GE2025
GE2025: PAP fields Desmond Choo in new Tampines Changkat SMC
On 16 April, the People’s Action Party (PAP) announced that Desmond Choo, former MP for Tampines GRC, will contest the newly created Tampines Changkat SMC in the upcoming General Election. Alternative parties, including the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and the People’s Power Party (PPP), have also declared their intention to contest.
SINGAPORE: Desmond Choo, the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC), has been fielded by the People’s Action Party (PAP) as their candidate for the newly created Tampines Changkat single-seat ward in the upcoming General Election.
Choo, 46, has represented the Tampines Changkat division since his election in 2015, and he currently serves as the Mayor of North East District. He is also the assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), in addition to being the director of the policy division within the union.
The announcement, which took place on 16 April 2025 during a press conference unveiling PAP’s candidates for both Tampines GRC and the new Tampines Changkat SMC, marked the formal introduction of Choo as the PAP’s choice for the single-seat ward.
At the event, held in a multi-purpose hall at Tampines Street 62, Choo reflected on his deep connection to the community.
“For more than a decade, I’ve had the honour of serving our Changkat residents, not just as a Member of Parliament, but as their advocate and friend,” he said.
Choo, who has been deeply involved in the area’s development, expressed that Tampines Changkat was more than just a constituency to him – it was home.
He reassured the residents that despite the change in electoral boundaries, the new Tampines Changkat SMC would continue to maintain strong ties with Tampines GRC, and the two constituencies would continue to collaborate and share resources.
Choo highlighted his commitment to improving the lives of working families in the area, sharing his intention to push for better childcare leave and fairer wages. “I believe that my service to Tampines Changkat is about trust, and trust is earned door by door, day by day,” he added.
Tampines Changkat SMC is one of six new single-seat wards created following the latest Electoral Boundaries Review.
The constituency has 23,802 registered voters and was carved out of Tampines GRC, which saw population growth due to new housing developments and shifting demographics
. Parts of Tampines West, previously under Aljunied GRC, were also incorporated into Tampines GRC, which now represents 147,904 voters.
While the opposition candidate for Tampines Changkat has not yet been confirmed, it is widely anticipated that there will be an opposition challenge, as all parliamentary seats have been contested since the 2015 General Election.
Choo previously contested Hougang SMC twice but lost both times to Workers’ Party
Choo’s political journey began in Hougang SMC in 2011, where he first stood under the PAP banner.
He lost to the Workers’ Party’s Yaw Shin Leong with 35.2 percent of the vote.
He contested again in a 2012 by-election following Yaw’s expulsion from the Workers’ Party but was again defeated, securing 37.92 percent of the vote.
Singaporeans are set to head to the polls on 3 May 2025, following the dissolution of Parliament by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on 15 April 2025.
Meanwhile, the Workers’ Party has maintained a visible presence in Tampines Changkat and Tampines East since as early as 2018.
Other opposition parties, including the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and the People’s Power Party (PPP), have also declared their intention to contest in the ward.
