One month after polling day: Where are they now?

It's been just over a month since the excitement of the 2015 General Election.

The People's Action Party (PAP) recorded a resounding victory, capturing 69.86 per cent of the vote.

Since then, the new cabinet has been formed with Mr Khaw Boon Wan taking up the difficult role of Transport Minister.

Fresh faces, Mr Ong Ye Kung and Mr Ng Chee Meng, have been given important portfolios as acting education ministers.

But what about those who did not make it into Parliament? What have they been up to since?

Workers' Party

Since polling day last month, the Workers' Party has trained new volunteers and has started walking the ground again.

WP has also focused on leadership renewal.

Aljunied MP Pritam Singh has taken over Ms Sylvia Lim as chairman of the beleaguered Aljunied Hougang Town Council (AHTC).

East coast GRC candidates consultancy firm chief executive Leon Perera, 45, and former librarian Mohamed Fairoz Shariff, 36, and Nee Soon candidate Kenneth Foo, 38, have been co-opted into the WP's Central Executive Council (CEC).

Mr Perera and Mr Dennis Tan, who contested Fengshan SMC, will take up Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) positions. National University of Singapore lecturer Daniel Goh's NCMP seat is still pending approval.

The East Coast GRC team got 39.3 per cent of the vote while its Nee Soon GRC team polled 33.2 per cent.

A Straits Times report over the weekend said that the exclusion of Marine Parade GRC team members from the CEC is a sign of discord within the team.

The report said: "The team was apparently plagued by simmering discord among members, which displeased party leaders, who have always prized tight discipline and frowned upon power play."

The Marine Parade team included its leader, Mr Yee Jenn Jong, corporate lawyer He Ting Ru, lawyer Terence Tan, chocolate factory owner Firuz Khan and wealth manager Dylan Ng. They garnered 35.93 per cent of the votes.

But Mr Yee refuted this in a blog post last week on Oct 11.

He said: "Today, a month after polling day, I am pleased to say that all candidates of Team Marine Blue remain committed to the party, with some taking on additional responsibilities within the party. My respect for each of them has increased throughout the campaigning and thereafter. They are all good team players, completely dedicated to the tasks they had been entrusted with, no matter how difficult the tasks were. Never mind the difficult circumstances and short time that were given to us to put the team and campaign together. I could not have asked for better fellow candidates." 

Kevryn Lim, National Solidarity Party

Single-parent advocate

Miss Kevryn Lim. TNP PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

Her team from the National Solidarity Party (NSP) lost the contest for Sembawang GRC but the fire of activism is still burning within Miss Kevryn Lim.

A week after the elections, she posted on her Facebook page that she set up the Care Assistance and Parenting Support (Caps) Foundation.

 

 

Caps allows her to continue fighting for one of her pet causes - equal rights for single parents.

The public relations manager at an events management and digital marketing firm said she was in touch with four or five single-parent families with financial difficulties who got in touch with her on her Facebook wall.

She is helping them by providing them with diapers and milk powder that were donated to her newly-formed foundation.

She told The New Paper: "These families need long term support so that they can be independent in the future."

On the personal front though, she said she was happy that the hustle and bustle of the election season was over.

"It's pretty much back to normal for me," Ms Lim added.

"My colleagues were supportive of my political activities. Other than a brief transition period right after the election, I've been back at work."

She admitted that the election was an intense period, not only for her, but also her family, who had to contend with a barrage of questions from family and friends.

"People asked them why I decided to join politics, but they handled it quite well," she said.

Despite the increased public scrutiny, she has no doubt about her political future.

"I will still be with the NSP," said Lim.

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)

The SDP experienced a surge in popularity during the rallies, especially with party head Dr Chee Soon Juan's impassioned speeches.

It was expected that SDP would do well in the polls, but they vastly under-performed.

The SDP team that ran in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC that comprised Dr Chee, Dr Paul Tambyah, Mr Sidek Mallek and Ms Chong Wai Fung won just 33.4 per cent of the votes.

So it's not surprising that the party is already regrouping.

In a Facebook post, SDP called for volunteers to shape the agenda of a positive and responsible party.

 

 

 

 

Roy Ngerng, Reform Party

The job-seeker

Mr Roy Ngerng. TNP PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO

After campaigning unsuccessfully for a seat in Parliament, Mr Ngerng is now campaigning for a job.

The 33-year-old posted on his Facebook:

PHOTO: FACEBOOK SCREENGRAB

Mr Ngerng was formerly employed on a yearly contract with Tan Tock Seng Hospital as a patient coordinator at the Communicable Disease Centre.

He was then terminated in June last year after he was embroiled in a defamation suit with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The suit was a result of a May 15, 2014 blog post where Ngerng alleged Mr Lee of criminally misappropriating Central Provident Fund savings.

TTSH then said that his contract was terminated because of "conduct incompatible with the values and standards expected of employees and for misusing working time, hospital computers and facilities for personal pursuits".

Since the GE, Mr Ngerng has been spending his time sending out resumes to companies in the social service and healthcare sectors.

While he admits that it has been challenging, he is happy to be able to spend the free time with his parents.

"I did not have a lot free time during the campaign period," he told TNP in a phone interview.

The Reform Party candidate for Ang Mo Kio GRC said he accepted the election result quite quickly.

Mr Ngerng's team captured 21.36 per cent of the votes against PAP's team led by PM Lee.

"It's best to respect what the people have said," he said.

"I think Singaporeans want to see more cooperation between the PAP and the opposition parties so that there can be a more constructive discourse."

Goh Meng Seng, People's Power Party

The family man

PPP'S secretary general, Goh Meng Seng (holding poster) with PPP's candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC. From left: Mr Syafarin Sarif, Ms Low Wai Choo and Mr Lee Tze Shih. PHOTO: ST FILE

The leader of the People's Power Party (PPP) went back to Hong Kong after the elections.

Curiously, before he left, he posted a short poem on his Facebook.

PHOTO: FACEBOOK SCREENGRAB

He told TNP over the phone that he was going to move back to Singapore in early November.

Not only is his business in Hong Kong — he runs a company doing consultancy and market research business — his family is also there.

"The election results were disappointing, but I'm doing great," he said

"I have been spending time with my family."

He contested in Choa Chu Kang GRC and garnered just 23.09 per cent. 

He thinks that the GE results could hinder the growth of opposition politics because it might deter people who want to volunteer their time from signing up.

"Which is why in the future, the PPP will be doing more to increase our ground presence."

Victor Lye, People's Action Party

Man on-the-ground

PHOTO: ST FILE

The PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC is still spending his time in the ward to serve the residents.

In fact, the whole five-man team which narrowly lost to the WP have been back on the ground giving out N95 masks to residents of Aljunied GRC.

"We do not appear only at elections or champion politics for its own sake. It's not about elections. It's about our people," he said in an e-mail interview with TNP.

Despite losing, he was adamant about staying in the GRC to serve the residents.

"I am not in Parliament, but I hope to contribute by providing alternative views and ground feedback," said the 52-year-old.

He shared that his activists gave him and his son a poster with their autographs.

The poster's centre piece were his words to his son right after the election results were announced.

PHOTO: VICTOR LYE  

His parting words underlined the reason why he joined politics: "If we keep looking at how we want people to like us, we will be on the wrong path. I shall remain, and I shall remain active - while remembering that without my dedicated and passionate volunteers, I don't count for much."

Ravi Philemon, Singapore People's Party

Job-seeker II

Like Mr Ngerng, Mr Ravi Philemon, who ran at Hong Kah SMC, is also looking for a job.

He uploaded a Facebook post last month asking friends to alert him to job openings.

There was an outpouring of support, including from MPs from the PAP.

The former director of of voluntary welfare organisation Operation Hope Foundation, said two ministers responded to him.

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam told him, through a grassroots leader, that he would keep a lookout for any suitable job openings. 

They then communicated over e-mail, Mr Philemon, 47, said told The Straits Times.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan also reached out to him on Facebook: "He encouraged me to continue finding ways to contribute to our political discourse."