PAP's Gho Sze Kee, 46, in Mountbatten SMC straight fight with independent candidate: 'I am a doer, not a talker'

The 22,754 eligible voters in Mountbatten SMC will have to cast their votes this May 3 Polling Day, unlike electors of neighbouring Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, who saw a walkover this GE2025.

The same fate was avoided for the single-member constituency after an independent candidate, Jeremy Tan, 34, threw his name in the hat to face the People's Action Party (PAP) candidate, Gho Sze Kee, and prevented a walkover.

First general election contest

The 46-year-old lawyer is contesting in a general election for the first time.

The associate director at AsiaLegal, a local law firm that specialises in maritime issues, has been a PAP activist since 2012 and the party’s Bukit Timah branch secretary since December 2020.

She is taking over from incumbent PAP MP Lim Biow Chuan, a four-term MP who is stepping down.

Lim, 61, entered politics in 2006.

He was part of the Marine Parade GRC team led by then Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, which got elected in a walkover.

Gho has been photographed alongside Lim since August 2024 and he has been seen accompanying her in her rounds during walkabouts.

She told Mothership her presence in Mountbatten has been mistaken for something more.

She joked: "And because of how often I showed up at Mr Lim Biow Chuan’s side meeting the residents here on the ground, I lost count of the number of times residents came up to ask if I were his new wife, or girlfriend! It is now a running joke between us."

Mountbatten SMC was carved out in the 2011 election as a single-member constituency.

Gho's approach to contest

On her contest with Tan, Gho told Mothership she has been working the ground for the past 13 years and is familiar with residents, their problems, as well as working with various contractors.

This was after her opponent, Tan, a retiree, said he will be a full-time MP if elected and has been doing his research on how to run the estate.

Gho told The Straits Times on Apr. 29 that she wants to “agree to disagree” on politics with Tan, who has been actively posting online.

Gho met Tan on Nomination Day on Apr. 23, and again when they crossed paths on Apr. 27 while doing house visits in the landed estate in Mountbatten and exchanged pleasantries.

Here is Gho's Q&A with Mothership:

1.⁠ ⁠How does it feel contesting in a GE for the first time?

It may be my first time in the hot seat, but certainly not, as they say, my first trip to the rodeo.

Just like Mr Lim Biow Chuan before me, I was a branch secretary, and I was very closely involved in the planning and execution of the GE campaigns in Bukit Timah, where I started out.

Seeking the mandate of the people is a serious matter to the PAP. It is thus a team effort.

The candidate does not stand alone.

On the same corollary, the MP does not stand and cannot stand alone to serve the residents, but with his team of activists and volunteers, fellow residents of Mountbatten.

2.⁠ ⁠Do you live in Mountbatten?

No, home is in Bukit Timah, where I started out on my activist journey.

I have been pounding the ground for a long time, and I have been shadowing Mr Lim Biow Chuan in his MP and grassroots duties for the past 10 months here, getting to know Mountbatten and the residents here directly.

And because candidacies are not confirmed and announced till the eve of the GE, I was doing all of that as an unknown activist.

And because of how often I showed up at Mr Lim Biow Chuan’s side meeting the residents here on the ground, I lost count of the number of times residents came up to ask if I were his new wife, or girlfriend! It is now a running joke between us.

3.⁠ ⁠Independent candidate Jeremy Tan said he can be a full-time MP. What about you?

To me, what I feel is more important is what the candidate can actually bring to the table for you, how well they can actually serve you.

I have been working the ground for a very long time now. I was a branch secretary, and a senior grassroots leader. My activism and volunteerism for the past 13 years gave me first hand, direct working knowledge of constituency work and the grassroots.

I’ve dealt with agencies and ministries and various NGOs directly, engaged and helped many residents with their problems, worked with various contractors.

These working knowledge and experience are not something that is acquired overnight. It is also takes a team to serve the people well. I believe the residents of Mountbatten deserves no less.

4.⁠ ⁠Do you feel like you have kept a low profile online so far? How do residents get to know you better?

Talking about myself is not something that comes naturally to me. I am not an attention seeker, nor a slick social media operator.

My online presence is something I’m ramping up, so please bear with me. But ultimately, I believe there’s no substitute for face-to-face engagement and being present on the ground.

And that is what I have been doing for a long time. I am a doer, not a talker.

5.⁠ ⁠Do you have a message for Mountbatten residents?

Dear residents,

I know Mr Lim was a beloved MP, and he left behind big shoes to fill.

He cares for the residents deeply. His endorsement of me to the party leadership did not come automatically.

He took his time, a long time, to observe and evaluate who I was, if I were worthy, before giving me his full support and blessings to the party Leadership.

His support of me means a lot to me. Over the time we spent together, we realised just how alike we are. We are activists of the same mould.

We first stepped up because we genuinely wanted to give back, we were both branch secretaries with years of first hand experience with the people, we are both roll-up-the-sleeve doers, ground fighters.

We believe in action, not just fluffy words. We hold similar values, we both believe in hard work, dedication, and sincerity. We want the best for the residents.

He was also a fearless advocate in parliament, and spoke up on a wide variety of issues in parliament. I shall do the same.

I know it takes time to know a person. Nine days is too short, and I feel, 10 months is too short too. But I hope that just as many of you trusted Mr Lim, you can trust his assessment of me too.

I humbly ask for your mandate, and a chance to serve you.

Top photos via Goh Sze Kee