GE2020: Inexperienced New Faces Sent To Challenge PSP In Two SMCs

The People's Action Party (PAP) unveiled 27 new faces for GE2020. The PAP has a habit of fielding its preferred newcomers in GRCs to ensure that these inexperienced elites can enter Parliament on the coattails of anchoring Ministers. For instance, last minute candidate Xie Yao Quan will be fielded in the Jurong GRC team headed by Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Xie Yao Quan, who happens to be Ong Ye Kung's cousin, was introduced hastily after the prospective PAP candidate Ivan Lim faced an online torrent of accusations over his elitist and arrogant behaviour.

While most of these 27 new faces come from the same elitist background, it seems not all of them are treated equally. The PAP has decided to field two inexperienced scholars in two SMCs – ex-Administrative Service civil servant Yip Hon Weng will be contesting Yio Chu Kang SMC while ex-General Gan Siow Huang was sent to Marymount SMC. Yip Hon Weng will be facing Progress Singapore Party (PSP) candidate Kayla Low, and Gan Siow Huang is up against PSP's Dr Ang Yong Guan.

These scholars have little to no real world experience as their sheltered careers were mainly in government-linked organisations. Together with the fact that they were thrown to the deep end by contesting solo, it seems that the PAP is either overconfident of winning these SMCs or that Yip Hon Weng and Gan Siow Huang are disposable. Given how the PAP has placed the two scholars low on their priority list of newcomers, the residents in Yio Chu Kang and Marymount can be reassured that these two are useless to the progress of Singapore and should be voted out.