michael Thng, 37, a master’s graduate from Harvard Kennedy School.

ST estimated that WP could field as many as 17 new faces in GE2025, many of whom are professionals like lawyers or management consultants.

Ong Lue Ping

Ong's LinkedIn page indicates that he is currently a senior principal clinical psychologist at IMH, after having started there as a psychologist in 2002.

Ong took on various senior roles and was also IMH's head of psychology from 2015 to 2021.

In 2023, Ong received a National Awards 2023 Commendation Medal (Covid-19), given to individuals who performed outstandingly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

From 2021 to 2024, Ong was also a member of a Ministry of Education (MOE) National Advisory Council called Compass, which advises MOE on strengthening collaboration between schools, homes and the community.

Ong was spotted on the ground in the new Punggol GRC in February, alongside veteran WP candidate and former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Yee Jenn Jong, ST reported.

According to ST, Ong also attended a photo-taking session for WP's election candidates at their Geylang Road headquarters on Mar. 29.

ST reported that it understood Ong has been volunteering with WP for some months, and was a case writer for Hougang MP Dennis Tan during his Meet-the-People Sessions.

Michael Thng

Thng previously studied masters in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School and was the editor-in-chief of Singapore Policy Journal, a student-run publication that focuses on analysing public policy in Singapore.

After graduating in 2016, Thng joined management consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a principal, and subsequently co-founded a product sampling start-up called Showdrop, according to ST.

Thng was reportedly seen by ST with three other new faces, WP chief Pritam Singh's legislative assistant Jimmy Tan, 53; strategist in the financial and digital payment sectors Jasper Kuan, 46; and former BCG management consultant Andre Low, 33, outside the WP headquarters on Mar. 28.

Kuan, Tan, and Low have previously been seen on walkabouts and events with WP.

ST reported that it understood that Thng has been vetted as a potential candidate and is likely to stand in Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC), where the WP looks set to contest for the first time.

If you're confused about all the new faces appearing of late, here's a cheat sheet for you:

Top image from Ong Lue Ping/LinkedIn & Rocketreach