GE2025: Independent Jeremy Tan to challenge PAP’s Gho Sze Kee in Mountbatten SMC
Shipping lawyer Gho Sze Kee, from the People’s Action Party (PAP), will compete for Mountbatten SMC against independent candidate Jeremy Tan. Gho seeks a more inclusive community, while Tan, known as "encik bitcoin," is motivated by concerns about the next generation's future.
SINGAPORE: Shipping lawyer and long-time People’s Action Party (PAP) activist Gho Sze Kee is standing in Mountbatten SMC, where she will face independent candidate Jeremy Tan in the upcoming election.
During her speech at the nomination centre at Kong Hwa School on Wednesday (23 April), Gho shared her vision for the constituency.
“Let’s walk together and journey to make Mountbatten a more inclusive society where no one ever needs to feel alone,” she said.
Challenging her is 34-year-old Jeremy Tan, who goes by the nickname “encik bitcoin” for his distinctive bitcoin-themed campaign logo.
Listed as “retired” in his nomination papers, Tan told CNA that his motivation stems from concerns about the future facing younger generations.
“I live 600m outside of Mountbatten. I'm fighting to be an independent, full-time MP. To be a good MP, I believe I must be close to my residents.
“It’s the best place for me to run, because I observe what's going on the ground without having to make trips, because I live and I breathe and I exist, you know, and I use all the facilities,” he explained.
In a separate interview with Mothership on 17 April, Tan said he chose to run as an independent to raise awareness of key issues like inflation, global trade dependencies, and the importance of independent thinking in Singapore.
He believes political parties are not addressing these issues sufficiently and hopes to encourage greater public engagement.
Gho, 46, replaces Lim Biow Chuan, a four-term PAP MP and former Deputy Speaker (2016–2020), who announced his decision to step down last Sunday.
Lim was first elected in 2006 as part of the PAP’s Marine Parade GRC team.
When Mountbatten was carved out as a Single Member Constituency, he successfully defended the seat in the 2011, 2015, and 2020 elections.
In the last General Election, he secured 73.82 per cent of the vote against Peoples Voice candidate Sivakumaran Chellappa.
Earlier this month, People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) secretary-general Lim Tean had indicated plans to contest Mountbatten SMC, among others, announcing a 14-candidate slate across seven constituencies.
However, on nomination day, PAR only fielded candidates in Jalan Besar GRC and Potong Pasir SMC, with Lim contesting the latter.
According to the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report, Mountbatten SMC has 22,754 eligible voters.
