GE2020: 6 women candidates who have caught our attention
by Christalle Tay and Lauren Ong
SINGAPORE – It seems to be a banner year for female politicians. The People’s Action Party (PAP) has doubled the number of women among its new candidates for this year’s General Election (GE) compared to 2015. One of the new women candidates, Gan Siow Huang, is fielded in Marymount Single-Member Constituency (SMC), which pundits say is a spot conventionally saved for potential office holders.
There is a surge of female representation too, among the opposition parties. Many of them hold key roles in their parties’ central executive committees (CEC), such as assistant treasurer of Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Hazel Poa and Michelle Lee, the chairperson of Red Dot United (RDU).
A politician’s gender should not be on the list of deciding factors behind a vote, but as female first-time voters, strong women politicians are a welcome sight.
The past week of campaigning has seen candidates putting their best selves forward, framing their achievements and demonstrating political aptitude – with varying success. As Polling Day (10 July) draws near, here are the six female politicians who inspire us:
Nicole Seah, 33, Workers’ Party
Facing off Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Nicole Seah, who last contested in GE2011, will represent Workers’ Party (WP) in one of the most heated fights this election.
The contest mirrors that of GE2011 when the then-24 year old and her National Solidarity Party (NSP) team went up against former prime minister Goh Chok Tong and his team from the PAP for Marine Parade GRC. Seah’s team had garnered 43.35 per cent of the votes, putting PAP at 56.65 per cent, lower than the latter’s national average of 60.14 per cent that year.
She had previously received media attention for being the youngest female candidate standing for election that year and was even dubbed Singapore’s second most popular politician in 2011 – behind Lee Kuan Yew – based on the number of Facebook page likes. Having made a surprise comeback almost a decade later under WP, if DPM Heng’s unexpected contest for East Coast GRC is any indication, Seah is definitely one to watch.
Raeesah Begum Farid Khan, 26, Workers’ Party
Many might recognise her from the headlines the past few days, but Raeesah Khan’s track record of championing for those who fall through the cracks has made her a noteworthy figure to watch this GE. She founded the Reyna Movement, an organisation with bases in Singapore and Johor that works with marginalised women and children through upskilling programmes and community engagement.
Previously, she had campaigned in Australia against the detention of children seeking asylum and worked with WP as a case writer before being fielded as a candidate for Sengkang GRC this GE.
The young political newbie brings to mind PAP’s Denise Phua, who also founded a similar organisation – WeCAN, a charity that helps caregivers of autistic people and provides early intervention programmes for autistic preschoolers. Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and PAP candidate for Punggol West SMC, Sun Xueling, also got her political induction from working at grassroots events. She is an advocate of women’s and mothers’ rights.
Gigene Wong, 54, Progress Singapore Party
Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) Gigene Wong will be up against PAP’s Amy Khor, who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hong Kah North for several terms (when it was a GRC in 2001 and 2006, and an SMC when it was carved out in 2011). It will be a tough fight against Dr Khor who had garnered 74.76 per cent of votes in the constituency in GE2015 and has served as Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources in 2015.
Wong has held many senior management appointments. She has spent 20 years working and living in China, holding several C-suite roles in multinational corporations, boasting a similar profile to PAP’s West Coast GRC candidate Foo Mee Har who has 30 years of corporate experience leading international firms.
Carrie Tan, 38, People’s Action Party
Carrie Tan raised eyebrows when she was introduced as a PAP candidate – she said during the virtual media conference that she was “quite critical” of government policies and had “deliberated quite a bit” before agreeing to her candidacy. The self-proclaimed activist is also the founder of Daughters of Tomorrow (DOT), a non-profit organisation that provides employment opportunities for low-income women.
She drew more attention when Law Minister K Shanmugan, her teammate and anchor minister for Nee Soon GRC, shared on social media a video of former United States President Barack Obama endorsing her in 2006.
It seems like she’s angling herself as someone who will bring a human touch to policies. Tan said in her introduction that she hoped to create “a slightly different space where beyond the efficiency and the task drivenness of solving problems, we can create space for people’s feelings to be valued and acknowledged”.
Gan Siow Huang, 45, People’s Action Party
Singapore’s first female general, Gan Siow Huang was speculated to be a PAP candidate as early as March, with analysts quickly pointing to her as a potential political office holder, based on her hefty military resume. This impression was reinforced when she was revealed as PAP’s candidate for Marymount SMC, to defend Manpower Minister Josephine Teo’s old division as she leaves to helm Jalan Besar GRC.
As most PAP newbies enter the political fray in a GRC, Gan and fellow newcomer Yip Hon Weng, who will contest the new Yio Chu Kang SMC, stood out instantly. PAP’s Cheryl Chan is the only other female candidate in recent times who started her political career in a single-seat ward at Fengshan SMC in 2015.
Perhaps by force of habit, Gan Siow Huang’s nomination speech was widely circulated for her commanding tone, inspiring memes second only to DPM Heng’s “East Coast plan”. She took the memes in good humour, a good start to shedding her stoic image.
Poh Li San, 45, People’s Action Party
Contesting in Sembawang GRC with education minister Ong Ye Kung at the helm, the background and resume of new PAP candidate, Poh Li San, might just be the most interesting one yet.
She is a vice-president at Changi Airport Group and had previously served as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot under the Republic of Singapore Airforce. She was also the aide de camp to the late SR Nathan, Singapore’s sixth President, where she oversaw and co-ordinated his daily meetings and events for six years from 2001. She also has a good track record of working on the ground, having volunteered in grassroots activities and Meet-the-People sessions at Sembawang GRC since 2018.
She has spoken about her passion for more women in male-dominated industries, such as politics and STEM. With a resume unlike any politician, voters would definitely be watching where Poh lands this election.
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