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SDP's to Challenge in PM Wong Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC

 




On April 13, 2025, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) unveiled its team of four candidates who will contest in Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the upcoming General Election. The opposition party will once again face off against the People's Action Party (PAP), which is fielding an unchanged team led by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

SDP’s line-up includes its organising secretary Jufri Salim, Wake Up Singapore founder Ariffin Sha, theatre director Alec Tok, and Dr Gigene Wong, a former candidate from the Progress Singapore Party. The announcement was made by SDP secretary-general Dr Chee Soon Juan after a walkabout at Marsiling Lane Market and Food Centre.

Jufri Salim, 41, is a music performer and manager at a music publishing company. This will be his first time contesting in a general election. He is also married to Surayah Akbar, who will be standing for the SDP in Sembawang GRC. Jufri emphasized SDP’s aim to enhance the quality of life for Singaporeans by reducing the cost of living. He called for the scrapping of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on essential items and reducing the overall GST rate from 9 percent to 7 percent. He also highlighted the importance of achieving better work-life balance, mental well-being, and stronger job security for Singaporeans.

Ariffin Sha, 27, is a legal executive and the founder of the alternative media platform Wake Up Singapore. Previously an assistant secretary-general with the Singapore People’s Party, he left the party in 2020. This will be his first election. Ariffin pointed out the mental health challenges faced by young people, referring to recent statistics showing one in three youth experiencing symptoms of severe anxiety, depression, or stress. He linked this crisis to the rising cost of living and urged for a more compassionate policy environment. He also said that narrowing the vote margin in the constituency, regardless of outcome, could lead to better governance.

Alec Tok, 60, is a theatre director and filmmaker who previously contested in Bukit Panjang under the SDP in 2011 and later ran with Red Dot United (RDU) in Jurong GRC in 2020. He returned to the SDP to contest in this election, stating that he would go wherever he was most needed. Tok criticised the GST hike and questioned the government’s reluctance to reduce it, saying the increase has directly worsened living conditions for many Singaporeans. He is known for directing the Chinese musical "December Rains" and the film "Twelve Storeys", which was Singapore’s first submission to the Cannes Film Festival.

Dr Gigene Wong, 59, holds a doctorate in international business and spent two decades working in China. Her past roles include CEO of Gulf Oil Yantai and CFO at Foshan Electrical and Lighting. She contested under the PSP banner in Hong Kah North in 2020. She later stepped away from politics to care for her father who has dementia. Speaking in Mandarin, Dr Wong said the opposition should not be divided by party lines, but united in their loyalty to Singapore. She criticized the overreliance on Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers, questioning why a developed nation with world-class infrastructure still requires such social safety nets for everyday living.

When asked about candidate loyalty due to the multiple party affiliations among his team, Dr Chee Soon Juan remarked that the key loyalty should be towards Singapore, not individual political parties. He added that mistakes should be seen in perspective and cautioned against personal attacks in political campaigns, pointing to past incidents involving members of other parties.

Since its creation in 2015, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC has seen straight fights between SDP and PAP. In the 2015 election, SDP secured 31.27 percent of the vote, which improved to 36.82 percent in 2020. The PAP slate remains unchanged this election, consisting of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, North West District Mayor Alex Yam, and Hany Soh.

Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC will have 119,352 voters in the 2025 election, and its boundaries have not been redrawn since 2020. With Prime Minister Wong leading the PAP team into his first general election as party secretary-general, the GRC will be closely watched as a symbolic and strategic battleground.

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