GE2025: Ex-Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng to step down, despite 'many hours' of persuasion by Shanmugam and PM Wong

SINGAPORE: Two-term Member of Parliament Louis Ng confirmed on Tuesday (Apr 22) that he will not be contesting the General Election, despite efforts by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to persuade the former Nee Soon GRC MP to stay.

"He (Mr Ng) spoke with me last year about wanting to step away. And I said he is still very young, he should continue. And the reasons were intensely personal," said Mr Shanmugam, who again will anchor the People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting Nee Soon this year.

"I can tell you that I spent many hours trying to persuade him to stay. And not just me, the prime minister himself - the current secretary-general - spoke with him many times.

"He thought about it a lot. He took what we said very seriously. You know, he had a lot of value, both to Yishun and parliament, but his decision was based on very personal reasons. And we decided to, I mean, we had to agree."

An emotional Mr Ng on Tuesday cited family reasons for his decision, as the role of an MP made him miss "a lot of important milestones" in his daughters' childhoods.

"I now want to be more present in their lives and be there for the little, but precious, important moments," he added, as the other PAP members wiped his tears and put their arms around him.

Mr Shanmugam had announced on Monday that the PAP will field four new faces in Nee Soon GRC this year. 

The first-timers are former Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) director Goh Hanyan, ex-Nominated Member of Parliament Syed Harun Alhabsyi, director of a cleaning service and pest control company Jackson Lam, and longtime Nee Soon volunteer Lee Hui Ying.

The changes mean that Mr Ng, Ms Carrie Tan and Mr Derrick Goh will not be in the Nee Soon GRC team. Mr Ng is a two-term MP, while Ms Tan and Mr Goh have served in a single term of parliament. 

On Tuesday, Mr Shanmugam said that the three are stepping away from the constituency for personal and career reasons.

But he stopped short of confirming they would be retiring from politics, adding that everything will become clear on Wednesday, which is Nomination Day.

"But as I told him (Mr Ng), nothing is confirmed until it's confirmed - that is tomorrow. But until then, we talk about him stepping away," Mr Shanmugam added.

When pressed further whether the three will be retiring from politics, Mr Shanmugam said: "You will have the answer tomorrow."

As for the new faces introduced in the slate, Mr Shanmugam also said that "nothing is confirmed until it is confirmed tomorrow".

"The actual line-up, the actual slate, is what would come tomorrow. And if there are any changes, we will obviously explain," he said.

When asked what might trigger these changes, Mr Shanmugam said he did not want to go into "hypothetical" situations.

Still, Mr Shanmugam reiterated what he said on Monday - that Ms Goh and Dr Syed Harun "fit in the category" of being potential political office holders.

"Part of the process is also looking out for people who can potentially become office holders, because you need renewal at every level," he said.

"So, these basic attributes are essential: sincerity, willingness to work hard for people. But beyond that, then do you have the potential to be able to handle ministry work?"

While ministers do not run a ministry as directly as the permanent secretary, Mr Shanmugam said, they must still handle budgets of several billion dollars and make decisions that can affect thousands of people who work in the ministry.

"So, it's not for nothing that Singapore is considered one of the best-governed societies in the world. But to bring that level of governance, it doesn't happen automatically, you've got to keep looking for people who can do that," he said.

In response to a question on how Mr Ng's stepping aside might affect the PAP, Mr Shanmugam said Mr Ng will continue contributing to PAP members from "outside" parliament.

"I think Louis plays an extremely important role, but I'm not sure even Louis would say that PAP risks losing touch," Mr Shanmugam said.

"When you talk to 30 residents a night or 50, and you understand their problems, and you walk about like this, and you talk to people in the coffee shops, and you sit down and have a drink with them - and that is the PAP style; it has been for more than 60 years.

"If we lose touch with the ground, we lose. And the first rule for every MP and minister is, whatever else you do, you keep in touch."

Mr Shanmugam said his team will fill the gap left by Mr Ng through candidates from the people and non-governmental sector.

"Stepping away doesn't mean that (he will) no longer being involved. It means still, in the case of Louis, actively involved. He will be actively involved with me. He will give me his perspective. He will give the others his perspective," Mr Shanmugam added.

"And those who know Louis will know that he is nothing if not persistent. So he will persist, not in parliament, but outside."

"NOT AN EASY DECISION": LOUIS NG

Mr Ng, whose absence from the PAP's Nee Soon slate on Monday sparked online comments about how much of a loss he would be for local politics, said "stepping away" has not been an "easy decision".

He has become known for raising multiple issues in parliament and fighting for causes like animal welfare and environmental protection. On Tuesday, he told reporters he would be "heading back to the nonprofit sector".

"I'm stepping away, not because I stopped loving this job. Really far from it, but being an MP has never just been a job for me. It's been a calling, a deep privilege, and honestly, one of the greatest honours of my life," he said.

"Having the chance to speak up for others and help shape our country has meant more to me than I can say, and I've spoken up in parliament as much as I can without fear or favour, and I'm very glad that has led to many policy and legislative changes."

Mr Ng said Mr Shanmugam had asked him to reconsider his decision, noting that the minister was the one who brought him into politics.

"In the last 17 years I've known him, he has not just been a colleague, a minister, a friend or mentor, but really a very nurturing fatherly figure," Mr Ng said, choking back tears.

"And I daresay he's probably the person that has put his arm around me the most time, often to show me care and concern and encouragement, although sometimes to strangle me as well.

"But after 10 years as an MP I do feel it's time for the next chapter. I will be heading back to the nonprofit sector, armed with all my learnings and experience as an MP for the past decade and until my last breath, fight hard to build a more caring, compassionate and inclusive Singapore."

In a video posted on social media after the walkabout in Khatib Central on Tuesday, Mr Ng said he will not stand as an MP for the third term.

DERRICK GOH ON STEPPING DOWN

On Mr Goh, Mr Shanmugam said that his promotion to DBS Bank's group chief operating officer in February would require him to be in charge of more than 30,000 people and travel extensively.

"Generally, Derrick, I, most people in party - we don't believe in compromises. So we had long chats, and Derrick felt that while he was a first-term MP and he would have been happy to carry on, and we wanted him to carry on," Mr Shanmugam said.

"Nevertheless, in the residents' interest, maybe someone else should come in and take over, while he will support from the background."

Mr Shanmugam thanked Mr Goh for making a difference as Nee Soon Town Council chairman, ensuring that its finances remain in a "healthy position".

Mr Goh said Mr Shanmugam and PAP secretary-general Mr Wong have been "very encouraging", but agreed with him that "high performance requires full commitment".

"On this basis, I've asked to step aside so that Nee Soon Link can continue to have the full focus and the energy that is required of an MP," he said.

"RIGHT DECISION": CARRIE TAN

Mr Shanmugam said a change in Ms Tan's personal life would also require her to travel "quite a bit".

"Again, we would have liked her to carry on for more terms, but there's going to be a significant change in her personal life - I don't think she wants to go beyond that," he said.

"And that kind of travel schedule and stay abroad is not going to sit well with MPs' commitments to be on the ground week in, week out," he said, adding that her decision was "regretfully" accepted.

Ms Tan said she feels it is the "right decision" for her to step aside and let someone younger and more energetic take over.

She said she is proud of her efforts to help caregivers and elderly residents in Nee Soon, for instance through a caregiver resource centre to address the challenges of an ageing population.

"I will be pursuing some of my own learning development in the wellness space, and I will continue to be a change-maker, to bring whatever that I learned back into the community, to advocate for Singaporeans' well-being," she said.