Everything About the Second Group of New PAP Candidates Which Includes a Banker from UOB

Rumours of who will be contesting in Singapore’s 2020 General Election have been floating around ever since the new electoral boundaries were announced.

Anyone who does a walkabout with a minister these days will get an article written about them, touting them as a potential candidate, even if it’s the drink stall uncle.

But PAP’s probably had a good idea of who their candidates would be for quite a while, probably even before the candidates knew themselves.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has already unveiled the first group of new PAP candidates for the new election, and now it’s time for the second.

Hany Soh Hui Bin, 33 (Director at MSC Law Corporation)

If you used to go to Bendemeer Secondary School, you’d be proud to know that one of your fellow alumni will be contesting in the 2020 General Election: Hany Soh Hui Bin

Soh, who is the sole female candidate and youngest in the group, didn’t take the conventional route before she embarked on her political career.

In an article on Lawgazette, Soh recalled welling up after seeing her PSLE results in 1999 – 175 points.

But through hard work and determination, Soh managed to work her way up the career ladder to become the director at MSC Law Corporation.

She has a diploma in Law and Management from a local polytechnic and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Liverpool in the UK.

And now, 21 years after she cried over her PSLE results, Soh is now contesting in the General Elections.

According to CNA, Soh has been volunteering with grassroots members in Bukit Panjang since 2011.

In 2014, Soh set up the first Community Legal Clinic in a Residents’ Committee (RC) centre in Singapore.

The mother-of-one also provides pro bono legal advice to residents on a fortnightly basis.

Soh says that being a Member of Parliament (MP) is about serving the people and helping as many residents as possible, reported Mothership.

Don Wee Boon Hong, 43 (Senior Vice President at UOB)

UOB employee Don Wee Bee Hong chairs the West Coast Citizens Consultative Committee, Community Development Welfare Fund, and West Coast Peak Neighbourhood Committee.

Wee, just like Soh, did not ascend the career ladder in the traditional way, says Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

“Don, to me, like Hany, epitomises what I call SkillsFuture now – the journey they’ve gone through in their school life does not define where they are and where they can be.”

According to The Straits Times, Wee obtained a Diploma in Accountancy from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, but could not pursue higher education due to his family’s circumstances.

But just like Soh, Wee was determined to succeed and earned a Bachelor of Accountancy from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology through years of part-time study.

And he didn’t stop there.

Wee went on to get:

•  a Master of Business Administration from Nanyang Business School in Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
•  a Master in Public Administration from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS)
• an Executive Education from Harvard Kennedy School

Wee has been a grassroots leader for sixteen years and says he’s focused on helping the less privileged and mental health patients.

“I do hope that through politics, (it) is an extension of my volunteerism and a platform for me to raise their concerns and needs to the policymakers,” he said.

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Mohd Fahmi Aliman, 48 (NTUC Administration and Research Unit Director)

We also have a former SAF Colonel in the group.

Not just that, a former SAF Colonel who served in Afghanistan for six months in 2012.

48-year-old Mohd Fahmi Aliman is now the director of the NTUC Administration and Research Unit.

Fahmi has a diploma from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and a Bachelor in Engineering from the University of Liverpool.

He also has a Graduate Diploma in Defence Technological Science from NUS.

Fahmi, whose mother worked as a cleaner, says he wants to “create awareness for low-wage workers and essential services workers” to learn new skills and make a better living.

One of Fahmi’s focus areas includes ensuring that the needs and welfare of low-wage workers are taken care of.

Yip Hon Weng, 43 (Former Group Chief of the Silver Generation Office at the Agency for Integrated Care)

Yip Hong Weng, a former civil servant, might have been your P.E teacher in Secondary School.

Yip received a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, Sports Science, and Mathematics at Loughborough University in the UK and started working as a Physical Education and Mathematics teacher in a secondary school.

He also has several postgraduate degrees from NUS, NTU, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Sloan Fellow.

During the circuit breaker, Yip organised a volunteer programme to deliver food packs to more than 37,500 seniors who were living alone and disabled people all over the country.

Yip hopes to improve governmental support for the elderly, especially when it comes to their mental health.

According to CNA, Yip has five children, and when asked why he has such a big family, he says it’s because he has “confidence in Singapore’s future”.

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