37-year-old Jess Chua has been appointed the Progress Singapore Party (PSP)’s Youth Wing head, following Terence Soon’s resignation from the party.
In a statement on Thursday (29 Apr), PSP noted that Ms Chua has been a member since 2019 and was recently elected to its Central Executive Committee at the party conference in Mar.
“Ms Jess Chua, being in that group and recently elected to the CEC, is a natural fit to continue the good work of Terence Soon 孙俊伟 to bring the Youth Wing to the next level,” said the party.
PSP chief Francis Yuen said that Ms Chua “has proven to be a very capable and dedicated member of the team”, based on his experience working with her on the ground in Chua Chu Kang.
Touching on her appointment as PSP’s Youth Wing head, Ms Chua said that she hopes to “inspire younger people to step up” by venturing “out of my comfort zone” and “leading by example”.
“It’s evident with the recent election of the new CEC, that PSP is an inclusive party – not one only for older people. We are all Singaporeans regardless of race, language, religion or age,” she said.
Ms Chua added that there has been “an unexpected growth in numbers of young people” who joined PSP after last year’s General Election (GE), as they “could identify with the party’s values and they want to contribute to building a better Singapore that’s more compassionate”.
One of the pressing issues that need to be tackled is the “worsening trend in mental health issues” in the country, said Ms Chua.
“Our country’s poor ranking in terms of the Happiness Index is something that has been bothering me. This is reflective not only of youths, but also our general population,” she said.
Environmental sustainability will also be a key area of focus for Ms Chua in her new role.
“Everyone can play a part and should do so – it’s social responsibility. The 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) that we learnt about in school decades ago are still valid today – we should make it a way of life,” she stressed.
The announcement on Ms Chua’s appointment came after Mr Soon earlier this week tendered his resignation from the party.
In a letter to PSP’s new chief Francis Yuen on Monday (26 Apr), Mr Soon cited having received employment opportunities abroad as the reason behind his decision.
In the interim period, Mr Soon said that he will strive to create a smooth transition for the Youth Wing leadership, and will “work closely” with whoever is to succeed him in the Youth Wing head role.
Mr Soon said that his last day as a PSP member would be on 26 May, adding that his resignation letter was submitted in accordance with the 30 days’ advance notice requirement.