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Desmond Lee to Anchor New West Coast-Jurong West GRC

 




On April 15, 2025, the People’s Action Party (PAP) announced its candidate team for the newly created West Coast-Jurong West GRC, which will debut in the upcoming General Election. The team will be led by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, who steps up as anchor following the resignation of former Transport Minister S. Iswaran in January 2024 due to a corruption conviction.

Joining Desmond Lee, 48, in this five-member slate are Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Education Shawn Huang, 42, three-term MP Ang Wei Neng, 58, and two new candidates – orthopaedic surgeon Dr Hamid Razak, 39, and lawyer Cassandra Lee, 33.

The introduction took place at a press conference at the PAP’s West Coast branch. Mr Lee highlighted the diversity and grassroots experience of the team, stating that it combines existing MPs and fresh candidates to ensure continuity while bringing in new perspectives and energy.

This election marks a significant change for the constituency. Under new electoral boundaries revealed on March 11, the previous West Coast GRC has been restructured and renamed West Coast-Jurong West GRC. The constituency will now include parts of Jurong GRC and has 158,581 registered voters, up from 146,089 in 2020. It also ceded Dover and Telok Blangah to Tanjong Pagar GRC, and HarbourFront and Sentosa to the newly formed Radin Mas SMC.

Shawn Huang, who previously oversaw Taman Jurong and Jurong Spring under Jurong GRC, and Dr Hamid, who led PAP efforts in Jurong Spring, have both moved over with their wards. Ang Wei Neng remains in the slate, bringing long-standing experience to the team.

Labour MP Patrick Tay, who has served in the adjacent Pioneer SMC since 2011, will seek re-election there. His constituency remains unchanged in this round of boundary adjustments.

Absent from the West Coast-Jurong West GRC slate is Rachel Ong, who was first elected in 2020. She is expected to contest in Tanjong Pagar GRC, as her Telok Blangah ward has been shifted there. Mr Lee praised her for her work supporting youth and family initiatives and said she will be missed.

Also not contesting in the new GRC is Foo Mee Har, a three-term MP who has been active in the Ayer Rajah-Gek Poh area. While she was present at the event, her retirement was not officially confirmed. However, she introduced Cassandra Lee and Dr Hamid as her successors in Ayer Rajah and Gek Poh respectively.

Foo Mee Har described Cassandra Lee as a dedicated volunteer with 16 years of community involvement, starting from the age of 17. She noted Cassandra’s public service and legal background, as well as her advocacy for seniors, young families, and women’s empowerment. Cassandra, who grew up in the west, expressed her commitment to ensuring that national policies effectively reach and serve local communities. She highlighted the need for more support for working parents and greater flexibility in workplace culture, particularly for fathers.

Dr Hamid Razak, who grew up in Jurong West and has been involved in grassroots work for 17 years, introduced himself in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. He shared his personal experience of receiving community support in his youth, and said he aims to focus on health literacy for older adults and create more inclusive education and training opportunities. He expressed concern that existing initiatives like SkillsFuture may not be flexible enough for people balancing work and learning, and suggested more modular, supported pathways.

Despite contesting in a high-profile GRC, Dr Hamid clarified that he will continue his career in surgery, describing his candidacy as a step forward in community service.

Trade unionist Natasha Choy, previously introduced as a PAP new face and seen on the ground with MPs earlier in April, was notably absent from the candidate announcement.

In the 2020 General Election, West Coast GRC saw the narrowest margin for the PAP, which secured 51.68% of the vote against the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) led by Dr Tan Cheng Bock, a former PAP MP turned opposition leader. Desmond Lee acknowledged the competitiveness of the upcoming election and noted that the new team represents a mix of experience and fresh thinking. He emphasised the importance of earning residents’ trust again and assured them of new plans for the coming five years.

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