GE2020: PAP’s First 8 Candidates Bucks Trend Of A Typical Privileged Upbringing

It looks like times are changing. If you’re unaware, political parties participating in this year’s General Election have announced new candidates and party members. From Lee Hsien Yang joining Progress Singapore Party to PAP announcing their third line-up of potential candidates, political news seems to be getting more interesting by the day.

On 24 June, PAP unveiled their first eight potential candidates, most of which who did not follow the ‘conventional’ education path as other existing PAP members which we’re familiar with. If you’re unaware what ‘conventional’ means, it typically represents one who has gone to Junior College followed by some well-know high tier university such as Cambridge or London School Of Economics.

Here are the eight new “diverse and interesting” PAP candidates that did not follow the typical ‘conventional’ education path.

1. Desmond Tan Kok Ming

• Age: 50
• Primary education: Queenstown Secondary Technical School, Raffles Junior College
• University Education: Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours in Engineering from the Victoria University of Manchester, UK.
• SAF Merit Scholar
• Former SAF Brigadier General
• Former Chief Executive Director for the People’s Association
• Married with three children

2. Edward Chia Bing Hui

• Age: 36
• Primary education: National Junior College
• Education: Bachelor of the Arts in Economics from NUS
• Part of the board of the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Council
• Co-Founder of Timbre
• Recipient of the Singapore Youth Award 2014
• Co-chair of the Youth Action Plan
• Married with one child

3. Lim Shaw Chuan Ivan

• Age: 42
• Primary education: Diploma in Marine Engineering at Singapore Polytechnic
• University Education: Master of Engineering in marine engineering from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, graduating with First Class honours
• Joined Keppel Shipyard after his GCE ‘O’ Levels
• General Manager for Specialised Vessels at Keppel Offshore & Marine
• Married with four children

4. Nadia Ahmad Samdin

• Age: 30
• Primary education: Victoria Junior College
• University education: Bachelor of Laws from SMU
• Associate Director at TSMP Law Corporation
• Panel advisor in the Youth Court
• Former current affairs producer for Channel NewsAsia
• Married

5. Don Wee Boon Hong

• Age: 43
• Primary education: Nan Hua High School, Diploma in Accountancy with Ngee Ann Polytechnic
• University education: MBA in Accountancy and Business Administration from NTU, Masters in Public Administration from NUS, Studied Executive Education and Public Finance at Havard Kennedy School
• Senior vice-president at UOB
• IMH Visitors’ Board Member
• Chairs the West Coast Citizens Consultative Committee Community Development Welfare Fund and West Coast Peak Neighbourhood Committee.

6. Hany Soh Hui Bin

• Age: 33
• Primary Education: Normal (Academic) stream at Bendemeer Secondary School, Diploma in Law & Management from Temasek Polytechnic
• University Education: Bachelor of Laws from the University of Liverpool with Second Class Upper Honours
• Director of MSC Law Corporation
• An author of The Law Gazette 
• Sits on the Young Lawyers’ Committee, Criminal Legal Aid Scheme Committee and Community Legal Clinic Committee of the Law Society of Singapore.
• Married with one child

7. Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman

• Age: 48
• Primary Education: Jubilee Primary School, Jurong Secondary School, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
• University Education: Bachelor in Engineering from the University of Liverpool, Postgraduate Graduate Diploma in Defence Technological Science from NUS
• A director at the Administration and Research Unit of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)
• Was one of SAF’s highest-ranking Malay/Muslim regular officers
• Former deputy chief executive of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
• Married with four children

8.Yip Hon Weng

• Age: 43
• University Education: Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, Sports Science, and Mathematics at Loughborough University, UK, several postgraduate degrees from NUS, NTU, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Sloan Fellow
• Former Group Chief of Silver Generation Office
• Former secondary school teacher
• Founding director of the Municipal Services Office
• Married with five children