The People’s Action Party (PAP) has announced a refreshed team for the upcoming General Election in Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC), with former Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min returning to lead the slate alongside three new faces. The announcement was made on April 13 at a press event in Anchorvale.
Dr Lam, 56, will be joined by Theodora Lai, a 39-year-old principal at Tembusu Partners; Associate Professor Elmie Nekmat, 43, from the National University of Singapore; and Bernadette Giam, 38, a director at Creative Eateries. All four currently serve as PAP branch chairpersons within Sengkang GRC.
This move comes as PAP aims to reclaim the GRC it lost in the 2020 General Election. That year, a team of political office holders from the ruling party was defeated by a fresh Workers’ Party (WP) slate made up of He Ting Ru, Louis Chua, Jamus Lim, and Raeesah Khan. The WP won 52.12 percent of the votes, marking only its second-ever GRC victory.
Dr Lam was part of the original PAP team in 2020 and is the only member returning for another contest. He expressed optimism about the new line-up, stating that although the team comes from different professional backgrounds, they share a common passion to serve and a commitment to winning back the trust of Sengkang residents.
The latest line-up stands out from its 2020 predecessor in several ways. Unlike the previous all-male slate, this team includes two working mothers and has an average age of 43. The inclusion of candidates with varied professional experiences signals a shift in the party’s approach, with an emphasis on diversity and grassroots engagement.
Theodora Lai has been active in party circles since 2009. She previously chaired the PAP Policy Forum from 2018 to 2020 and was a founding member of the Young Women’s Leadership Connection, a leadership network for women initiated by Singapore’s first female cabinet minister.
Associate Professor Elmie has contributed to national efforts on media policy and Malay language promotion. He is a member of public advisory councils such as the Media Literacy Council and has served on the Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee under the Ministry of Education. He has been active with PAP since 2016.
Bernadette Giam, while more recently appointed as branch chair for Sengkang East in January 2025, has a decade of community volunteer experience. She has led outreach projects, including early childhood education initiatives, and worked closely with the PAP Women’s Wing.
The introduction of the new team took place in Sengkang West, an area where Dr Lam has been actively engaged since 2006. On the same day, PAP also revealed its candidates for the other WP-held constituencies of Aljunied and Hougang.
Sengkang East, where Giam is serving, has seen a change in branch leadership three times in the past three years. Despite that, PAP leaders believe the current team reflects a rejuvenated commitment to the area.
As political preparations ramp up, the contest in Sengkang has already begun to take shape on social media. Both WP and PAP teams have been actively engaging residents online using hashtags such as Team Sengkang and Sengkang GRC. The online space is expected to be a major battleground in the run-up to polling day.
The Workers’ Party has yet to officially announce its line-up for the 2025 General Election. However, there is speculation that Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, a senior property manager with Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, may be fielded as a replacement for Raeesah Khan. Khan resigned from Parliament in 2021 following public scrutiny over false statements she had made.
Sengkang GRC is poised to be one of the most watched electoral battles in the upcoming election, with both major parties working hard to connect with residents and present their case.
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