Ex-IMH Director and Harvard Graduate Among Fresh Faces in Workers’ Party Slate
A distinguished former director from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and a Harvard-educated entrepreneur are expected to be among the Workers’ Party’s (WP) fresh candidates in the upcoming General Election, as the opposition party looks to introduce its largest cohort of new contenders.
Dr Ong Lue Ping, 47, who held the position of IMH’s director of allied health from 2022 to 2024, and Mr Michael Thng, 37, a Harvard Kennedy School master’s graduate, have been highlighted as notable additions to the party’s roster.
Based on walkabout observations and sources within the party, estimates suggest WP may introduce at least 17 new candidates, surpassing the 16 newcomers in both the 2011 and 2015 elections, and nearly doubling the nine presented in 2020. This expansion aligns with WP’s broader objective of securing one-third of parliamentary seats.
The opposition party is expected to field around 30 candidates across eight constituencies, including Aljunied, Sengkang, Punggol, East Coast, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, and Tampines GRCs, as well as the single seats of Hougang and Tampines Changkat.
So far, 13 fresh faces have been identified, with an average age of 43—older than the new candidates in previous elections, where the average age stood at 39.3 in 2015 and 37.4 in 2020.
Dr Ong was first seen in February at Punggol GRC alongside former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong, dressed in a light-blue polo shirt without WP branding, indicating he was not yet officially part of the party. However, his appearance at the WP’s Geylang Road headquarters on 29 March for a candidate photo session strongly suggests he is now in the running.
He has been actively volunteering with WP for months, assisting Hougang MP Dennis Tan at Meet-the-People Sessions. Currently a senior principal clinical psychologist at IMH, Dr Ong was previously among the institution’s top ten leaders and served as its head of psychology for six years. Additionally, he was part of the Ministry of Education’s Compass council, which fosters collaboration between parents, schools, and the community, until December 2024.
Meanwhile, Mr Thng has reportedly undergone the party’s vetting process and is likely to be fielded in the five-member Tampines GRC, where WP is contesting for the first time.
Seen outside WP headquarters on 28 March, he was accompanied by three potential teammates—Mr Jimmy Tan, 53, an industrial equipment sales manager; Mr Jasper Kuan, 46, a payments specialist; and Mr Andre Low, 33, a former management consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)—alongside Tampines WP volunteers.
Having graduated in 2016, Mr Thng began his career at BCG before co-founding Showdrop, a product discovery and sampling start-up. His academic background includes a degree in economics and international business from New York University, followed by a master’s in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Singapore Policy Journal.
WP’s new candidates span various professional fields, including law, finance, and technology. Among them is Mr Kenneth Tiong, 36, a former quantitative developer expected to stand in Aljunied GRC, where he has been coordinating community engagement since 2024.
Also prominent is Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, 35, a senior property manager at Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, who is likely to contest in Sengkang GRC and fill the vacancy left by former WP MP Raeesah Khan.
In Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, Mr Jackson Au, a corporate affairs and marketing manager at the London Stock Exchange Group, is anticipated to be part of the WP team, having volunteered since 2022 and worked closely with former WP MP Leon Perera.
Meanwhile, Mr Harpreet Singh, 59, a senior counsel, has been actively engaging with residents in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC but could be reassigned elsewhere on Nomination Day.
The sole female candidate among the newly identified individuals is Ms Afifah Khalid, 42, an associate director in the financial services sector, expected to be fielded in Tampines GRC.
With WP’s candidate slate shaping up, the opposition party appears set to field a slightly older team than in previous elections, with an average age of 46 among both newcomers and returning candidates. Unless last-minute adjustments occur, the 2025 General Election could mark a strategic shift in WP’s approach to candidate selection.
The Workers’ Party has not yet issued an official comment on the matter.
