SINGAPORE : The People's Action Party has introduced its first
batch of new candidates for the upcoming General Election.
First to be introduced on Thursday morning was female candidate
46-year-old Denise Phua Lay Peng.
A full-time volunteer, she is President of the Autism Resource
Centre and acting principal of Pathlight School.
Married with 2 children, her 10-year-old son was diagnosed with
autism.
In January 2005, she gave up her corporate job as regional managing
director and consultant of a company to serve full-time in the
special needs sector.
She also founded the Worldwide Collaborations on Autism
Needs.
Ms Phua was educated at the National University of Singapore and
holds a Masters in Business Administration from Golden Gate
University in the US.
The youngest of the three new candidates was 31-year-old regional
director Zaqy Mohamad.
Married with two children, he has 10 years of community
service.
He currently serves on the Citizens' Consultative Committee at
Kampong Ubi and is also in the Feedback Unit's Social Development
Feedback group.
Mr Zaqy, who graduated from the Nanyang Technological University in
1999 with an Engineering degree, also holds a Masters in Financial
Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Another candidate introduced was consultant eye surgeon Dr Lim Wee
Kiak, who's 37.
He works at the National Eye Centre, is married with 3 children and
has served for 8 years at the grassroots level in Fuchun and
Marsiling.
Dr Lim graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1992
and received his Masters degree in 1998.
During the introductory session at the People's Action Party's
headquarters, party chairman Lim Boon Heng said the PAP leadership
met some 270 people over the past few years in their search for
potential candidates before the list was narrowed down to more than
20.
The candidates are expected to be introduced over the coming
weeks.
He said the
party had looked out for qualities like capability, commitment,
compassion and character - but not
conformity.
Mr Lim said: "We look for people with strong views on issues - who
have strong convictions on such issues as such people make for
robust debate within the PAP on national issues and help us to make
sound policies for the PAP. At every election, we seek to
reinvigorate the PAP and keep the PAP fresh and vibrant to the
people. The PAP has made this a key issue in each election - the
quality of its team, the choice of leaders to bring Singapore
forward for the next decade and beyond."
"We are making this an issue again in this election - who would
Singaporeans want to lead Singapore into a period of greater
opportunities and more challenges? How to get leaders who are
worthy and devoted to serving the people and who will win the
support, confidence of people to deliver security prosperity
progress for all of us? I think every voter looks forward to an
able team that is committed to Singapore - a team that will have
fresh ideas to meet the ever-changing challenges the country
faces." - CNA/ch
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