GE2025: Festival streets among 19 proposals by PAP’s Sengkang GRC candidates (2025)

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SINGAPORE - Festival streets in Sengkang where different generations can mingle are among 19 proposals that PAP candidates for the GRC have put up, hoping they will sway the minds of residents there.

Apart from being more responsive to feedback about the estate, the team wants to make amenities in the town more meaningful and purposeful, academic Elmie Nekmat told the media on April 27 before a walkabout at Buangkok Hawker Centre.

The PAP Sengkang GRC manifesto describes a festival street as one that has green initiatives, local art, food and music.

The 43-year-old NUS associate professor said the idea of a festival street is to bring together youth, local culture, local food and local experiences, and where people of different generations can share their experiences and help shape spaces in Sengkang.

The 24-page manifesto was released online on Nomination Day after the team confirmed its candidacy, detailing plans ranging from improving connectivity of bus routes to discounts for essential household items.

Prof Elmie is one of three political newcomers in the team led by eye surgeon Lam Pin Min, the only candidate retained from the PAP’s previous slate that lost Sengkang GRC to the WP in the 2020 General Election.

Also part of the team are Mrs Bernadette Giam, 38, director of local food and beverage enterprise Creative Eateries, and Ms Theodora Lai, 39, co-founder of deep tech venture capital firm Moringa Ventures.

They are going up against the WP’s team comprising incumbent Sengkang MPs Louis Chua, He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim, and political new face Abdul Muhaimin.

The WP-run Sengkang Town Council launched its own five-year masterplan on April 5, where it promised amenities including a new rooftop butterfly garden in Anchorvale, an edible garden in Buangkok and a dog run in Rivervale.

Asked about the WP’s pitch of acting as a check and balance in Parliament, Dr Lam said the PAP candidates believe they can provide something better for residents.

“It’s not just about voting for the opposition, but voting for the right person who will be able to voice out for you in Parliament as well as look after you and your families in the estate,” he said.

Responding to one of the WP’s proposals to extend childcare leave on a per-child basis up to the age of 12, Mrs Giam said some time should be afforded to the industry and employers to respond to the proposal.

“Because, after all, the business community must be able to support all the employment that is actually being offered to the citizens of Singapore in order for us to move forward as a nation,” she added.

Dr Lam remarked that the campaign has been “very intense”.

He said: “We have spoken to many people in the coffee shops, in the hawker centre, and that actually reminds us why we are doing this.

“It’s about Sengkang residents, and I hope that Sengkang residents can see our determination and our sincerity and give us a chance.”

Ms Lai said: “We knew from the start that it would be a strong contest, but our mission remains clear and that is to connect with one heart and one family at a time.”

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