GE2025: Workers’ Party Unveils Third Batch of Election Candidates as Multi-Corner Contests Loom in Singapore

By
Loh Huey Xin
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The Workers’ Party (WP) introduced their third batch of election candidates on Saturday, 19 Apr 2025.

They are senior lawyer Mr Harpreet Singh (59), former law firm deputy director Mr Sufyan Mikhail Putra (33), and payment systems product manager Mr Jasper Kuan (47).

With this announcement, the party has introduced 11 new faces over three days, with six of them under 40 years old.

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Mr Singh agreed that this reflects a generational transition within the WP. Moreover, he said it relates to the party’s growth and ongoing efforts to stay connected with Singaporeans.

He recalled being struck by former party leader Low Thia Khiang’s admission before stepping down that he found it difficult to understand the younger generation.

“The Workers’ Party must constantly bring in people who can carry the dreams, hopes, and concerns of their generation, so that voices from the same generation can be heard in Parliament. For the people, knowing their views can reach the highest decision-making level is very important,” said Mr Singh.

Election Strategy and Multi-Corner Contests

Though WP hasn’t clearly stated which constituencies they will contest, party members’ activities suggest that besides defending their current seats, they may target Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) including East Coast, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, Punggol, and Tampines, as well as Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) Tampines- Changkat and Jalan Kayu.

With more opposition parties staking claims in various constituencies in this election, the possibility of multi-corner contests has increased.

According to Lianhe Zaobao‘s tabulation as of 14 Apr 2025, at least 14 constituencies—including six GRCs and eight SMCs—may see three-cornered fights.

When asked whether the WP would negotiate with other parties to avoid multi-corner contests, Mr Singh told Lianhe Zaobao that his party would not participate in such discussions, and details on this aspect are typically not discussed publicly.

However, he added, “Singapore’s electoral system is open. We can expect three-cornered fights to become more common in the future.”

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Mr Singh pointed out that the WP’s activities remain focused primarily on the northeast region and constituencies they previously contested, with areas where they’ve worked for many years naturally being their focus.

In the last general election, WP successfully defended Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC, while also winning the newly created Sengkang GRC. Additionally, their vote shares in Aljunied and Hougang increased.

When asked how the WP defines a “strong mandate,” Mr Singh said a clear mandate would be if all their candidates were elected.

“But this general election will be a tough battle. Our opponents have vast resources. We must work very hard to win every vote.”

No “Guaranteed Win” Constituencies

Mr Singh stressed that for WP, no constituency is a “guaranteed win.” Using Sengkang as an example, he pointed out that the party received only 52% of the votes last time, indicating a very competitive situation.

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“I want to tell Sengkang residents that a more balanced political system will benefit Singapore, and it all starts with your vote.”

This general election will be the first with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong leading the People’s Action Party (PAP). When asked if this affects the WP’s strategy, Mr Singh said there’s no difference.

The party’s goal remains consistent: to win at least one-third of the seats in Parliament.

He emphasised that WP’s core value proposition for Singaporeans is promoting a more balanced political system, which benefits the country’s continued development. Even with more WP’s MPs in Parliament, the government’s normal operations would not be affected.

“If the PAP can’t govern with a two-thirds majority, then the problem might be more serious than they admit.”

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On Wednesday (16 Apr 2025), WP listed 15 policy recommendations that they claimed had been adopted by the government “in some form.”

The ruling PAP rebutted this on Saturday through their party media website “Petir,” stating many of these recommendations had already been proposed by PAP MPs.

When questioned about this, Mr Singh did not directly respond, only saying: “I do recall them (PAP) saying that, but good ideas can come from anywhere. I mean, WP has indeed proposed some good ideas. I’ll leave it at that.”

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Loh Huey Xin